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Brendan Rodgers: A true great?

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Has Brendan got what it takes to make it as a great manager?

Has Brendan got what it takes to make it as a great manager?

Steve, a Manchester United fan recently said “Rodgers is a good manager but not a great one. He’ll never be a true great!” Having just lost to Newcastle 1-0 while Southampton FC show us how to beat Hull, I wonder, “does he have a point?” Season after season we moan about players and poor defence. Errors cost us dear game after game, season after season. We missed out on the title last season because we did not defend well enough and the only thing to change this season is we aren’t scoring or attacking as well as before. Yes we miss Suarez’s on field contribution but he didn’t play the first six games last season. Yes we miss Sturidge, but that’s why we have a squad. Yes, it takes time to bed in new players but surely that’s part of the class and quality of the manager.

Southampton sold players like they had Ebola but their manager, Ronald Koeman, has managed to buy well, blend his squad together and has got them playing good football at the same time. Their equivalent to Sturridge has been injured; Jay Rodriguez has been injured since April and not expected back till December. Now I am not suggesting a handful of games mean Ronald has achieved the state of ‘greatness’ but I do respect his team are playing well and that is not easy for a manager especially when you are new to the country, new to the league, rebuilding a team immediately and have the misfortune to be called Ronald.

On the salaries Southampton pay and the respectfully ‘lighter’ pull as a club when compared to the bigger, Champions League and Champions League qualification challenging teams it is harder for them to get the best players. New players, new manager, mass exodus and injury to their star striker.. all the excuses are there but Southampton are playing well and sit second, four points behind Chelsea! They don’t need excuses.. right now. Why could Mr Rodgers and co not yet repeat the magic of last season or at least look like a top four side this season? Van Gaal is regarded as a ‘top’ manager but Ronald Koeman has definitely out shone him so does that make him better than Rodgers and Van Gaal? Or does luck play it’s part? I think it’s a combination of luck and skill.

Over the past 12 months, Rodgers has had family issues and was involved in an incident in which a man wielded a baseball bat whilst at a female friends house. He and his family moved out of his home and in August, Mamadou Sakho moved in.. (not with Mrs Rodgers, I might add!). All this doesn’t improve quality of sleep or work. All these things do not help, you can get distracted, and thought processes aren’t always at their best. Now, I’m not saying Mr Rodgers is distracted but I know I would struggle to function at work if I was in the same situation. Therefore, as a Liverpool FC fan, I can understand if he was and I feel for him as such turmoil in your personal life is hard on anyone. Rodgers has had a great deal on his plate recently.

We all know Sir Alex was given a good few years to get things right at Old Trafford but Fergie was 45 when he got the job in the first place (having had success in Scotland). Rodgers is 41 years old. Time is on his side and if allowed to work and focus on his job I fully believe he will lead LFC to glory and he will prove he is a true great. Unfortunately, not this season, this season I will be happy to get out of Champions league groups stages, decent cup run and finish fourth. What do you think?

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An armchair fan who loves the stadium experience but likes the bread and butter of replays, moronic pundits, a drink in a pub atmosphere. LFC is my religion.

Common sense is missing from football but the situation is always complicated so I endeavour to give opinion and encourage discussion and thought about LFC.

8 comments

  • Richard Mcgill says:

    big difference is fergie had experience of winning trophies rodgers has no decent experience fergie bought decent players rodgers has not. people could feel fergie was building something big wheras rodgers is dismantling something that could of been brilliant.

  • David_of_Chaam says:

    Is this a joke question ?

    Great ??

    PMSL !!!!

  • Erin says:

    A good manager or a great one??? None of the above. A media favourite , a 21 century Harry redknapp. Plying his trade in a country desperate to see British managers where there’s none left. A one eyed prince in the land of the blind!

    How on earth can you escape criticisim and be hailed as some genious for playing a B team , disgracing every great man, tradition our club has is beyond me. Wake up people. He is the reason we lost the title. Creativity was down to one player. His job was to tighten the defence. He failed, failed and failed some more.
    SOME of you blamed, agger, skertel , Reina etc etc.
    But every defender we get, plays like a world beater for other teams, starts well and then you can see performance levels drop sharply. Down to training methods! Nothing to do with their qualities.
    Watch Lovren play for Croatia. Compare and contrast with Terry! Watch Sakhho for France, compaire with Cahil.

    Truth is, this guy is a fraud. And we are in for a long season

  • Seamus says:

    Agree, but in these times will he be given the time?

    • Erin says:

      Third season now. How long is long enough? Last season was inflated in points due to suarez. Winning games , 5-4, 5-3 etc.. Was never going to be a long term plan. Defence is shambles. Has been since he arrived and getting worse. 200 million plus spent. Simply a giant failure.

  • Diego Digger Souness says:

    Even Houllier isnt regarded as a true great and he won Four major trophies for LFC so Rodgers has a hell of a lot of work to do to achieve greatness.

  • Jay says:

    A few of us supporters said that BR was the wrong appointment from the first day.
    Last season wasn’t because of BR “Great” managerial skills. It was because of the “Great” Suarez and Sturridge show.
    Now that the “Great” Suarez is gone, what do we have? A mid table team.
    That is what BR is , a mid table manager.
    How long are we supposed to give him?
    He’s been at the club for 3 years now. Hasn’t taken LFC to any cup finals.
    Give him another 5 years and we’ll be no near to success, no cup finals, only a mid table team.

  • Tobe N says:

    Interesting. Agree with personal life stuff having an impact at times on any type of career. I think pressure is key.

    Ronald has no pressure or expectation and neither do his players after what happened in the summer while Rodgers was being asked for a title or at least second again despite losing his best player and arguably having the second best out injured, and Gerrard suffering with a bit of slowness and confidence for the first time ever. We will have a strong second half of the season though. Lovren has been a disapointment but he isnt that old for a CB and Hendo was at first. Lallana deserves more minutes and Ballo needs a good out and out striker alongside him. It will still come together with Sturridge back if he can just get the best out of Lovren or even Sako. Everyone talks about the missing SaS….but we bloody miss John Flannagan too! How many points did we drop with him in the team….he takes no prisoners at the back, has no fear, and gets forward well. Both him and Sturridge seem like players who won’t let their heads go down irrespective of the score or run the team is on. They have belief and determination and you need as many of those players in the team when you hit a rough patch. Stevie is frustrated he can’t take games by the neck in that deep role….which is more suited to Lucas.

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