Brendan Rodgers

[foxinsocks]

28 minutes ago, smudgerfox said:

Yes there's probably a word for it in PR. But essentially you say you're not going to do something which: a) raises the question that you might do that very thing; b) that you would be justified in doing that very thing but due to your own moderate reasonableness have decided not to. You get to say you're hard done to and to praise yourself for doing the thing that others might do. Win. Win. 

Correct.  He is saying "i would be entirely justified in going to war... and any failure this season is ...yet again...not down to me"

[Gazza M]

I think Fofana could be the straw that breaks the Rodgers back if allowed to happen. I think his relationship with the club would become toxic. 

[Le Renard]

9 minutes ago, smudgerfox said:

 

I also think another failure has been at development squad level. I don't know what caused Beaglehole's departure but he seemed to me to be doing a good job. Dare I mention Calvin Bassey?

 

I believed the club offered Bassey a new deal, but if a young player wants to go, then you can't stop them.  The lure of Gerrard and Rangers was more appealing than a development pathway of going out on loan, then trying to force your way into the senior squad. 

[smudgerfox]

7 minutes ago, Le Renard said:

I believed the club offered Bassey a new deal, but if a young player wants to go, then you can't stop them.  The lure of Gerrard and Rangers was more appealing than a development pathway of going out on loan, then trying to force your way into the senior squad. 

You can't stop him but you can offer a more attractive career path. Iversen and KDH are obvious exceptions but so many of these players disappear without trace on loan. I was watching out for McAteer at Forest Green, he barely played ten minutes for them. 

[Le Renard]

3 minutes ago, smudgerfox said:

You can't stop him but you can offer a more attractive career path. Iversen and KDH are obvious exceptions but so many of these players disappear without trace on loan. I was watching out for McAteer at Forest Green, he barely played ten minutes for them. 

Yes and those two have been far more patient, but Bassey left when he was 19 yrs old (I think), How old were Iverson & KDH  when they made the first team?  When a player is 18/19 and they back themselves, they go off to find first team football, they don't always want to hang around the development squad.

[coolhandfox]

51 minutes ago, smudgerfox said:

"challenge" not "displace" 

I never mentioned displace, think you are misinterpreting what I've said.

[smudgerfox]

4 minutes ago, Le Renard said:

Yes and those two have been far more patient, but Bassey left when he was 19 yrs old (I think), How old were Iverson & KDH  when they made the first team?  When a player is 18/19 and they back themselves, they go off to find first team football, they don't always want to hang around the development squad.

No I understand your point. My point is - does it make sense to wait so long for a player to make the squad? How many outfield players are likely to break through after multiple loans? And are we assessing at the right time? Surely we didn't need Soumare at all if we knew KDH was going to break through so spectacularly? But Brendan assessed KDH in pre-season (the usual practice) by which time Soumare had already arrived. 

[taupe]

13 hours ago, StanSP said:

How does mentioning that he wants to invest in the squad equate to 'going to war with the club'. 

I'm forgetting which Rodgers thread I'm in now!

 

Not responding directly to StanSP; my issue is the phrase itself (as I've said before) In fairness to BR, I don't know who used the word 'war' first. BR may have been responding in kind to a question but for me it suggests opposing factions pitted against each other. Why describe the situation like that? As a metaphor, it's unhelpful/revealing.

 

Whatever the reality of the situation, they're all in it together; the club, management and players. To start drawing lines between and suggesting division is not a cool thing to do in public. There are tensions within most organisations but to elevate them and allude to them on a public platform suggests something more. Simply an unease with tension? Or an agenda? Who knows.

 

 

[Chrysalis]

33 minutes ago, Gazza M said:

I think Fofana could be the straw that breaks the Rodgers back if allowed to happen. I think his relationship with the club would become toxic. 

I have accepted him leaving, I think we should sell up, Rodgers doesnt use him properly, cannot coach him properly, and the club goes back to the business model it abandoned for this manager.

 

Its clear we need to sell someone, so we should just get on with it.  I dont think we can even afford to sack Rodgers at the moment, so one good thing out of this sale would make it possible.

[Bourbon Fox]

14 hours ago, TMELcfc said:

He has, he’s knows what he’s doing. Each time the context is transfer based. If you can’t see it or don’t want I'm not going to keep arguing about it. He’s not the only one by the way, these managers all know what they’re doing in these interviews/press conferences, there’s always some meaning to them, sometimes cryptic 

From The Athletic today:

 

He said all the right things, rejecting any opportunity to publicly criticise the club for a lack of transfer activity, but you didn’t need to look too closely to read between the lines.

 

His frustration still showed as he talked about how new signings have lifted everyone at Arsenal, especially the arrival of Gabriel Jesus, who tortured the Leicester back three in the blazing heat of the Emirates Stadium.

 

“It’s not just what he brings to the team, it’s what a new signing gives to everyone else,” Rodgers said. “Him and (Arsenal’s other buy from Manchester City, defender Oleksandr) Zinchenko are coming out of a winning environment. They train like dogs to be the best they can be and that spills over to the rest of the team.

 

“Bringing three starters into your team (centre-back William Saliba is the other new face after spending last season out on loan) can make a big difference.”

 

Not exactly subtle!

[Aus Fox]

1 hour ago, smudgerfox said:

 

I also think another failure has been at development squad level. I don't know what caused Beaglehole's departure but he seemed to me to be doing a good job. Dare I mention Calvin Bassey? One minute our team is crying out for a quick, front-foot, strong, left-footed central defender and the next minute I'm watching Rangers in the Europa League Final and the player of the match has come from our Academy. Before the commentators mentioned his time at Leicester, I was thinking he's just what we need alongside Fofana in a 4 or Evans and Fofana in a 3. Who is making these decisions? Where are the young defenders (under 21s) who can bolster the squad without adding to the overall number? What's the point in having them out on loan until they're 23 and having to earn a place in the squad on merit against big money experienced signings? 

 

Most who were close to the youth team set up were complaining on here about Beaglehole for a long time before he was sacked. 
As for Bassey, he wanted first team football at the time he left we had no way of offering him that and he wanted to go and prove himself and play. Same as many young players recently Sancho for example. I’m still not sure despite his move to Ajax he will be a top 10 premier League defender - look at his debut for Ajax. 
And if you want to be competitive at the top end of the Premier League every single player needs to earn their place in the squad. Not just be given a role despite not being tested in a competitive game. 

[Tom12345]

It would be quite telling for me (and will be it for me) if Rodgers continues his beloved conservative possession based football with a set up that does not suit the players he uses and tactics that make Evans and Fofana the ones who often need to make those incisive passes instead of Maddison, KDH or Tielemans.  Unless we play direct football, his continuing insistence on playing Ndidi would be especially telling as we have much more capable players in that position more suited to play possession based football: Mendy, Praet or even Tielemans in that role. On why Mendy is suited, see: 

 

[UniFox21]

21 hours ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

Well last week he claimed the players were fatigued after 65 mins. That’s despite him only using 1 sub. 
 

Then he claimed that he only had to change formation because we didn’t have Lookman. 
 

This week he blamed ‘lack of experience at PL level. This was our starting 11 

 

 

 

Clubs naturally come and go and I accept that. What I don’t accept is that our time to ‘go’ is now. It can easily be rectified by a change of management- I think most people now agree someone else will get a better tune out of the same players. 

All of his comments are beginning to mould into him pitching himself against the board. They've not given him what he wants etc etc. 

Similar usually happens (struggled to find any decent articles here for Celtic etc) before he leaves a club. 

[LVFox]

I’ve been trying to hold off from criticising Rodgers cause overall he’s done magnificently.

 

however, it’s pretty clear this only ends one way. He seems to have forgotten who he is as a coach, who we are as a club and what the plan is to succeed. I think the first collapse from top 4 really scarred him, from an aggressive, front foot coach trying to gate crash the top 6, into a scared, defensive “don’t mess this up” attitude.

 

his recent words have been mind-boggling on lack of experience and fitness for so many reasons. I think both he and the club need a refresh. 

[jmono84]

3 hours ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

And every single one of those excuses be rolls out, he has a significant input into. If fitness is an issue then Brendan look no further than your own strength and conditioning specialist, who i believe came to the club as part of the backroom staff and cannot be working independently or without significant input/influence from Brendan. Then there is recruitment, where Brendan’s mate, Congerton secured the job, again can’t believe the manager didn’t have more input and influence on transfer targets or the profile of players we signed, his must have targets etc. 

 

make no bones the reason we are in this current mess and it appears to be a such shit show is down to a couple of reasons - 

 

1) Brendan has seized every opportunity to increase his influence and power at the club, which saw an overhaul in medical and recruitment departments, where the board backed him and went with his recommendations 

 

2) this has meant we have deviated from the model that has made this club so special in the last 10 years or so - excellent recruitment in the main, superb injury record, and our business model of selling one star player ever summer to reinvest 

 

3) the board in my opinion have been in a very difficult situation, the last 3 years or so has given us European football and an FA Cup FInal win, the Manager had leverage and the club has their backs to the wall, and with hindsight have been weaker than they should have been and relinquished too much control of key aspects to Rodgers and his cronies. In truth except for last season, had Rodgers walked, then in the main the fan base would have been frustrated. 
 

I think the Senior Management at the club realised this last season and are now wrestling back control but by doing this and reestablishing the control, this has created a stand off with Rodgers, who is now at every opportunity making subtle references to not having the necessary support or resources at his disposal. 
 

I have no doubt that once the club feel they have everything back in place to make the final change then they will relieve Rodgers of his duties, unless he walks in the meantime.  

This is what annoys me!

 

Ask BR who’s idea was it to bring in Congerton? He’s gone from his previous club to BR’s new one so it looks to me he’s come to follow you.

 

Was Congerton left to make signings or did BR have a say in any? If it was down to Congerton then BR you brought him to the club so your fault. If BR had a say then the players were crap, BR your fault.

 

If there’s more to it then give us fans a fvcking clue because it does right now absolutely feel like you’re trying to save your own arse BR!

[ARM1968]

Even his comments pre Arsenal were a calculated dig. Arsenal have strengthened, the board have backed Arteta. 
 

He shows no understanding of the financial predicament he and his mate Congerton have put us in. It’s a joke frankly. 

[sylofox]

On 15/08/2022 at 09:05, An Sionnach said:

The cup final win was achieved playing the opposite of the "Rodgers Way" . No possession , under the cosh , last ditch defending , breakaway goal.. Real Madrid beat Man.City and Liverpool in the CL  the same way. We were masters of that play when we won the title , now we are masters of nothing.

And it's far more enjoyable to watch. 50 sideways backwards passes is just fecking awful

[The Year Of The Fox]

Has he gone yet?

[Guest454545]

1 hour ago, ARM1968 said:

Even his comments pre Arsenal were a calculated dig. Arsenal have strengthened, the board have backed Arteta. 
 

He shows no understanding of the financial predicament he and his mate Congerton have put us in. It’s a joke frankly. 

Net spend of £25 million per season. I don't think it's the transfers that's hurt your finances. The brand spanking new £100 million training ground might have, though.

[StanSP]

4 minutes ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

Has he gone yet?

Yes. 

 

Why do people ask this every single day

 

[sylofox]

3 minutes ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

Has he gone yet?

Careful I got slated for that same comment last week 😂😂😂😂😂

[sylofox]

Just now, StanSP said:

Yes. 

 

Why do people ask this every single day

 

It's called hope or desperation, depends how you look at it.

[The Year Of The Fox]

13 minutes ago, sylofox said:

Careful I got slated for that same comment last week 😂😂😂😂😂

😂😂😂

 

**** him. Cannot stand the cnut. 

[The Year Of The Fox]

14 minutes ago, sylofox said:

It's called hope or desperation, depends how you look at it.

Both really isn’t it. We just want our club back 

[ARM1968]

50 minutes ago, Guest454545 said:

Net spend of £25 million per season. I don't think it's the transfers that's hurt your finances. The brand spanking new £100 million training ground might have, though.

Harry M paid for most of that mate - well, Man Utd. Rodgers and Congerton predominately bought crap - crap we seem stuck with.