LOLiverpooLOL - Next Season

[Barry the bird boggler]

Rodgers in talks with Liverpool this PM

All betting now suspended

Swansea forum in meltdown

Martinez installed as favourite for Villa job

[cmonurz]

It’s difficult to judge what sort of managers Liverpool could attract – certainly AVB’s agent didn’t imply anything but that his client would be open to an approach from the club. But equally some available managers are out of their reach.

Irrespective of what Liverpool ‘deserve’, I can’t see Rodgers’ previous record, of success with a team that already played his way, and failure with a team that didn’t as being ideal against where Liverpool want to get to. If this was Rodgers to Arsenal, you’d think yeah, there’s a fit there, but as already highlighted, there are players pretty integral to the Liverpool team that won’t really suit his style. Would be a strange appointment.

[Wax Jacket]

^'greed

he's going to need a heck of a lot of patience and time IMO

[blindedbythelights]

Rodgers confirmed

[yuomi]

good luck 'pool. noone's left nice comfy reigns for him to pick up this time...

[No Fixed Abode]

Just heard from my mate at the Echo. Rodgers to be named Liverpool manager within the next 48 hours.

First with the news again.

[Maguire]

cmonurz

Mentions of Reading - 181
Mentions of Liverpool - 209

Ever think you're on the wrong website
For comparison:

Maguire

Mentions of Reading - 323
Mentions of Liverpool - 20

Given every post I make on the Team board is about Reading, that's a pretty dumb comparison, isn't it. Today's NFA award goes to....

Why would you say "Liverpool" on a Liverpool thread, then?
Why have I specifically written or quoted "Reading" in 323 posts?

[TBM]

"Today i was reading Kenny Dalglish's autobiography"

[Isaac Hunt]

I assume Brendan Rodgers told his wife "If Gylfi calls, can you tell him I've just popped out for 5 minutes"

[cmonurz]

cmonurz

Mentions of Reading - 181
Mentions of Liverpool - 209

Ever think you're on the wrong website
For comparison:

Maguire

Mentions of Reading - 323
Mentions of Liverpool - 20

Given every post I make on the Team board is about Reading, that's a pretty dumb comparison, isn't it. Today's NFA award goes to....

Why would you say "Liverpool" on a Liverpool thread, then?
Why have I specifically written or quoted "Reading" in 323 posts?

I wouldn't, generally, but I might write "Liverpool" on a general football thread, which is presumably where your "Liverpool" mentions come about. Have you only made 323 posts on the team board?

Seriously Mags, you're not stupid like the rest of them. Normally.

[Compo's Hat]

Where's that bumper book of Soccer tactics photo?

[No Fixed Abode]

[Hoop Blah]

As I've said before, this looks like it might be too big a job too soon for Rodgers, and a bit of an odd appointment for Liverpool as well. Be interesting to see how it pans out, but I think he'll get even less grace than Martinez or Hodgson from the Anfield supporters.

Having said that, for those that just default to the 'they don't play his football' argument, which has some grounding, there are similarities with the Swansea team he took over. They are defensively very sound, but with fullbacks who excel going forward, they do pass the ball a bit, especially of Lucas and Adam are around, and the one thing they miss is the right number of goals to win them their home games. Swansea were quite similar on those grounds, albeit with a more delicate and patient style.

In Darren Pratley Swansea even had a Championship version of Gerrard, ie he scores goals and is full of powerful attacking runs but isn't the most subtle at times.

[cmonurz]

Wouldn't surprise me to see Scott Sinclair follow Rogers to Liverpool as another option on the wing.

[Maguire]

I think it's an odd choice for Liverpool but I wish Brendan well nonetheless. What a remarkable rise since he left Reading [note cmonurz, the use of Reading]

Not sure I really buy this whole argument about him only being successful at Swansea because they already played a bit of football, and nor that Liverpool don't have any of this so he'll fail. He took Swansea forward with a good mix of permanent signings (eg. Graham) and loan deals (eg. Borini, Sigurdsson) for a start, and Liverpool clearly have some superior ball players to Swansea.

Do people really think he can't get Suarez, Lucas, Downing, et all passing the ball to each other? If Nathan Dyer can manage it then i'm sure they can. His biggest problem will be that he doesn't command natural respect so will the senior players [Gerrard, Carragher] trip him up, and how will the fans (who are largely a shower of self-entitled dickheads) react the first time they lose at home to the likes of Norwich or Reading?

[Hoop Blah]

Of course the argument that he's only succeeded because it was Martinez's team is pretty weak.

He took them only quite a bit by getting more out of players that were there and also recognising and addressing the weaknesses that held them back. If it was so easy to take them further then either Sousa or Martinez would've got them up before him.

[sandman]

I'm sure Martinez would've got them up but he left before he completed the job because a club he has a big affinity with wanted him.

[Wimb]

Of course the argument that he's only succeeded because it was Martinez's team is pretty weak.

He took them only quite a bit by getting more out of players that were there and also recognising and addressing the weaknesses that held them back. If it was so easy to take them further then either Sousa or Martinez would've got them up before him.

Yes and no, both Martinez and Sousa had built teams that were very hard to beat, the big difference was Scott Sinclair, those 24 goals in the league helped turn many of the draws into wins.

Rodgers deserves a lot of credit for helping them get over the line but I think Sousa could have gotten them to the play-offs if he had Sinclair at his disposal.

[Hoop Blah]

But Sousa didn't have him did he? Why because he, like Martinez, didn't solve their goal scoring problems with either his signings or getting more goals from the likes of Dobbie or Pratley.

The capture of Borini was also crucial over the closing months of the season. To pin it on Sinclairs goals is over simplifying what Rodgers achieved in my eyes.

[paultheroyal]

Delighted for Rodgers, a very shrewd appointment. Personally I think he will do very well at Liverpool and wish him all the best.