Back page When Liverpool appointed Brendan Rodgers I wrote a piece for Back Page Football. I saw the decision to give the former Swansea City manager the job as one that could potentially step Liverpool, as a football club, out of the past and into the future.
Clearly it didn’t go to plan for Rodgers and before his sacking fans were on edge as their patience wore thin. This is a big football club that hopes one day in the near future to have expectations to match its size.
Right now, considering the players brought in and those sold, I’d argue Rodgers was always against it.
The job became so intense due to bad results and ill-advised comments made to the press. When listening to the manager of your club it’s important that they fill you with some sort of belief or confidence, but when Rodgers speaks about himself – as observed by journalist Miguel Delaney – his reputation almost becomes distorted.
Nearly never won the race, so that season (2013/14) should have been totally written off the second it turned sour. There’s no time to reflect when you’re attempting to move forward but losing the likes of Luis Suarez to Barcelona, Daniel Sturridge through injury and young talent like Raheem Sterling not only sets the team back but can also showed up the manager.
It’s been two seasons since it ended in tears for Liverpool fans but it could have been very different for Rodgers had they beaten Crystal Palace, avoided Steven Gerrard’s slip and won the league.
Everyone knows the sacking was pre-planned before the international break. It may be a convenient time to sack a manager and bring a new man in but considering the money spent and the amount of games Rodgers had with what were his new players, FSG have had a nightmare.
Jurgen Klopp is quite a coup for Liverpool – arguably one that excuses the way they handled Rodgers. The former Borussia Dortmund manager is an exciting figure that the Premier League will welcome with open arms.
A quote doing the rounds at the moment is Klopp talking about his football philosophy. “I like heavy metal more,” in terms of fighting football as opposed to patiently keeping possession before releasing a sucker punch.
With that in mind, there is quite a contrast between Rodgers and Klopp in the way they approach football. Liverpool may actually become an exciting side to watch again but it’s important fans don’t get ahead of themselves just yet.
The squad Klopp has inherited is not one anyone can really expect wonders from, so it may take him until Christmas or next summer to get the ball moving. This, of course, also depends on the transfer committee situation which we will leave for another day.
FSG are not renowned for being patient owners but they need to be if their project at Liverpool is to work. Something has got to give if I’m back here in three or four years writing about Klopp getting the sack and some other guy being appointed.
Repetition is boring and predictable. ‘Next please…’
Liverpool are not exactly the best resourced club in the Premier League which is something that needs to be addressed if success is looked upon as an urgent objective.
The cycle FSG have implemented needs to be broken if Liverpool are to reach the heights their fans so eagerly crave.
FSG made the right decision, should have been sooner but Klopp was not available then so the International break was a sensible time to do it. If you listened to Klopps first interview you would know there is no problem with the transfer committee.Klopp has the first and last word.
Precisely, that was my point but FSG made the wrong decision grant Rodgers so much money last summer and give him so little time to gel them in. The right decision, if you wanted Rodgers out, was to sack him at the end of last season when fans initially started to question whether he could do the job and reach the heights a club like Liverpool should.
Now you have Klopp joining with a group of players that don’t really suit his style. It may be early to say that but it will be interesting to see how he deals with this group of players.