Liverpool

[wiilko]

I never thought I would be posting a topic about Liverpool FC. Let's face it, like Chelsea, in recent years they have played defensive football in the hope that they can score due to a defensive mistake.

However, this season Liverpool have been the most attractive side to watch and personally I hope that they regain the Premiership crown.

Brendan Rodgers has performed a miracle at the club and it just goes to show that if you employ the right manager at the right time, then then success comes shortly after.

Unfortunately, I cannot see McDermott forming a similar miracle but let's wait and see. It's his last chance saloon

[1964white]

Brendan Rodgers is different class to McDermott

He arguably built the 2009 Reading team before losing his job after six months with BM coming in sowing the seeds from the foundations Rodgers had laid.

Onto Swansea he created one of the most skilful attacking championship outfits I've witnessed over the last few years. The Swans ran rings round LUFC under Grayson's stewardship as Cardiff White & myself looked on in disappointment from the stands as we took a battering from a team playing sublime proper football on there way to the premiership !

He took charge of the scousers when they were on a downward slide & within a couple of years he has built a team which looks like winning the premiership title playing the same style of football he obviously believes in. Tbh when Rodgers took over at Anfield I never thought Liverpool would challenge the top 4 of Citeh, Scum, Chelski, Gooners let alone win the prem

Unbelievable achievement !

[weasel]

In many ways it shows the folly of sacking a manager too soon. At Reading Brendan Rodgers was awful. He was there for around 6 months and they were in the relegation zone when he was sacked in mid December. He got the sack BMc came in and got Reading on a roll and took them into the play-offs that same season. The following year BMc got them promoted as champions.

It is therefore open to interpretation. Was Rodgers a good manager? Ask Reading fans and they would have said 'No.' Did he lay the foundations for BMc? I would have to say 'No.' as how much work could he have done in 6 months at the club and his style of play and formations are hugely different to BMc's. Would Reading have had the same short term success under Rodgers as they did after his sacking and my feeling is no as they were in such a bad run and confidence was low. Maybe long term he would have turned it around but like I said in the first sentence it is all about the folly of sacking a manager too soon. Clearly Rodgers is a talented manager but ask Reading fans at the time and they would have had a very different opinion.

It also shows that a manager not only needs to get the best out of the players at his disposal but also to be given the funds to buy the players he wanted. He has spent big, not in the same way as City, and his signings have been good. Now he has a team that is his, something he didn't have the time to get at Reading and something BMc hasn't had the time to get yet at Leeds. BMc may not be the chosen one, may have made mistakes but who would have thought Rodgers would be when he looked out of his depth at Reading?

[1964white]

In many ways it shows the folly of sacking a manager too soon. At Reading Brendan Rodgers was awful. He was there for around 6 months and they were in the relegation zone when he was sacked in mid December. He got the sack BMc came in and got Reading on a roll and took them into the play-offs that same season. The following year BMc got them promoted as champions.

It is therefore open to interpretation. Was Rodgers a good manager? Ask Reading fans and they would have said 'No.' Did he lay the foundations for BMc? I would have to say 'No.' as how much work could he have done in 6 months at the club and his style of play and formations are hugely different to BMc's. Would Reading have had the same short term success under Rodgers as they did after his sacking and my feeling is no as they were in such a bad run and confidence was low. Maybe long term he would have turned it around but like I said in the first sentence it is all about the folly of sacking a manager too soon. Clearly Rodgers is a talented manager but ask Reading fans at the time and they would have had a very different opinion.

It also shows that a manager not only needs to get the best out of the players at his disposal but also to be given the funds to buy the players he wanted. He has spent big, not in the same way as City, and his signings have been good. Now he has a team that is his, something he didn't have the time to get at Reading and something BMc hasn't had the time to get yet at Leeds. BMc may not be the chosen one, may have made mistakes but who would have thought Rodgers would be when he looked out of his depth at Reading?

Key is Rodgers plays football how it should be played no matter what players he has at his disposal

At Reading McDermott's team was nothing fancy but solid & hard to beat

At Leeds McDermott resorted to hoof & became easy pickings for the majority of the championship managers, he has mustered wins v the bottom eight though

At least Warnock managed to provide us with some excitement in the cups under similar boardroom rumblings, BM has given us nothing but despair !

[Dr.Leeds]

In many ways it shows the folly of sacking a manager too soon. At Reading Brendan Rodgers was awful. He was there for around 6 months and they were in the relegation zone when he was sacked in mid December. He got the sack BMc came in and got Reading on a roll and took them into the play-offs that same season. The following year BMc got them promoted as champions.

It is therefore open to interpretation. Was Rodgers a good manager? Ask Reading fans and they would have said 'No.' Did he lay the foundations for BMc? I would have to say 'No.' as how much work could he have done in 6 months at the club and his style of play and formations are hugely different to BMc's. Would Reading have had the same short term success under Rodgers as they did after his sacking and my feeling is no as they were in such a bad run and confidence was low. Maybe long term he would have turned it around but like I said in the first sentence it is all about the folly of sacking a manager too soon. Clearly Rodgers is a talented manager but ask Reading fans at the time and they would have had a very different opinion.

It also shows that a manager not only needs to get the best out of the players at his disposal but also to be given the funds to buy the players he wanted. He has spent big, not in the same way as City, and his signings have been good. Now he has a team that is his, something he didn't have the time to get at Reading and something BMc hasn't had the time to get yet at Leeds. BMc may not be the chosen one, may have made mistakes but who would have thought Rodgers would be when he looked out of his depth at Reading?

Excellent post weasel. Rodgers was under significant pressure early in his tenure as Liverpool boss but the Liverpool board have, in my opinion, made two brave decisions that mean they deserve to win the title.

1) Sticking with a manager with the right philosophy for building a team despite a disappointing early return.

2) Refusing to now to the demands of a petulant player to leave the club. Retaining Suarez has paid very serious dividends.

Will similar patience and resolve happen at Leeds? Cellino's past actions at Caligari would suggest not but so far his actions at Leeds would suggest he and McDermott share a vision for the club's future. I hope that now, with some stable backing, McDermott can prove himself and the whole club, as well as the team, can move forward.

[Gino 1959]

Rodgers is an Irishman. Nuff said :mrgreen:

[theleedsmango]

In many ways it shows the folly of sacking a manager too soon. At Reading Brendan Rodgers was awful. He was there for around 6 months and they were in the relegation zone when he was sacked in mid December. He got the sack BMc came in and got Reading on a roll and took them into the play-offs that same season. The following year BMc got them promoted as champions.

It is therefore open to interpretation. Was Rodgers a good manager? Ask Reading fans and they would have said 'No.' Did he lay the foundations for BMc? I would have to say 'No.' as how much work could he have done in 6 months at the club and his style of play and formations are hugely different to BMc's. Would Reading have had the same short term success under Rodgers as they did after his sacking and my feeling is no as they were in such a bad run and confidence was low. Maybe long term he would have turned it around but like I said in the first sentence it is all about the folly of sacking a manager too soon. Clearly Rodgers is a talented manager but ask Reading fans at the time and they would have had a very different opinion.

It also shows that a manager not only needs to get the best out of the players at his disposal but also to be given the funds to buy the players he wanted. He has spent big, not in the same way as City, and his signings have been good. Now he has a team that is his, something he didn't have the time to get at Reading and something BMc hasn't had the time to get yet at Leeds. BMc may not be the chosen one, may have made mistakes but who would have thought Rodgers would be when he looked out of his depth at Reading?

It's hard to determine how well a given manager will do at a given club with a given quality of players. But all managers need time. Time to implement their style of players, time to transfer players in and out, time to turn a club around.

Rogers has been helped my having Suarez and Gerrard at his disposal but he's also managed to get the most out of Sterling, Henderson, Skrtel, Agger and Sturridge. Sturridge was discarded by big clubs, Henderson became a laughing stock and nobody felt Sterling was worth the time and space given his attitude. The credit goes to Rogers for getting the winning mentality into these players and getting them focused. Everyone knew the potential was there in players but it mainly came down to attitude, self belief and discipline.

It's hard to overcome the stigma attached with a club, and few realise the effect it has on the players. Arsenal are the team whose players leave to go win trophies. Man City are the team of superstars that can't play well consistently. Man United are a team that have fallen to waste since Fergie left. Tottenham have completely lost their identity. Arsene, Moyes, Pellegrini and AVB/Sherwood have not managed to overcome these stigmas. They haven't managed to focus the team; and all 4 have the players at their disposal to win this league.

Mourinhi's Chelsea were my favourites to win the league because he, more often than not, takes the pressure away from the team and on to himself. He never got the striker position right this season and for once, I think his mind games style handling of the situation was wrong. Chelsea have failed this season for that reason alone. But nevertheless, Mourinho gets the team focused.

Rodgers took Liverpools shackles of "no longer good enough" and used that as motivation. Everything was a bonus and as such, the players went and played without pressure. Their record of early goals is a result of belief and a result of freedom. Other teams look at a game and think "we can't afford to concede an early goal." Liverpool just go out there with the belief that they will score; it doesn't matter what the other team does. Rodgers on-field tactics and his development of players has been exceptional, but it's the belief he's instilled in the team, assisted by Stevie G's passion, that has seen them float above the rest.

[The Subhuman]

I'm a patient man...I'm happy to wait till BMC fails with his own team.

I'll be very happy to admit I'm wrong if he takes us up.

[MeeTa]

I'm a patient man...I'm happy to wait till BMC fails with his own team.

I'll be very happy to admit I'm wrong if he takes us up.

win win

[The Subhuman]

I'd rather he succeeded...But nothing I've seen tells me he will..

[1964white]

I'd rather he succeeded...But nothing I've seen tells me he will..

Nor me mate, god knows what others see in what has been a truely dire, atrocious season, I've experienced more excitement watching a jelly set !

BM has made far too many errors to convinced me about his managerial capabilities, hope he proves me wrong !

[ldsutd]

I'm a patient man...I'm happy to wait till BMC fails with his own team.

I'll be very happy to admit I'm wrong if he takes us up.

I'm with you on this one. The guy just doesn't fill me with confidence some of his team selections have left me wondering what's going on. But if he get's us up i will gladly put my hand up and say i was wrong about him.

[weasel]

BM has made far too many errors to convinced me about his managerial capabilities, hope he proves me wrong !

Like you I hope that whoever is in charge succeeds, and like you I am fed up of the mistakes such as Hunt today (or Hunt all season.

My point though was more about Rodgers who has his footballing philosophies. You state that he has his style/formation but the key thing there is having the players that can play that way. Rodgers trying it with our players would likely be the same disaster that it was at Reading as the players are not capable. At Swansea he had the benefit of a side that had been playing good football before he went and he had players that could more easily adapt to his ways. It would appear the better the player the better they can adapt to it. You can also look at when Brian Kidd tried to get Leeds playing a more 'european' style at Leeds but it didn't suit the players we had (cue a Twiggster rant about BK).