LOLiverpooLOL - Next Season

[Anfield Kopite]

Brendan Rodgers really helps this thread along. It shits pages every time he opens his mouth

Agreed. I think he is phenomenal, gives almost the perfect response after each game.

Serious question lads. Did you like Rodgers in the early days of his tenure at Reading ? I ask because he is still popular amongst Liverpool fans. Ive had messages off Reading fans who still like him but others, like yourselves just mock him. Personally i think he is doing okish, no more no less.

[creative_username_1]

He's won just 40% of all games in his managerial career. Not sure where the hype comes from. Very average

[cmonurz]

He's won just 40% of all games in his managerial career. Not sure where the hype comes from. Very average

Pretty meaningless stat without context so I looked up another one.

Rodgers career win record is 41.75%. David Moyes' win record at Everton is 41.79%.

[Wimb]

I thought he had a good overall plan here but in the short term he made some serious mistakes that anyone new in their job is sadly liable to make.

He didn't help himself with some bad PR and foolish moments on local radio but that didn't irritate me as much as some on here. I've never quite understood why so many just ridiculed him for his big book of tactics or having a big watch.

Wrote some more feelings on his time on The Tilehurst End about 18 months ago.

http://www.thetilehurstend.com/2011/06/ ... eading-fc/

[Anfield Kopite]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Good post Wimb. Exactly what i was asking for above. Nice one.

[Franchise FC]

He's won just 40% of all games in his managerial career. Not sure where the hype comes from. Very average

Pretty meaningless stat without context so I looked up another one.

Rodgers career win record is 41.75%. David Moyes' win record at Everton is 41.79%.

What's Moyes overall win record ?
His win % having taken over a very poor Preston team was over 46%

If you're going to compare, then compare properly

[cmonurz]

He's won just 40% of all games in his managerial career. Not sure where the hype comes from. Very average

Pretty meaningless stat without context so I looked up another one.

Rodgers career win record is 41.75%. David Moyes' win record at Everton is 41.79%.

What's Moyes overall win record ?
His win % having taken over a very poor Preston team was over 46%

If you're going to compare, then compare properly

And Rodgers has hardly managed Goliaths in Reading, Watford and Swansea. C_u's interpreted his career win record as poor, Moyes has made his name at Everton, so I thought it a valid comparison.

[creative_username_1]

I was going to post Ferguson in Comparison at 60% win rate. Cmonurz is right by leaving it at just the stat it's up to the viewer
to interpret what it means. Not purposefully misleading blah blah......

Difficult to compare like for like. Did Moyes take over a bad side and build it into successful team, did Rodgers take over
successful teams and destroy there records - not sure and cba to look it up.

[cmonurz]

Of course, a proper analysis means doing some, well, proper analysis. I think any manager is going to suffer in comparison to Ferguson, if that's the benchmark then all managers are shit.

I just thought it interesting that a win-rate of around 40% in what is still a fledgling managerial career - this is only Rodgers' 4th full season - would in itself be considered a poor return, when Moyes is considered one of the best managers around, with a very similar win-rate at Everton. But it's deserving of more analysis than that.

Fwiw, Rodgers took Watford to 13th spot in his 3/4 season with them. Not sure where they were when he took over, but they had won 8 and lost 7 of their first 18 games. Mid-table team, mid-table when he left.

Reading was no good. I think we've established that!

Swansea - well that's been debated to hell and back, but I think the conclusion of the Rodgers-hating populace was that he can take no credit at all for getting them into the Premier League. They finished 7th in 09/10, and he took them to 3rd and promotion in his first season in charge, and then a very good first season in the Premier League.

I do think Rodgers has some qualities, if Liverpool stick with him, I think they'll reap the benefits.

[Ian Royal]

Was far too impressed by his own ideas without really having anything to back them up as successful.

If you talk cliched, over hyped, arrogant shit and perform badly, you'll leave a less than positive impression. Especially when you follow the most successful and popular manager of the club's history at the time. And especially if you take a team that was looking up, to be one that's holding onto the cliff edge by its fingernails, in six months.

[Wax Jacket]

you say that but he's taken up a step up with each club move he's made

this is as far as he'll go though, surely

[Anfield Kopite]

you say that but he's taken up a step up with each club move he's made

this is as far as he'll go though, surely

Yes because anywhere else is a step down. (Stop sniggering at the deluded scouser. It was a joke).

[Wax Jacket]

tbf you can't rule anything out, if Chelsea can give Rafa the job...

[cmonurz]

It’s too early to judge really – and a shame in a sense for Rodgers from his perspective that the Liverpool opportunity came at this stage, would have been interesting to see if Rodgers might have taken Swansea forward again this season after their excellent first year at this level.

A lot of people said Rodgers would struggle with implementing his methods at Liverpool, but iirc they have had more shots this season than anyone else in Europe (I don’t recall the exact stat but they are top, or top five or something). I’m not making any claims here to Liverpool’s stature, they are a mid-table side, but the basis is there, and on paper the quality in the squad too, with one or two additions needed. This season hasn’t been a failure for Rodgers by any means.

What he's done very well imho - part because he had no choice, but I think in part because it's something he believes in - is give young players like Sterling, Suso and Wisdom a run in the team. That's something few managers at this level are prepared to do (look at Mancini's whinging at the start of the season that he 'needs more players' - what about your youth team, Roberto?)

[Anfield Kopite]

It’s too early to judge really – and a shame in a sense for Rodgers from his perspective that the Liverpool opportunity came at this stage, would have been interesting to see if Rodgers might have taken Swansea forward again this season after their excellent first year at this level.

A lot of people said Rodgers would struggle with implementing his methods at Liverpool, but iirc they have had more shots this season than anyone else in Europe (I don’t recall the exact stat but they are top, or top five or something). I’m not making any claims here to Liverpool’s stature, they are a mid-table side, but the basis is there, and on paper the quality in the squad too, with one or two additions needed. This season hasn’t been a failure for Rodgers by any means.What he's done very well imho - part because he had no choice, but I think in part because it's something he believes in - is give young players like Sterling, Suso and Wisdom a run in the team. That's something few managers at this level are prepared to do (look at Mancini's whinging at the start of the season that he 'needs more players' - what about your youth team, Roberto?)

The bit ive put in bold is interesting. The Liverpool fans in general are undecided at this point. Ian Ayre said that had Dalglish added the FA Cup to his League Cup success he would have still been sacked because 8th in the League was not good enough. If Liverpool can finish the season strongly and finish say 6th and above Everton, the majority of the fans will see that as progress. However a weak finish of say 9th or 10th will make it very uncomfortable for Brendan. Very important couple of months coming up i.m.o. I hope he does well because i like him. Reading what some Reading fans think of him concerns me though.

[cmonurz]

I think most Liverpool fans now accept the reality that they are a mid-table club, albeit it one with much loftier ambitions, and some would suggest a better playing squad than 7th/8th suggests.

I just think that when you bring in someone like Rodgers, who believes in a certain way of playing the game, and that being the possession football for which Liverpool were famed, then you have to give him a fair amount of time at the helm. Liverpool haven't been appalling this season, they have been incredibly inconsistent, but then you could argue that should be expected of young players like Allen, Henderson, Borini, Sterling etc. But the reality is that that is the level Liverpool are at now - two years ago they were linked to David Villa, that would never happen now.

Whether they push on next season remains to be seen, but I think if Rodgers supplements Suarez and Gerrard with more good signings like Sturridge, and the likes of Coutinho improve (IMHO he will prove a great signing), then I think they can challenge for 4th next year.

[Anfield Kopite]

I agree with most of that CMZ. My concern if we dont improve drastically next season is that Saurez will be gone. I think along with Bale and Van Persie he has been the best in the Prem this season and most of the big clubs around europe would be willing to pay £30m to £40m for him. I think he will give us till the end of next season before going. I can understand why most in this country would be glad to see the back of him but not the supporters of the team he plays for. Brilliant player.

[Ian Royal]

I think most Liverpool fans now accept the reality that they are a mid-table club, albeit it one with much loftier ambitions, and some would suggest a better playing squad than 7th/8th suggests.

I just think that when you bring in someone like Rodgers, who believes in a certain way of playing the game, and that being the possession football for which Liverpool were famed, then you have to give him a fair amount of time at the helm. Liverpool haven't been appalling this season, they have been incredibly inconsistent, but then you could argue that should be expected of young players like Allen, Henderson, Borini, Sterling etc. But the reality is that that is the level Liverpool are at now - two years ago they were linked to David Villa, that would never happen now.

Whether they push on next season remains to be seen, but I think if Rodgers supplements Suarez and Gerrard with more good signings like Sturridge, and the likes of Coutinho improve (IMHO he will prove a great signing), then I think they can challenge for 4th next year.

If he gets time he's obviously a pretty good coach who can probably make a difference to them. But he's going to have to buy well and show some improvement at least next season, if not finish about 8th this year. The difference between his time with us and Liverpool is that he obviously has better players who have been better able to adapt to his system - he had a good enough squad that relegation was never going to be a worry. The margins are much smaller at Championship level and so he couldn't be given the time he needed in case he set the club back a decade in the process.

I can't stand the guy, but he has the potential to be a successful PL manager. IMO he'd have more chance if he just kept his gob shut.

[Anfield Kopite]

Playing some really nice stuff under Brendan at the moment. Last 2 league games have seen us score 9 and concede 0. Coutinho has had a very promising start and Saurez still scoring for fun. I think we have a chance of finishing above Everton which would be satisfying because their fans have said all season that we are a mid table team while they are challenging for a champions league place.

[soggy biscuit]

Suarez really is quality, hope a top side comes in for him this summer to see what he could do with great players around him.