Brendan Rodgers

[RumbleFox]

58 minutes ago, Guest said:

Is it revisionism or are they just things that happened? Of course you can be as positive or negative about the last few seasons as you please but if you're capable of keeping two thoughts in your head at the same time then it's possible to think, for example, that finishing 5th was both a disappointment given the season we had and a success relative to our budget and expectations. It doesn't have to be the pinnacle of human achievement or the biggest disgrace ever with nothing in between.

This. 

[HighPeakFox]

Accusations of revisionism are just essentially name-calling, when it's just a different perspective on the same events. You're not better supporters just because you see things through the prism of failure.

[Webbo]

17 pages since the end of the season, repeating the same half baked shite. He's not getting sacked anytime soon, suck it up.

[The whole world smiles]

9 minutes ago, Webbo said:

17 pages since the end of the season, repeating the same half baked shite. He's not getting sacked anytime soon, suck it up.

Agreed like him, hate him or somewhere in the middle. He's not going anywhere for at least 7 months. 

 

So time to get behind him and the team. 

[majaco]

Rodgers is an all time great among our managers.    So is Ranieri.  And O'Neil. 

 

They.may not be the best managers in supporters' opinions, but they have won trophies.

 

As did our first League Cup winning manager.  I've forgotten who it was.  But an all time great.  Like Rodgers.

 

Football can be fickle.   We should not forget Rodgers winning the FA Cup and getting using Europe.   But we can still whinge about set pieces.

[smudgerfox]

21 minutes ago, Webbo said:

17 pages since the end of the season, repeating the same half baked shite. He's not getting sacked anytime soon, suck it up.

 

10 minutes ago, The whole world smiles said:

Agreed like him, hate him or somewhere in the middle. He's not going anywhere for at least 7 months. 

 

So time to get behind him and the team. 

Perhaps you could let the rest of us know when it’s okay to discuss these things - I didn’t know comments were time limited at your instruction on this FORUM - dictionary definition “ a place or medium where differing ideas can be exchanged and discussed..” 

[CosbehFox]

2 hours ago, Guest said:

Is it revisionism or are they just things that happened? Of course you can be as positive or negative about the last few seasons as you please but if you're capable of keeping two thoughts in your head at the same time then it's possible to think, for example, that finishing 5th was both a disappointment given the season we had and a success relative to our budget and expectations. It doesn't have to be the pinnacle of human achievement or the biggest disgrace ever with nothing in between.

Also I personally find the lack of context to the 5th place unfair at times (injuries/COVID) and retrospectively after this season, other teams have made similar errors with bigger wage bills. 

[The whole world smiles]

1 minute ago, smudgerfox said:

 

Perhaps you could let the rest of us know when it’s okay to discuss these things - I didn’t know comments were time limited at your instruction on this FORUM - dictionary definition “ a place or medium where differing ideas can be exchanged and discussed..” 

I never said its not OK to discus anything did I?

 

But out of interest what's left to discuss on the matter? What new insight do you have positive or negative that hasn't already been said in the 300 pages in this thread over the last 6 months? 

[murphy]

2 hours ago, Foxxed said:

It's not that we didn't do them.

 

It's that they're seen as achievements, rather than let downs.

 

Were you over the moon when we collapsed so completely that we missed out on a Champions League spot that most thought we'd get after throwing away a massive, massive points lead?

 

The only reason we finished fifth was because there were any more team we could lose to.

No, it hurts me to this day.  I find it so frustrating that we somehow conspired to throw away Champions League football twice from seemingly unassailable positions.  I was very much under the moon, I can assure you.

 

My point is that the very fact that we were in a position to be competing for CL qualification and qualifying for Europe is an achievement and undeniable progress from the previous manager's tenure.

 

Let me put it this way, if you're Brendan Rodgers and you happen to stumble across this thread (heaven forbid), wouldn't you feel that you had the right to feel aggrieved?  After all, facts is facts and the facts are two top five finishes, European qualification The Charity Shield and The FA Cup.

Edited 5 June 2022 by murphy

[Webbo]

7 hours ago, smudgerfox said:

 

Perhaps you could let the rest of us know when it’s okay to discuss these things - I didn’t know comments were time limited at your instruction on this FORUM - dictionary definition “ a place or medium where differing ideas can be exchanged and discussed..” 

Let me guess, threw away the champions league, boring football, Brendan's ego, you don't trust him with recruitment, imagined falling out with Preat, anything else? 

[Rhysm]

8 hours ago, murphy said:

No, it hurts me to this day.  I find it so frustrating that we somehow conspired to throw away Champions League football twice from seemingly unassailable positions.  I was very much under the moon, I can assure you.

 

My point is that the very fact that we were in a position to be competing for CL qualification and qualifying for Europe is an achievement and undeniable progress from the previous manager's tenure.

 

Let me put it this way, if you're Brendan Rodgers and you happen to stumble across this thread (heaven forbid), wouldn't you feel that you had the right to feel aggrieved?  After all, facts is facts and the facts are two top five finishes, European qualification The Charity Shield and The FA Cup.

Agree with this. If the defeats had been spread throughout the season and we hadn't crashed and burned like we did, people would say the season  was decent

[smudgerfox]

2 hours ago, Webbo said:

Let me guess, threw away the champions league, boring football, Brendan's ego, you don't trust him with recruitment, imagined falling out with Preat, anything else? 

okay so Radio Leicester, the for fox sake podcast, the Leicester City Pubcast and what remains of the Leicester Mercury, have all agreed that injuries are the reason for this seasons failure to secure European football. They agree that BR has his faults , without ever spending any time discussing what they are. And they’re all looking forward to a summer of sales and recruitment which will leave us much the stronger. Not one of the above (just as an example) has raised any issue with embarking on this refresh with no head of recruitment In place. So your view that essentially there’s nothing wrong, nothing to see and criticism of BR is unjustified is amply represented. 
 

For those of us who have doubts,  this is a really interesting thread - which is a debate about various reservations some of us have. I’m sorry if it’s a tad repetitive but you don’t have to read it - other threads are available - and you certainly don’t have to participate, particularly just to tell us to shut up. I don’t hate BR, I’m not even Brendan Out, but I don’t buy his analysis of recent events. It seems self serving and I think most people have fallen for it. Primarily, a manager who doesn’t deep down believe we can compete at the top of the league isn't going to inspire his players to do just that. And once you accept that 8th is good enough - well that might as well be 10th or 12th or 14th and before you know it you’re Southampton and just trying to survive every year. Players are using us as a stepping stone and eventually you get relegated. We’ve made enormous progress as a club, including under Brendan. I don’t want to see that progress thrown away. 
 

 

[MarriedaLeicesterGirl]

3 hours ago, smudgerfox said:

okay so Radio Leicester, the for fox sake podcast, the Leicester City Pubcast and what remains of the Leicester Mercury, have all agreed that injuries are the reason for this seasons failure to secure European football. They agree that BR has his faults , without ever spending any time discussing what they are. And they’re all looking forward to a summer of sales and recruitment which will leave us much the stronger. Not one of the above (just as an example) has raised any issue with embarking on this refresh with no head of recruitment In place. So your view that essentially there’s nothing wrong, nothing to see and criticism of BR is unjustified is amply represented. 
 

For those of us who have doubts,  this is a really interesting thread - which is a debate about various reservations some of us have. I’m sorry if it’s a tad repetitive but you don’t have to read it - other threads are available - and you certainly don’t have to participate, particularly just to tell us to shut up. I don’t hate BR, I’m not even Brendan Out, but I don’t buy his analysis of recent events. It seems self serving and I think most people have fallen for it. Primarily, a manager who doesn’t deep down believe we can compete at the top of the league isn't going to inspire his players to do just that. And once you accept that 8th is good enough - well that might as well be 10th or 12th or 14th and before you know it you’re Southampton and just trying to survive every year. Players are using us as a stepping stone and eventually you get relegated. We’ve made enormous progress as a club, including under Brendan. I don’t want to see that progress thrown away. 

I don't think Brendan thinks we can't compete at the top of the league. Two top 5 finishes (that should have been higher) and an FA Cup show that we can compete at the top of the league. I think he thinks it's tough to compete at the top of the league, and the financial gap between the Top 6 and the Next Level causes significant, particular problems for Leicester (and others), which were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic/injury crisis. Namely, our squad depth is far shallower, both in the 25-man variety and the youth set up. The fixture pileup and the injury crisis (be it caused by the pileup, or for other reasons) did hurt us this season. We don't have the luxury of sitting £400 million on the bench every game. When we can play our best 11, we have shown we can beat anyone. 

 

Which brings us to part 2 of the Brendan analysis (which he has been making since day one): Getting a winning mentality. He has been trying to develop a winning mentality, which will counter the problem Leicester has had since promotion (barring one albeit glorious season): "Here we go again" syndrome. Leicester can beat two Champions League teams, and then lose to four relegation candidates. There is that mental toughness - Alex Ferguson's famous "Lads, It's Tottenham" halftime speech - that winning teams have. They expect to win. They aren't surprised by it. When they win the FA Cup, the celebrate for two hours, stop, and then look to the next game.

 

I think the past season exposed us on both these issues -- squad depth and the "winning mentality" (which I seriously think suffered a huge blow with Fofana's injury) -- and Brendan was just pointing out that given the problems of the season, 8th place is great (and frankly 14th place might be understandable.)

 

I will be the first one to point to Rodgers shortcomings: He does seem to get weird with certain players, either playing them despite their form, or seemingly never giving them a chance; he can be stubborn with his tactics, and can go defensive if we go a goal up; he can seem arrogant; and he does make excuses (but most managers do that).

 

I was frustrated this season, where it seemed one setback followed another, and at times, I admit being angry at the gaffer (never got to the actually voting him "out" on the player rankings, though.) But I also saw us score 13 goals in our last four matches, which doesn't suck for the future.

 

Rodgers came here with a mandate to compete for trophies and get us in Europe. I think that is still his mandate, and understands it.

[foxinsocks]

19 hours ago, FoxInTheBirstallBox said:

Or maybe media interviews are just a box ticking exercise and you shouldn't look into it too much... Unless it suits your narrative

 

We all knew big nige was a dick to the media and seemed insufferable and arrogant ect, yet in real life he's an absolute great guy. 

 

What you see in the media isnt the real person

 

I agree - and most managers just stonewall and just say what they want to.  That's fine.  But Brenden always seems to shift uncomfortably as if he is worried that he is going to be asked some killer question.

 

Often when people are deflecting (not quite the same as lying) they have little tells.  It's not that he is acting  (tough or arsey) ... just watch him and decide if he is just a bit uncomfortable as you suggest... or if he is trying to spin a message and is uncertain if the camera has bought it? (Yours, the forensic psychologist)

[sacreblueits442]

34 minutes ago, MarriedaLeicesterGirl said:

Alex Ferguson's famous "Lads, It's Tottenham" halftime speech - that winning teams have. They expect to win. They aren't surprised by it. When they win the FA Cup, the celebrate for two hours, stop, and then look to the next game.

...when posters come on, and after a good win, then look to potential pitfalls, in the next game ahead, regarding a players ability to perform in a certain way, they are classed as moaners!!!

  In actual fact they may just have a winning mentality,  and look further down the line that most.

  Is that a possibility?

[Webbo]

1 minute ago, sacreblueits442 said:

...when posters come on, and after a good win, then look to potential pitfalls, in the next game ahead, regarding a players ability to perform in a certain way, they are classed as moaners!!!

  In actual fact they may just have a winning mentality,  and look further down the line that most.

  Is that a possibility?

No.

[coolhandfox]

41 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

...when posters come on, and after a good win, then look to potential pitfalls, in the next game ahead, regarding a players ability to perform in a certain way, they are classed as moaners!!!

  In actual fact they may just have a winning mentality,  and look further down the line that most.

  Is that a possibility?

No, as an element of having a winning mental is embracing failure and knowing that failure is an inevitable step toward success. You also have to celebrate the small wins.

 

Both elements several posters can't get their head around. 

 

[Guest Col city fan]

I think what was obvious when we threw away the two top four finishes (because we DID throw them away, let’s be honest), was that Rodgers didn’t know in either season how to stop the rot.

The teams surrounding us were improving and going on runs (had gained momentum) at exactly the same time that we had lost it.

Nearly every game I was hoping Rodgers would just shut up shop and sneak a draw. Anything… just a point or two would have seen us in.

But he didn’t change it, we kept losing and the rest is history.

My main worry about Rodgers is actually tactically. If plan a works, it works like a dream. But when we need to close up play and implement some plan b, he’s lacking over and over again. This was true at Liverpool and I think that’s their biggest criticism of him

[Jordan]

7 minutes ago, Col city fan said:

 

Nearly every game I was hoping Rodgers would just shut up shop and sneak a draw. Anything… just a point or two would have seen us in.

But he didn’t change it, we kept losing and the rest is history.

My main worry about Rodgers is actually tactically. If plan a works, it works like a dream. But when we need to close up play and implement some plan b, he’s lacking over and over again. This was true at Liverpool and I think that’s their biggest criticism of him

These things are probably true to some degree, but I don’t know if these things are entirely true. 
 

Thinking back to two seasons ago, we have the infamous Praet for Iheanacho substitution, and also a change to a back 3 (resulting in that Tottenham disaster). Rodgers did try to change a few things and was forced into changing others. These changes didn’t work; in fact you may say they failed spectacularly, but you can say he did try to shore things up.

 

Also, last season, we switched to sort of a 3-5-2 when we needed something fresh and that spurred Iheanacho to his best run of form with the club.

[sacreblueits442]

28 minutes ago, Jordan said:

Also, last season, we switched to sort of a 3-5-2 when we needed something fresh and that spurred Iheanacho to his best run of form with the club.

...wasn't that because Barnes was out injured for about 10 games at the back end of the season!!!

With no actual RW, we used our Fullbacks for width, and Nacho excelled with support upfront and game time.

[coolhandfox]

1 hour ago, Col city fan said:

I think what was obvious when we threw away the two top four finishes (because we DID throw them away, let’s be honest), was that Rodgers didn’t know in either season how to stop the rot.

The teams surrounding us were improving and going on runs (had gained momentum) at exactly the same time that we had lost it.

Nearly every game I was hoping Rodgers would just shut up shop and sneak a draw. Anything… just a point or two would have seen us in.

But he didn’t change it, we kept losing and the rest is history.

My main worry about Rodgers is actually tactically. If plan a works, it works like a dream. But when we need to close up play and implement some plan b, he’s lacking over and over again. This was true at Liverpool and I think that’s their biggest criticism of him

Didn't he try to do that away at Bournemouth away and got hammered for it. 

 

Also how do you shut up shop away at Spurs with a back 5 of Morgan (Past it), Bennett , Evans, Justin ( Who had only played 12 PL games) Thomas (Who had played 1 PL game at that point) and Man U (H) Justin, Morgan, Evans, Thomas in 2019/20

 

Did he makes mistake yes, but for me both seasons the squad just ran out of legs, no surprise our form turned after Easter both times as fatigue and injuries sent in.

 

This season we got stronger as players returned, which again was no surprise.

Edited 6 June 2022 by coolhandfox

[Guest Col city fan]

18 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

Didn't he try to do that away at Bournemouth away and got hammered for it. 

 

Also how do you shut up shop away at Spurs with a back 5 of Morgan (Past it), Bennett , Evans, Justin ( Who had only played 12 PL games) Thomas (Who had played 1 PL game at that point) and Man U (H) Justin, Morgan, Evans, Thomas in 2019/20

 

Did he makes mistake yes, but for me both seasons the squad just ran out of legs, no surprise our form turned after Easter both times as fatigue and injuries sent in.

 

This season we got stronger as players returned, which again was no surprise.

And this is exactly why the club needs a ‘better’ squad. 
If we are to go anywhere else under Rodgers (which gets more difficult as the ‘top sides’ keep improving) we have to somehow recruit ‘squad players’ of a better calibre. 
This would have seen us into the top four in the two aforementioned seasons. There are some players who fans call ‘squad players’ who won’t be able to deputise effectively. They’ll be ‘ok’ but they won’t be good enough if we have to rely on them for too long. 
It all depends on what people want and what the club can afford. If it’s mid table mediocrity with pushing at the top 6/7 each season then that’s what we have. If it’s competing at the top table, Rodgers has to pull something out of the bag to create a squad of better players. Soumare, Amartey, Perez, Vestergaard, Bertrand, even Mendy.. are all bog standard players who will significantly reduce the overall ability of the first team if heavily relied on. 
Can we replace them with better, just in case they have to play? Probably not tbf, but that’s what is needed if we are to really kick on 

Edited 6 June 2022 by Col city fan

[coolhandfox]

Just now, Col city fan said:

And this is exactly why the club needs a ‘better’ squad. 
If we are to go anywhere else under Rodgers (which gets more difficult as the ‘top sides’ keep improving) we have to somehow recruit ‘squad players’ of a better calibre. 
This would have seen us into the top four in the two aforementioned seasons. There are some players who fans call ‘squad players’ who won’t be able to deputise effectively. They’ll be ‘ok’ but they won’t be good enough if we have to rely on them for too long. 
It all depends on what people want and what the club can afford. If it’s mid table mediocrity with pushing at the top 6/7 each season then that’s what we have. If it’s competing at the top table, Rodgers has to pull something out of the bag to create a squad of better players. Soumare, Amartey, Perez, Vestergaard, Bertrand, even Mendy.. are all big standard players who will significantly reduce the overall ability of the first team if heavily relied on. 
Can we replace them with better, just in case they have to play? Probably not tbf, but that’s what is needed if we are to really kick on 

I agree but do you really think he didn't want better the Bennett in the 19/20 window, that was a massive mistake.

 

It not a problem having one of these guys in, it when we have to play 4 or 5 squad players at a time.

 

We need to have a good summer. 

 

 

 

[Guest Col city fan]

17 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

I agree but do you really think he didn't want better the Bennett in the 19/20 window, that was a massive mistake.

 

It not a problem having one of these guys in, it when we have to play 4 or 5 squad players at a time.

 

We need to have a good summer. 

 

 

 

Completely agree. The injury list since Rodgers took over has been crazy really. Is that down to him or just bad luck? The latter I suspect 

[foxinsocks]

16 minutes ago, Col city fan said:

Completely agree. The injury list since Rodgers took over has been crazy really. Is that down to him or just bad luck? The latter I suspect 

if I was him... i would ask myself the question....