marcus50bucks

Andy Heaton @Andrew_Heaton · 35m 35 minutes ago @RobLeighton67 What statement is this mate, he is safe btw Andy Heaton @Andrew_Heaton · 36m 36 minutes ago Let the fume commence.... Andy Heaton @Andrew_Heaton · 30m 30 minutes ago @RobLeighton67 No direct briefing AFAIK, but it looks like our mate Mr Gordon has swung it for Brendan

Pete O'Rourke @SportsPeteO · 51m51 minutes ago Reports claim Carlo Ancelotti would jump at the chance to manage Liverpool, according to sources close to the former Real Madrid boss. #LFC

West Ham are also interested Liverpool call Carlo The club network would be the only thing that would change the idea Ancelotti JOSE FELIX DIAZ. MADRID 05.27.15 - 9:11 Milan is not the only club interested in hiring Carlo Ancelotti after being sacked by Real Madrid . The prestige and technical poster remain intact. He is admired and respected. Calls can happen and Liverpool was the last team interested in signing the Italian coach. Before it was West Ham who called Bronzetti, although the entity first became interested in Benitez. At the moment he is firm in his idea of ​​staying for a year on the sidelines of the bench, but the calls are repeated and one of the proposals has been considered by the technical and very interesting. We speak, of course, the interest of a historic like Liverpool that today would be the only team that Ancelotti would reverse its decision to stop. The agreement for the resolution of the contract year left to him is solved, and now are his helpers who are negotiating with the club the settlement for his farewell to Real Madrid. http://www.marca.com/2015/05/27/futbol/equipos/real_madrid/1432710705.html

Mike Gordon FSG profile: The man with Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool FC life in his hands 20:42, 26 MAY 2015 BY JAMES PEARCE Just who is the man who will decide Brendan Rodgers' fate at Liverpool FC? He's the man who has Brendan Rodgers’ future in his hands. Mike Gordon is tasked with leading the end of season review which will determine whether Rodgers continues as manager following a disastrous campaign for Liverpool. The 50-year-old American has become an increasingly important figure at Anfield over the past three years but most Kopites wouldn’t know him if they bumped into him. He doesn’t give interviews. He doesn’t have a public profile and that’s how he likes it - out of the limelight. Gordon is essentially responsible, alongside chief executive Ian Ayre, for the day to day running of Liverpool. However, his role extends way beyond simply reporting back to Boston-based principal owner John W Henry and chairman Tom Werner. He is Fenway Sports Group’s second largest shareholder with around 12%. Only Henry (around 40%) holds a bigger stake in an organisation which has the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool among its lucrative business interests. Gordon, who grew up in Milwaukee but moved to Boston as a student, is married with four children. He enjoyed a hugely successful career in finance prior to getting involved with FSG. He worked for American multinational financial services corporation Fidelity in the 90s before founding the hedge fund Vinik Asset Management with Jeffrey Vinik in 1996. When they shut it down in 2013 it had assets in excess of $6billion. Gordon, who had started out selling popcorn at Milwaukee Brewers matches, always had a passion for baseball and in 2002 he joined up with FSG when they purchased the Red Sox. For years he was a limited partner but that changed following FSG’s takeover of Liverpool in October 2010. Gordon was installed on the club’s board of directors and since 2012, when he increased his stake in FSG, he has spent more and more of his time on this side of the Atlantic. A year ago Henry and Werner recognised that increased influence by giving him the title of FSG president. Gordon is the most senior member of the club’s much maligned transfer committee and has been heavily involved in the Main Stand redevelopment. He is also a trustee of the Liverpool FC Foundation. “Mike is well known among professional investors as being one of the brightest financial minds in the country,” Henry told the Boston Globe back in March. “So he is involved in virtually all of our important financial discussions and decisions. “He spent his career essentially buying businesses through choosing stocks. He understands present value, all of the financial issues that exist in an organization as wide and diverse as this is. “He is by far FSG America’s most knowledgeable person with regard to soccer and is involved on the football side daily in constant communication with the members of our football committee and our manager. He took a lead role just about the same time as we brought in Brendan Rodgers.” Former business partner Vinik, who now owns Tampa Bay Lightning ice hockey team, added: “Mike Gordon is one of the best human beings you could possibly meet. “He’s very smart, very thoughtful and really outstanding at solving problems and finding solutions to difficult issues.” What happens over the coming weeks and months will put that glowing tribute to the test. At the end of a torrid season, Liverpool are in a mess and Gordon is tasked with putting plans in place to sort it out. He’s the man Rodgers must convince that he deserves the opportunity to put right what’s gone horribly wrong. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mike-gordon-fsg-profile-man-9336112

Brendan Rodgers is hamstrung by Liverpool acting like mid-table club Manager needs a comeback worthy of 2005 in Istanbul, but Anfield 'model' of buying young players rather than world-class ones does him no favours By Chris Bascombe 8:39PM BST 25 May 2015 It is as if time itself is enjoying a joke at Liverpool’s expense. As the debris was being cleared on the club’s worst defeat in 52 years, the tenth anniversary of the club’s Champions League ‘miracle’ in Istanbul was celebrated. Brendan Rodgers may be inclined to nick an image from that night as he assesses his own situation. At full-time on Sunday, he must have felt like he was 3-0 down at half time to a side including Pirlo, Kaka, Maldini and Shevchenko. Just like that momentous evening in the Ataturk, Rodgers must also believe a comeback is possible. • Liverpool insist Stoke debacle will not cost Rodgers his job • Who could be the next Liverpool manager? It was another day of introspection at Anfield – they seem to average one a week in modern times – but Liverpool remain adamant the upcoming internal review into the events of this season will not focus on Rodgers’ position. “Not on the agenda,” is the official line on it. Something may be about to change at the club – it really has to – but according to the club, not the manager, not the recruitment staff and not with the introduction of a director of football. One wonders what exactly the review will entail. The seating arrangements and ticket prices for next year’s club end-of-season awards, perhaps? There will be a degree of incredulity at the suggestion the status quo remains intact from those who witnessed the first-half humiliation in the Britannia Stadium. The cynical view is this is pure story management – an attempt to steer the focus away from any pre-determined desire to dismiss Rodgers. He may be safe going into his assessment of the season, but will the sirens go off during the course of the conversation and the ground shift as he leaves the room? • Where are Liverpool's 2005 Champions League winners now? That said, given Rodgers has already had a preliminary chat and his working relationship with Fenway Sports Group President Michael Gordon is strong, his “150 per cent” sureness can be understood. If his conviction proves justified, attention will turn swiftly to Fenway Sports Group and Gordon himself. Without the hint of any inaugural address, he slipped into the FSG presidency at the start of the season. We must stop seeing John W Henry as the all-consuming influence on Anfield affairs. So long as Rodgers has the trust of Gordon, he is safe. There is one caveat, however. Rodgers must still be aligned to the club’s ‘model’. Herein lies the crux of the issue. It is all about ‘the model’ at Anfield, with the employees signing up to it. It is referred to so often one often wonders if Anfield has been ambushed by an offspring of the church of scientology, or if staff gather to worship before it like the black monolith in “2001: A Space Odyssey”. There are numerous elements to ‘the model’, but the main one is about "being smart". "Smartness" defines everything, particularly in recruitment. Upon buying Liverpool five years ago it was suggested to John Henry that rather than spending £40 million on well-established, proven world-class international footballers, it might be wiser to find these players before they become world-class. That is when they are cheaper. It is not known whether anyone shouted "Eureka!" when this idea was proposed. Certainly no one seems to have piped up that everyone else had been trying to do the same thing, with varying degrees of success, since the first transfer fee was dispatched by carrier pigeon. Nor has anyone pointed out that, in all probability, all the best young players are already owned by Chelsea and have been turfed out on loan across Europe. More worryingly, it does not seem to have occurred to anyone that if you have £115 million to spend and opt to target younger, cheaper players instead of expensive world-class ones, you are electing to operate in the same transfer zone as mid-table rather than elite clubs. The risk of becoming a mid-table team is just as likely as that of plucking the bargain gems that escaped the attention of the established Champions League clubs. Liverpool’s performance at Stoke suggested that this team is heading only one way unless they sign five top-class players. • How Liverpool players rated in 2014-15 • Liverpool season review: five things we learned It rather feels like Liverpool have become a multi-million pound laboratory experiment, big on theory but light on success. Liverpool fans want ready-made winners. FSG want to create them. That is why those casually dropping the names of Jürgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti into chatroom and social-media conversations are demanding FSG abandon everything they have been doing for the last five years. The last three Liverpool managerial appointments came from Fulham (before FSG took over), the legends’ lounge and Swansea City. If Rodgers does not mount the greatest Liverpool comeback since Turkey in 2005, the repercussions for his career will be grave. But regardless of what happens to him, it is Liverpool and their owners who must prove their way will revive the status of the club, or ensure that only the reminders of former glories are left for supporters to cling on to. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/11629050/Brendan-Rodgers-is-hamstrung-by-Liverpool-acting-like-mid-table-club.html I really hope the bit about not changing the recruitment structure is not true because if it is I despair, I really do. It's friggin negligent not to make changes to the transfer committee. I did find this bit interesting "There will be a degree of incredulity at the suggestion the status quo remains intact from those who witnessed the first-half humiliation in the Britannia Stadium. The cynical view is this is pure story management – an attempt to steer the focus away from any pre-determined desire to dismiss Rodgers." Bascombe is hinting what many people suggested was happening.

INSIDE LIVERPOOL: Capitulation at Stoke highlights desperate need for change at Anfield SOMETHING needs to change at Liverpool. Many will now think it is the manager, plenty will demand it is the players and yet, perhaps, the fundamental tweak needs to come to the ownership model of Fenway Sports Group. By PAUL JOYCE PUBLISHED: 17:02, Mon, May 25, 2015 | UPDATED: 20:58, Mon, May 25, 2015 It is Brendan Rodgers who is at the eye of the storm today after a pathetic capitulation at Stoke on Sunday left a once-proud institution humiliated and on its knees as those in the hierarchy scramble for answers. Supporters previously ambivalent towards the Liverpool manager watched chaos reign at The Britannia Stadium. They may acknowledge that the 52 league goals the side have scored this season equates to the same number plundered by Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge last term, but many will still have left believing there is no way forward under Rodgers. Increasingly it appears as if last season’s title challenge was solely down to the genius of Suarez dragging an entire club towards immortality, only to fall at the last. Shorn of his talisman, the manager has made 17 half-time substitutions this term to try and fathom a solution to squalid inadequacies. They will see a squad three years into Rodgers’ reign lacking leaders. One that has not replaced its No23 in Jamie Carragher or its No9 in Suarez even before the problems of replacing the No8 is confronted properly. Steven Gerrard’s team-mates whisked him to Dubai after the game with Stoke to mark everything he has done for the club over 18-years when he has thought of Liverpool and little else for 24/7. The prospect of spending more time with those colleagues whose performances of late have been an affront to the traditions of the club will hardly have thrilled him. For the first time since the pre-Billy Liddell era, Liverpool have no heroes. Liverpool have indicated their stance on Rodgers’ future is unaltered and there is no desire to make a change despite the shambles in the Potteries, although the public backlash from angry and frustrated supporters seeking some sort of resolution has still to be factored in. As it stands the manager’s attitude in his end of season review with FSG president Mike Gordon will determine whether that remains the case or his position becomes untenable. So there remains the possibility of a change at the top. Yet, if the overall policy remains to buy young players with potential, rather than men with experience, then will Liverpool ever reach the heights on which the club was forged? It is not the case that Anfield’s hierarchy lack direction. The direction is clear: invest in youth, seek value and hope they blossom into stars. The question is whether that approach can prevail and whether FSG are the right owners for Liverpool. FSG chose a young manager with one season’s experience in the Premier League and with no experience in Europe to replace Kenny Dalglish in 2012. They brought in someone who would clearly be learning on the job. They can be shocked to the extent it has unraveled, but they will surely know theirs was always a strategy loaded with risk. If they wanted to minimise the hits, then they should have recruited Jose Mourinho, given him carte blanche to sign who he wanted and encouraged strong voices in Carragher and Gerrard to stay at their club and have an input. A new manager would be hard pressed not to eke out an improvement from the abject performances of the last two months when Liverpool have beaten only QPR and Newcastle and slumped dismally against the likes of Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final and Hull City, Crystal Palace and Stoke City in the Premier League. Yet if the expectation is for Liverpool to challenge, then those at the top must look at themselves in the forensic, analytical review that follows and assess their own roles in the debacle. FSG have previously been willing to bend on some aspects of their approach. They championed a Director of Football when buying the club in 2010 and brought in Damien Comolli only to dispense with him months later. A return to that model has been ruled out. Going forward the portents do not look good with Rodgers having said in the build-up to the Stoke game that the “model doesn’t change.” It was a huge statement because any potential replacement for him would find themselves working with similar constraints and with a transfer committee in place. After the FA Cup defeat to Villa, Rodgers said fifth was par-for-the-course for a squad without a striker and on Sunday he revised that and said sixth place was the right fit. For a squad that finished second last season and had spent £110m on reinforcements that is some assertion. As was Rodgers’ admission he was not surprised by some of the displays at Stoke. How low can £20m centre-half Dejan Lovren’s stock be when he was overlooked Gerrard, the sole driving force in the second-half as his goal testified, embraces pressure. Suarez embraces pressure. Too many of the current squad shirk responsibility when the heat is on, but that comes with inexperience. It feels an old fashioned view where Liverpool are concerned, but trust the man you appoint and then it is easy to apportion blame. Rodgers can stay. Rodgers can go. But the gravity of this situation means FSG are the ones in the spotlight as well. Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of Istanbul. Liverpool is in search of a new miracle. http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/579817/Liverpool-Stoke-Defeat-Highlights-Change-Needed-At-Anfield

Liverpool insist Stoke debacle will not cost Brendan Rodgers his job Club's plans still hinge on crucial meeting between under-fire manager Rodgers and FSG president Mike Gordon By Chris Bascombe 7:50PM BST 25 May 2015 Liverpool are adamant that Sunday's horrific defeat to Stoke will not impact on Brendan Rodgers' future as he prepares for talks on how to revive the club next season. Anfield officials have indicated Rodgers' position is unchanged regardless of the severity of after a 6-1 defeat on the final day of the Premier League campaign. The Liverpool manager suggested he would leave if the club's American owners, Fenway Sports Group, have lost faith in him, but privately it is evident Rodgers does not think that is the case. Although he still faces a critical meeting with FSG President Mike Gordon, the suggestion from within the club is the manager's position will not be on the agenda in those talks. • Who could be the next Liverpool manager? It now remains to be seen how those conversations go to establish how Rodgers can fix what has gone so horribly wrong since last August. He will still have plenty of explaining to do for finishing in a poor sixth and having missed all the pre-season targets. Rodgers has already held preliminary conversations with Gordon in the last seven days, although that was prior to the debacle at the Britannia Stadium. The Northern Irishman felt emboldened enough to state he was "150 per cent" sure he would remain in charge before the weekend. Such was the ineptitude of the display in Stoke, however, he accepted after the game that his position would be questioned. Liverpool's principal owner John W Henry has effectively deferred all the major strategic decisions at Anfield to Gordon over recent years. The strong working relationship Rodgers enjoys with Gordon will give him the confidence he will have the opportunity to correct the errors of the last eight months. Liverpool accept something must change at the club ahead of next season – precisely what will be established in what is being described as a "thorough and robust" review. It would seem, however, plenty has already been pre-determined. They need new players and have already started the recruitment process, with Rodgers central to those discussions. Danny Ings and James Milner should be the first new arrivals, both seeing out their contracts at Burnley and Manchester City respectively. Despite suggestions that a director of football will be appointed, the club is also ruling that out – as they are major changes to the much-criticised transfer committee. That means the only visible alterations of note could be to Rodgers' backroom team, which in essence would be cosmetic. There is no doubt there remains a degree of sympathy for Rodgers for the problems he has encountered this season, but equally the speed with which performances have deteriorated since a home defeat by Manchester United in March have put him in an extremely vulnerable position as he seeks more time. If he needs to retain the trust of the club's owners, it is a case a regaining it from the supporters, especially those who witnessed the first-half capitulation on Sunday. It was Liverpool's worst defeat since a 7-2 loss to Spurs in 1963, but it was the timing of it – the culmination of a miserable series of results and performances – that has corroded faith in the current Anfield set-up. Rodgers has plenty of mitigating factors at his disposal. He has alluded to the loss of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge throughout the campaign, and recently spoke about the "distractions" he has had to contend with. This was a reference to the ongoing saga surrounding Raheem Sterling's contract. Rodgers has also had to deal with the imminent departure of Steven Gerrard – although that was ultimately presented as a mutual decision after Liverpool delayed attempts to keep their captain – while the introduction and assimilation of so many new signings last summer has had a detrimental impact on performances. Rodgers shares the responsibility for those deals with other members of the recruitment team. • How Liverpool players rated in 2014-15 • Liverpool season review: five things we learned Where opinion will be divided is whether Rodgers has managed to get the best out of those at his disposal, regardless of the loss of his strikers. Liverpool defeated the recently deposed champions Manchester City by playing an exciting brand of football, but the same group of players saw their FA Cup run end having been outplayed against Aston Villa, a side fighting against relegation. They also took just one point from a possible 12 against Hull City, Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City. Had they won those games they would have finished fourth. Even QPR were only beaten by a last-minute winner from Steven Gerrard. Liverpool's end of season form was more akin to the days prior to Rodgers' appointment at the end of Kenny Dalglish's second period in charge, with many referencing the worst performances under Roy Hodgson. It remains to be seen whether Liverpool's steadfast defence of Rodgers extends beyond his meeting with Gordon. He suggested last week that this meeting was no different to any yearly appraisal. That is clearly not the case, given such conversations are far more desirable when you have just finished second – coming as close as any manager in 25 years to winning the title – than when you have come sixth with a team that has just delivered the club's worst result in 52 years. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/11629016/Liverpool-insist-Stoke-debacle-will-not-cost-Brendan-Rodgers-his-job.html Bascombe pretty much saying nothing is going to happen

Brendan Rodgers warned Liverpool's poor season CANNOT happen again - and that changes are coming By Dave Maddock If Rodgers can’t accept the changes – and they could yet include the ­appointment of a director of football – he will be asked to quietly step down If Brendan Rodgers has been given firm assurances over his future, then they come with an even firmer caveat. The Liverpool manager may have received confirmation that the club’s US owners will not hit the panic button, and their backing for him has not changed despite the 6-1 humiliation at Stoke. Yet, along with that message, came another crucial one that will determine the direction in which the club will head as they contemplate a season of disappointment. The word from the Americans is clear. This season cannot happen again, so not only will there be a review, with their manager asked some brutally direct questions about his role in the failure, but there will be no sense of Rodgers being asked to simply continue in the same manner as this year. There will be major changes, a “beyond robust” examination of the structures and cultures currently in place at Anfield - demanding alteration to ensure there is no repeat. At present, the mood within the ownership group – made up of chairman Tom Werner, principal shareholder John Henry and director Michael Gordon – is those changes will stop short of the manager. Gordon will direct the review and ask Rodgers to buy into not only the long-term strategy, but also deliver firm guarantees of rejoining Europe’s elite in the Champions League. In short, they will gauge if he can meet his targets. It is here the manager’s future will be determined. If Rodgers can’t accept the changes – and they could yet include the ­appointment of a director of football – he will be asked to quietly step down. Likewise, the same message will be offered if he feels he can’t work within the club’s very closely defined transfer and wage policies which emphasise homegrown talent. So far, all the indications are that the Ulsterman IS prepared to buy into that philosophy. The review will get underway in earnest by the first week of June, when Rodgers is likely to travel to Boston to meet Gordon face to face, and sit down with him and Henry - and possibly Werner - to thrash out the changes. Until then, the Americans will keep their powder dry. They have made NO approach for any other manager, and will not make any enquiries, even if it means losing out on the available Jurgen Klopp. The plan remains the same – Rodgers will continue into next season unless the review makes his position untenable. It promises to be a pivotal month for Liverpool. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/brendan-rodgers-warned-liverpools-poor-5761910

So going by Pearce's article fsg did in fact brief the media that Rodgers position isn't under threat. It all comes down to the meeting. He's probably going to end up staying.

Liverpool FC insist Brendan Rodgers’ position is not under immediate threat as the club prepare to launch a review into their disastrous season. 19:18, 25 MAY 2015 BY JAMES PEARCE Boss looks set to get chance to convince FSG he's right man for the job A crestfallen Rodgers admitted his job was on the line after the Reds were humiliated in Sunday’s 6-1 defeat to Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium. However, sources close to Fenway Sports Group have played down speculation that the Northern Irishman will be sacked following the Reds’ sixth placed finish. Rodgers, who is only 12 months into a four-year contract, looks set to given the opportunity to convince the owners that he can turn things around after a disastrous two months that saw Liverpool take just eight points out of the last 27 on offer. Much will depend on the outcome of the review which will be spearheaded by FSG president Mike Gordon. Rodgers will certainly have some uncomfortable questions to answer after the Reds fell a long way short of achieving their target of Champions League qualification. A similar review resulted in the sacking of Kenny Dalglish three years ago and it remains to be seen whether Rodgers suffers the same fate, Most of the first-team squad flew to Dubai in the wake of Liverpool’s mauling at the hands of Stoke. The trip had been planned for a number of weeks as a send-off for departing captain Steven Gerrard. Rodgers, who never intended to join them in the Middle East, has remained behind. He is scheduled to attend the League Managers Association annual awards dinner at Old Billingsgate in London on Tuesday night. The 42-year-old will reflect on what a difference a year makes. At the 2014 event he was crowned Manager of the Year by his peers after overseeing a thrilling title challenge which saw Liverpool narrowly miss out on the Premier League title. Twelve months on he’s fighting for his future as FSG consider their options. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport...odgers-9328539

Tony Barrett has updated his article that I posted earlier Liverpool ripped to shreds by Stoke City Tony Barrett Published 1 minute ago Stoke City 6 Liverpool 1 As endings go, this was Hammer House of Horror rather than Mills and Boon. The pathway of petals that Steven Gerrard might have deserved as he made his way out of English football did not just fail to transpire, it was replaced by a bloodbath as Liverpool succumbed to their heaviest defeat in more than half a century. As their captain departed, so increased the potential for their manager, Brendan Rodgers, doing the same. A 6-1 defeat by Stoke City means it is not just the mathematical accuracy of Rodgers pre-match claim that he is “150 per cent” secure in his job that is open to question. Yesterday, all of the numerical evidence was negative. Not since April 1963, when they were beaten 7-2 by Tottenham Hotspur, have Liverpool lost this heavily. Not since 1931 had they conceded five goals in the first half of a top-flight fixture. The only performance indicator that was in Liverpool’s favour centred on possession, yet it was they who suffered death by football. Given Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), is an advocate of statistical analysis, Rodgers will go into his end-of-season review with the numbers game seemingly loaded against him. What FSG now has to determine is what is acceptable for Liverpool. With no trophies to his name after three seasons in charge, having presided over a slump from second to sixth in the space of 12 months and with the signs of deterioration becoming endemic, Rodgers accepts that he is facing a challenge just to convince his employers that he deserves to continue as manager. For all the progress and wonderful football that was played during last season’s unsuccessful title challenge, Liverpool have gone backwards at a staggering rate over the course of this campaign. There are mitigating factors, Luis Suárez’s departure and Daniel Sturridge’s frailty chief among them, but a club which spent more than £110 million last summer expected a great deal more than what has been delivered. The question now is whether the manager, transfer committee or both are held responsible. Increasingly, though, the greater issue — and one which becomes more apparent as their own vision unravels — is how determined FSG is to be successful. Of yesterday’s starting line-up, only three — Gerrard, Lucas Leiva and Martin Skrtel — were not signed under its ownership. This is its team, its young manager and its strategy. The inescapable conclusion is that this is its mess. As the crisis has escalated, one which has seen Liverpool win two of their last nine league fixtures, Rodgers has been engulfed by the tide, leaving critics to claim he is out of his depth. A video replay of yesterday’s catastrophic events certainly would not reflect well on the manager. Emre Can, once again deployed out of position at right back, was hung out of dry for 45 minutes, playing a role in four of Stoke’s first-half goals before being put out of his misery at half-time. In attack, Adam Lallana was paired with Philippe Coutinho, a lightweight pairing that was predictably swatted aside by Stoke’s heavyweight defence. All over the pitch, Liverpool were outmanoeuvred, out-fought and out-thought, a combination that Mark Hughes, the Stoke manager, believes was a consequence of him being in charge for two years and his players being at one with his methods. Rodgers has managed Liverpool for 12 months more yet those wearing Liverpool’s funereal black away kit performed as if they were totally at odds with his approach. With Raheem Sterling left on the substitutes’ bench, Liverpool managed to give Aidy Ward, the forward’s agent, a much-needed PR boost by demonstrating exactly why his client is so determined to leave. The sound of the Stoke fans accusing Sterling of being “a greedy b*****d” won applause from the Liverpool fans but even those in the away end would be hard pressed to come up with many reasons why he should stay. In the opening 45 minutes, Stoke delivered five reasons why he should depart as Liverpool, tactically inept with numerous square pegs in round holes, were torn apart. Marko Arnautovic took Can to the cleaners for Stoke’s first and second goals, both of which were scored by Mame Diouf, before the befuddled German headed Charlie Adam’s deep cross straight to Jonathan Walters, who scored at the second attempt. Adam then took advantage of a mix-up between Mamadou Sakho and Lucas to add a fourth which threatened to be Stoke’s best goal of the game only for Steven N’Zonzi to claim that mantle with a wonderful curling effort on the stroke of half-time. “The level of performance in the first 45 mins was exceptional,” Hughes said. “Most teams would’ve have struggled with the quality and intensity of our play.” The goal that Gerrard craved on his final appearance for Liverpool arrived in the 70th minute as he latched onto a flicked header from Rickie Lambert, the substitute, and fired a low shot past Asmir Begovic into the far corner. It was No 186 of Gerrard’s Liverpool career but the circumstances in which it came were memorable for only the wrong reasons. One of Gerrard’s former team-mates, Peter Crouch, emerged from the bench to complete the rout with a header from Diouf’s cross. The last time Liverpool won the league title in 1990, they ended the season with a 6-1 away win. Their descent from perennial winners to also-rans has been lent a symmetry. Where they go now remains to be seen. Ratings Stoke City (4-2-3-1): A Begovic 7 — G Cameron 7, R Shawcross 7, M Muniesa 7 (sub: M Wilson, 71min), E Pieters 7 — S N’Zonzi 9, G Whelan 7 — J Walters 8 (sub: P Odemwingie, 67 6), C Adam 8, M Arnautovic 8 (sub: P Crouch, 80) — M Diouf 8. Substitutes not used: J Butland, S Ireland, S Sidwell, P Wollscheid. Booked: Adam, Whelan, Shawcross, Pieters. Liverpool (4-1-2-1-2): S Mignolet 4 — E Can 3 (sub: K Touré, 46 4), M Skrtel 4, M Sakho 4, A Moreno 3 (sub: J Ibe, 46 4) — L Leiva 5 — J Henderson 5, J Allen 4 — S Gerrard 6 — P Coutinho 4, A Lallana 5. Substitutes not used: D Ward, D Lovren, R Sterling, L Markovic. Booked: Lucas, Skrtel. Numbers that point to decline 5 Goals margin of defeat for Liverpool, their biggest in any competition since losing 7-2 away to Tottenham Hotspur in the league in April 1963. 8 Years since Liverpool previously conceded six — a 6-3 defeat at home to Arsenal in the League Cup. 3 Stoke goalscorers with Liverpool links: Peter Crouch and Charlie Adam played for them; Jon Walters was born near by on the Wirral. 8 Liverpool points in final nine games of the season; they gained 25 points in the previous nine. Season review Stoke City This term A second successive top-ten finish achieved with a record points tally indicates stability, progress and a cause for great satisfaction. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/premierleague/article4449748.ece

Inept Liverpool roll over to leave question marks over the future of Brendan Rodgers Tony Barrett Updated 30 minutes ago Stoke City 6 Liverpool 1 As endings go, this was Hammer House of Horrors rather than Mills and Boon. Steven Gerrard’s Liverpool career drew to a close in a bloodbath as Liverpool suffered their heaviest defeat in more than half a century. As their captain departed, the prospect of their manager, Brendan Rodgers, doing the same increased. This may have been the last day of the season but a 6-1 loss to Stoke City did little to justify Rodgers’s opinion that he is “150 per cent safe” in his job. With a crucial review pending that will determine how Liverpool proceed from a campaign that ended in shambles, their players either failed to grasp the importance of the assessment or used it as an opportunity to undermine their own manager. While the latter option may seem conspiratorial it would at least go some way towards explaining how a team which had £120 million spent on it last summer could serve up such a shocking display. Inevitably, the focus was all on Gerrard, and the midfield player at least did his bit by scoring Liverpool’s consolation. But now that he is headed towards a new career in the USA, attention will inevitably be drawn to those he will leave behind. From ownership to transfer committee and from manager to players, Liverpool cannot escape the kind of scrutiny that will come their way on the back of their worst defeat since losing 7-2 to Tottenham Hotspur in April 1963. Ironically, this setback allowed Tottenham to climb above them in the Barclays Premier League table, leaving Liverpool to finish in sixth place and having to contemplate their competitive start to next season being brought forward to July 30, when they will face a Europa League qualifier. Whether Rodgers is still around to lead them into the forthcoming campaign remains to be seen. As distant as Liverpool’s owners have become, the shockwaves of this result will have been felt in Boston. Liverpool’s performance was as funereal as their new all black away kit, with their first half display challenging any of the worst in the club’s history for sheer ineptitude and spinelessness. From the first kick, the visitors were outmuscled, outplayed and outthought by a Stoke side which played with the kind of endeavour, desire and unity that their opponents so badly lacked. With Raheem Sterling left on the substitutes’ bench, Liverpool managed to give the winger’s agent, Aidy Ward, a much needed PR boost by demonstrating exactly why his client is so determined to leave. The sound of the Stoke City fans accusing Sterling of being “a greedy b******” won applause from the Liverpool fans, but even those in the away end who view the England international as a grasping ingrate would be hard pressed to come up with many reasons why he should stay. In the opening 45 minutes, Stoke delivered five reasons why he should depart as Liverpool, tactically inept with numerous square pegs in round holes, were torn apart. Each goal showcased the glaring weaknesses in this Liverpool side that have become increasingly apparent as the season has wore on, none more so than down their right-hand side where Emre Can was once again hung out to dry. Can clearly has ability but he is not a right back. That much has been clear since Aston Villa targeted him successfully in last month’s FA Cup semi-final but Rodgers has continued to persevere with the German in that role and this time it went beyond proving costly; it veered into being catastrophic. Marko Arnautovic took Can to the cleaners for Stoke’s first and third goals, both of which were scored by Mame Diouf. In between, the befuddled Can headed Charlie Adam’s deep cross straight to Jonathan Walters who scored at the second attempt after Simon Mignolet had made a desperate save. Liverpool appealed for a penalty when Adam Lallana appeared to be tripped by Geoff Cameron only for Anthony Taylor, the referee, to wave play on. Three goals down on the day before the tenth anniversary of Istanbul, the more optimistic among the travelling support may have harboured dreams of a comeback to give Gerrard the perfect send off, but any such dreams were dashed when Stoke scored a fourth. The comedy of errors that led up to the goal were bad enough as Mamadou Sakho’s wayward pass was miscontrolled on the stretch by Lucas Leiva, but the identity of the scorer made it worse as Adam – a player discarded by Rodgers – latched onto the loose ball and dispatched it into the bottom left-hand corner of Mignolet’s goal. There were only three minutes of the half remaining but that was still sufficient time for Stoke to add a fifth as Steven Nzonzi took advantage of the yawning gaps on the right side of Liverpool’s defence before beating Mignolet with a wonderful curling shot. Despite having enjoyed 57 per cent of possession, Liverpool found themselves 5-0 down. Death by football but not as Rodgers ever intended it. As the manager made his way towards the tunnel at half-time, he was barracked by the Liverpool supporters. With the club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), set to oversee a review into a poor season, the last thing Rodgers could afford to do was lose the fans whose backing he freely admits had gone beyond the call of duty, but that process is now clearly under way. Neither was the Liverpool manager’s cause aided by the choruses of “You’re getting sacked in the morning” that rained down on him from the Stoke fans. Rodgers made two changes at half-time, introducing Jordon Ibe and Kolo Toure for Alberto Moreno and Can but, had he been allowed to, he could easily have made 11. An improvement of sorts followed as Lallana and Gerrard both had shots saved by Asmir Begovic but Stoke had more than earned the right to ease off in the second half and they did so in the knowledge their season was already guaranteed to end on a remarkable high. The goal that Gerrard craved duly arrived in the 70th minute as he latched onto a flick header from Rickie Lambert, the substitute, and fired a low shot past Begovic into the far corner. It was number 186 of Gerrard’s Liverpool career but the circumstances in which it came were memorable for only the wrong reasons, although the ovation he was afforded by the home supporters served as a reminder of the esteem that he is held in. One of Gerrard’s former team mates, Peter Crouch, emerged from the substitutes’ bench to complete the rout with a well taken header from Diouf’s cross. The last time Liverpool won the league title in 1990, they ended the season with a 6-1 away win. Their descent from perennial winners to also-rans now has been lent a symmetery. Where they go from here remains to be seen. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/premierleague/article4449748.ece

Stoke 6-1 Liverpool: match verdict - Reds produce the sort of spineless capitulation which gets managers their P45s 20:06, 24 MAY 2015 BY JAMES PEARCE James Pearce says there was 'no fight, no spirit, no character' and emotional Rodgers is now clinging to to his job How fitting that Liverpool were decked in all black for the occasion. The mood was funereal as a desperate season reached a shambolic conclusion. Not since Tottenham thrashed Bill Shankly’s team 7-2 at White Hart Lane in April 1963 have Liverpool taken this kind of hiding. As a shell-shocked Brendan Rodgers, flanked by security, walked down the touchline after the final whistle he looked up to applaud the 2,805 supporters in the away end. Few bothered to return the compliment. Anger, embarrassment and disbelief reigned in equal measure. Make no mistake, Rodgers now finds himself clinging to his job. Rodgers apologised to fans, voice breaking with emotion Having declared on Friday that he was “150%” certain he would still be manager come August, the man who addressed the media in the bowels of the Britannia Stadium was considerably less sure. “If the owners want me to go then I go,” he said, his voice crackling with emotion. Rodgers issued an apology to the fans and took “full responsibility”. There was an impassioned plea about wanting to carry on and “fix” what’s gone wrong over the past nine months. But whether he will get the opportunity to do that is now shrouded in considerable doubt. Rodgers will know better than anyone that this was the kind of spineless capitulation that often leads to P45s being handed out. When a group of players effectively throw in the towel like Liverpool did during a pathetic first-half display there is nowhere for the manager to hide. Supporters can tolerate a lack of quality but this was simply cowardly. There was no fight, no spirit, no character. Yet again Gerrard was let down by those around him Five times in the space of 23 minutes mid-table Stoke City gleefully profited from Liverpool’s inability to do even the basics right. What a desperate afternoon for the departing Steven Gerrard to bow out. The error-strewn performance his team-mates served up for his Anfield farewell against Crystal Palace eight days earlier was bad enough, but this debacle was off the scale. Yet again Gerrard, who marked the occasion with his 186th goal for the Reds, was let down by those around him. The long-serving captain will walk away with a heavy heart but in time there will be surely be a sense of release. Liverpool are in a horrible mess and this time it’s up to someone else to drag them out of it. Not even during Roy Hodgson’s dismal reign did the Reds plumb these depths. This made that bleak night at Ewood Park in January 2011 look like a masterclass. Rodgers is now fighting for his Liverpool life Liverpool’s owners had insisted that Rodgers’ position wouldn’t in jeopardy when Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon sits down with the manager to conduct this week’s end of season review. But that won’t be the case any longer. Rodgers is fighting for his life. His army of critics will have grown considerably on the back of the club’s worst defeat for more than half a century. The calls for him to be dismissed will be deafening. Over the past two months the wheels have come off. Liverpool, who slipped to sixth place after Tottenham’s final day win at Everton, have been dumped out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa and have taken just eight points out of the last 27 on offer in the league. Rodgers has undoubtedly made mistakes but anyone who thinks all the Reds’ ills will be cured by a change of manager is kidding themselves. This is a club lacking direction both on and off the pitch. A club which failed miserably to seize the golden opportunity it had last summer to get back competing for the big prizes on a regular basis. A club which operates with a flawed transfer policy which prioritises young potential over proven talent. A club which puts its faith in a transfer committee which left the squad so short of firepower the Reds have effectively spent the campaign going into battle armed with only a pea shooter. Team sheet at Britannia was damning indictment of summer's £116m spending spree This season has been wrecked by a catalogue of errors, unfortunate setbacks and unwanted distractions. From the loss of Luis Suarez and the pitiful attempts to adequately replace him, to Daniel Sturridge’s injury nightmare and the Raheem Sterling contract saga. The team sheet at the Britannia Stadium was a damning indictment of last summer’s £116million spending spree. Mario Balotelli and Javier Manquillo didn’t even make the matchday 18. The most expensive defender in the club’s history, Dejan Lovren, was relegated to bench duty, alongside fellow £20million man Lazar Markovic. Rickie Lambert was also overlooked with Rodgers deciding to play without a recognised striker. It looked a dog’s dinner on paper and so it proved. The front two of Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho were no match for Stoke’s robust backline. There was no focal point for the Reds’ attack and Rodgers’ powerpuff midfield were comprehensively outfought. The rout began in the 22nd minute. Marko Arnautovic got the better of Emre Can far too easily and picked out Charlie Adam. The former Reds midfielder’s strike was parried by Simon Mignolet and Mame Diouf tucked away the rebound. It was crystal clear at Wembley last month that Can is no right-back but Rodgers has bizarrely persisted with him there and it’s cost Liverpool. Three minutes later Arnautovic beat Can again and teed up Diouf, who fired home from the edge of the box. Raheem Sterling couldn't escape the warth of the travelling Kop Rodgers decided Sterling wasn’t in the right frame of mind to play after a week when the youngster stepped up his attempts to force a move away from Anfield this summer. But Sterling couldn’t escape the wrath of the travelling Kop, who applauded when Stoke fans chanted ‘there’s only one greedy b******’ as he warmed up. The third goal was simply horrific as Can’s disastrous defensive header put it on a plate for Jonathan Walters, who converted at the second attempt. The fourth was barely any better as Mamadou Sakho and Lucas Leiva were naught napping and Adam drilled into the bottom corner. The fifth was a sweet strike from Steven N’Zonzi, who curled home from 25 yards, but the space afforded to him bordered on criminal. ‘Easy, easy, easy,’ chanted the home fans as Rodgers, head down, walked towards the dressing room at the break, a torrent of vitriol from the away end ringing in his ears. The introduction of Jordon Ibe and Kolo Toure for Moreno and Can was akin to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. Liverpool improved in the second half but they could hardly have got any worse. Lallana and Gerrard went close before Lambert was belatedly introduced for the ineffective Joe Allen. His impact was instant as Gerrard burst on to Lambert’s flick on and coolly beat Asmir Begovic. Stoke had the final word four minutes from time when the unmarked Peter Crouch headed home Diouf’s cross. The Reds’ shame was complete. Rather than race for the exits, the travelling Kop stayed until the bitter end to show their respect and admiration for their departing captain, who tapped the badge on his shirt before disappearing into the tunnel. The curtain has come down for Gerrard. Now Rodgers must wait to discover whether he has also reached the end of the road with Liverpool. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/stoke-6-1-liverpool-match-verdict-9322358 More strong words from the echo but this time from James Pearce. It's definitely bye bye Rodgers imo

Liverpool owners put Brendan Rodgers on spot over transfer policy Tony Barrett Last updated at 12:01AM, May 20 2015 Although one position remains unchanged, another has been subject to a subtle but potentially significant adjustment. While Liverpool continue to insist that Raheem Sterling is going nowhere, the future of Brendan Rodgers, the manager, has become less clear. From being the only man for the job a month ago, he now has to demonstrate that he remains heading in the same direction as Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the club’s owner. After Liverpool’s shambolic defeat by Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final last month, word emerged from Anfield indicating that FSG was not contemplating replacing Rodgers. In many respects that remains the same, but a crucial, potentially destabilising caveat has been added: the Northern Irishman needs to re-establish trust with Liverpool’s hierarchy to prove that they can work together. While the future of Sterling continues to attract attention, a process of much greater significance is taking place behind the scenes at Anfield. Rodgers will effectively have to convince FSG that the strain that has weakened their relationship in recent weeks need not prove terminal. Almost a year to the day since he agreed a new four-year contract, Rodgers finds himself at the centre of the kind of uncertainty that seemed unimaginable then. At the heart of the matter is a strategic divergence between Rodgers and FSG about Liverpool’s transfer policy. For the many critics who believed that the introduction of a transfer committee to share the responsibilities would result in this kind of dysfunction, there will be a sense of vindication at this turn of events. Rodgers’s preference would be to recruit proven, established Barclays Premier League players, such as Ashley Williams, the Swansea City central defender, and Ryan Bertrand, the Southampton left back. FSG remains unwavering in its belief that focusing on potential and recruiting players for the manager to improve through coaching is the best way to proceed. Marrying those seemingly incompatible positions will be the objective when Rodgers has his end-of-season review this month. The sense that Liverpool are at a crossroads under FSG’s ownership is inescapable. The question marks over Rodgers’s future are just part of an overall feeling of uncertainty that pervades the club at all levels. Symptomatic of this trend is the ambiguity caused by Michel Platini’s announcement that Uefa is preparing to reduce the rigour of Financial Fair Play (FFP), the very rules that John W Henry, Liverpool’s principal owner, admitted allowed the idea of buying the Merseyside club almost five years ago to make sense. Any relaxation of those regulations would not only carry the potential for Liverpool to find it even more difficult to compete with clubs boasting wealthier owners, as Henry has also acknowledged, but also keeping their own better players would become an even greater test. Particularly illuminating is the symbolism of Manchester City, the one club that Henry hoped FFP would affect, looking to tempt Sterling away from Liverpool by offering the winger the kind of salary that FSG will not consider paying. As was the case two summers ago when Luis Suárez agitated for a move to Arsenal, Liverpool can hold firm and refuse to allow Sterling to leave, regardless of how hard he fights to secure a transfer. That would at least represent a show of strength, a refusal to yield to those who may be able to wield petrodollars with renewed intent, but the likelihood is that, as with Suárez, it would prove to be only a short-lived one. This time next year, Sterling will have only 12 months left on his contract and Liverpool will have little choice but to sanction his sale to ward off the possibility of him leaving on a free transfer. What this says about the state of top-level football and the effect that money is having on it is a cause for concern, particularly if the kind of level playing field that Platini, the Uefa president, wrongly envisaged FFP would deliver remains an objective. But regardless of sporting fairness, Liverpool are having to confront the uncomfortable reality that their ability to compete at the highest level is diminishing. The one-time biters are being bitten. It is against this troubled backdrop that their future must be mapped out. Like Rodgers, Steven Gerrard, the departing captain, believes that the time for signing players with potential is past and that this summer the focus must be on the here and now if Liverpool are to challenge for a place in the top four of the Premier League next season. For that to happen, FSG, like Uefa, must accept that their transfer strategy should be abandoned or, at the very least, relaxed. As things stand, there is little sign of FSG going down that route. Instead, its initial desire is to put right the mistakes that undermined the campaign, with the focus being the failure to integrate last summer’s signings into the team. That is where Rodgers’s input is crucial. Unless the manager subscribes to the idea that the present strategy should be pursued, albeit with refinements, the changes at Anfield could become fundamental rather than subtle. Decade of drama 2004 Gérard Houllier is sacked, paving the way for Rafael Benítez to take over as manager. Steven Gerrard has a change of heart and remains at Anfield after looking set to join Chelsea. 2009 Xabi Alonso is sold to Real Madrid and replaced with Alberto Aquilani. Off the pitch, Christian Purslow is appointed managing director. 2010 Benítez is replaced by Roy Hodgson during a summer that culminates in Liverpool being sold to Fenway Sports Group despite attempts by Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr to retain ownership. 2013 Luis Suárez attempts to force a move to Arsenal but is prevented from doing so after the intervention of John W Henry, Liverpool’s principal owner. 2014 After picking up a four-month ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini during the World Cup, Suárez wins his battle to leave Liverpool and joins Barcelona for £75 million, triggering a spending spree on nine signings. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/clubs/liverpool/article4445315.ece

That's absolute bollocks and I don't know why you keep trotting this line. A quick google search and you will find the article posted earlier was by Maddock on May 6th 2012. There is also an article in the daily mail on the same date. Both stated Dalglish's job was safe or words to that effect. In fact look back to April 2012 when Comolli was dismissed Werner came out and said they had complete faith in Dalglish! What happened a month later? I'm sorry Jermaine but there wasn't single source claiming Dalglish job was under threat at the time.

Liverpool FC Comment: Rodgers deserves to keep Anfield job but another season like this won't be tolerated 19:48, 18 MAY 2015 BY JAMES PEARCE Natives are restless having seen the club regress over the past 12 months In many respects Brendan Rodgers finds himself back where it all began for him at Anfield three years ago. There’s a divided fanbase worried about the direction the club is going in with many questioning his credentials to spearhead a bright future. There’s also an under-achieving squad in urgent need of reinforcements. Barring a dramatic change of heart in Boston over the coming weeks, the Liverpool manager will keep his job this summer. The Northern Irishman won’t pay the price for a season of mediocrity. The bitter disappointment of Fenway Sports Group (FSG) at the Reds’ failure to secure Champions League qualification is tempered by the mitigating circumstances which go some way to explaining why targets for the 2014/15 campaign haven’t been met. The owners know that Liverpool made mistakes in the transfer market last summer that Rodgers can’t be held solely responsible for. They scattered that £116million on too many players, they got quantity when they needed quality. They didn’t replace the world class talents of Luis Suarez and that glaring error was compounded by Daniel Sturridge’s injury nightmare. Of course Rodgers himself isn’t blameless. When a team implodes like Liverpool have done during the run-in the manager will always be held to account. All that bullish talk about getting stronger the longer the season went on proved misplaced. Since Manchester United ended that spirited 13-game unbeaten league run at Anfield on March 22, the wheels have come off. Rodgers deserves the chance to lift the malaise at Anfield The Reds have taken just eight points out of a possible 24. That miserable run included a display of scarcely believable ineptitude at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa. Last Saturday’s home defeat to Crystal Palace sent the alarm bells ringing once again as Liverpool went down with a whimper on Steven Gerrard’s big day. For weary Kopites, the final whistle at Stoke on Sunday afternoon can’t come soon enough. However, Rodgers deserves the opportunity to make amends. He deserves the chance to prove he can lift Liverpool from their current malaise. Some of his critics have short memories. It’s just 12 months since Rodgers was crowned Manager of the Year by his peers and handed a four-year contract after overseeing a thrilling title challenge. Kop legends were queuing up to tell him that Liverpool were playing the most exciting brand of attacking football Anfield had witnessed for a quarter of a century. The argument that Rodgers was simply made to look good by Suarez just doesn’t ring true. Liverpool were a slick, cohesive unit – the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. He was rightly praised for both his tactical acumen and man-management skills as he got the best out of what he had. You don’t become a dud overnight. You can't always be building for tomorrow Dismissing Rodgers and appointing either Jurgen Klopp or Frank De Boer would only bring more upheaval, more instability. Anyway, Liverpool’s issues run deeper than the identity of the man in the dugout. FSG must take a look at themselves and a transfer policy which places too great an emphasis on investing in and developing young talent. It’s a false economy. You can’t always be building for tomorrow, Since Rodgers’ appointment, Liverpool have lost Dirk Kuyt, Jamie Carragher, Pepe Reina, Daniel Agger, Luis Suarez and now Gerrard will join that list. That wealth of experience simply hasn’t been replaced. Recent defeats to United, Arsenal, Villa, Hull and Palace have laid bare that this is a squad short of both character and leadership. There is a lack of both physical presence and mental strength. Too many boys and not enough men. On the day Rodgers took over at Anfield in June 2012 he spoke about there being “three types of supporters” at every club. “Number one is those who, no matter who the manager is, they love their club and will love their manager whoever it is,” he said. “The second group is those supporters who will accept you but to earn their real respect you will have to be successful – and that’s fine by me. “The third group are the critics, and you never change them. Ever. If you win 4-0 it should have been five, if you win the league you should have won three.” Rodgers knew from the moment he left Swansea City that he had a fight on his hands. Many didn’t agree with the decision to sack Kop icon Kenny Dalglish and others wanted Rafa Benitez to return to Anfield. With just one season as a Premier League boss under his belt, Rodgers couldn’t point to a trophy-laden CV to calm people’s fears. This miserable campaign has been manna from heaven for those in that third group who have always been convinced that he doesn’t belong at Anfield. The noisy minority are desperate to be proved right. But it’s that second group who will ultimately decide Rodgers’ fate. The response in the stands on Saturday evening when Gerrard was asked on the pitch whether he was optimistic about the club flourishing in his absence was uncomfortable for the manager. The natives are restless. Fans who this week are expected to shell out up to £869 to renew their season tickets don’t know where Liverpool are heading. With the club’s only remaining world class player and the side’s Scouse heartbeat heading for Los Angeles, there is anxiety and frustration rather than belief and hope. Fail to win at Stoke on the final day and Liverpool, who have already suffered 11 league defeats this season, could end up seventh. Their current tally of 62 points is just one more than they gathered in Rodgers’ first year in charge. When the squad convene at the Echo Arena for Tuesday night’s Player of the Year awards, there will be precious little to celebrate, This is a team who have lost their identity and regressed over the past 12 months. There is much work to be done and not all of it can be solved with a cheque book. Some flops will be shown the door but others Rodgers will have to work with and improve. Another season like this won’t be tolerated. Rodgers won over his army of doubters once and now he must prove he can do it all over again. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/liverpool-fc-comment-rodgers-deserves-9282639

http://chriswinterburn.wordpress.com/2014/05/17/scout-report-alberto-moreno-21-left-back-sevilla/

Liverpool favourites to sign £30m-rated Willian with Tottenham and Manchester United also in the hunt Liverpool have emerged as the favourites to sign the Brazilian playmaker Willian for £30m although they are facing strong competition from Tottenham Hotspur and, as of Thursday, Manchester United. By Jason Burt 4:31PM BST 15 Aug 2013 United are understood to have made a late inquiry for the exciting 25-year-old who has been told he can leave the Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala which is beset by financial difficulties. United are desperate to bolster their attacking options ahead of the new campaign and have registered their interest in Willian. Willian is hoping to sort out his future in the next few days and his signing could be one of the most exciting deals of the summer window and a marquee statement of intent from Liverpool, in particular. If Liverpool captured the midfielder it would be the second most expensive deal in the club’s history after the £35m purchase of Andy Carroll from Newcastle United in Jan 2011 which was funded by the £50m sale of Fernando Torres to Chelsea. Liverpool, however, are adamant that if they signed Willian it does not mean they will sell Luis Suarez. Willian only moved to Anzhi in January from Shakhtar Donetsk, after talks over a club record £35m move to Spurs broke down even though Chairman Daniel Levy had travelled to Ukraine to try and close the deal. Willian had also previously been close to a move to Chelsea and has long been admired by Spurs head coach Andre Villas-Boas who was previously in charge at Stamford Bridge. Willian was in England last week to try and negotiate his future after he was put up for sale by Anzhi following the decision by the club’s Russian billionaire owner Suleiman Kerimov to withdraw much of his funding and offload players, transfer-listing his squad. Willian has made no secret of the fact that he would like to play in the Premier League and Liverpool want to improve their goalscoring power having missed out on Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who moved from Shakhtar to Borussia Dortmund, and striker Diego Costa who has signed a new contract at Atletico Madrid even though the Anfield club met the release clause in the Brazilian’s previous deal. Sources close to the move suggested yesterday that Liverpool was Willian’s most likely destination given how strongly they are pushing to close the transfer but that he would be open to a move to either Spurs or United. Liverpool are facing competition. Willian is on the list of creative players – along with Roma’s Erik Lamela – that Villas-Boas and technical director Franco Baldini want to add to the Spurs squad as they sense an opportunity to challenge for honours. Spurs have been extremely busy in the transfer market and yesterday finally confirmed the signing of French international midfielder Etienne Capoue for £8.6m from Toulouse. The 25-year-old is the club’s fourth major signing of the summer after moves for Paulinho, Nacer Chadli and Roberto Soldado while Spurs have are also undertaking a raft of sales. United are considering signing two midfielders this summer – a creative player and an attacking, goalscoring player and are continuing their pursuit of Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas despite his public declaration that he does not want to leave. However United would not be chasing the deal had they not had encouragement from Fabregas and his advisers although despite their intent the chances of securing the Spanish international remain slim. Despite the fact that the £22m buy-out clause in Marouane Fellaini’s contract at Everton expired at the end of last month – meaning they would have to bid more – United remained convinced they will be able to sign the Belgian international if they want to. A £12m offer for another Everton player, left back Leighton Baines, also remains on the table. Liverpool favourites to sign £30m-rated Willian with Tottenham and Manchester United also in the hunt - Telegraph

Completely agree mate.

Mootaz (@Mootaz_LFC) 8/15/13, 1:55 PM Brendan Rodgers: "We want to add two players before the deadline" - insidefutbol.com/2013/08/15/no-… I know Neil Jones said the other day that Rodgers wanted a left back, centre back, winger and another attacker but realistically I can see us bringing in two at best.

Me neither. Care to explain why?

Tony Barrett Liverpool’s pursuit of Willian is down to Rodgers’s vision of the Anzhi Makhachkala winger operating in an attacking quartet featuring Suárez, Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge. There is no suggestion that the Brazil player would replace Suárez. Anzhi are understood to be seeking a fee in excess of £30 million for Willian, who is also attracting interest from Tottenham Hotspur, but Liverpool are yet to be put off by the financial requirements of completing such an ambitious deal. At this stage, Liverpool have made only an inquiry but there is no need as yet for them to make a formal offer for the 25-year-old as Anzhi have allowed Willian to try to set up a move, having made their entire first-team squad available for transfer as the Russian club attempt to cut costs dramatically. Liverpool have been heartened by the emergence of a recent interview in which Willian revealed that he “would jump at the chance to play for them”. They also hope that if they are able to sign the former Shakhtar Donetsk player, it would help to convince Suárez of their ambition. Ian Ayre, Liverpool’s managing director, was involved in negotiations with Granada yesterday to try to strike a deal for Guilherme Siqueira, the Brazilian. The clubs are yet to agree on a valuation for the left back but talks will continue. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/...cle3843082.ece Good that Anzhi are allowing him to set up a move but on the flip side I hope we don't wait around for him too long because I imagine his priority will be to join a team that's in the champions league.

It's Official. We got played by his agent :lol: Diego Costa renewed for three more seasons August 14, 2013 - 8:51 The striker showed "very happy with the deal, it is a very special moment, here I am very happy." While Caminero highlighted its renewal in the sports policy of maintaining the successful block recent years. Atletico Madrid and Diego Costa have reached an agreement to extend the contract of striker hispanobrasileño for three more seasons, so ram commitment to our club runs until June 30, 2018. The tip, born in Lizard, Brazil, 24 years ago, was delighted with the agreement that has been signed with our company: "I am delighted with this agreement after fighting a long time to win the respect and affection of the fans, the peers and people in the club.'s a very special moment, I am very happy here " . Diego Costa only had words of gratitude for the trust deposited Atletico Madrid in him: "I thank the club for making me this offer to spend much time here and hope to become a much bigger player and conquer all the objectives that have the equipment " . The striker, who has recently acquired dual nationality, is one of the outstanding pieces of red and white team, as evidenced by his numbers last season, in which he scored 20 goals, ten of them in the league and eight in Cup, one of the which succeeded in the final at the Santiago Bernabeu and Atletico served to conquer the title. Caminero: "This is great news for all athletic" In this sense, José Luis Pérez Caminero he welcomed the agreement signed with the striker: "This was one of the priorities of the club and is a great news for all athletic. Diego Costa is one of the key pieces of equipment and continuing with our policy of keeping the block is giving us so much success in recent years, extending his contract was one of our goals. " Club Atlético de Madrid · Web oficial - Diego Costa renueva por tres temporadas más

Liverpool FC confident of signing Barcelona's Cristian Tello and Real Madrid's Nuri Sahin on loan by Neil Jones, Liverpool Echo Aug 15 2012 LIVERPOOL FC are hopeful of clinching the signings of Nuri Sahin and Cristian Tello this week as Brendan Rodgers’ summer rebuild at Anfield gathers pace. Liverpool believe they have fended off interest from both Tottenham and Arsenal to sign Real Madrid midfielder Sahin. The Turkish international has been told he is free to leave the club by Real boss Jose Mourinho and, having spoken to ex-Reds star Xabi Alonso, has informed Rodgers of his desire to move to Merseyside. Liverpool aim to complete the formalities over the next 48 hours, and could introduce the 23-year-old to his new teammates this weekend. The deal for Barcelona winger Tello should also go through shortly, with managing director Ian Ayre having flown to Spain to finalise negotiations. The 21-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough season at Camp Nou last season, making 22 appearances under Pep Guardiola, and scoring seven times. But with Guardiola having left, Tello has been informed by new Barca boss Tito Vilanova that first-team opportunities will be limited this season. He was officially listed as a ‘B’ team player when the Catalans announced their squad for the upcoming campaign. Liverpool believe Tello’s pace, eye for goal and ability to play on either wing make him an ideal addition to a squad short on depth in wide areas. Rodgers is eager to add depth to a squad that finished eighth last season, and has already signed both Fabio Borini and Joe Allen. He said: “The reality is the club probably lacked depth last year. We need to make a few signings just to get back those numbers. “I believe we will do. But they are specific targets we are after and I believe when we get those players in they will make a difference for us. “Normally with good players, the transfer is complex. "They are never easy. “There’s no doubt we have work to do. "We need to improve the group and we need to get some players in. “We need to do that sooner rather than later.” The arrival of Sahin, another central midfield player, in particular, could prompt a reshuffle of Rodgers’ squad. He has already signed Joe Allen to play in that area, and has Lucas Leiva and Steven Gerrard fit and available, with Jay Spearing in reserve. Jonjo Shelvey started the Europa League second-leg win over FC Gomel last week, with Jordan Henderson having begun the first leg in Belarus. They expect to tie defender Martin Skrtel down to a new long-term contract soon, and will press on with plans to commit Daniel Agger to a similar deal, even in light of persistent interest from Manchester City. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liver...0252-31624719/ Exciting news. The sad thing is it looks like season long deals without an option to buy. We'll be moaning next summer when they have to go back.