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.
Bizarre article. All my LFC supporting mates are huge fans of Brendan and the great footy and humble leadership he brings to the club. Nice guy, potentially brilliant manager!
extremely sad and pathetic article, you talk about fans instead of SUPPOTERS 95% of supporters are behind BR and what he is trying to do. In less than 2 seasons he as overseen a massive overhaul of the squad as well being in charge of some of our best performances for years, maybe you should go and write for Jamie Kanwar
I think the article is ok and needed, nice one Fritz….Although wilko you are right, however this forum is one of the ones where most negative BR comments appear, most regularly.
It’s nice to read a sensibly written piece about a man who is guiding us in the right direction.
Even if (not saying we will), we win the league, some comments on here still won’t congratulate Rodgers, instead we would have had the easiest season ever after the easiest of starts!!
I personally don’t know too many fans that don’t love BR, and those that do contrast this view tend to be poorly educated on the matter.. Very similar to the Lucas or Allen haters…
Agree with RT not sure who you’ve been talking to but i think he’s great for lfc and he is passionate. And the double fust bump on goal celebrations is shankly esque! 🙂 lets just hope he’s half as good!
y are we ungrateful. to b.r. when was d last tym we were top of pl. all we need is gud players n. we wld be back to normal….!!!!!
These responses are so refreshing. Writing from half a world away, the only salient feedback I get is from the various forums and blogs that emanate from Liverpool. Thanks to your comments I can rest easy in the knowledge that the vast majority of fans see the manager and beleaguered players such as Lucas and Hendo are seen in a sane and positive light.
ya I think Hendo and Lucas have been too under appreciated. But sincerely I still think Lucas is not good enough. But I still love him. This article is so not right. We love Brendan Rodgers. YNWA
I think rodgers is doing well so stop moaning. He’s got things wrong this season…..the games against southampton and arsenal for example. His signings…….aspas and cissokho. Cissokho is poor. But we are second so there is no reason to moan. Carry on the good work brendan
You will always find a couple of idiots on the Internet that counter reality. Just because the losers like “Deano ” that comment on every article about LFC with ridiculous moaning doesn’t make it so.
Brendan is highly respected at Anfield and I don’t know one supporter that would trade him. Also all my friends want Joe Allen to be given more of a chance not less. The Internet is a poor place to judge reality.
Rodgers has been good to Liverpool no doubt. Last summer transfer market he did fail pretty bad tho and it had nothing to do with Luis. We needed a good LB with Jose bad form and constant injuries and Rodgers got a loan of a player not even good enough for Valencia second team. Aspas adds nothing to our first team and neither does Alberto or Tiago Ilori or Moses and Rodgers spent over £40m. Sakho is a good player but the CB position was already strong and the team needed good midfield players. Look at the difference in the Everton team because their boss did a brilliant job in the market with half the money. Rodgers said last summer he can’t make any mistakes in the summer market if Liverpool are to get a top 4 spot but I’m sad to say he made way too many mistakes and I’m sure he knows that himself. If Suarez got injured there would be nothing left but Coutinho with any attacking quality. I think with tough matches coming up we’re gonna pay for his mistakes. I’m not saying I want a different manager because Rodgers is doing good, I’m just pointing out the failure of the summer market. Hopefully in January he can fix it because Liverpool can’t rely on Sterling or Moses or Aly or Aspas to get us in the top 4.
I find that the people who are anti BR are the sort who (when it suits) believe that women should stay at home that pubs should not serve food and that we did not need America (Yanks) to help us win WW2.
To me I say thank god we have owners that give a genuine dam, have a clear vision of what is needed and how to obtain it and are at last are putting LFC in the 21st century.
Whilst the romantic vision is understandable it is not practicable, what we need now more than ever in what is a crucial period is for everyone to pull together.
I accept that the written media are there to write a unbiased view and when justified to criticise, but as a supporter Fritz I honestly don’t know where you are coming from, there is so much improvement going on at the moment albeit with a touch of caution, that surely you could have written a article with a more positive spin.
I second the more positivity aspect but I reckon Fritz was throwing caution to the wind fearing the hostile backlash that occurs, whenever BR is defended and certainly when lauded.
By keeping it low key and not hyping Rodgers too much, because mistakes have been made by BR & co (although with his mistakes we are scoring freely and in good position), this has encouraged a different breed of comment, from one’s we are used to.
He’s certainly not the Messiah but he certainly isn’t a very naughty boy either.
We generally like to give our managers time, ownership issues aside or mistaken hiring of manager ..cough cough!!! Hodgson!! But some would have him castrated tomorrow, with the ‘ yanks ‘ thrown in as a bonus, if they could.
He should be provided time to correct his mistakes, life is better when that happens. Especially when you look at the present table, previous managers would not have taken advantage of our ‘ easy start ‘ and we be nowhere near the leader of the league.
John@ I think Rodgers bought cheap players and got loans at the very start of the summer window (Aspas, Aly, Alberto) so he could plug a few holes and keep most the money to buy a marquee signing but when he couldn’t get the marquee signing he blew it all on defenders Sakho & Ilori who we didn’t really need so we were left with a couple of average players and a dear CB, basically his transfer strategy failed.
Don’t know where you get the idea that Liverpool fans don’t care for Rogers. Everyone on the kop I’ve talked to love the man. He’d a legend in the making who will bring glory to this club. I think it’s clear he’s taking us forward and the fans love him.
I can’t stand this Rodgers rubbish. Any premier league team fab at the start of the season would of bit your hand off if you offered them 2 nd place 5 points off top at this stage. He s a fantastic young manager learning lessons as he goes . Yes the man will make blunders tactically but he’s allowed a few. Passion? He got bags. Just cause he’s not jumping up an down doesn’t mean it’s not there. He has a steely belief in his eyes an intensity to drive the club forward. That’s passion. Transfers, the squad he inherited was garbage now we have a decent starting 11 save Lucas who is simply not good enough. A defensive mid that fails to break up the play regularly. We need some more proven quality granted but we are for sure on the up in every aspect of the club. Fair play Brendan crack on your playin a blinder
There sum of u go again saying dat d players rodgers bought are either nt needed or nt capable…personally i cn c great potential in alberto…sakho was bought either as an alternation or as competition d centre baks n as i reckon he is a top class player wu has done very well in d absence of agger…as 4 aspas we v nt seen enuf 4rm hm 2 judge hm fairly…4 llori we v nt seen hm atall…these player has given br option n depth xo i strongly disagree dat d summer window was a failure…come on YNWA…give dis all d surport he needs bcos he has earned it…i mean i love br
Article well wide of the mark. Very happy with Rodgers – heard zero dissent among my crew of fellow fans either.
B Rodgers is a good young manager. But he needs the owners to back him seriously and he needs to stop wasting millions on potential. We have our great amazing Captain coming to the end of the road/on his last legs and the third best player in world football at club.
Rodgers defensive signings have been ok, but his attacking players have been poor apart from Coutinho(21) and Sturridge(24).
Rodgers needs to bring in class, hungry, quality players who can and would hit the ground running straight away like Coutinho(21) and Sturridge(24).
The likes of Alberto, Assaidi, Aspas, Borini 30M wasted.
Alberto looks a class descent player but we had Shelvey and Suso at club who were both class, creative and could have competed with Coutinho for the AM position at club.
Rodgers has also wasted money on loan signings: who have simply not worked or come off as they are Average players: Sahin last season for half season and this season Cissokho and Moses have not set the world alight so far as they are both average players.
Rodgers needs to tell the owners he needs to be backed heavily, the players he needs to be bringing in are for the first team and to challenge first team.
We have enough class, quality potential in the Academy.
Rodgers needs to start bringing in attacking players who will hit the ground running. As our club is 11 good class quality players short of good competitive squad.
And the owners need to back Rodgers heavily 60- 70m in January and then another 50-70M in the summer transfer window:
In January 5 players are needed to continue top 4 pursuit all the way through until May :
1: DM: M’Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan for 10-14M to bring class, mobility, power, protection,steel, strength to centre of park and to put Lucas on the Bench.
2: CM: Y Cabaye(27) Of Newcastle for 14-18M to bring class, creativity, Fight, Goals,Hunger, Mobility to the centre of the park and to keep Henderson on the bench.
3: RW / RWF: M Salah(21) Of Basel for 12-16M to bring class, consistency, creativity, electric pace and speed, goals and width to the right hand side of attack / right wing. And to compete and cover R Sterling(19)
4: LW / LWF: D Capel(25) Of Sporting Clube De Portugal / Lisbon for 4-6M to bring class, consistency, creativity, goals, pace, speed and width to the left hand side of attack / Left wing to compete and Cover Ibe(18) and so V Moses(22) can be sent back to Chelsea.
5: FD: L Remy(26) Of QPR should be brought for 5-8M to bring pace, speed and goals to side and to cover and compete with Sturridge.
These class, quality players are the players Rodgers should bring to club, We should not be trying to bring any 20M plus player to club until we get back in Champions League.
But all these players if the owners back Rodgers well and really want club to get back in Champions league, then these 5 players will help us maintain that top 4 pursuit.
Rodgers needs to sort out the lack of fight, class, creativity, goals , mobility and physical presence in the centre midfield.
And Rodgers needs to sort out the wings as away from home, Suarez needs better class, quality service to him. And with two class pacey quick quality goalscoring wingers on either wing , Suarez would get as much service away from Home as he does at Anfield.
And L Remy is needed to bring more goals to side, as sturridge is out until Mid January/ Start of Febuary : If Remy(26) is brought to club in January i am sure he will nick a few goals here and there to keep things running smoothly and to compete with Sturridge to be alongside Suarez in attack.
Salah plays on the left.
I can’t wait 4 jan so Poor Leiva could then be replaced.I mean so poor that at one stage I said to myself I can do better than this guy.Please Aspas should play not receiving wages only.
LOL! These fair weather fans make me laugh, were they posting ‘i love BR’ when we finished 7th last season?
Nice article Fritz. I’m more circumspect when it comes to Brendan.
I think Rodgers has shown he’s learnt from a number of his numerous mistakes lat Year, and is benefiting of having a squad who know his methods (while there are so many new managers) and the best player in the league by far in Suarez. His Summer signings haven’t added enough to the team yet (except for Mignolet) and that’s a dissapointment (although youngsters like Ilori and Alberto may in the future). Personally I wish he didn’t have such a big ego, if you study the way he conducts interviews he’s perpetually trying to take credit when it isn’t always due. Getting us to where we are now is a good achievement though, and he and players should be proud of that. He does need to show he knows how to set up a team against quality rivals. He’s been poor in that regard since arriving, but such games are obviously tough. I’ll judge at end of the season.
Rodgers is a poor manager ….fans are getting carried away after a good start.
His signings are mostly awful…his tactics wanting ….and when we play the big teams he shows his lack of managerial ability