Liverpool FC

[booder]

At least there is no danger of me getting over excited and having another heart attack.

More likely to throw myself off a tall building.

[TightEnd]

Not here to smack talk

serious question

is Rodgers under any pressure?


or does he get a mulligan for Balotelli (it wasn't his decision to buy him) and Suarez (nothing he could have done re him leaving) and allowances for Sturridge's injury?

[arbboy]

why wasn't it his decision to buy Mario?  Doesn't he have final say over transfers at liverpool then?

[TightEnd]

why wasn't it his decision to buy Mario?  Doesn't he have final say over transfers at liverpool then?

i stand to be corrected, but wasn't it a board signing?

(i got it wrong, thought he would be a good buy. not yet)

[horseplayer]

Pretty sure it is signed by committee

hardly unusual these days at loads of clubs, problem is its not balotelli signing that is the problem

[booder]

Not here to smack talk

serious question

is Rodgers under any pressure?


or does he get a mulligan for Balotelli (it wasn't his decision to buy him) and Suarez (nothing he could have done re him leaving) and allowances for Sturridge's injury?

When Rodger's came in we all said he needs time.
We had a great season last year,definately overachieving,so i don't think he is under any pressure.  Yet.


There are worrying things this season though that seem to suggest all is not well.

There have been odd team selections with many players being asked to play either out of position or in unfamiliar roles.
The team seem unable to pass the ball forward and incapable of creating any space.
We must be creating less goal scoring oppotunities than any other top flight team.


The much maligned defence of last season has not improved at all.

January could be a pivotal month for the club and Brendan's future.
So plenty of work to do but not under pressure.  Yet.

[George2Loose]

Main problem is he doesn't know his best 11.

[Tal]

Do you want Pochettino? He's familiar with your players.

[DropTheHammer]

Pretty sure it is signed by committee

hardly unusual these days at loads of clubs, problem is its not balotelli signing that is the problem

Massively agree. We didn't pay over the odds for him, he's young and proven in the Prem. He did quite well over in Italy and won their fans over with his workrate.

Gerrard needs to do the honorable thing and retire immediately. We can no longer carry him and his mistakes after losing Suarez and Sturridge. Scoring 90%+ of your pennos and the odd free kick is not enough to justify a place in the team.

Not that I like him as a pundit, but Carragher was vociferous that there is no leadership out there in the team and something is seriously wrong. Did you see how dejected Rogers was tonight, just standing there and not communicating anything to the players?

Palace fully deserved that win and so do their fans, who were absolutely incredible.

[DropTheHammer]

Main problem is he doesn't know his best 11.

I know that Johnson shouldn't be anywhere near it, the sooner Flannagan gets fit, the better.

[booder]

Main problem is he doesn't know his best 11.

I know that Johnson shouldn't be anywhere near it, the sooner Flannagan gets fit, the better.

[kinboshi]

Dire.

Rodgers has never managed to sort out the defence, and last year it cost the title in essence.  Finishing second was above EV, so the deficiencies were over-looked.  Now the team isn't scoring, the defensive issues are plain to see.  It's not necessarily the defence that's the actual problem though, not the players themselves (Agger was a scapegoat last year, Lovren the current scapegoat).  It's the way the team is coached and is set up.

The problem is bigger than that though.

Going forward the team looks spineless.  Today there were only a couple of shots on target by Liverpool, and one of those was in the first 90 seconds.  Sterling was awful, but he's probably earned a few terrible performances.  Coutinho looked more threatening, but no end product and he still can't manage 90 minutes. Allen played pretty well today, but not enough to turn things round himself.

Then there's Gerrard.  He was pretty woeful, and it's not the first time.  A shadow of his former self, and possibly exposed by the way the team is set up and the way they're playing.

Johnson - awful last season, and he's getting worse.

Balotelli isn't the reason for all the problems at Liverpool obviously, but he's exactly the opposite to what is needed to help sort things out.  Liverpool need a team that is going to fight, win second balls, play for each other, look like they want to win.

So really, it has to come down to Rodgers.  That's where the buck stops (if you'll pardon the pun).  Credit to him for last year's run, but therefore he also deserves to be culpable for this year's terrible performances and results.  However, as seen at United, it's not as simple as just replacing the manager and expecting things to fall into place.  However, things have fallen out of place so rapidly and dramatically that something needs to be done.

Last year Liverpool were a joy to watch.  This year, it's painful.  Still, only three points behind Arsenal - which is probably a damning indictment on how poor they've been this season rather than saying anything good about Liverpool.

[Waz1892]

Not here to smack talk

serious question

is Rodgers under any pressure?


or does he get a mulligan for Balotelli (it wasn't his decision to buy him) and Suarez (nothing he could have done re him leaving) and allowances for Sturridge's injury?

IMO, he is now after that.  No clue on his first 11, or what system to play.  He needs to rectify this quick, otherwise (whether right or not) more and more people will start saying last season was a one-off and

He wasted 130m
Team picked itself and played itself he needed to do anything but when he did he got it wrong (cfc,)
Now he has to work it out, he has no idea

Pressure is on, reactions key.   Fans will expect more, pressure from them and media won't help; FSG will back him; for now

I've tried to ignore it, but when you listen to him, it's all about what he did, done etc; then when he plays sterling in the capital cup but not at Madrid, smacks of I want a. Trophy for me not what is best force club... This is what is being whispered now, they'll only get louder ands louder

[Cf]

Deluded Scousers expecting to have a good season playing some good football just because you punched above your weight last year.

And bringing the manager into question? Inexcusable. Never the managers fault.

Except when it's going right of course.

[arbboy]

Deluded Scousers expecting to have a good season playing some good football just because you punched above your weight last year.

And bringing the manager into question? Inexcusable. Never the managers fault.

Except when it's going right of course.

Sounds rather similar to the reverse recent upturn and total silence on the Geordie thread in the last few weeks!!!  Have you got the 'sack pardew' signs ready made in all european languages for next year's european adventure!