The Manager
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How many examples do we need that being a great player doesn't necessarily translate to being a good coach.
Hang on though. He's the manager at Brighton and that's not the same as being a coach, not in this country anyway - witness the countless coaches who were decent at that job but have floundered after taking the step up. If he'd be up for the switch back, bringing Sami as defensive coach is defo worth considering IMO.
Well, Lawrenson was cr@p at both as it turned out, but in any case I'm not saying it would be a nailed-on success, just that his managerial struggles at Brighton don't necessarily mean he'd be a bad choice for the role. He's a bright guy, his history with the club is obvious and, coming off an unsuccessful spell as Brighton manager, he's not going to look like a viable successor to Rodgers any time soon, which might help Rodgers himself to accept the idea. Just saying it's worth considering.
Well I'm bigging up Rodgers for having the courage to change formations and personnel and getting improved performances even if results are still patchy.
I'm delighted he's also discovered the Press aren't his mates and has been less loquacious.
Let's hope luck smiles down on him and we can fluke a few extra goals and results. We're due.
I'm delighted he's also discovered the Press aren't his mates and has been less loquacious.
Let's hope luck smiles down on him and we can fluke a few extra goals and results. We're due.
I could be in need of correction but I think the post was directed at a specific few on this forum. That few have been critical of everything Rodgers has done this season and, more specifically, absolutely have not, under any circumstances, offered praise for things he's gotten right.
Rodgers himself touched on it with the insinuation that he must stumble on anything that works. Our play in the last 3 to 4 matches has been massively better which is recognized and seen by anyone actually watching. The few (whom I suspect Bleeds Red is speaking to) can't bring themselves even to see that and continue in a self-consumed flood of mindless, doom mongering rhetoric. It's like Nero fiddling while Rome burns in reverse.
See, that's just simpleton stuff. If I didn't know better I'd assume you simply get all your perspective from the first 4 lines in every Liverpool article in the S**.
The signings weren't bad - not by a long shot.
The majority of them were very good signings and will prove to be so.
Lallana - excellent. Markovic - going to be excellent. Can - should be excellent (though the attitude needs some tuning).
Moreno - there's plenty on here think he's a great buy. I think he can be but needs to work on his concentration a little.
Lovren - looked a great buy from last season (every manager thought so) and, given a few runs with Sakho and Skrtel or Toure I think he'll show that.
Lambert - cost 4m as a third string striker and I'll bet he's been as successful as any other third string striker in the league.
Balotelli - definitely questionable and recognized as such by pretty much everyone. I thought he was the wrong style despite the obvious talent but plenty on here still think he'll come good.
Manquillo (loan) - looks a very, very promising player and - with first option - hopefully someone who will be here permanently.
In short, the idea that his signings were terrible is just erroneous.
That actually paints different but just as problematic picture of Rodgers. It's taken him much too long to get the team playing well. There looks to be more hope now but he really needs to keep it going cause the talent in the team and squad is unquestionable.
Weren't we supposed to push on from last year to try to win the league THIS year and secure at least a sustainable top 4 finish every year? BR had 110mios at his disposal. The last I checked we are 10th, 20 points off 1st. It is debatable whether his signings will come good but with the objective in mind, I think we can agree that the signings this year should be very much better.
Chelsea 2004-05
Top notch goalie.
Top notch central defender.
Top notch goal scoring midfielder
Two world class wingers
can't remember who their striker was the first year -
Integration is a good talking point, but I think the issue is that nobody has really bedded in at all, except maybe Lallana.
The whole point of spending what we did on the squad was to dodge an extended integration period, and to at least make 4th this year whilst actively competing across more competitions. If we miss 4th, I think some heads are going to have to roll, as we'll have failed doubly.
If we can't buy the players we need, and we can't get points from the raw talent we have in the squad, we're broken for the foreseeable future unless something changes.
The whole point of spending what we did on the squad was to dodge an extended integration period, and to at least make 4th this year whilst actively competing across more competitions. If we miss 4th, I think some heads are going to have to roll, as we'll have failed doubly.
If we can't buy the players we need, and we can't get points from the raw talent we have in the squad, we're broken for the foreseeable future unless something changes.
Good post and I suspect you're right about pretty much all of it, but it exposes what for me was a fundamental error of strategy. While IMO most if not all of the players we brought in last summer *are* good enough for LFC, I was concerned right from the off about the sheer number of newbies we were apparently going to try and bed in this season. I understand that we were looking at an appreciably higher number of matches for the squad to cover, but I still had an uneasy feeling that we didn't have the balance right and that there were going to be too many new faces trying to get used to one another in a hurry. Maybe we tried for a smaller number of signings of even higher quality and got knocked back, I don't know, but even if that's the case I'd still have been happier to see fewer new faces arriving at one go.
You're judging the signings on (your) expectations, not facts.
The opening saying its akin to the S** is just derogatory. In fact, it's from their performances so far which is the main difference to your analysis.
None of the defensive signings are getting regular games, and neither are our forward signings who don't even suit our style of play. Lallana and Markovic seem decent but hardly setting the world alight and jury is out on Can who isn't getting much game time. Yes, it's early but it's a fallacy to think that signings always need time - Chelsea have showed this season that it's a myth.
In summary, we've had a pretty shit return on the money we spent. Maybe they will come good but I'd be surprised if we would ever make money on any of them.
@Rafiagra That is a very short-sighted summation of our transfers.
The main problem, as I posted elsewhere but it got no love, is that FSG insist on over-spending for the future to the cost of the present. Lovren, Lallana and Balotelli were supposed to be the additions to immediately improve the 1st team, Lambert a bench-warmer to create some depth and a Plan B on the bench. Only one of them is firing so far which is below the 50% success rate of most realistic expectations, akin to real-life at most clubs.
Markovic, Moreno, Manquillo and Can were never, in my estimation, expected to slot right in as 1st teamers, they got more starts than probably expected due to injuries to Johnson and Enrique but otherwise a slow introduction and probably planning for 2015/16 when I expect neither Glenjo or Enrique to still be here. All have shown promise to one degree or another, all need further coaching and game time when not under extreme pressure, to advance and they all look to have good to excellent potential.
The major issue is that we did not do enough to a) cover for Luis' loss and b) cover for Studge since we already knew he was injury prone but well worth keeping around for those times when he's fit. Lacazette, Firmino, Higuain, Shaqiri .... are just a few who would have strengthened us (and importantly score goals) and there were plenty of others available, only Higuain being 'expensive' in comparison to Balotelli. There were better back-ups to Remy, or indeed better first choices, than a last minute punt on Balo.
The main problem, as I posted elsewhere but it got no love, is that FSG insist on over-spending for the future to the cost of the present. Lovren, Lallana and Balotelli were supposed to be the additions to immediately improve the 1st team, Lambert a bench-warmer to create some depth and a Plan B on the bench. Only one of them is firing so far which is below the 50% success rate of most realistic expectations, akin to real-life at most clubs.
Markovic, Moreno, Manquillo and Can were never, in my estimation, expected to slot right in as 1st teamers, they got more starts than probably expected due to injuries to Johnson and Enrique but otherwise a slow introduction and probably planning for 2015/16 when I expect neither Glenjo or Enrique to still be here. All have shown promise to one degree or another, all need further coaching and game time when not under extreme pressure, to advance and they all look to have good to excellent potential.
The major issue is that we did not do enough to a) cover for Luis' loss and b) cover for Studge since we already knew he was injury prone but well worth keeping around for those times when he's fit. Lacazette, Firmino, Higuain, Shaqiri .... are just a few who would have strengthened us (and importantly score goals) and there were plenty of others available, only Higuain being 'expensive' in comparison to Balotelli. There were better back-ups to Remy, or indeed better first choices, than a last minute punt on Balo.
Not quite "beaten man" IMO but he's certainly feeling the pressure. I doubt it's just the current situation either - my guess (admittedly that's all it is) would be that his target for the season from FSG was a CL spot, and we're 9th at Christmas. I actually reckon we have every chance of closing the gap to 4th, because I don't think there are any outstanding teams between us and that target, but it's far from nailed on.
The commentators yesterday mentioned that the highest anyone has ever finished when in our position at this point of the season is 6th.
It'd take a miracle for us to finish 4th. Not impossible but far from likely.
I wonder how big the gaps were from 9th to 4th in previous years. Last season on Jan 1st it was 10 points. Today it is 7. We are actually 10 points off 3rd. If we can win our two home matches coming up it could be even closer by Jan 1st. But that's a IF.
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