WITH the weekend passed and the memories of inflicting a 6-0 thumping fresh in the mind, it is time to take a first look at where we find ourselves in the Premier League, having surpassed our points total for last season.
As it stands with 3 games to go we find ourselves:
Points: 54
Wins: 14 (8 home and 6 away)
Draws: 12 (5 home and 7 away)
Losses: 9 (4 home and 5 away)
Goals for: 67
Goals against: 42
Last season after all matches were complete we stood at:
Points: 52
Wins: 14 (6 home and 8 away)
Draws: 10 (9 home and 1 away)
Losses: 14 (4 home and 10 away)
Goals for: 47
Goals against: 40
So looking at this what does this tell us? We are much better at attacking but not as good at defending. We haven’t and won’t lose as many league games as last year. Our record at Anfield is better. We are getting better results away from home.
Well that’s pretty clear cut isn’t it – number 1: Rodgers is better than Dalglish, and, number 2: Progress is being made. Simple.
NO IT’S NOT THAT SIMPLE!
Point 1 above is absolute nonsense for a start, whereas point 2, whilst not 100% correct, is actually very encouraging. Nothing in football is simple which in itself is wonderfully ironic as football is one of the simplest sports, in concept.
My previous piece looked at a comparison between Rafa and Rodgers and how nonsensical it was to do so. So with this in mind, trying to compare Kenny and Rodgers is just as ludicrous, even if confined to pure footballing terms.
Nobody can touch Kenny for the impact he has had on the club, the fans and the city as a player, a manager and more importantly as a human. There is a reason he is referred to as King. Yet in some quarters, towards the end of last season, people were calling for his head. Absolutely barmy.
Following the fall out of the dark days surrounding our court appearance and the limp end to the Hodgson reign there was only one man that could stabilise the club and reunite the fans. To the new generation of support this was the return of a man from legend to save us, and to us in the older generation this was our hero; this was our Gandalf arriving at first light on the fifth day, to restore the club to where it should be.
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The club was in the hands of one of us, someone we looked up to and believed in, but a poor run of results following our trophy success saw people turn on him.
Whether this influenced FSG I have no idea, but what I can say is that to fire him when they did and how they did was utterly wrong. He was supported financially but never allowed to see that investment develop due to the instantaneous demand for success in the modern game.
Whether it be age, personality or influence, it was decided that Kenny was not the way forward, Rodgers was. That was FSG’s decision, not ours, not Brendan’s and certainly not Kenny’s so why the constant need to compare and belittle one against the other?
I’m not sure if I will ever get my head round the constant stream of negativity that walks hand in hand with football nowadays. Of course, Kenny leaving hurt (and will continue to do so), but why use this as a stick to beat Rodgers with?
In terms of progress, this must always be viewed as an entity not entirely comprised of statistics. Yes we have done better in the league this year, but last year we won a trophy and got to a final. The back and forth of this ‘Arsenalitis’ (league v success) debate will never find common ground for people to agree on.
We have to look purely at Rodgers and this season primarily rather than the constant cross-reference. At the start of his reign Rodgers lost Kuyt, Maxi and Bellamy through no fault of his own. Three established stars with influence far reaching on and off the field. We saw the debacle at the end of August which I lay squarely at the door of FSG, leaving us with one forward (fortunately one genius forward however troubled), and the enforced need to rely on inexperience which should benefit us long term.
Rodgers has experienced a large number of factors limiting the impact he can have which all need to be taken into account. But this is all negative; in order to move forward we need to focus on the positive.
Overall the players have responded well under Rodgers. We have seen some breathtaking football and some truly wonderful goals this season – St James’ Park being the latest example. We have seen previous scapegoats really pick up their game and show the kind of players they can be, the most impressive of which (in my mind) is Henderson, who could yet prove to be excellent business by Dalglish. We have seen some exciting signings made and a promise of things to come. Has he made mistakes? Of course, but who amongst us can state they never do?
So what is it I’m trying to say? Has progress been made under Rodgers this year? I think so, basing my decision on how we were when he took over to how we are now. Kenny shouldn’t have been sacked, neither should Rafa.
We need to learn from our mistakes and sacking Rodgers would be a huge one. A decent summer transfer window is needed to push on.
Come find me on twitter @timdibs
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Wow, a bunch of Veruca Salt fans. “I WANT IT NOW!” Sometimes it’s embarrassing being a Liverpool fan. It is true what they say about British people being fickle. Grow up. The prem has never been more competitive than it is now. Our manager inherited a team with ONE recognized striker and has implemented an entirely new style of play. The only complaint I have after year one is our dreadful marking against set pieces. Stop reading those sensationalised British publications and develop an opinion based on the facts. Brendan Rodgers is a young and talented manager. With a little patience he could be everything this club needs and more. A few years back Man United fans were calling for a managerial change. They were fickle just like a good chunk of our fans. Ask them how they feel about their success since then. If we continue to take the Chelsea approach to success without the Chelsea cash we will end up in a worse position than we have been in for 100 years. Wake up “Liverpool fans”! We are supposed to be well educated compared to the average supporter. Judging by half these posts we are well on our way to plastic flag waving… Is that what you want?
What a pathetic load of uneducated nonsensical dribble.
No one expects success now…but most fans understand that Rodgers will never get success
Wake up and cop on
Well said DBN.
People seem incapable of processing the facts. We have more points, more wins and more goals than we had at this stage last year and there’s people on here saying that we’re not improving. Are they so blinkered that they can’t read the facts in front of them and form an opinion based on these along with the better style of football we’re playing? More possession, more passes, more goals.
Get behind your team and your manager and look at the facts… WE HAVE IMPROVED!
Your the blinkered one . We have not improved . This season is a lot worse than last
Rodgers has had 55m plus a season with no injuries to star players
This season is embarrassing and so is ridiculous opinions like yours
Not interested in facts then?… or punctuation for that matter.
Facts ?
8th place. 3 Wembley trips . 1 trophy. 1 runner up. Plus wins against all top teams
Compared to
7th place. No cup runs. 1 win against a top side all season
Go compare
7th place
How many points, wins and goals have we gained in comparison to last year?… oh, more of all.
Therefore: Improvement.
dont be idiotic. Only a total fool can say this season is better.
Points yes a slight improvement but considering the lack of injuries to his main men and that he had the countrys best player on fire…we o
Should have had many more points
Also Rodgers has s pathetic 39% win ratio in the league this season…that’s a worse ratio than any other Liverpool manager in 60 years except Hodgson
Also 3 embarrassing cup exits compared to 2 finals
It’s a shame when fans start insulting each other because they hold different opinions.
I notice you concede that we have more points this season. How about goals scored?
Also, yes, Suarez has been on fire. Isn’t it also part of a managers job to get the best out of his players? Downing, Hendo, Suarez, Stevie are all better players this year.
Nonsense . Goals scored is irrelevant. Scoring 4 or 5 against the rubbish teams still only gets 3 points
Rodgers has got the worst out of all our defenders. Rock solid last year- rubbish this year
Our young players have gone backwards too
Why are u makin excuses for our inept manager…as someone already said
..only Mancs and Everton fans are happy he is here
Scoring goals is irrelevant?
Are we talking about the same sport here?
You’re making yourself less credible with every comment.
Ian – ‘If if if if …silly excuses by the same person using different names’
Ian – ‘We should have had many more points’
Which other names do you use Ian?
I said goals scored is irrelevant not scoring goals.
I don’t get your second post . I haven’t used a different name
‘Should’ and ‘If’ are the same. Both are hypothetical.
You can’t criticize people for saying ‘if’ and then start saying ‘should’.
Dbn. Totally clueless. It’s obvious your not from Liverpool. Supporting from your armchair a thousand miles away is very easy
ben there is no point in trying to argue with clowns, i know it is fun to start with but it gets old fast. i mean have a look at this post.
“Also Rodgers has s pathetic 39% win ratio in the league this season…that’s a worse ratio than any other Liverpool manager in 60 years except Hodgson”
we have won more games this season than last, so where is he getting his % from its a joke. lol.
oh and are you going to the game on Sunday? if so i can meet you out side to give you a slap and tell you to kop on. will i look for a stupid looking 10-12 year old with his gay dads, shouldn’t be hard to find you.
ps
ben go to transfer rumours, click on liverpool, then click on banter. it has editors there to weed out the trolls.
Your obviously not very clever so I’ll break it down for you
Played 35 won 14 . That’s a win percentage of 39%
You are probably just a silly kid .but even still , you should check your facts before writing more nonsense
so 14 wins in 35 is a lower percentage then 14 wins in 38?
11/12 14/38 12/13 14/35
36% 40% (not 39% moron)
OH CLEVER ONE
Totally clueless. Go to Anfield live for win percentages for every Liverpool manager and u will see Rodgers has the 2ndworse in the league since shanks made the club great
Only Hodgson has worse.
K ,I see you are proving your stupidity once again. Its just going to show that the Rodgers apologizers are uneducated .
Ian. I can’t find those stats . Could you provide a link please
Think you are wasting your time,Some fans are just awestruck on Brendan for some strange reason(probably the politician like rhetoric he constantly speaks.They pick out ridiculas stats,the same kind of stats they used last season to criticise Dalglish,but this season because it suits the agenda they are spun from negative to positive.We have been awful against ANY TEAM that closed us down and actually made an effort.I cannot believe some fans think that winning piss poor teams(watch the games,the other teams never even closed us down) amounts to progress?Last season we beat ALL THE BIGBOYS,this season we have one win against a top 6 side.Progress…yeh right,Maybe if folk are deluded.Also one other point.Every other team in the premiership this season have been worse than last season, so why we could not at least mount a challenge for fourth is beyond me?. All this with Suarez on fire,Gerrard and Lucas fit all season.
How childish are you?..Is this the kind of childish deluded fool we have supporting LFC these days?..nice to see how you like to see anybody with a diff opinion to yours “Dealt with by the editors”….Folk like you are made for wordsmiths like Rodgers.Silly little boy.
Ian- you’re damn right I’m not from Liverpool. If you think living 5 minutes from Anfield is a requirement for being a true fan then I feel sorry for you. If LFC lost all its fans from outside the city limits of Liverpool tomorrow where would the club be? We would have to change our color to blue, wouldn’t we? I thought Everton supporters were the only cry babies… Always complaining and feeling jealous. Maybe I was wrong. It’s starting to look like a city-wide epidemic. Put your big boy pants back on and start treating this club as a family again. That is what made us great. Not King Kenny or Barnes or Rush.
Aaah , another tiresome fool comparing Ferguson with Rodgers.
Are you people really that uneducated that you can’t tell how ridiculous that comparison is ?
And also nearly all of what he says is rubbish. ie. “our manager inherited a team with ONE recognized striker ” …lol
Suarez , Carroll , Kuyt and bellamy = 4
Kuyt left. He let Carroll and bellamy leave. He spent 34 million and the clown still managed to start the season with just 2 strikers (Borini is a striker)
You fools really need some education
k
22 hours ago
fergi didnt win the league till his 7th season incharge. football expert
Report
clown can you show me where i compared rodgers to old bacon face.
i simply put that had 7 season and alot of backing before he won the league.
so not winning the league in you first season does not mean you are rubbish.
and to the other clown fair enough you are using managers lfc career win percentages.
so you ether wait till he is no longer lfc manager so it is an even playing field as the others time is up in charge OR you put him in the very select few managers that have not been sacked from the hot seat at lfc.
What nonsense !
It’s like conversing with a child
Rogers is not doing a good job. We were better last year . If we are not top 4 by xmas he should go
Oh my!! Dalglish spent the stupid millions on Carrol, Downing and Henderson and Charlie Adam. Rodgers have made them better players. We are i say a centre back, Deffensive Midfield and an impact striker away from finishing in top 4. If we had Sturridge and Coutinho from the start of the season we would have cemneted fourth place by now!!!
If if if if …silly excuses by the same person using different names
If we had messi and Ronaldo we would be champions . LOL
Rodgers is a joke .He is turning us into a average mid table side . Easily worst manager ever
My god ! Are there still lunatics out there defending Brenda ?
What does he have to do , get us relegated ? B4 the delusionsits stop worshiping him
Afraid so. Its amazing how some gullible fools believe the propaganda he churns out
One fool, a few months ago one guy was so convinced by Rodgers , he swore that we would win both cups this season . The fool has probably changed his username and is spouting more nonsense . I wonder was it K ?
i c you have started to just make stuff up now like the sad little child you are.
Your making yourself look more ridiculous every time you post. Keep it up though , it’s giving me a laugh
You dont have the knowledge to talk about football , or the wit to banter
Terry u can find the managerial stats at LFChistory.net or anfield online
ive seen fools on this site convinced were gonna dominate europe for next few years ! laughable isnt it when rodgers wont ever get top 4 ?
most of the believers are just naive kids
Glad to see there are still some sensible fans out there , rather than the naive fools that believe Rodgers is doing a decent job
Well spoken ian , terry and the others. And k get a clue
LOL . DBN and K = mad foolz or man ure fans ?
I was d happiest wen dalglish was sacked bcos d guy can’t offer us anything good, he’s gone past it on d top level. Am not 100% convince yet with Rodgers but to be sincere d guy is doing his best n I’d like him to be our manager next season. Dalglish got over £100m n his only return was a carling cup n fa cup runner up. Too bad for d old head who calls himself legend.
One Carling cup more than Rodgers,Yet you defend Rodgers and criticise Dalglish?..No wonder other teams fans call lfc fan deluded.Rodgers “Sincere”..lol..yeh like a politician is always “sincere”.You obviously don’t know or understand who Dalglish is,He is a man who attended nearly all the Hillsborough funerals.We could do without part-time fans like yourself.Just a quick question..Did you come from Swansea along with Brendan?
There has been NO progress,”Ian” has already shown why…and the guy called “Ben” has just shown the Rodgers apologists for what they are,when shown the facts,he does the usual and attacks peoples grammer,to hide the FACTS that he is clueless and swallows everything that comes out of Rodgers mouth.No Europe,out of ALL CUPS embarrassingly,unable to compete against the big boys at all,defeats to any smaller club who actually turned up and closed us down.Go back and look at the games where we won comfortable and take a look who the opposition are and how they never once tried to close us down.What is happening at Liverpool is sickening,this used to be an honest club with clued up fans,now we just allow the yanks and a manager on work experience to feed us all sorts of bile,massaging stats to suit.Are we in Europa next season?.
Its really worrying how some fans just won’t have anything negative said AT ALL about Brendan,I mean he seems to be regarded as if some kind of club legend already,he has shown NOTHING to merit this,Must be the fact the press love him(I preferred Kenny treating them like the lying scum(Hillsborough lies) that they are,not sucking up to them,Hey even fergie “Approved of Rodgers being LFC manager….says it all really.Seriously though,It is strange how his job is not even being questioned.And to all of those who say “he needs more time” ..Fair enough,but don’t pick and choose which managers deserve this and which don’t,based on how much the owners and media seem to like them.