FOLLOWING the goalless draw at Swansea City’s Liberty Stadium on Sunday Brendan Rodgers declared the result satisfying, even going as far as to say it was an improvement.
Of course, it’s hard to argue with the fact that it was definitely an improvement on the 1-0 defeat we suffered at the same ground in our last game of last season.
But to argue that a goalless draw at Swansea City is a good result for Liverpool FC sounds a lot like something Roy Hodgson once beamed during his post match press conference following Liverpool’s ‘legendary’ 2:1 victory against the Turkish behemoth from Trabzon in 2010.
In fact, the more I hear the word ‘outstanding’ following another disappointing result (whether goalless draw or toothless defeat), the more I’m beginning to wonder whether Brendan Rodgers is beginning to read from the gospel of Roy Hodgson himself.
Way back in 2010, many of you may remember that the current England manager set about on a campaign to systematically delude Liverpool fans into believing we were a sub-par club, that should be happy to finish in the top 10 and expect nothing more from our season than a good cup run occasionally.
He did this by squandering money on shocking purchases such as Christian Poulsen (who I actually felt sorry for, at the time), Joe Cole and Paul Konchesky. That’s right, Paul Konchesky was once a Liverpool player; I tried to banish that unwholesome fact as well.
Roy followed this up by declaring results – such as the win in Turkey – as ‘legendary’ and ‘historical’. Then he would kowtow to the Scottish wino down the motorway after his best player was on the end of one of his verbal assaults, post-match.
None of this worked, of course because, as a breed, Liverpool fans know the score. And given the absolutely dire results and poor-bordering-on-abysmal results, no amount of pressure from the Southern tabloids just pleading with us to give one of their old boys more time was going to pull the wool over our eyes.
Now, before I get a slaughtering for getting on the manager’s back, I’m not criticizing him or the team, not without grounds at least. I thought we played great at Swansea [and for parts of the Spurs game], just as we did against Young Boys and also the weekend before, v Wigan. However, I refuse to be informed that a goalless draw away at a club that he left for us – as the bigger club – is a good result.
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But then, not only against Swansea, a couple of days later, the manager told the cameras – post-match – that we should’ve won, that the players were magnificent, that we were… outstanding. Yes, there’s that bloody irritating word again.
I am also concerned that the pressure of being Liverpool manager and not exactly getting off to the start he might have hoped to is getting to Rodgers and he is now trying to bring our expectations down by constantly bigging the teams’ performances up, regardless of results. It would be refreshing to hear him come out after a game like today and tell the associated press that, yes the performance was good enough but the players really need to begin to take their chances.
But hearing a Liverpool manager say “I’ll never say coming here is two points dropped because it’s a difficult place to come. Our performance level is continually improving. We’re just chipping away at climbing up the league, and we’ll do that.” following a goalless draw away at a team like his former side smacks of attempting to polish a turd.
Of course, any attempts to criticize statements such as these is often met with contempt (from both press and our own fans) so I need to make one thing clear: I am more than happy to give Rodgers time, provided we start to see some definite improvements over the coming months, and see some genuinely impressive signings in January; chasing after former Swansea loanees or Chelsea reserves isn’t good enough and is no longer acceptable.
I will also not sit back and let myself be kidded that our inability to win games has its positives, not every single week – change the record, Brendan. There are times when you’re unlucky and times when you deserve to win but when you’ve already drawn 7 of 14 league games this season and won just three, the manager needs to show a bit of realism too.
As the months draw on, Brendan will come to find that, while Reds are a forgiving bunch and also quite a patient lot, we’re not stupid and our patience isn’t endless. Results must improve, dead-wood must be moved on (not played at left-back, week in, week out!) and the squad must be improved when the money is available.
And in the meantime, please stop informing us all that we were outstanding and please, please… get the idea out of your mind that finishing a whole place higher than Kenny Dalglish last season will be an acceptable achievement.
Liverpool Football Club is a massive, world-renowned institution – please adjust your expectations accordingly, Brendan.
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Get the clown along with Colin Pascoe and Mike Marsh OUT! and FSG too! no more Mediocrity!!!!!!!!, they dont have the money to take the club forward, so sell to someone that does!! enough is enough!!!
I can’t believe he played downing as LB against the likes of lennon and bale. Any manager in their right mind wouldn’t do that. Why is he even in starting 11,is BR trying to show the rest of the world some new found tactical innovation. What a bloody joke he is.
i’m pretty sure the rest of the league managers are laughing their butts off at this fool. Downing had no bloody clue where lennon was in the first goal and almost cost us another. He’s just trying to pull things out of thin air hoping something different would happen so he get’s some credit, like playing shelvey as our false 9, or downing as the LB.
He is nothing but an imcompetent tool
Get rid of him an FSG can go with him.
Hodgson bought in really bad over the hill players that should never of played for Liverpool. he played a negative type of football which and failed to grasp whart the club was all about. Rodgers is his antithesis!
Young ,vibrant hungry players. Playing a great brand of attacking football. he understands the fans.
we cannot compete with Utd, City, Chelski, etc financially hense the need to implimennt a new player model! A little like Dortmund did! Look at them now!
Patience needed
Rodgers football is negative slooooow boring possession football .
backwards , sideways , backwards backwards sideways etc BORING
New player model is all well and good . But it needs a decent manager to implement in – Not this gibbering idiot !
SuaRed, Farius82, step away from this forum now! Your mental health is dependant on it!
Yeah let’s be patient and implement tiki taka this season while we finish 15th in league. And coming season you can expect to sign some quality players who would be willing to join a team that’s just finished 15th. Stupid fu*kin Cu*t.
we might even end up loosing the likes of Suarez. You really think players of that quality would be willing to play for some mid table team when a host of CL teams are vying for them, casuals fans like you,who has no love this club are not needed. BR has amateur piece of shi# that needs to leave
Well said, SuaRed! FSG have spent money, it’s not BR’s fault that the bulk of that money was spent on Downing, Henderson, Carroll, Adam etc the previous year.
Dortmund is a great example of a club finding young, lesser known players. With players coming through like Suso and Sterling, as well as potential young recruits, we are going to build a winning team the right way. We’ll be so much prouder of that team as well when it is complete (unlike big spending Chelsea and City etc)
We have a run of six or seven games coming up which are all winnable. Let’s get behind the club, support them and spur them on to lots more points. If we’re still 4 points off relegation come the Utd game in January, then we can look at things a little differently.
Rubbish . it IS rodgers fault he wasted 30m on complete rubbish players . Rodgers is inept in every department , he doesn’t understand the fans .
He is a small club manager , with a small club mentality , and he is bringing Liverpool down to swansea standards
And FSG have spent damn all net , in the region of 40 million only , check your facts b4 you talk nonsense
Swansea standards.You should be so lucky! The fans own 20% of the club with two representatives on the board We’re not in debt,in fact thanks to your generous contribution ie. the millions you paid us for Allen,Rodgers etc. and it has been put to very good use, Ki, Hernandes, Michu, De Guznman Thank you very much. Size isn’t everything. It’s not how big it is, it’s what you do with it. I think from your comments it’s obvious what you do with yours
Love and kisses
A Swansea fan.
As long as you have FSG’s books open you might want to double check your figures to make sure they include the £300 millio that they put out to keep LFC from bankruptcy as well as the £50 million they had to write off for the H&G stadium sham. Then make sure your income figures are offset by annual operating expenses. What does the ‘only’ £40 million look like now?
You are stupid ! Right from the off – they got a club valued at 800 m for less than half that . Even after paying off debt and what little transfer spend , on paper they are in serious profit ! check out what the financial experts said at time of takeover
The best thing to happen for the sake of our club is to lose the next few and get that disgraceful effort of a manager sacked
So you are agreeing that Hutch is accurate that FSG have spent damn all net, in the region of 40 million only in the time they’ve owned the team?
Oh so you want us to be patient until we are around the relegation zone, that’s when we are supposed to lose our cool. What do think this club is, Fuc#kin West Ham!
I can’t believe people don’t see how incompetent he is. I mean literally after every game he keeps saying how extraordinary the performances are. That’s what mid table managers ponder on, not something you expect at liverpool, i don’t hear such things when fergie or mancini or wenger looses. This fool doesn’t deserve to be leading this great club.
Talk about living in the past! The ‘Pool were lucky that the Swans didn’t click on Sunday. The contrast between what we did to West Brom and your limp first half display against Spurs says it all. Brendan is indeed losing the plot. How was a move to a Yank-owned, Billie big bullocks outfit with only one decent player a step up?
Good article , im too am sick listening to that delusional fool at the end of every game
Are there really any fans out there who believe ” another excellent performance ” or ” we are not far away from where we want to be” or ” we are moving in right direction ” ? And of course -The excuses , so many excuses after every failed performance
– total bull every time his mouth opens , Liverpool fans deserve better .
Six games before end of year, 3 mid table and 3 bottom. 14 points will only maintain, Rodgers and the players need to earn minimum 16 points to give themselves a shot at improving over last year. FSG must bring in some quality depth this upcoming window while continuing to release non performing wages. Downing’s brain fart on the first goal last night was apalling. Hopefully Wisdom will be back soon enough to sure up the defense.
dream on LOL – 16 points no way . Wisdom was back alast night fully fit but our retarted manager picks downing
Putting him in the shop window, someone will snatch him up after recent performances.
Rogers is an impostor of the highest order. Got the club by the balls . Can’t afford to sack him, now is taking the piss. 3 wins out of 15. Against relegation clubs. Not good enough. No one is telling him. Can’t hire another manager now because there isn’t one.
Instead of spending the whole lot– and it was30 million net, on a couple if attacking players. He spent it on Allen and Borrini who’s contribution has been 0. Both of them, simply because they played for him.
Swansea went for the top scoring la liga midfeild player…..outside ronaldo and messi, there was michu . Did you know that? But no, we had to add mediocrity . Don’t get me started on playing players out of position, losing to spurs and then blaming the ref etc…
Lets suffer this together. Till the end of the season
YNWA
BR = Hodgson
Hodgson out = BR out?
KK = caretaker again?
or caretaker = Roberto Di Matteo?
A.B.R
Anyone But Rodgers
Rodgers is worse than senile old Roy !
Hodgson wasnt mental enough to waste 15m on a piece of mush like Allen – at least Hodgson dropped Poulsen when we saw he was muck , Bloody Brenda wont drop the welsh wally
Thank you, I thought I was the only one who thought Allen is s***:) worst is the smear campaign against Gerrard for Allen.
i agree , if bloody rodgers actually played gerrard in his proper position , we might see the real gerrard
and Allen is crap , worse than poulsen
Exactly my thoughts David! Very good article. But there is no point sacking anyone until we see our final position come the summer.
Brilliant artical well writen and some very good and valid points raised I completly agree with everything you’ve said well done mate I think alotof fans feel the same as you there is only so much time Brendan can be given and if he continues to sound more and more like Roy he’ll have to go.
Very good article well written. I really like Rodgers as a manager and I do believe he is the right man for the job and I think some fans are being a little harsh on him, he has been left with dead wood. But his selections against spurs questioned me and the post press conferences after games are sounding like a broken record. Also I don’t understand why FSG arnt going buy any players in Jan, they just spent $25m on one player for the Red Sox where’s the commitment to this club?
Not just dead wood , there is some world class players and great kids too
This is standard Rodgers behaviour. He always did it at Swansea too; the players were Magnificent and Outstanding, even when we lost. The fans started to call it the Rodgers Blarney.
Looks like he’s continuing it with you guys at Liverpool too.
As others have said this is nothing new to us Swans fans. I’ll always be grateful to him for taking us up & don’t blame him for going to Liverpool but his blarney was beginning to grate and it’s a fact that we actually owe more to Martinez than Rodgers for the way that we play. Rodgers just likes taking the credit, which the media infuriatingly seem happy to give him.
As for “bringing Liverpool down to Swansea’s level” that’s laughable. If you get the chance try and watch the first half of our game against WBA. That’s how it SHOULD be done, Brendan. Not possession for possession’s sake but a real cutting edge with goals coming from everywhere. Breathtaking stuff that at the moment Liverpool can only dream of aspiring to.
rogers was no more than a caretaker here in swansea our team has been put together over the last six years or so and owes more to sousa and martinez he has favourite players and he sticks with them no matter what its like playing with nine or ten men
p.s.you wish you were on our level.. come down to it more like aspiring to
And even swansea fans are taunting us, that’s how miserable BR has made us
One can only wonder how we would been playing if Kenny and Steve Clark was still here!!!
Or even better if Liverpool had signed Laudrup – who looks like a much better manager than ‘Talking bulloks Rogers’
Even the Swansea fans dont rate Bulls$it Brendan , appointing rodgers will probably go down as liverpools greatest ever mistake