Brendan Rodgers: New Celtic Manager

[Kay Age El]

The subs cost us?

He took out Sterling on 78 minutes for Coutinho (like for like in terms of position) and Moses on 86 minutes for Sturridge, if anything that should have given us more numbers in midfield. That's two pretty standard subs, not a case of him throwing more attackers on early to go for goals. He put on like-for-likes. They scored one goal straight after the Coutinho sub, it happens. We played with a defensive midfielder for one of the few games of the season and we shipped three goals. Like I said, losing Henderson at that point cost us too, evidently.

PS. How did I guess that a Daniel Agger snub would be the root of your point?

There is absolutely nothing standard about those subs, no.

3-nil up, with 12 minutes to go away from home with all eyes on the Prem title you don't go for more goals.

When have Coutinho ever won a tackle or dispossessed an opponent? When you then decide to sub Moses on AFTER you are starting to leak goals instead of securing the back you are half mental. Maybe even full.

Look if you think those wasn't mind-boggling stupid calls then we'll to have to agree to disagree.

The way he treated Agger surely got on my nerves yeah. Don't like the way he treated Gerrard either. Didn't understand many of his signings and I honestly believe he think he's better than he actually is, he lacks a bit of humility as I see it. So all in all I am glad he's gone, and I guess most on here are, it's not like we were going places with him apart from down.

He's clearly a talented manager in some aspects (thorough, well-prepared, committed), but the question remains will he ever become a top manager. I don't think so but I have been wrong before. What do you think?

 

[Piedro]

There is absolutely nothing standard about those subs, no.

3-nil up, with 12 minutes to go away from home with all eyes on the Prem title you don't go for more goals.

When have Coutinho ever won a tackle or dispossessed an opponent? When you then decide to sub Moses on AFTER you are starting to leak goals instead of securing the back you are half mental. Maybe even full.

Look if you think those wasn't mind-boggling stupid calls then we'll to have to agree to disagree.

The way he treated Agger surely got on my nerves yeah. Don't like the way he treated Gerrard either. Didn't understand many of his signings and I honestly believe he think he's better than he actually is, he lacks a bit of humility as I see it. So all in all I am glad he's gone, and I guess most on here are, it's not like we were going places with him apart from down.

He's clearly a talented manager in some aspects (thorough, well-prepared, committed), but the question remains will he ever become a top manager. I don't think so but I have been wrong before. What do you think?

I've just explained to you, the Palace game is irrelevant. We needed to win big, so I've got no problem at all with us going for it in the game. The subs he made don't matter. It was either win 7/8/9-0 or fuck all. 3-0 was no good to us whatsoever.

The Chelsea game fucked us, he got it wrong there, as I said above.

I'm glad he's gone yes, We have a better, more likeable manager now. Just don't think he deserves some of the shite he gets. For that season alone. Its the best, most exciting season I've ever had watching Liverpool, and I don't think I'll ever forget it.

 

[Kay Age El]

Ive got no problem what happened in the Palace game. We drew, so what? Even if we would have held the lead and won 3-0, then we wouldn't have won the league. It was either win 7/8/9-0, or nothing at the time, due to what had happened before. 3-0 wasn't good enough, so I've got no issue with us going for a big win at the time.

The Chelsea game was the one that fucked us. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but all of the talk before the game was about how Mourinho was going to send out a weakened team and "Park the Bus" for a boring 0-0. We went at them and played our usual style, and went for the win. When really, we should have fucked off Chelsea and played them at their own game. Sat back, kept the ball, let them come out at us, and then try and exploit. A point at worst would have done, then win your last two games (which we would have done knowing we had to) and the league is ours.

That's the only criticism of Rodgers that season in my opinion. Yes he couldn't help Gerrard slipping, etc. But we didn't need to win that game and should have played for a bore draw. I think we all got carried away by the big wins, blowing teams away every week. Everyone was loving it, rightly so, but sometimes you have to be smart and only try for what you need to get out of a game.

He doesn't deserve some of the shite he gets on here like. Good luck to the guy and hope he does well.

I don't agree with the highlighted part at all. For me that 'loss' was the epitome of what Liverpool had become not what I remember us to be in the past, nearly men. Ah well, almost, come again next year.

I was baffled by what happened in the Chelsea game as much as the next fan but had we at least won the palace game we had kept the pressure on City intact, instead we crumbled and bailed out. My anger with Rodgers at the time was intense, he really made a tit of it all and apart from not getting the defense right in the first place in the run-in (Sakho should not have been anywhere near that starting XI) he made glaring mistakes that costed us.

Look, Rodgers might be a nice bloke and a hard working manager etc., but the comment about he doesn't deserve 'some of the shite' on here seems a bit hollow to me. He was the man in charge, ready to reap the rewards and bask in the glory of a Prem trophy, but failed. The criticism is justified and if he's ever going to become a top manager he needs to learn from the mistakes he made.

 

[Piedro]

I don't agree with the highlighted part at all. For me that 'loss' was the epitome of what Liverpool had become not what I remember us to be in the past, nearly men. Ah well, almost, come again next year.

I was baffled by what happened in the Chelsea game as much as the next fan but had we at least won the palace game we had kept the pressure on City intact, instead we crumbled and bailed out. My anger with Rodgers at the time was intense, he really made a tit of it all and apart from not getting the defense right in the first place in the run-in (Sakho should not have been anywhere near that starting XI) he made glaring mistakes that costed us.

Look, Rodgers might be a nice bloke and a hard working manager etc., but the comment about he doesn't deserve 'some of the shite' on here seems a bit hollow to me. He was the man in charge, ready to reap the rewards and bask in the glory of a Prem trophy, but failed. The criticism is justified and if he's ever going to become a top manager he needs to learn from the mistakes he made.

Ok, so winning 3-0 and then after an hour go all defensive to protect the lead, KNOWING, you will lose the league on goal difference on the final day?

Or have a go for it, and possibly win 7/8/9-0 and give yourself a good chance of winning the league on goal difference on the final day?

Would you play safe?

I wouldn't.

 

[mark1975]

They weren't "mind boggling stupid", they were made because we needed fresh legs and we felt at the time we didn't really need to shut up shop, we were coasting to a win. Coutinho had been one of our very best players that season, yet we rested him in the game and went for a defensive option, that didn't work, so what makes you think that throwing on another defensive option would have?

How did he treat Gerrard? This is Gerrard that is reportedly considering going to work under him in Scotland and whom has talked him up since he left the club. This is the same manager who's just had plaudits from one of the best players in the World for the work he did with him, but yeah, he's a chancer, blah blah.

It's not about whether I think he will become a top manager, it's whether I think he deserves some slack, which he does and he doesn't need the examples you've shown to highlight his shortcomings, just highlight his last season if you want to put the boot in. I just can't be fucked with people saying he "cost us" the title, that's just myopic and a completely slanted, biased view.

You're completely shortsighted over Agger, "how he treated him". FFS, this is the same Agger who left and said he wasn't capable of playing at the highest level anymore, due to his injury record. So Daniel Agger admits why he had to leave, which highlights why he couldn't get in the team, yet you seem to think there's some sinister reason he didn't play and that was all down to evil Mr Rodgers. How's Agger faired back home? Does he look like a player who could have been playing at the highest level for the last couple of years?

 

[Oliver Twist]

I don't agree with the highlighted part at all. For me that 'loss' was the epitome of what Liverpool had become not what I remember us to be in the past, nearly men. Ah well, almost, come again next year.

I'd give my right bollock for us to nearly-men. We're not even nearly nearly-men at the moment. Sporadic (very sporadic) title challenges with years of mediocrity in between.

 

[manwithnoname]

It's silly trying to identify one game or one moment as pivotal. The reason Rodgers failed was his inability to address the core problem with our team, which still exists: a shit, unreliable defence that is often unprotected.

And by defence I mean goalkeeper, personnel, defensive drills and team set-up.

It was the reason I never thought we would win the league, because you can't win the league hoping to outscore everyone - you HAVE to be able to play badly and scuff a 1-0, and more than once too. We haven't had a defence that anyone thought was capable of clean sheets for a long time.

That glorious failure of a season was exhilarating, yes, but coming up short was no surprise.

But as Piedro said, it's a bit small-time to rubbish Rodgers entirely, just as it was with Benitez (a far better, and more succesful manager). Yeah, he talked a lot of bollocks and seemed entirely too fond of himself, but not everything he did was shit.

And as he also said, we do have a more likeable, genuine and talented manager now, so that's even less reason to be all bitter.

 

[Kay Age El]

I've just explained to you, the Palace game is irrelevant. We needed to win big, so I've got no problem at all with us going for it in the game. The subs he made don't matter. It was either win 7/8/9-0 or fuck all. 3-0 was no good to us whatsoever.

The Chelsea game fucked us, he got it wrong there, as I said above.

I'm glad he's gone yes, We have a better, more likeable manager now. Just don't think he deserves some of the shite he gets. For that season alone. Its the best, most exciting season I've ever had watching Liverpool, and I don't think I'll ever forget it.

Didn't see your post until after I wrote the initial one. Wouldn't change a whole lot as I strongly disagree about the 'irrelevance' of the game. I think that's a highly mistaken view as explained, though it obviously absorbs him of the blame should general consensus be that it was 'irrelevant' in the first place and we should just see if we could win 9-nil instead. For the fun of it.

We leaked so many goals that Season overall too, another area he got wrong wrong - we was extremely reliant on the brilliance of Suarez and Sturridge, as he never managed to tighten up our back. Many factors influencing a long Season but overall he didn't get the job done. We lost out on the title more so than we won 2nd and that's still annoying me about him.

 

[Kay Age El]

I'd give my right bollock for us to nearly-men. We're not even nearly nearly-men at the moment. Sporadic (very sporadic) title challenges with years of mediocrity in between.

Point taken.

My selective memory on the matter had me thinking that our 2nd place in the 8/9 season was closer by, but there were of course all the seasons in between where we 'nearly' only got 4th. Or 6th.

 

[Kay Age El]

It's silly trying to identify one game or one moment as pivotal. The reason Rodgers failed was his inability to address the core problem with our team, which still exists: a shit, unreliable defence that is often unprotected.

And by defence I mean goalkeeper, personnel, defensive drills and team set-up.

It was the reason I never thought we would win the league, because you can't win the league hoping to outscore everyone - you HAVE to be able to play badly and scuff a 1-0, and more than once too. We haven't had a defence that anyone thought was capable of clean sheets for a long time.

That glorious failure of a season was exhilarating, yes, but coming up short was no surprise.

But as Piedro said, it's a bit small-time to rubbish Rodgers entirely, just as it was with Benitez (a far better, and more succesful manager). Yeah, he talked a lot of bollocks and seemed entirely too fond of himself, but not everything he did was shit.

And as he also said, we do have a more likeable, genuine and talented manager now, so that's even less reason to be all bitter.

You are right of course.

I don't believe the Palace or Chelsea games specifically was the main reason we lost out on the title when looking at the full perspective, they just highlighted that when under pressure Rodgers did not have the cool, the tactical nous or the calmness that you would come to expect of a Liverpool manager. At least that's what I am expecting of our managers.

We conceded 50 goals against that season, same as we did in the one we have just endured where we have almost looked worse than ever defensively.

As you said, moving on, we are definitely in a better shape now manager-wise. Bring on next season. And PLEASE let that one last longer than say September/October.

 

[Kay Age El]

They weren't "mind boggling stupid", they were made because we needed fresh legs and we felt at the time we didn't really need to shut up shop, we were coasting to a win. Coutinho had been one of our very best players that season, yet we rested him in the game and went for a defensive option, that didn't work, so what makes you think that throwing on another defensive option would have?

How did he treat Gerrard? This is Gerrard that is reportedly considering going to work under him in Scotland and whom has talked him up since he left the club. This is the same manager who's just had plaudits from one of the best players in the World for the work he did with him, but yeah, he's a chancer, blah blah.

It's not about whether I think he will become a top manager, it's whether I think he deserves some slack, which he does and he doesn't need the examples you've shown to highlight his shortcomings, just highlight his last season if you want to put the boot in. I just can't be fucked with people saying he "cost us" the title, that's just myopic and a completely slanted, biased view.

You're completely shortsighted over Agger, "how he treated him". FFS, this is the same Agger who left and said he wasn't capable of playing at the highest level anymore, due to his injury record. So Daniel Agger admits why he had to leave, which highlights why he couldn't get in the team, yet you seem to think there's some sinister reason he didn't play and that was all down to evil Mr Rodgers. How's Agger faired back home? Does he look like a player who could have been playing at the highest level for the last couple of years?

Let me start with Agger first. He does not look like he belong on the top stage anymore, he has evidently taken it all down a knock. He will perhaps get a chance at the World Cup in two years but then he's probably going to hang up boots.

He was however made vice cpt by Rodgers that season, then suddenly and without any explanations (according to Agger at least) he was dropped to the bench despite being fit and have the best stats in the team defensively etc. He felt he was no longer wanted in the team and didn't get on well with the manager whom, again acc. to Agger himself, didn't like his direct way of saying how he thought we should address our the defense etc. That's why he left and not because of injuries.

Gerrard to me seemed like a completely different player in the last year under Rodgers and I am not only talking about tired legs. He seemed more introvert than he used to be and almost apathetic at times too. I obv don't know all of it but the way Rodgers benched him on big occasions and subbed him in late on, to me, seemed like a stamp of power to me, chopping Gerrard in the hierarchy step by step. No one is above Rodgers in his own mind at least.

It made me livid, still does. I almost thought it was a bit of a disgrace actually - look at how United etc have treated their legends in the game and then look at how Rodgers manged that task.

 

[Kay Age El]

Ok, so winning 3-0 and then after an hour go all defensive to protect the lead, KNOWING, you will lose the league on goal difference on the final day?

Or have a go for it, and possibly win 7/8/9-0 and give yourself a good chance of winning the league on goal difference on the final day?

Would you play safe?

I wouldn't.

No offense Pete, but I am glad you are not our manager.

 

[manwithnoname]

It made me livid, still does. I almost thought it was a bit of a disgrace actually - look at how United etc have treated their legends in the game and then look at how Rodgers manged that task.

What? United under Ferguson were fucking BRUTAL. He turfed out Keane in unceremonious fashion and he's one of their most successful captains in history.

 

[Kay Age El]

What? United under Ferguson were fucking BRUTAL. He turfed out Keane in unceremonious fashion and he's one of their most successful captains in history.

So did Gerrard and Rodgers have a feud? Like Keane and Ferguson?

That would explain it but also just underline for me the audacity and cheekiness of young Rodgers from Swansea. Ferguson at least had a trophy cabinet to back him up in being a twat.

*I was thinking more about the likes of Scholes and Giggs and hoped for something similar for Gerrard. Rodgers fucked that up royally as I see it.

 

[Judge Jules]

I don't think we all got carried away TBH, Piedro mate. In fairness quite a number of us on here were saying before that game that we should just go canny and cool the game down. Unfortunately when Brendan was interviewed afterwards he said "no team of mine will ever play that way" and, though I liked the guy, I could cheerfully have throttled him when I heard that, because it showed that he was simply too rigid in his thinking to take the right decision, and that makes the decision and its outcome his responsibility fair and square.

I do agree though that some of the criticism he gets on here is excessive. If he deserves stick for that unquestionably crucial mistake, he also deserves credit for our having got close enough for it to matter. It's also worth noting that, when Klopp took over, he himself made a point of paying tribute to Rodgers' previous work with the squad he inherited, which he didn't have to do.

 

[gkmacca]

He's gone. It's over. Move on.

 

[ILD]

Ive got no problem what happened in the Palace game. We drew, so what? Even if we would have held the lead and won 3-0, then we wouldn't have won the league. It was either win 7/8/9-0, or nothing at the time, due to what had happened before. 3-0 wasn't good enough, so I've got no issue with us going for a big win at the time.

The Chelsea game was the one that fucked us. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but all of the talk before the game was about how Mourinho was going to send out a weakened team and "Park the Bus" for a boring 0-0. We went at them and played our usual style, and went for the win. When really, we should have fucked off Chelsea and played them at their own game. Sat back, kept the ball, let them come out at us, and then try and exploit. A point at worst would have done, then win your last two games (which we would have done knowing we had to) and the league is ours.

That's the only criticism of Rodgers that season in my opinion. Yes he couldn't help Gerrard slipping, etc. But we didn't need to win that game and should have played for a bore draw. I think we all got carried away by the big wins, blowing teams away every week. Everyone was loving it, rightly so, but sometimes you have to be smart and only try for what you need to get out of a game.

He doesn't deserve some of the shite he gets on here like. Good luck to the guy and hope he does well.

Excellent post Pete. I do think that Chelsea game would have ended 0-0 without the slip. Chelsea weren't trying to win it anyway. We conceded again late on when trying to chase the game 1-0 down.

 

[Piedro]

No offense Pete, but I am glad you are not our manager.

None taken of course buddy 🙂

 

[cloggypop]

Youse lot love talking about Brendan Rodgers more than Brendan Rodgers does.

 

[ILD]

KHL, what are on you about? The feud with Gerrard and Rodgers?? There was no feud, if anything they were too close. Rodgers was apparently renting an apartment from him. Rodgers played Gerrard in a position that kept Gerrard happy. We as fans wanted Gerrard used sparingly off the striker but Rodgers kept selecting him week in week in a deeper role. The only potential flare up moment was dropping him for Madrid game but he dropped half the team.

 

[Kay Age El]

KHL, what are on you about? The feud with Gerrard and Rodgers?? There was no feud, if anything they were too close. Rodgers was apparently renting an apartment from him. Rodgers played Gerrard in a position that kept Gerrard happy. We as fans wanted Gerrard used sparingly off the striker but Rodgers kept selecting him week in week in a deeper role. The only potential flare up moment was dropping him for Madrid game but he dropped half the team.

'That they were to close' could actually explain some of the 'problems' between the two, and certainly is a potential banana skin from the clubs perspective.

Flare moment: What about when he benched him for United at home? Gerrard when subbed on what the most passive aggressive (followed by full on aggressive) I've ever seen him, he looked livid.

30 secs in he got a red and that's solely on Gerrard of course, but don't tell me all was good and dandy between the two? I don't believe that.

 

[Aidan O' Neill]

Ok, so winning 3-0 and then after an hour go all defensive to protect the lead, KNOWING, you will lose the league on goal difference on the final day?

Or have a go for it, and possibly win 7/8/9-0 and give yourself a good chance of winning the league on goal difference on the final day?

Would you play safe?

I wouldn't.

We needed to win about 8-0 and City to only beat Villa 1-0 the next night to have any shout on the Sunday. The second they got to 3-1 we should have closed the game down, but there were gaps everywhere. It was incredibly naive.

 

[Aidan O' Neill]

Ive got no problem what happened in the Palace game. We drew, so what? Even if we would have held the lead and won 3-0, then we wouldn't have won the league. It was either win 7/8/9-0, or nothing at the time, due to what had happened before. 3-0 wasn't good enough, so I've got no issue with us going for a big win at the time.

The Chelsea game was the one that fucked us. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but all of the talk before the game was about how Mourinho was going to send out a weakened team and "Park the Bus" for a boring 0-0. We went at them and played our usual style, and went for the win. When really, we should have fucked off Chelsea and played them at their own game. Sat back, kept the ball, let them come out at us, and then try and exploit. A point at worst would have done, then win your last two games (which we would have done knowing we had to) and the league is ours.

That's the only criticism of Rodgers that season in my opinion. Yes he couldn't help Gerrard slipping, etc. But we didn't need to win that game and should have played for a bore draw. I think we all got carried away by the big wins, blowing teams away every week. Everyone was loving it, rightly so, but sometimes you have to be smart and only try for what you need to get out of a game.

He doesn't deserve some of the shite he gets on here like. Good luck to the guy and hope he does well.

Chelsea needed to win to keep an hope of winning the league alive and were time wasting from the 2nd minute. We should have left them time waste all they fucking wanted. Let Schwarzer do keepy ups if he wanted to.

On to Rodgers, I think he's a talented coach, with massive potential, but he thinks he's already brilliant. He didn't fail at Liverpool for lack of effort, he failed because he wasn't good enough and it was too big a job for him in the end. There's no shame in that. I hope he does well at Celtic.

 

[gkmacca]

At this rate, before the summer is over, people will be arguing about Shanks' dubious selections in 1969. Rodgers had one good season, and otherwise struggled. Does debating any of it have one single constructive consequence to it? No. And Mark will be driven into full-blown Rodgers-love-dom. So for gods sake change the topic.

 

[Piedro]

People might actually want to talk about it. Its a forum Macca? You don't have to read it if you aren't interested.

 

[Silver Sean]

There is absolutely nothing standard about those subs, no.

3-nil up, with 12 minutes to go away from home with all eyes on the Prem title you don't go for more goals.

When have Coutinho ever won a tackle or dispossessed an opponent? When you then decide to sub Moses on AFTER you are starting to leak goals instead of securing the back you are half mental. Maybe even full.

Look if you think those wasn't mind-boggling stupid calls then we'll to have to agree to disagree.

The way he treated Agger surely got on my nerves yeah. Don't like the way he treated Gerrard either. Didn't understand many of his signings and I honestly believe he think he's better than he actually is, he lacks a bit of humility as I see it. So all in all I am glad he's gone, and I guess most on here are, it's not like we were going places with him apart from down.

He's clearly a talented manager in some aspects (thorough, well-prepared, committed), but the question remains will he ever become a top manager. I don't think so but I have been wrong before. What do you think?

This.

 

[gkmacca]

People might actually want to talk about it. Its a forum Macca? You don't have to read it if you aren't interested.

I don't, no, as I've read it over and over and over and over and over again. I'm merely trying to urge you not to be so fucking boring. You don't have to pay any attention to that if you don't want to.

 

[Piedro]

OK thanks, glad we cleared that up. Apologies for the boredom inflicted.

 

[mark1975]

Amazing that people get all uppity about me defending Rodgers, but should anyone dare address the occasional questionable decision by Klopp and its complete blasphemy. Whatever.

 

[ILD]

Best of luck in Scotland Brendan, from all your fans at 6CM.