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Brendan Rodgers: The Real Deal or Just Better Than Roy?

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WHEN John Henry and Tom Werner took the final decision to relieve the King of his duties as manager of Liverpool Football Club, many fans including, for a period, myself, feared the worst. It was, I would venture to say, a move that deep down, most of us were at least half expecting, yet for which very few of us were actually prepared.

Just four weeks ago I wrote a piece on this site which conveyed my fears for a club which, at that stage, appeared rudderless, floating unprotected into the unknown and possibly stormy waters which loomed beyond the horizon. Not only was Liverpool Football Club without a leader, a King no less, but with the wave of sackings delivered by FSG, we were short on expertise throughout the club.

Almost a month later, I think that it’s fair to say that the mood has changed almost entirely. Liverpool fans are optimistic, excited and literally willing the days, hours and minutes to pass until the new season begins.

From a mood of almost blanket pessimism to childlike anticipation of the good things to come and endless possibilities ahead in just four short weeks is, I’m sure you’ll agree, nigh on miraculous. So how did it come to be this way?

During the drawn out search for a new gaffer, with the media circus that it inevitably generated, many names were linked with the top job at Anfield. From Roberto Martinez to Louis van Gaal via Michael Laudrup and Andre Villas-Boas, all generated debate and opinion amongst pundits and fans alike. One name, though, emerged from the smoke of rumour and speculation as the owners’ clear first choice and, very quickly, it became obvious that this man was, in effect, the only real choice to take up the mantle and become our leader.

Brendan Rodgers, the man who guided Swansea City back into the top division, the man who developed a style of football at the Liberty Stadium more at home on the hallowed turf of the Camp Nou. Brendan Rodgers, the man from Carnlough, County Antrim, whose near twenty years coaching experience has seen him travel to Spain and Holland to learn at Sevilla and Ajax. Brendan Rodgers, the man whose speaks fluent Spanish, is a well-known face at the Spanish National team’s training facility, who spent years with Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and is one of the most respected and highly thought of young coaches in Europe.

So, we waited with baited breath for the new man’s first official press conference. How would he handle the spotlight and combat the awkward questions? Would he get to grips with the nature and culture of Liverpool Football Club which, after all, runs deeper and richer than that at most other clubs? How would this young manager, whose only real success in the top job came at a relatively small club with limited expectations, possibly hope to win over the fans and lead a club which carries such a weight of expectation and history upon its shoulders?

Well, cometh the hour, cometh the man! The press conference came and Rodgers delivered. Confident, assertive, respectful, never arrogant but supremely self-assured, Rodgers delivered a masterclass and, by the end of the fifteen minutes, the whole room was eating out of his hand. Not only did he handle the press with consummate aplomb but also, every answer that he gave and comment that he made was music to the ears of Liverpool fans the length and breadth of the country. Doubters and there were more than a few, were hard pushed to deny that this man has something special, and, even those most averse to Dalglish’s dismissal and the manner of it, myself again included, couldn’t help but feel a sense of cautious optimism that perhaps FSG really had, with the appointment of Rodgers, landed us a winner.
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Rodgers’s demeanour, style and general aura during what was, undoubtedly, the biggest, most pressurised fifteen minutes of his managerial career to date, was in sharp contrast to our most unsuitable manager in modern Liverpool history, Roy Hodgson. Whereas Rodgers lauded and paid homage to his predecessor at Anfield and insisted that he could never hope to replace the man we know as the King, whilst maintaining that his door will always be open to Kenny, Hodgson was guarded and defensive straight off the bat, accusing the press of picking on him with words such as “would you have asked Rafa Benitez that question?”. Whereas Rodgers when asked about the target of a top four finish sought to cautiously raise that expectation to a potential title challenge within a few seasons, Hodgson deliberately sought to lower expectations and play down the quality of the very strong squad that he had just inherited.

I don’t really need to go further into the “he said she said” of Rodgers and Hodgson, as it has been written about many times before. Simply put, and it was clear for all of us who watched both press conferences, Rodgers as a man, as a manager, gets it! He instantly espoused the qualities and manner of a manager at Liverpool Football Club and, within those short minutes, managed to conjure up the hope and belief that he could very well be the man to engineer a new dynasty at our great club. Equally, simply put, Hodgson did not. Even those who had been prepared to give Roy a chance were, within a few short minutes of him being in front of the camera, instantly convinced that he absolutely did not belong and that desperate times were sure to follow.

Comparing Rodgers to Hodgson isn’t really the point. I mean as managers go, it is fair to say that Roy will go down as one of Liverpool’s worst of all-time, a man not so much a square peg in a round hole as a caveman at a society ball. With the two managers at the opposite ends of their careers and about as far apart in terms of footballing philosophy as it is possible to be, the only point of comparison worth making is that of the feeling they conveyed during their first Anfield press conferences. The vibe that they created, for want of a better phrase, and the difference could not have been more pronounced.

So what am I saying here? I suppose the question is not about whether Rodgers is more inspiring than Hodgson; quite clearly he is. That, he has already proved. No, the question is, with nobody else in the equation, is Brendan Rodgers the real deal? The answer, for me, is a resounding YES! Having researched him, his history, as a man, a player, a coach and now a manager, that good feeling I had, at the time of the press conference, has gotten stronger and stronger. His grit, determination, steely resolve, strength in adversity – with the problems that he’s had to overcome – have all come together to produce a single-minded leader of unquestionable character. His knowledge of the game, devotion to his philosophy, love of statistical analysis, hunger to succeed and desire to educate and improve players, all scream of a man destined for greatness.

Make no mistake, with this appointment, I am excited, I am inspired and whilst I don’t expect miracles straight away, I fully believe that within three seasons Liverpool Football Club will, once again, be fighting for the very top honours with Brendan Rodgers at the helm.

You can catch Neil on Twitter @Neil1980 or on his blog http://itsallinthegameblog.wordpress.com/

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9 comments

  • Andrew Massey says:

    Your more confident about next season than I am. I have nothing but trepidation regarding the forthcoming season. FSG have made their point clear and aim to hopefully ‘rebuild’ the club on the cheap as best they can. Very disappointed with the appointment of a no mark like Rodgers (done nothing and still to prove himself A VERY big risk). Time will tell if my fears are proved right. At least they will give Brendan more time than Kenny was allowed which also grates…

    • teesomethang says:

      support rodgers.he is a gud coach.watch it.we will again start to beat the teams at anfield,which kenny was failing to do.kk is just a legend but things wre not working for him,so he had to go for the sake of the team he loves dearly.

  • Bekim says:

    I just wished that I was as confident as u. The only hope is that he was abroad and he learnt how football should b played. I mean just looking at the players we r being linked with. I’m not confident at all. Whereas b4 we would sign players like Alonso, Mascherano, Torres now we r being linked with players that no top four club would sign. B4 I praise the man who hasn’t done anything yet I’ll wait and c how he does first.

    • Robert Anderson says:

      And tomorrow, watch out because I hear the sky’s going to fall in!

    • Urnar says:

      “Whereas b4 we would sign players like Alonso, Mascherano, Torres”, then last season we signed a donkey (Carroll), a meek lamb (Henderson) and a couple of mules (Adam & Downing) – all thanks to the moronic, outdated ad clueless Queen Kenny.

  • kfax says:

    An absurd article. Rodgers has done nothing to merit such over the top praise. This season will be like watching a car crash. Fsg appear to be trying to distract us from their bargain basement approach to revenue generation by employing a manager who likes attacking football. I prefer results. No trophies next season and no cause for optimism. If Rodgers makes it into his second season it will be through fsg’s stubbornness not the team’s improvement. I hate being this negative but Rodgers would never be considered for any other top club because he doesn’t merit it.

    • Gordon says:

      Money, that’s all some fans think about (and Benitez). In Pepe, Glen, Martin, Daniel, Steven, Lucas, Maxi, Craig, Luis and possibly Andy, Joe and Raheem Liverpool have the basis of a title winning squad. It was only Kenny’s inept management that had these players under achieve so badly. Can I remind you that the success we had in the 70’s and early 80’s was built on good method, Brendan is about to bring that back to our club. I for one can’t wait!!!

  • Mackie says:

    So much negativity in the comments!
    As Rodgers said himself, he knows he will gain respect by achieving something, not by his status.

    While I mostly agree with the article, I must say we’ll have to see how he does before praising the man and having some kind of confidence in him.

  • galen says:

    We are a club with a proud history and tradition few clubs can match. But we need to stop dwelling in the past. The last 20 years was wasted because the club thought that they only need to turn up to win the tropies and failed to plan for the future. We as a club are years behind our main rivals. The only saving grace are the supporters who loyally fought for the good of the club and stand by it.

    Please everyone who are fans of LFC. Let us stay together in this journey to resurrect our clubs’ fortune.

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