Brendan Rodgers

[StriderHiryu]

Time to bump this thread, I think Brendan deserves massive respect for the victory today. Making 9 changes and leaving out many of our best players seemed like a recipe for disaster, but we dominated the game and in truth the only questions are how West Ham scored and how we didn't win by a bigger margin. Some will say it was a gamble and that we "got away with it" but we controlled the game and were hardly clinging on for the final whistle. We are going to be playing European football of some kind next season and that means we'll need to rotate the team more often. Today showed us that even if we make wholesale changes, we have a coach who employs a style that means we don't become disjointed.

 

We are definitely starting to see some of the characteristic Rodgers traits at Leicester now. We did badly against Liverpool and Man City but Rodgers stuck to his philosophy of playing the style of football he wants the club to employ. Perhaps we should have used similar tactics to the ones Puel used last season which got us points against both teams, but that's the difference in footballing outlooks between the two men. Today showed the other side of the decision, having a style of play that you stick to no matter what means even rotating the team heavily can produce a good performance.

 

It hasn't all been plain sailing for Rodgers over the last month, but today was an important result.

[Wymsey]

He had sold his house in Newtown Linford earlier this week to a billionaire who started his business success in Leicester.

 

Rodgers' wife, given was involved in an incident when they lived in Glasgow (burglary incident) a few years ago, wasn't keen on the location near Bradgate Park due to it being too isolated.

[Guest]

Will City fans be calling for BR's head if we lose our next 3 games?

[Manini]

Just now, FIF said:

Will City fans be calling for BR's head if we lose our next 3 games?

Probably...yeah 

[Guest An Sionnach]

56 minutes ago, Manini said:

Probably...yeah 

Any manager who loses four games in a row is in trouble at Barcelona its two. Win one, lose one, win one,  draw one you can get away with that for years . Lose five in a row , no way.

Edited 19 January 2020 by An Sionnach

[l444ry]

48 minutes ago, FIF said:

Will City fans be calling for BR's head if we lose our next 3 games?

Only the ones with no brain cells and never had the ability to play for their school team. 

[st albans fox]

56 minutes ago, FIF said:

Will City fans be calling for BR's head if we lose our next 3 games?

Not if they have to pay his contract up ! 

[Rigga]

I miss the days of throwing the CB up top for the last few mins when chasing the game.. Walsh and Elliott used to get us out the shit on occasions.

It seems it’s Plan A and if that doesn’t work, thats that..

[Tielemans63]

1 hour ago, FIF said:

Will City fans be calling for BR's head if we lose our next 3 games?

No doubt the idiotic ones will.

[Nod.E]

3 minutes ago, Rigga said:

I miss the days of throwing the CB up top for the last few mins when chasing the game.. Walsh and Elliott used to get us out the shit on occasions.

It seems it’s Plan A and if that doesn’t work, thats that..

Ah yeah the good ol' days when top 10 was as good as it got?

 

Lumping it up top against Burnley would be stupid.

[Rigga]

3 minutes ago, Nod.E said:

Ah yeah the good ol' days when top 10 was as good as it got?

 

Lumping it up top against Burnley would be stupid.

So carry on trying to walk it in and.......lose

 

it’s an option, not just against Burnley. We never do it anymore.. 

[l444ry]

1 minute ago, Nod.E said:

Ah yeah the good ol' days when top 10 was as good as it got?

 

Lumping it up top against Burnley would be stupid.

Well said. Always amazes me when people talk about a lack of a *Plan B*. What they mean is lump it in the box and hope. Those accusing Rodgers of no Plan B are obviously not paying attention. He makes substitutions at half time and changes systems mid game all the time. 

[Pliskin]

Brendan has done a miraculous job with a side that still has one or two questionable players in it. Were top four and it’s up for debate but in my opinion the following;

 

Chilwell

Barnes

Teilemans 
Gray

Perez 

 

Have been very inconsistent. Particularly Barnes and Perez who are more often not great than great, so the fact we’ve actually managed to be as good as we have has been brilliant. This side still needs work, even when we’re winning 8 on the bounce it still requires work. The players mentioned are a long way away from being the finished product, with Gray question marks remain what that even is, but still he isn’t on the same level with some of the players on opposing teams. I think Rodgers is doing a wonderful job, and it must be difficult for him now as expectations have gone into orbit following our start to this season, and rightly so. The players are in a rut at the moment, I’m sure Rodgers will turn it around, and if we still manage a champions league spot, then he deserves a statue along with Ranieri, because I actually don’t think this side is as good as the league winning side just yet, it may have more potential, but it’s not there yet.

[Rigga]

Substitutions and formation changes fine, but it’s still all pass pass pass.... The opposition pressures us, we go back to the CBs and start again..

We have become predictable in our build up and now we need to find an alternative at times against teams that don’t give us the space to play in.

[l444ry]

14 minutes ago, Rigga said:

Substitutions and formation changes fine, but it’s still all pass pass pass.... The opposition pressures us, we go back to the CBs and start again..

We have become predictable in our build up and now we need to find an alternative at times against teams that don’t give us the space to play in.

Thought they did go back to basics today. There were more longer passes and attempted through balls to Vardy than usual. Wasn't that long ago that any pass longer than 20 yards was called *hoofball* on here. 

[chapero82]

25 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

Brendan has done a miraculous job with a side that still has one or two questionable players in it. Were top four and it’s up for debate but in my opinion the following;

 

Chilwell

Barnes

Teilemans 
Gray

Perez 

 

Have been very inconsistent. Particularly Barnes and Perez who are more often not great than great, so the fact we’ve actually managed to be as good as we have has been brilliant. This side still needs work, even when we’re winning 8 on the bounce it still requires work. The players mentioned are a long way away from being the finished product, with Gray question marks remain what that even is, but still he isn’t on the same level with some of the players on opposing teams. I think Rodgers is doing a wonderful job, and it must be difficult for him now as expectations have gone into orbit following our start to this season, and rightly so. The players are in a rut at the moment, I’m sure Rodgers will turn it around, and if we still manage a champions league spot, then he deserves a statue along with Ranieri, because I actually don’t think this side is as good as the league winning side just yet, it may have more potential, but it’s not there yet.

The part that is worrisome (a little) is that Perez is the worst one and that’s his signing 

Edited 19 January 2020 by chapero82

[inckley fox]

I wouldn't get carried away. It's a poor run but we're in a tremendous position. For now at least (if we start to slip towards 7th and 8th by the end of the season, there'll be serious questions).

 

The concerns about Rodgers are what they are. That what worked in Scotland won't work in England. That he only plays one way, and that way had been sussed in the past. His team-building.

 

And right now the laboured, over-elaborate build-up, together with the very advanced full backs and a lightweight midfield which is low on physicality but high on flair, looks like a fairly straightforward proposition for opponents. If Plan A doesn't work, try it again with three at the back, or two up top.

 

But this is where we separate the O'Neills and Pearsons from the Peter Taylors, who fleetingly thrived as competent coaches rectifying minor chinks in someone else's team, while simultaneously creating new problems of their own. For all his screw-ups of late, I wouldn't for a second want to compare Rodgers with an incompetent like Taylor, and if he approaches our current predicament with a more open mind I'm certain we can get it back together. 

 

That said, it's worrying to hear him say that our performance was good today and we deserved the win. He needs to be clear on why that's a dumb thing to say.

[Fox92]

Think I might start betting on his substitutions. Doesn't matter how we're doing it gets to the same time and Perez comes off for Kelechi and, in more recent weeks, Praet off for Youri.

 

Didn't think Maddison was that good today and I'd have stuck Perez centrally and put Kelechi on for Maddison.

[Izzy]

2 hours ago, FIF said:

Will City fans be calling for BR's head if we lose our next 3 games?

They've got Pep in charge so it's none of their business 

 

[st albans fox]

11 minutes ago, inckley fox said:

I wouldn't get carried away. It's a poor run but we're in a tremendous position. For now at least (if we start to slip towards 7th and 8th by the end of the season, there'll be serious questions).

 

The concerns about Rodgers are what they are. That what worked in Scotland won't work in England. That he only plays one way, and that way had been sussed in the past. His team-building.

 

And right now the laboured, over-elaborate build-up, together with the very advanced full backs and a lightweight midfield which is low on physicality but high on flair, looks like a fairly straightforward proposition for opponents. If Plan A doesn't work, try it again with three at the back, or two up top.

 

But this is where we separate the O'Neills and Pearsons from the Peter Taylors, who fleetingly thrived as competent coaches rectifying minor chinks in someone else's team, while simultaneously creating new problems of their own. For all his screw-ups of late, I wouldn't for a second want to compare Rodgers with an incompetent like Taylor, and if he approaches our current predicament with a more open mind I'm certain we can get it back together. 

 

That said, it's worrying to hear him say that our performance was good today and we deserved the win. He needs to be clear on why that's a dumb thing to say.

we deserved the win more than Burnley did - you could have argued a draw was a fair result but no way did Burnley deserve to win 

 

I didn’t think we were terrible 

 

we played well in spells and made openings .... we failed to control the tempo of the game well enough which cost us - again failing to keep controlled possession until last ten when they fell back to their eighteen yard box to defend their lead.  Was that down to papy not having the physicality to do that?  Or others not showing for the next pass quickly enough ? Or players not having the confidence to make the first time pass which opens up the space faster ?

 

brendan has a habit of not dissing his team Publicly and saying that things look fine in games when they perhaps don’t - he isn’t going to change that ... he knows where the shortcomings are ....

[inckley fox]

5 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

we deserved the win more than Burnley did - you could have argued a draw was a fair result but no way did Burnley deserve to win 

 

I didn’t think we were terrible 

 

we played well in spells and made openings .... we failed to control the tempo of the game well enough which cost us - again failing to keep controlled possession until last ten when they fell back to their eighteen yard box to defend their lead.  Was that down to papy not having the physicality to do that?  Or others not showing for the next pass quickly enough ? Or players not having the confidence to make the first time pass which opens up the space faster ?

 

brendan has a habit of not dissing his team Publicly and saying that things look fine in games when they perhaps don’t - he isn’t going to change that ... he knows where the shortcomings are ....

For my part I said at HT that we could play a lot better second half and still lose. A lot of fundamentals were wrong. The build-up. The advanced RB. The lack of physicality and pressing from Perez and Maddison. 

 

I'm not sure I'd point at Papy as the weak link. I thought the balance of the line-up was wrong - short on physicality and pace. And the changes were counter-productive, altering the shape instead of addressing the simple issue of a 2-3 players offering bugger all. I didn't think Barnes, as our best attacking threat, needed pressing into a more defensive role. I didn't think Praet was the problem. I didn't think the game was crying out for Youri. Personally I thought we more or less deserved a point in a game where we needed to earn a win.

[Guest SO1]

47 minutes ago, inckley fox said:

I wouldn't get carried away. It's a poor run but we're in a tremendous position. For now at least (if we start to slip towards 7th and 8th by the end of the season, there'll be serious questions).

 

The concerns about Rodgers are what they are. That what worked in Scotland won't work in England. That he only plays one way, and that way had been sussed in the past. His team-building.

 

And right now the laboured, over-elaborate build-up, together with the very advanced full backs and a lightweight midfield which is low on physicality but high on flair, looks like a fairly straightforward proposition for opponents. If Plan A doesn't work, try it again with three at the back, or two up top.

 

But this is where we separate the O'Neills and Pearsons from the Peter Taylors, who fleetingly thrived as competent coaches rectifying minor chinks in someone else's team, while simultaneously creating new problems of their own. For all his screw-ups of late, I wouldn't for a second want to compare Rodgers with an incompetent like Taylor, and if he approaches our current predicament with a more open mind I'm certain we can get it back together. 

 

That said, it's worrying to hear him say that our performance was good today and we deserved the win. He needs to be clear on why that's a dumb thing to say.

He pointed out the goals and what the mistakes were in detail in the 9 min presser after the game. Rodgers will never ever say something in public to question our players or their commitment. Its Rodgers and the team against the world. Our players confidence and ability is all that matters to him.

Ultimately your and my opinions mean nothing in Brendan's World.

[inckley fox]

21 minutes ago, SO1 said:

He pointed out the goals and what the mistakes were in detail in the 9 min presser after the game. Rodgers will never ever say something in public to question our players or their commitment. Its Rodgers and the team against the world. Our players confidence and ability is all that matters to him.

Ultimately your and my opinions mean nothing in Brendan's World.

If our opinions and speculation mean nothing then let's just shut the whole forum down, stick to what whoever the manager is says, go along with that and be done with it.

 

I don't expect him to dig anyone out. But before you credit him with sticking by his troops it's worth acknowledging that he actually did a lot in his post-match interviews to open up criticisms of the team. He said the performance as a whole wasn't a problem (which it was, whether he likes it or not) but individual errors, such as the failure to track a runner for one of the goals (easily traceable to an individual), was. He also failed to shut down the questions over Hamza and Chilwell. Again, this inevitably leads people to question individuals, and diverts attention from some of his own decision-making.

 

If it was his intention to do this, then it directly goes against your point that he's going to stick by his men to the death. If it wasn't his intention, then he lacked a bit of media savvy there.

 

Either way, if the only thing that matters is what Brendan sees with his own two eyes then maybe he needs to adjust his sights. We didn't play well and weren't the better team from start to finish, as he said. Figuring out why that is, rather than bemoaning a bit of poor luck here and there, will be the path forward.

[Guest SO1]

1 hour ago, inckley fox said:

If our opinions and speculation mean nothing then let's just shut the whole forum down, stick to what whoever the manager is says, go along with that and be done with it.

 

I don't expect him to dig anyone out. But before you credit him with sticking by his troops it's worth acknowledging that he actually did a lot in his post-match interviews to open up criticisms of the team. He said the performance as a whole wasn't a problem (which it was, whether he likes it or not) but individual errors, such as the failure to track a runner for one of the goals (easily traceable to an individual), was. He also failed to shut down the questions over Hamza and Chilwell. Again, this inevitably leads people to question individuals, and diverts attention from some of his own decision-making.

 

If it was his intention to do this, then it directly goes against your point that he's going to stick by his men to the death. If it wasn't his intention, then he lacked a bit of media savvy there.

 

Either way, if the only thing that matters is what Brendan sees with his own two eyes then maybe he needs to adjust his sights. We didn't play well and weren't the better team from start to finish, as he said. Figuring out why that is, rather than bemoaning a bit of poor luck here and there, will be the path forward.

Why? You have every right to your opinion. There's an art to doing public relations and that's his job.

Whether or not he knows how to do that job is pure speculation on the part of both of us.

[Tielemans63]

Delighted for Brendan tonight. Keeps the Football Managers quiet for a bit.