Brendan (he’s not that bad) Rodgers

BRENDAN Rodgers is in the awkward position of having vocal enemies and silent supporters. 

To read the comments on this and other Liverpool sites is to encounter a wall of vociferous opposition with only the occasional apologist to come to a lukewarm defense.

So what has this man done to be so heartily disliked?  

I think it boils down to just a few things, succeeding the beloved Kenny being the most salient but not the most significant.  

When the popular King was deposed, and Roy’s brief tenure had come to an end, Liverpool supporters had a number of candidates that they would have preferred to Rodgers, from Andre Villas-Boas to the unemployed but eager Benitez – and even some asking for David Moyes from the Reds’ cross-town rivals!

Roberto Martinez seemed to have the inside track for a while but then claimed to turn an offer down before it was handed to Rodgers.  At this point in the season, the board could have chosen from any of the top 3 (Benitez, Rodgers, Martinez) and done equally well.  

Benitez has Napoli third in a very top heavy Serie A, Martinez has outpaced his forerunner at Everton, and Rodgers has Liverpool near the top of a very competitive English Premier League.

For all those who clamored for either David Moyes or Andre Villas-Boas, those two seem not to have weathered the transition to a new club very well.

Following a turbulent period of failed management and being a distant fifth or sixth choice among fans, a third reason for the lack of support is Brendan himself.  Apart from seeming to have a perpetually chapped upper lip, Brendan, in my view, comes across as rather cool and dispassionate.  He certainly lacks the theatrics of Paolo Di Canio but passion is nothing without results – Di Canio has the passion, but Rodgers has the results.

But, for some reason, results are not enough for some Liverpool fans.  They point to draws with Swansea and Newcastle, the draw in the derby, and losses to Southampton, Hull and Arsenal.  Lost in the mix is the defeat of Man Utd and the fact that both the resurgent Newcastle and a strong Southampton squad have upset other ‘top’ teams.

When they are not belittling our current standing by referencing an easy start, fans criticize Brendan’s spending failures.  Luis Alberto, Iago Aspas, and Tiago Ilori have not set the world on fire but were the best we could do as a result of the ‘Suarez Factor’.  

With Luis’ place at the club indeterminate, top prospects in the summer transfer window opted for clubs other than Liverpool.  Players who were solidly Liverpool bound according to rumour, suddenly signed with other clubs at equal and even lower offers than those offered by Brendan Rodgers and Fenway Sports Group.

All that was left was an assortment of club players who might catch fire with Liverpool – unfortunately none has.  In hindsight, the purchases of Mignolet, Sturridge and Coutinho go a long way towards compensating for the cannon fodder that was all that was available.

Finally, there is guilt by association.  On the one hand, we have FSG who are still seen as ‘Yanks’ taking over a proud English club.  FSG is bad therefore anyone chosen by FSG is bad.  A much more tangible pariah with whom Rodgers is associated is Joe Allen who is largely seen as a “coach’s pet” and a complete failure considering the money Liverpool paid for him.

Every mark against Allen is a mark against Rodgers.  The relative secrecy of Allen’s injury last year and the fact that Rodgers played him in that state, did little to recommend either Rodgers or Allen to disaffected fans.

Furthermore, following his mind boggling miss in the derby, Joe Allen is at the nadir of his appeal to the fans.  Had he scored the goal to make it 3-1 against Everton, he would have joined Liverpool lore as a derby hero.  As it was, by looking both selfish and incompetent, he solidified his image as an expensive failure.  The two dropped points didn’t help Brendan either, even though it was a fair result against a solid team.

My own feelings?  I have second guessed the manager on occasion but I am still convinced he was the right choice for the job. I have doubted the wisdom of playing Joe Allen last season, Brendan’s attempts at using a back 3, and his substitution of Lucas in the derby.

He has done well with what he has inherited and what he has been able to purchase over the summer.  I can’t warm up to him like I did to Kenny but I don’t think of him as an inappropriate choice of manager as I did when Roy Hodgson blundered his way through the halls of Anfield.

One thing I do know is that no one performs at his best through constant criticism.  I am amazed at the continuing effort of Lucas and Jordan Henderson in spite of the ongoing lack of appreciation from a given contingent of fans. 

For those fans, when it comes to both managers and players, it might be best to revisit what the letters YNWA stand for.  And it shouldn’t be: You’ll Never Win-over Anfield; for Brendan Rodgers, the letters should stand for: You’re Needed: Welcome Aboard.