Brendan Rodgers

[st albans fox]

15 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

...their cup wins papered over the cracks and kept Wenger at the club a long time longer that it should have!!!

Within the time of Wenger having gone stale, Klopp was an option so was Allegri and other managers who would have jumped at the chance to come to Arsenal. They shot themselves in the foot by holding on to Wenger too long.

Can’t argue with the stuff in the last para 

[majaco]

10 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Context is important but so is planning for the demands. Ever since Rodgers got here the intention was to compete across 4 competitions and he's achieved that with us qualifying for Europe twice on the spin and going far in domestic cup competitions. They've explained at length the need to I.prove the squad as opposed to the starting XI to better handle the demands of 4 competitions and not fall away like we did in 2 seasons in the league and yet we still can't cope with the demands placed on our squad.

 

We can only name 25 players in our squads, we signed better squad players to enable rotating. Those players it's highly debatable are better squad players and they've proven to either be unavailable or unreliable anyway but ultimately we are worse off the longer Rodgers is here and what's the answer? We'll not have European football to contend with but that's not a solution if that's our ambition and what happens if we get there again and he's still here? He couldn't handle it at Liverpool, Celtic or us. It's frustrating.

At the start of the season,it looked like we had little dead wood.   

 

In hindsight...

 

It is hard to see Vestegaard,  Bertrand, Choudhury and Mendy in the squad next season.  We will probably selling one or two others; Tielemans comes to mind.

 

Will Evans be fit enough.  Are Amartey and Soyuncu of the required standard .  At the thwart of the season,  o thought Amartey was a great back up and Soyuncu was class.

 

 

Edited 23 February 2022 by majaco

[NasPb]

17 minutes ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

I agree. I think our problems run far deeper than just a few injured players. I do hope I'm wrong though.

more than anything i dont think that he can get rid of our problems. because hes the cause of a lot of them and sadly he doesnt want too change out of stuborness. hope im wrong as well. 

[shiv]

38 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

....in your previous post you alluded to Chilwell, that is the reason I asked the question!!!

The debate is not so much that we do not need experience within the team as more the ability to identify the required players. Bertrand had Covid and we could put that down to his drop off in quality, Vestergaard is slow and ponderous and is being used in a team playing a highline, does that mean we had identified the wrong player for our needs or having acquired him, shouldn't we then attempt to use him in situations where his deficiency would not be exposed, therefore rendering our defence not fit for purpose.

I said, in my view, we have only signed 2 first team players under Rodgers as the bulk of the starting XI was here before he joined. Those were to replace Chilwell and Maguire (who was never really replaced until Rodgers came in).

 

The only teams that play a high line successfully in the PL are Man City and Liverpool so I doubt we were left with much choice on that front. This season has proved we need leaders more than anything - it’s a mentality issue not an ability issue.

[smudgerfox]

2 hours ago, filbertway said:

His intent is to win at any cost, he will risk running a player into the red zone and injuring them, with no regard to the longer term picture.

There's plenty of evidence of this happening this season alone.

 

I don’t believe that’s the reason. The reason I think he overplays players is because he has in his mind , one ideal starting line-up playing one system and he hates to diverge from that. So he turns his nose up at Ihenacho because he isn’t Vardy. He turns his nose up at Hamza because he can’t do everything Ndidi does. Perez is unplayable now after being undroppable for a long time. Mendy isn’t even in the squad. If we weren’t in an emergency Amartey wouldn’t get a kick. And of course there’s Praet. Vestergaard is heading the,same way as was Bertrand before his surgery,  So the “real” squad is even smaller than it looks on paper. That is the players who BR is happy to play at any one time, is a small group of 16-17. Which means they’re playing most of the time and that’s how they pick up injuries. He just hasn’t developed a squad of 25 players who can interchange with minimal reduction in quality. 
 

I say again Wolves didn’t need to field Bolly at the weekend, West Ham had Diop to replace Zouma, we simply do not have defenders of that standard waiting in the wings if Evans and Forfana are injured. That’s because he’s given far too little attention to the centre back role which is so crucial to the success or otherwise, of any side. 

[sacreblueits442]

4 minutes ago, shiv said:

The only teams that play a high line successfully in the PL are Man City and Liverpool so I doubt we were left with much choice on that front. This season has proved we need leaders more than anything - it’s a mentality issue not an ability issue.

.....not sure what you are trying to say here, "...I doubt we were left with much choice on that front"!!!

[An Sionnach]

Judging by our goals conceded over the last two years, we are pretty poor at playing a high line. The counter argument is it makes our attack more effective. That has an element of truth but also means that as clean sheets are unlikely , we have to score at least two every match. If we don't do that , we lose or at best draw. Man. City have better defenders than us , for the most part , but as we can see Spurs can still catch them out. We need to fundamentally alter our approach to defending I reckon or we are going to fall into deep trouble.

[sacreblueits442]

6 minutes ago, An Sionnach said:

Judging by our goals conceded over the last two years, we are pretty poor at playing a high line. The counter argument is it makes our attack more effective. That has an element of truth but also means that as clean sheets are unlikely , we have to score at least two every match. If we don't do that , we lose or at best draw. Man. City have better defenders than us , for the most part , but as we can see Spurs can still catch them out. We need to fundamentally alter our approach to defending I reckon or we are going to fall into deep trouble.

....there are definitely some teams you can play a highline against, but if you do not have the pace in your backline, do not attempt to do so!!!

Some teams you should choose to sit (a low block) against, Man. City is a great example. You tailor your game dependent on the opposition and having the personnel to carry it out.

[filbertway]

2 hours ago, BKLFox said:

Currently happy because they are winning but they have let a 12pt lead slip away & if they fail to win the league to Liverpool i'm sure the flickle football fan will have something to say because they live in the here & now only.

I agree with the fickle nature. I found it weird how many people flip flopped on a couple of results, I've been Rodgers out for a good 8-10 months 

 

I remember a time when @Ric Flair was aghast and shocked at me for being anti Rodgers, feels like years ago

 

[Guest SO1]

1 hour ago, majaco said:

Our defending has been indefensible at times.  Amartey and Soyuncu have not been better.  Vestegaard is one of club biggest mistakes in recent years; it is for the best that he was never in a centre back pairing with Ryan Bennett.

 

It is certainly a question mark over Rodgers and his coaching set up.

Amertey and Soyuncu are starting to show promise in recent matches(Got a better idea?). Vestergaard had a good game against against Randers so lets see what happens with him over the rest of the season. I understand he's looked nowhere near good enough since he came. We've lost Fofana and Evans for most of the season so far without replacement. In a squad with the frequency and volume of matches that we have it was always going to be challenge for any manager/club without the money to buy a top 6 squad in quality and depth. (even then)

 

Our defense has been running on fumes for most of the season and people want to call the manager into question. Have at it. The first 2 1/2 seasons weren't like this. I wonder why? Player fatigue and injuries. On top of a Covid schedule that required a volume and frequency of matches that place serious physical stress on a squad that's in the process being built. Supporters can click their heels three times and think they can make the stress of the last 2 years go away but that's not going to happen.

 

What can I say. Guess I'm just a glass half full kind of guy.

 

PS Im not going to get into Defensive tactics because I don't know sxxt about set pieces or the other stuff. Just feel that if we had any type of consistency in our lineup we would probably be doing better. Soyuncu obviously needs a partner to stay at home while he does his magic across the pitch. If we sell him without replacing the type of defender he is then we might as well take a shovel and bury this place. Still have to replace Evans. Sadly we cant depend on him with his injury.

Edited 23 February 2022 by SO1

[Muzzy_Larsson]

12 minutes ago, SO1 said:

Amertey and Soyuncu are starting to show promise in recent matches(Got a better idea?). Vestergaard had a good game against against Randers so lets see what happens with him over the rest of the season. I understand he's looked nowhere near good enough since he came. We've lost Fofana and Evans for most of the season so far without replacement. In a squad with the frequency and volume of matches that we have it was always going to be challenge for any manager/club without the money to buy a top 6 squad in quality and depth. (even then)

 

Our defense has been running on fumes for most of the season and people want to call the manager into question. Have at it. The first 2 1/2 seasons weren't like this. I wonder why? Player fatigue and injuries. On top of a Covid schedule that required a volume and frequency of matches that place serious physical stress on a squad that's in the process being built. Supporters can click their heels three times and think they can make the stress of the last 2 years go away but that's not going to happen.

 

What can I say. Guess I'm just a glass half full kind of guy.

 

PS Im not going to get into Defensive tactics because I don't know sxxt about set pieces or the other stuff. Just feel that if we had any type of consistency in our lineup we would probably be doing better. Soyuncu obviously needs a partner to stay at home while he does his magic across the pitch. If we sell him without replacing the type of defender he is then we might as well take a shovel and bury this place. Still have to replace Evans. Sadly we cant depend on him with his injury.

The fact that Rodgers is 3+ years in and we are still talking about Amartey as a viable CB option is indicative of a failing system when you consider recruitment over his period at the club.

[st albans fox]

Rodgers comments ref the ‘rebuild’ seems to indicate that the plan is to bring  some of the youngsters through into the first team squad for next season rather than a load of new signings. 

[An Sionnach]

2 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Rodgers comments ref the ‘rebuild’ seems to indicate that the plan is to bring  some of the youngsters through into the first team squad for next season rather than a load of new signings. 

Which is an indication that the transfer budget is limited. I am in general though a supporter of promotion from within the club.

[FoxinNotts]

Just now, An Sionnach said:

Which is an indication that the transfer budget is limited. I am in general though a supporter of promotion from within the club.

Sell Tielemans, Perez Soyuncu, Amartey etc there's your budget

[An Sionnach]

1 minute ago, FoxinNotts said:

Sell Tielemans, Perez Soyuncu, Amartey etc there's your budget

Tielemans is the only one likely to fetch a respectable fee. I really don't think we can let Amartey go , he is too useful as backup. Perez will go nowhere unless somebody offers him what we pay. If Tielemans form drops off and with only a year left ,we may only get £30 million. The transfer budget is likely to be pretty modest.

[sacreblueits442]

4 minutes ago, An Sionnach said:

Which is an indication that the transfer budget is limited. I am in general though a supporter of promotion from within the club.

....if Youri is going then we will have at least £30m for him so a budget of £70m + would be envisaged at least!!!

The monies are not going to be a problem so long as we prioritise our needs. Bringing in young players suits Rodgers better, he can influence them more. He wil get a great response from players happy to be taking part in the team and make Rodgers team management easier.

  I have said before I do not thing he (Rodgers) his comfortable with people expressing their opinions.

[st albans fox]

11 minutes ago, An Sionnach said:

Tielemans is the only one likely to fetch a respectable fee. I really don't think we can let Amartey go , he is too useful as backup. Perez will go nowhere unless somebody offers him what we pay. If Tielemans form drops off and with only a year left ,we may only get £30 million. The transfer budget is likely to be pretty modest.

 

8 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

....if Youri is going then we will have at least £30m for him so a budget of £70m + would be envisaged at least!!!

The monies are not going to be a problem so long as we prioritise our needs. Bringing in young players suits Rodgers better, he can influence them more. He wil get a great response from players happy to be taking part in the team and make Rodgers team management easier.

  I have said before I do not thing he (Rodgers) his comfortable with people expressing their opinions.

We spent nett more than we would usually last summer (in the midst of ongoing losses)

 

this summers sales may well bring us back to our normal position with a modest spend. Wouldn’t surprise me to see us return +30m on our business this summer. 
 

 

[sacreblueits442]

2 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

 

We spent nett more than we would usually last summer (in the midst of ongoing losses)

 

this summers sales may well bring us back to our normal position with a modest spend. Wouldn’t surprise me to see us return +30m on our business this summer. 
 

 

....I would say the net spend will be £70m+!!!

Stadium receipts were not there last season due to Covid, we may have experienced a £30m loss, we are not going to change our recruitment or reduce our spend due to this.

[st albans fox]

3 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

....I would say the net spend will be £70m+!!!

Stadium receipts were not there last season due to Covid, we may have experienced a £30m loss, we are not going to change our recruitment or reduce our spend due to this.

Ok Susan ……

[Guest SO1]

40 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Rodgers comments ref the ‘rebuild’ seems to indicate that the plan is to bring  some of the youngsters through into the first team squad for next season rather than a load of new signings. 

Agreed. But we'll still sign players who will upgrade the first 11.

The success of this club depends on our ability to bring players through our youth system and add depth to the squad. Even players who can fill in for a match or two just to give the first team a break around minor injuries and niggles. Not all will be the next Dewsbury-Hall but certainly like at Watford they'll be some who can put in a shift. That why Rodgers loves to put youngsters training with the first team. Wants to see if they can handle it physically and psychologically. Much more enjoyable to follow the rise of our youth than buy another player. You guys are also much nicer to the kids

[4everfox]

1 hour ago, An Sionnach said:

Which is an indication that the transfer budget is limited. I am in general though a supporter of promotion from within the club.

That would be bad news. I get that king power will have made a loss over the past couple of years, but we are still owned by a multi billionaire. No excuses for not investing heavily in the squad in my opinion, we clearly need it. 

[SouthStandUpperTier]

5 minutes ago, 4everfox said:

No excuses for not investing heavily in the squad in my opinion, we clearly need it. 

Maybe Top doesn't trust BR enough to give him the funds he wants. And who can blame him?

[An Sionnach]

1 minute ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

Maybe Top doesn't trust BR enough to give him the funds he wants. And who can blame him?

He has never forgiven him for paying £30 million for Perez and giving him a near £4 million a year contract. 

[Webbo]

5 hours ago, SO1 said:

I wonder if the players would work so hard and stand behind Rodgers(which they clearly do) if they knew his intent was to injure them? (sarc) Does anyone on this forum actually know what the hell they're talking about?

Do you need to ask? 

[sacreblueits442]

18 minutes ago, 4everfox said:

That would be bad news. I get that king power will have made a loss over the past couple of years, but we are still owned by a multi billionaire. No excuses for not investing heavily in the squad in my opinion, we clearly need it. 

...it is amazing how many times that this is brought up and explained over and over again, yet people keep going on about it!!!

We are a self sustainable club, forget what other clubs are doing. FFP is a factor in putting any money, (via our owners) into the playing staff, infrastructure yes, players no. We have invested in the stadium development right now, we will not be directing funds forever to infrastructure. We had to expand sometime, we are doing it now.