Wodgers?

[FoxForceFive]

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says finishing above last year's eighth spot in the league would be "fantastic".

The Reds are unbeaten in six league games but lie in 13th spot after a 1-1 draw at Chelsea. Liverpool in focus Luis Suarez has been directly involved in 10 of Liverpool's 14 goals this season (71%), with eight goals, and two assists. Liverpool's 57% possession against Chelsea was the most by a visiting team at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League since Arsenal in Feb 2010.

"The reality is we're a long way off in the league," said Rodgers. "We finished eighth last year. If we can improve on that, it'll be fantastic for us. "That's the reality of where Liverpool are I'm afraid. But our young players will get better and better."

Rodgers knows that with funds limited at the club it will take time to try to improve the Merseysider's fortunes, although he has urged his rebuilding process is not hindered by harking back to the club's illustrious past.

"They're very educated, Liverpool supporters. It can't be easy for them," said Rodgers. "Most of us in this room know Liverpool and its great history, but we can't keep looking in the rear view mirror and looking back. "If you're not going to have a massive investment to make it happen quickly, you have to develop it. That's where we're at. "The supporters are being very lenient with myself and the team, and I'm sure they'll be frustrated sometimes, but their support has been incredible."

While funds may be restricted at Liverpool, Rodgers will be hoping to strengthen his attack in the January transfer window. Luis Suarez, who scored the equaliser against Chelsea, is the club's only established striker and he has scored eight of Liverpool's 14 league goals this season and provided two assists.

"We need one or two more players," added Rodgers. "That [the Chelsea result] is our sixth draw, and a lot of those games we've come back into after going behind. "But we need materials. If we can get one or two in January, we'll turn draws into wins. "Those players don't come cheap, and they're not too many available in January either. "But the owners have given me great support since I've been here. "I knew it would be a difficult year given the expectancy in Liverpool."

 

[Silver Sean]

"But we need materials"
As usual he is talking in management-speak bollocks. I really wish he would say less and achieve more. Finishing below Everton, that's where we should be aiming...

 

[Le Chacal]

Sounds exactly like Hodgson

 

[Squiggles]

Give it a rest.

Hodgson was delivering shit positions in the league by signing aging, shit professionals who were never going to improve the club both in the present and most importantly, the future.

Rodgers is doing it with kids, who many accept on here could go on to be world-class players. There's a massive difference.

One deserves time and patience. The other deserves sweet nothing.

 

[Vlads Quiff]

He is spot on and badly let down by somone in August

regards

 

[hmmmmm1]

Encoureged by the last paragraph, a couple of attacking players to be signed in jan

 

[Hansern]

Its true though. We are a 8thish team, but 2-3 good signings will change that.

 

[Ryan]

Its true though. We are a 8thish team, but 2-3 good signings will change that.

Yes, and might make us a 7th or even 6th placed team. Amazing.

Hundreds of millions, a new squad, several years, and some patience are what's required in order to get us into the top 2 or 3 though.

 

[Mors]

I think all he can do is aim to improve every year in the league, and if we finish higher this season than we did the last, whilst playing better football too, and bringing through the kids, then so be it, and it'll be an improvement. It's a grim state of affairs where in any season our club claim 7th is an 'improvement', but we've not got a billionaire owners spunking his money into us and the game has moved on, and you need that sort of investment to be able to compete at the top these days.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Sad statement to come from the manager indeed.

 

[mark1975]

Sounds exactly like Hodgson

No he doesn't, he's saying we need to improve on last season, so to finish above 8th is job done, but to get better we need new additions. People just don't like hearing it said as it is. If he said we're going for a top four finish he'd end up looking like a right twat.

 

[Insignificance]

It is clearly not a Hodgson Echo, but it is not acceptable at all. If he were still at Swansea he would feel like finishing around 8 would be achievable. He has clearly stepped up one club now, but feel he should not get more out of a team filled with full internationals? This is bollocks!!

 

[Pesam]

Sad statement to come from the manager indeed.

He's "managing expectations" DB, he knows that this team will get better-and-better as the season progresses and has an outside chance of 4th.

 

[jexykrodic]

He's just being savvy. Look at Rafa, said he guaranteed 4th and was out of a job shortly after. Rodgers doesn't want to get caught in the same trap.

 

[gkmacca]

He's just being savvy. Look at Rafa, said he guaranteed 4th and was out of a job shortly after. Rodgers doesn't want to get caught in the same trap.

He's pretty safe, I'd say, on that count.

 

[Woland]

Furbish Lousewart was an expert in Morality and Ideology; he understood that seeking out and denouncing no-good shits was the path by which one could become leader of a movement of the anxious and angry. In short, he had the instincts of a politician.
The Lousewart philosophy of asceticism, medievalism, and despair was officially called the Revolution of Lowered Expectations.
The Revolution of Lowered Expectations had not been invented by Furbish Lousewart. The whole neurosociology of the twentieth century could be understood as a function of two variables-the upward-rising curve of the Revolution of Rising Expectations and the downward-plunging trajectory of the Revolution of Lowered Expectations.
The Revolution of Rising Expectations, which had drawn more and more people into its Up-thrust during the first half of the century, had led many to believe that poverty and starvation and disease were all gradually being phased out by advances in pure and applied science, growing stockpiles of surplus food in the advanced nations, accelerated medical progress, the spread of literacy and electronics, and the mounting sense that people had a right to demand a decent life for themselves and their children.
The Revolution of Lowered Expectations was based on the idea that there wasn't enough energy to provide for the rising expectations of the masses. Year after year the message was broadcast: There Isn't Enough. The masses were taught that Terra was a closed system, that entropy was increasing, that life was a losing proposition all around, and that the majority were doomed to poverty, starvation, disease, misery, and stupidity.

 

[keniget]

We are in the middle of a rebuilding job and he doesn't say that much that is wide of the mark, but there are a couple of things in there that I find quite annoying and they change the tone of the piece.

Firstly, I don't like this whole patronizing "the fans are intelligent" thing that some managers do. That's just a petty point that riles me though.

Secondly and more importantly, it's not "fantastic" to improve upon an 8th placed finish - it should be the minimum requirement. Nobody is asking for 4th place god forbid, but talent wise our squad is definitely in the top 8 despite what some of the doommongerers or serial realists on the site suggest. Is Moyes' Everton squad really that much better than ours? Is it fuck. The difference is that Moyes is squeezing every ounce of potential from his team. Right now Rodgers isn't.

It is early days and Rodgers hasn't had long in the job to get everything working 100%, but if you're going for the "call a spade, a spade" approach with the fans then that's the flipside.

 

[Insignificance]

We are in the middle of a rebuilding job and he doesn't say that much that is wide of the mark, but there are a couple of things in there that I find quite annoying and they change the tone of the piece.

Firstly, I don't like this whole patronizing "the fans are intelligent" thing that some managers do. That's just a petty point that riles me though.

Secondly and more importantly, it's not "fantastic" to improve upon an 8th placed finish - it should be the minimum requirement. Nobody is asking for 4th place god forbid, but talent wise our squad is definitely in the top 8 despite what some of the doommongerers or serial realists on the site suggest. Is Moyes' Everton squad really that much better than ours? Is it fuck. The difference is that Moyes is squeezing every ounce of potential from his team. Right now Rodgers isn't.

It is early days and Rodgers hasn't had long in the job to get everything working 100%, but if you're going for the "call a spade, a spade" approach with the fans then that's the flipside.

or as we say over here: "Call a spade, a cock". Because it is when it is a cock you need to make that call....

 

[Cerberus]

We are in the middle of a rebuilding job and he doesn't say that much that is wide of the mark, but there are a couple of things in there that I find quite annoying and they change the tone of the piece.

Firstly, I don't like this whole patronizing "the fans are intelligent" thing that some managers do. That's just a petty point that riles me though.

Secondly and more importantly, it's not "fantastic" to improve upon an 8th placed finish - it should be the minimum requirement. Nobody is asking for 4th place god forbid, but talent wise our squad is definitely in the top 8 despite what some of the doommongerers or serial realists on the site suggest. Is Moyes' Everton squad really that much better than ours? Is it fuck. The difference is that Moyes is squeezing every ounce of potential from his team. Right now Rodgers isn't.

It is early days and Rodgers hasn't had long in the job to get everything working 100%, but if you're going for the "call a spade, a spade" approach with the fans then that's the flipside.

Bang on.

 

[gkmacca]

I'm not sure the Moyes comparison is that fair. Moyes has had years to know his club inside out and slowly shape a squad and he now has them playing very well. Rodgers has had a few months. Moyes spent his first season trying to weed out players like the ageing Ginola and signing the odd cheap replacement whilst battling to get out of the relegation zone.

 

[keniget]

That's why I acknowledged at the end that Rodgers hasn't had long in the job. I just feel that if a manager is going to ask the fans to understand certain realities then he shouldn't be surprised if those realities include his own management.

Regardless of time on the job, finishing 8th or indeed 7th is not some kind of achievement.

 

[Vlads Quiff]

He is just being a realist, as it stand we are a mid table team and given our over- reliance on one player, lucky to be there.
We will hopefully improve that situation in January, and as the youth matures see the situation incrementally improve, along with adding to the squad.
We are where we are.
I would not nit-pick cozying up to the fans, it works, and I would say from our current position 7th would be pretty good this year, ad not an unreasonable target considering the striker debacle.
I think it's a manager's job to dumb down expectation, likewise its our job to expect over achievement, but some on here are take things to extremes there were a shed load of people expecting us to win it last year.
Fourth is the very best we can expect in the next two to three years.



regards

 

[Gary25]

Yes, and might make us a 7th or even 6th placed team. Amazing.

Hundreds of millions, a new squad, several years, and some patience are what's required in order to get us into the top 2 or 3 though.

Even then there's no guarantee we'll do it.

Not aiming this at you but a lot of Liverpool fans seem so sure we'll be challenging again in a few years and it's a bit naive and arrogant to think that because we've no divine right to be back up there.

Plus, we don't know what Utd/Chelsea/City/Arsenal/Spurs even Everton will be like in a few years from now either.

 

[Y1]

And Newcastle, WBA, Fulham, West Ham too?