Excellent article -- he's doing a super job now. Really delighted with his tactical nous and bringing the kids in and the freeflowing stuff at Anfield is a joy to watch. Considering he hasn't exactly had a lot to spend compared to his rivals too. Really impressed with him. I was talking to an Arsenal fan today and he said that Liverpool have come on so much in such a short time it's unreal.
First 64 games- Won 32 Drew 18 Lost 14 Goals for 137 Against 75 Points 114 Rafa's first 64 games Won 32 Drew 13 Lost 19 Goals for 84 Against 58 Points 109 Just saw this on twitter. A lot of variables in the challenges faced by both managers but I thought it was interesting all the same.
Hi mate, Notwithstanding the point you make about there being a lot of variables to consider, the stats do help show how well both Brendan and the team are doing alright. Fingers crossed, there'll be a lot more positive stats to come in the months and years ahead
I saw this comment somewhere a few weeks ago, and it struck me. Been thinking about it ever since. Ignoring Ferguson the man, and the club he managed - what do people think of this? When one compares the two, it's easy see some similarities particularly in management style (getting the best from those available) and some of his tactics, etc. And what if the manager the mancs needed to perfectly fill the boots of their predecessor was on Merseyside after all - just it wasn't Moyes. I wonder if in a couple of years time we'll look back and laugh? I'm getting a little ahead of myself there, but it's a nice thought for the day
Tactically I think we are more similar to a Ferguson team then a guardiola team with our counter attacking style. I think it shows the ability of Rodgers to fit the system to the players at his disposal rather than the other way around. Its this ability to adapt that has convinced me he's a top drawer manager.
seen his post games comments last night for the first time in relation to us giving the ball back when Suraez could / should have had a pen. Not too sure many other managers would have been as straight about it as BR was
That point you highlighted is a point I made towards this time last season and was ridiculed for suggesting that he alters his system to suit players available
Fair play for recognising such mate. I think a lot of that probably comes down to initial expectations as per my original quote and worries on where it was all going - most expected him to behave based on what we were told to anticipate from his style (ala a Guardiola type). The reality is he has been adapting his preferred system around the squad that's available to him. Which as you and others intimate is a very good thing.
Was asked about the Suarez Peno incident & BR said that he thought we should have given the ball back from the throw before the Peno incident. Went to say that he thought the players just got caught up in the game but on the Peno incident it's self he thought it was a Peno but we should have given the ball back basically.
On the throw in incident it was Johnson who played on Suarez rolled the ball to the side line and Johnson took it and played on and rightly so as Flores was play acting
Imagine 18 months ago asking a neutral fan what they thought about Brendan Rodgers and David Moyes. I'm sure you would have been told that one manager was a fraud who was lucky to have found his way into a top job, while the other was a Midas-like figure who was exceeding expectations. The funny thing is, you'd probably get the same answer today, albeit with the descriptions reversed. The David Brent jibes have quietened down now and there seems to be a wider appreciation of what he's actually doing for Liverpool now. As the excellent post above points out, there's only been 8 league defeats in the past year. Another angle - 108 league goals since January 2013. Biblical stuff. Here's another interesting statistic - Rodgers' Swansea picked up more points in the 11/12 season than Laudrup's Swansea did in the 12/13 season. Not to discredit their League Cup win and Europa League run, but there's not much evidence to suggest that Laudrup improved what he inherited from Rodgers. Arguably, they've gone backwards without him - they're currently 4 points clear of the relegation zone.
How lucky are we that we have Brendan as our manager? Doing an unbelievable job. We are as enjoyable to watch as I can remember in my adult life. Thank you Brendan.