The Manager

[6TimesaRed]

I refuse to participate in that other abortion of a thread from RedNinja.

Anyway, tonight:

• That team selection. Deary fucking me. 4 central midfielders, and a 34 year old striker that can’t run.
• No striker or goalscorer on the bench.
• Lallana, our only creative player outside of Sterling, sat on the bench the entire night.
• Throwing Skrtel up front as a ‘tactic’.
• Jose Enrique.
• The continued deployment of a seriously under performing Jordan Henderson.
• 1-0 down after 35 minutes despite having 2 defensive midfielders in the side
• At left wing.
• And the inability to coax passion, drive and a fucking go out of a team on a must-win night.

And this season:

• 4 points from 6 CL games.
• 9th in the league.
• $100M+ wasted
• A continued inability to organise a defensive
• 3 years in, over 200M spent and we have one goalscorer in the entire squad.

It’s not looking good for him is it?

These are the points I have been highlighting.. or there abouts..

Add the continuing to insist on playing Gerrard from the start to that list..

He needs be a cameo 65 minute sub player, to be at his most effective..

The biggest problem with the players Brendon bought, none of them strengthen the starting eleven or where an improvement on what we already had..

 

[Modo]

But we should give him another year.
Why?
Because.

 

[6TimesaRed]

But we should give him another year.
Why?
Because.

He almost won us the title last season, which was more thanks to a player we no longer have on our books and another who is injured..

 

[Modo]

He almost won us the title last season, which was more thanks to a player we no longer have on our books and another who is injured..

obviously.

 

[Buddha]

That's what it should have been in the first place. Too late now I fear. It would be quite revealing if he left - Pascoe would go with him, so would his gang of analysis geeks, and then who'd be left? Mike Marsh? Mike 'Yes boss' Marsh. That shows how painfully insecure he was when he arrived - he would not countenance anyone with any experience, any natural authority, any real coaching nous, to be around him. FSG should never have accepted that. You only grant that kind of power to a bona fide top manager, and it's significant that bona fide top managers aren't afraid to surround themselves with people good enough to hold the fort (at the very least) when they leave. If he goes now the entire infrastructure will have to be changed. It's that kind of hubris that angered me at the time and it still angers me now. A young manager who ought to have been grateful for the chance at a top club acted like he was a multi-title winning boss of all bosses.

Macca's talking a lot of sense in this thread.

 

[gkmacca]

He's a fake it till you make it man. Act like a top manager and you'll be a top manager etc.

Yes. He's the Heinrich von Kleist of management.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

But we should give him another year.
Why?
Because.

Because of last season.

Yeah, he had Suarez, and Suarez was the main reason we were so good. But I don't think we could have played like that under Rafa, and certainly not under Hodgson. He did do a lot right last year, and there's the hope that he'll somehow remember what that was and be able to recreate it again.

He's missing a great striker, and he could do with a goalkeeper. If he manages to get them both right in January, I can see us improving a lot(I can actually see us improving as the season goes on anyway).

Most of his signings have been long term buys, which is obviously very risky, but the season we had last season gave him the opportunity to do that. If we had an average season last year, I would expect he would have bought safer bets, short term buys, and while we'd do better this season, we'd be worse off in the long run.

I'm happy to stick with him, as long as we see some progress over the next few months, and there's some semblance of what he's trying to achieve showing through.

Sticking with managers pays off in the Premiership, the only clubs that are successful that don't do it, have a few hundred million more to play with than we do. We have to stick with him, because we need a long term solution, and a quick fix will just cost us even more.

That said, if we don't improve over the course of this season, we should look at it again in the summer.

 

[Modo]

He's missing a great striker, and he could do with a goalkeeper. If he manages to get them both right in January, I can see us improving a lot(I can actually see us improving as the season goes on anyway).

But he had the chance to buy a striker. He bought Aspas, wank. He bough Borini, wank, He bought Balotelli, about to be wank. He bought Mignolet, a clown.
He was tasked with buying a striker and a keeper and failed. Why give him more money to spend?
Also he won't get more money to spend.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

But he had the chance to buy a striker. He bought Aspas, wank. He bough Borini, wank, He bought Balotelli, about to be wank. He bought Mignolet, a clown.
He was tasked with buying a striker and a keeper and failed. Why give him more money to spend?
Also he won't get more money to spend.

All managers fail in the transfer market more than they succeed. It's only ever glossed over when the team is successful, it was for Rafa for a while, and it was for Rodgers for a while.

While he's in charge, he has to be trusted to spend correctly. I think he made a big mistake in the summer by spending his money too thinly(and I said it at the time), but we as a club have been making that mistake for nearly 20 years, so maybe it's not the managers fault all the time.

If Rodgers was new in, and had no previous with us, then yes, I'd be looking at other options. but the fact is that he showed two years of improvement, and brought us so close to a first title in, way too long. That has to be taken into consideration.

If we continue on until the end of the season, without showing any signs of improvement, then we should be reconsidering, but(barring disaster), we shouldn't be looking until then.

 

[SummerOnions]

He sold one of the world's best players and has been given 3 months to completely replace him and improve on his being here. We're being incredibly unrealistic in our expectations

 

[Modo]

He sold one of the world's best players and has been given 3 months to completely replace him and improve on his being here. We're being incredibly unrealistic in our expectations

How did Man U do the season after they sold Ronaldo?

I think they missed the title by one point.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

He sold one of the world's best players and has been given 3 months to completely replace him and improve on his being here. We're being incredibly unrealistic in our expectations

Well, nobody expected we'd improve on Suarez, but we hoped we'd come close to replacing him. He came nowhere near. It was a disaster of a summer for a lot of reasons, but I believe he deserves a chance to rectify it.

 

[Best Believe It]

Well, nobody expected we'd improve on Suarez, but we hoped we'd come close to replacing him. He came nowhere near. It was a disaster of a summer for a lot of reasons, but I believe he deserves a chance to rectify it.

Well we tried to sign Sanchez and he turned us down (as did Lavezzi, Cavani and Falcao) so I'm not entirely sure how much closer we could have come without actually signing someone.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

Well we tried to sign Sanchez and he turned us down (as did Lavezzi, Cavani and Falcao) so I'm not entirely sure how much closer we could have come without actually signing someone.

I mean, who we ended up with, are nowhere near to replacing him. Coming close to doing something, doesn't really mean anything.

 

[Best Believe It]

I mean, who we ended up with, are nowhere near to replacing him. Coming close to doing something, doesn't really mean anything.

Yeah, I agree. I was being slightly facetious, sorry.

 

[Dahuge]

The scary thing about Rodgers and it will cost him his job is he can't organise a defence, this is his 3rd season and our defence is still shite. There is no unity, cohesion, thought process - they are all scared little pups who have no idea what they are doing. the pass it back and forth between themselves and then lump it - clueless. ALL ON RODGERS.

Our midfield is still lacking a DM, Gerrard replacement, and players who can pick passes and move the ball at pace. Again he has had 3 years to address this issue and has done nothing. ALL ON RODGERS

Strikers, yes we have lost Suarez who is the 3 or 4th best player in the world and Sturridge is out injured but we knew Suarez was going and we also knew Sturridge would be injured, a lot, and who did we buy an old lump and a moody shithouse. The players stand on the edge of the box and wait, don't move just wait - ALL ON RODGERS

We have spent hundreds of millions and are in no better position than when he joined, you can blame the committee all you want but as Rodgers has stated he has the final say, so he has approved the purchase of every player. ALL ON RODGERS.

I think last year was he zenith and we are back to when he first arrived which is his level, he has to go. If there was something to grab onto you could but there isn't :

Defence - Fucking shite
Midfield - Awful
Attack - Dreadful

There is nothing and it is all on him, he needs to go and now.

 

[SummerOnions]

How did Man U do the season after they sold Ronaldo?

I think they missed the title by one point.

How many other boss players did they have?

 

[Modo]

How many other boss players did they have?

one?

 

[LeTallecWiz]

How many other boss players did they have?

Uh, Modo is comparing a manager who's been a manager in the top flight for what, 5 years, to a team who had one of the greatest managers in the history of the game? Can Modo remind us how many 2nd place finishes Ferguson had in his 1st 5 years at Manure? Now has Rodgers got potential to be as good as Ferguson? Don't see it ... but he's done some great things early on and some shite things too ... There's a lot of good that can be done in this season and make it a platform for next year ...

 

[Modo]

Uh, Modo is comparing a manager who's been a manager in the top flight for what, 5 years, to a team who had one of the greatest managers in the history of the game? Can Modo remind us how many 2nd place finishes Ferguson had in his 1st 5 years at Manure? Now has Rodgers got potential to be as good as Ferguson? Don't see it ... but he's done some great things early on and some shite things too ... There's a lot of good that can be done in this season and make it a platform for next year ...

No, Modo is comparing one situation with another. Man U lost their best player who pretty much won them the league the year before.
Did they collapse in a heap?

 

[gkmacca]

as Rodgers has stated he has the final say, so he has approved the purchase of every player. ALL ON RODGERS.
.

I don't think that bit's true. Kenny said it when he was in charge but that was just his standard move to take the flak. He wasn't responsible for all that went on as far as transfers were concerned, no matter how gracious his defence of the departing Commoli was. As for Rodgers, I don't think he is more than a junior partner when it comes to the crunch in terms of transfers. He has to say he is, but he's pretty clear behind the scenes in briefings that's not the case. I don't think FSG made this mess out of anything other than a genuine desire to make transfer policy more risk-aversive and more suited to continuity and stability, but they need to realise it doesn't work. It's like a Cabinet overuling a Minister on departmental policy, then sacking the Minister on the grounds that it's formally his or her policy, then appointing a new Minister, then doing the same, and so on and so on.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

No, Modo is comparing one situation with another. Man U lost their best player who pretty much won them the league the year before.
Did they collapse in a heap?

You're making an idiotic comparison ... You're talking about a team that lost ONE player, had basically the SAME base, with one of the greatest managers ever and still competing - regardless of who they lost - every single year. We just had our best year in what, 6 years, with a team that wasn't THAT good but was carried by 70 odd goals from 3 players ... Now one players can't get on the pitch, the other has slowed down tremendously and the other places for Barca. Great comparison.

I get it - you want Rodgers fired, you want Rafa back (and ignore every black stain in the process).

I can't believe you keep on pretending as if you're not driven by that agenda though ... just say it so people stop trying to debate with you.

 

[Modo]

You're making an idiotic comparison ... You're talking about a team that lost ONE player, had basically the SAME base, with one of the greatest managers ever and still competing - regardless of who they lost - every single year. We just had our best year in what, 6 years, with a team that wasn't THAT good but was carried by 70 odd goals from 3 players ... Now one players can't get on the pitch, the other has slowed down tremendously and the other places for Barca. Great comparison.

I get it - you want Rodgers fired, you want Rafa back (and ignore every black stain in the process).

I can't believe you keep on pretending as if you're not driven by that agenda though ... just say it so people stop trying to debate with you.

yes I'm driven by an agenda while you are making every excuse possible to keep an inept manager. Just like you made excuses for Kenny and I don't know possibly for keeping Hodgson as well.

 

[Oncy]

Really fucking embarrassed to be a Liverpool fan reading some of the things posted by our fans.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

yes I'm driven by an agenda while you are making every excuse possible to keep an inept manager. Just like you made excuses for Kenny and I don't know possibly for keeping Hodgson as well.

Did you think he was inept 6/7 months ago?

 

[Modo]

Did you think he was inept 6/7 months ago?

Do you remember the whole Agger thing? Or that I wanted him to play Lucas?
I wasn't as certain about Rodgers as I am now because we were winning. But since then it's become quite obvious that it was all Suarez.
And since then we've spent over £100 million on replacements.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

Do you remember the whole Agger thing? Or that I wanted him to play Lucas?
I wasn't as certain about Rodgers as I am now because we were winning. But since then it's become quite obvious that it was all Suarez.
And since then we've spent over £100 million on replacements.

I don't remember you bringing up either of those players.

 

[6TimesaRed]

The scary thing about Rodgers and it will cost him his job is he can't organise a defence, this is his 3rd season and our defence is still shite. There is no unity, cohesion, thought process - they are all scared little pups who have no idea what they are doing. the pass it back and forth between themselves and then lump it - clueless. ALL ON RODGERS.

Our midfield is still lacking a DM, Gerrard replacement, and players who can pick passes and move the ball at pace. Again he has had 3 years to address this issue and has done nothing. ALL ON RODGERS

Strikers, yes we have lost Suarez who is the 3 or 4th best player in the world and Sturridge is out injured but we knew Suarez was going and we also knew Sturridge would be injured, a lot, and who did we buy an old lump and a moody shithouse. The players stand on the edge of the box and wait, don't move just wait - ALL ON RODGERS

We have spent hundreds of millions and are in no better position than when he joined, you can blame the committee all you want but as Rodgers has stated he has the final say, so he has approved the purchase of every player. ALL ON RODGERS.

I think last year was he zenith and we are back to when he first arrived which is his level, he has to go. If there was something to grab onto you could but there isn't :

Defence - Fucking shite
Midfield - Awful
Attack - Dreadful

There is nothing and it is all on him, he needs to go and now.

Excellent post.. finally some clarity..

 

[Modo]

I don't remember you bringing up either of those players.

oh, you don't remember "we would have won the league if Agger started"?

 

[kingjulian]

No, Modo is comparing one situation with another. Man U lost their best player who pretty much won them the league the year before.
Did they collapse in a heap?

Are you that thick that you cant apply context? Do you want LTW to draw a diagram?