Rodgers due respect

[Strokes]

24 minutes ago, UpTheLeagueFox said:

Just out of interest, which players would you have brought in in January (they would have to be available, the right price, willing to play second fiddle to the regular first teamers etc) and which players would you have taken out of the PL and UEL squads to accommodate them?

Eduoard would have been a good signing and the Brazilian lad from Porto (who’s name eludes me) would have strengthened the squad.

I think both would have been cup tied for Europa but with Gray and Slimani going there was space in the Premier League squad.

[Tielemans63]

2 hours ago, dayday said:

Worst excuse in football, play crap blame fatigue 

I played semi-professionally for 5 years and I can tell you that fatigue is 100% a thing. I played in games when I've felt like I'm running through treacle from minute 1. It's horrible.

 

I'd just add that when you play at that level you can hear pretty much everything the crowd say if you allow yourself too. When you're playing out of position and / or playing with an injury and some fat twat who wouldn't get into his local pub team tells you you're shit and your attitude stinks....it's infuriating. Some don't seem to be able to get their head around the fact that you can lose and the attitude be spot on. Losing doesn't automatically mean poor attitude. 

Edited 28 February 2021 by Paddy.

[dayday]

1 minute ago, Hales said:

Of course they are not going to be as tired at the start of a match but as a game goes on of course they get more tired! Fatigue is different from just being tired too. They have been playing 2 games a week, travelling abroad and hardly having any recovery time, zero training and hardly a day off.  There is minimal rotation (an example Youri - Madders and Dennis both out so he is having to play every game) How on earth is it not a factor?!!!

We made 5 changes today, so there is no excuse to sit back and defend from the 7th minute.

 

Try and get the second then bring on your Choudhurys and Mendys of this world to shut up shop.

 

You can blame fatigue, but I expected more.

 

 

[Dames]

I’d understand a lot of peoples arguments in this thread if Rodgers didnt rest a fair few players against Slavia with today in mind.

 

Its backfired and the team looked completely shot, the tactics after going ahead were wrong. Thats on the manager and he has to improve. 
 

He’s been great overall the past two years but he keeps making the same mistakes over and over again and expecting different results. As soon as we come to the real pressure, league or cup, he reverts to this contain and hold mentality which is completely the opposite to what has got the team to the position they are in.

 

If he blows top 4 again he can’t consider himself elite. He’s a very good manager, good enough for us but its starting to seem for the second year running that he’s not someone whos going to get the players running through walls when the pressure is on.

 

I really hope i’m wrong though.

[Hales]

2 minutes ago, Paddy. said:

I played semi-professionally for 5 years and I can tell you that fatigue is 100% a thing. I played in games when I've felt like I'm running through treacle from minute 1. It's horrible.

Exactly. Being fatigued is not "just being tired" They are human beings. I genuinely felt for them today 😔

Edited 28 February 2021 by Hales

[Col city fan]

On 26/02/2021 at 17:36, Col city fan said:

I still find Rodgers hard to work out. We still seem to play either very very well, or garbage.

I pretty much knew last night that once we went a goal down, we were never getting back in the game. This seems a common theme (I don’t know if it IS, it just seems it)

There doesn’t seem to be much plan B. If plan A works it works brilliantly. If it doesn’t, we look lost.

But I guess his hands are tied. As a club, I reckon we’re nearly broke. Any further cash injections I’m guessing would have to come straight from the Thais, and I suppose they’ve suffered financially during Covid.

My opinion is that we are punching above our weight and big time. Chelsea went out and paid a kings ransom for players last year. Apparently the kid from Leverkusen is ‘earning’ north of 300k per week. Man City will buy who they wish and I’m convinced Utd will get Haaland in the summer. 
Financially we can’t compete.

So Rodgers has done a pretty much amazing job.

BUT.. every so often we churn out a performance that has us all scratching our heads. Last night we couldn’t even blame ‘Ndidi not being in the team’. 
It’s perplexing and I still worry about what we did last season. We literally collapsed and crashed and burned out of the CL.

Losing Maddison is a big blow. For all the criticism he gets on here, he’s class and a game changer.

It’s gonna be interesting now. What I know we can’t do is to rely too much on the ‘squad’. Our first team is excellent, our ‘squad’ isn’t. Again, a feature I guess of our financial position.

Today was one such performance 

[Corky]

They have had a hectic schedule. Injuries piling up. That naturally means the players left are feeling the strain and the ones brought in aren't of the same quality.

 

It's about results now. If we win 1-0 with a fluky goal, it doesn't matter.

[foxfanazer]

Just now, Corky said:

They have had a hectic schedule. Injuries piling up. That naturally means the players left are feeling the strain and the ones brought in aren't of the same quality.

 

It's about results now. If we win 1-0 with a fluky goal, it doesn't matter.

Yeah performances are irrelevant now. Although I can't help but think we're not a club ready to regularly play in Europe. I'm not necessarily saying our injury crisis is directly linked to the EL but it must've added some strain. 

[Royston.]

It reminds me of football manager when your best players all get injured and you arent really playing to win anymore, just trying to keep players relatively fit.

 

 

[foxfanazer]

Just now, Royston. said:

It reminds me of football manager when your best players all get injured and you arent really playing to win anymore, just trying to keep players relatively fit.

 

 

Can we go on holiday until May? 

[Larry_LCFC]

I will support BR for now, despite his obvious flaws. But if we bottle the top 4 again this season, he is done as far as I'm concerned. Once is bad enough, twice is unacceptable from the positions we find ourselves in.

[Jazzy_Jeff]

Rodgers deserves lots of credit. We’ve had horrendous injuries for 12 months now but we’ve got on with it.

 

He doesn’t use it an excuse when many other managers would. 
 

We play in the most demanding league in the world (in a shorter season than normal) so bound to have a dip.

 

get through these 2 games then a week off with an international break not far behind 

[Jazzy_Jeff]

2 minutes ago, Larry_LCFC said:

I will support BR for now, despite his obvious flaws. But if we bottle the top 4 again this season, he is done as far as I'm concerned. Once is bad enough, twice is unacceptable from the positions we find ourselves in.

Ridiculous post. 
 

He’s worked wonders. Wouldn’t swap him for any other manager in the league. 

[Corky]

3 minutes ago, Larry_LCFC said:

I will support BR for now, despite his obvious flaws. But if we bottle the top 4 again this season, he is done as far as I'm concerned. Once is bad enough, twice is unacceptable from the positions we find ourselves in.

Who do we get in who is better?

[volpeazzurro]

27 minutes ago, Strokes said:

Eduoard would have been a good signing and the Brazilian lad from Porto (who’s name eludes me) would have strengthened the squad.

I think both would have been cup tied for Europa but with Gray and Slimani going there was space in the Premier League squad.

And you're sure they'd sell them in the middle of their season? Do you think it worth paying something like possibly 30m ransome for an unproven Edouard as opposed to possibly 15m in the summer? It's a business first and foremost and that's poor business. We'll just have to see whether Rodgers even rates him. Look at what we've usually spent each year without selling a main asset and you'd have spent approaching 2yrs money potentially on 2 players when you could get them for next to nothing in the summer. Celtic were still competing then also.

[Fox92]

33 minutes ago, Paddy. said:

I played semi-professionally for 5 years and I can tell you that fatigue is 100% a thing. I played in games when I've felt like I'm running through treacle from minute 1. It's horrible.

I do agree with you but the difference is in Sunday league you don't have access to World Class facilities and a World Class training ground.

 

Football league clubs have worse fixture congestion, and with that less money and nowhere near the standard of facilities that we/PL clubs have access too.

 

The issue is our strength in depth. Arsenal made 6 changes but did we really notice? They have good players that can come in and replace the likes of Saka. We haven't got that, we have the likes of Fuchs on the bench. Not one attacking option really. 

 

Fatigue is a thing but I don't want to hear it from the manager. 

[Larry_LCFC]

12 minutes ago, Jazzy_Jeff said:

Ridiculous post. 
 

He’s worked wonders. Wouldn’t swap him for any other manager in the league. 

Its not though is it? We have already blown the Europa this season having lost our top 4 spot last season from an almost certain position. We have worked hard to get ourselves back to that position this season and we need to carry through with it.

What is the point of sitting in the top 4 all season just to bottle it when the going gets tough? Winning the title was totally unrealistic but BR has the experience to keep us in the top 4. If he doesn't, its just another failed season and repeat of last.

 

It is time for him to show why he is considered one of the best in the Premier League.

[casablancas]

Time for top and Rudders to back him in the market. Not sure where the dong will come from but we need bodies and some qualitee. 

Edited 28 February 2021 by casablancas

[casablancas]

1 minute ago, Larry_LCFC said:

Its not though is it? We have already blown the Europa this season having lost our top 4 spot last season from an almost certain position. We have worked hard to get ourselves back to that position this season and we need to carry through with it.

What is the point of sitting in the top 4 all season just to bottle it when the going gets tough? Winning the title was totally unrealistic but BR has the experience to keep us in the top 4. If he doesn't, its just another failed season and repeat of last.

 

It is time for him to show why he is considered one of the best in the Premier League.

So you want rid and you want who to replace him? 

[Chocolate Teapot]

3 minutes ago, casablancas said:

Time for top and Rudders to back him in the market. Not sure where the dong will come from but we need bodies and some qualitee. 

If we don't make the top 4 and he gets offered a bigger job he won't be here. Not backing him I'm the summer was a mistake in my opinion.

[majaco]

Rodgers seems to be doing a good job.  There are not many clubs where the supporters would think they are in a better position.  Injuries in a hectic schedule are inevitable; we have been more unlucky than most, perhaps all.

 

 

[Larry_LCFC]

I don't want rid. I want him to guide us through this rocky patch like the professional manager that he is. 

Dropping out of the top 4 for two consecutive seasons in the final few games would rightly have to raise some questions of whether he can take this squad any further.

[CosbehFox]

9 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

I do agree with you but the difference is in Sunday league you don't have access to World Class facilities and a World Class training ground.

 

Football league clubs have worse fixture congestion, and with that less money and nowhere near the standard of facilities that we/PL clubs have access too.

 

The issue is our strength in depth. Arsenal made 6 changes but did we really notice? They have good players that can come in and replace the likes of Saka. We haven't got that, we have the likes of Fuchs on the bench. Not one attacking option really. 

 

Fatigue is a thing but I don't want to hear it from the manager. 

You are complete ignoring that FL clubs don’t play at anyway near the same pace as the top level - and it’s all comparable to what Paddy is describing. 
 

PL clubs do have those training grounds but they are playing at a pace of speed which is absolutely far above. 
 

 

[Jazzy_Jeff]

4 minutes ago, Larry_LCFC said:

Its not though is it? We have already blown the Europa this season having lost our top 4 spot last season from an almost certain position. We have worked hard to get ourselves back to that position this season and we need to carry through with it.

What is the point of sitting in the top 4 all season just to bottle it when the going gets tough? Winning the title was totally unrealistic but BR has the experience to keep us in the top 4. If he doesn't, its just another failed season and repeat of last.

 

It is time for him to show why he is considered one of the best in the Premier League.

We need to be realistic about where we should be. We do not have the funds and draw of the Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Chelsea and potentially others. Our title win has masked the fact that we are working ourselves towards being in the elite group - we are not there yet. The best way of getting there is to grow at a steady pace and build a strong squad over time by using our outstanding academy and good value purchases. 
 

Are we in a better place now than two years ago when he took over? 100%. Would we have had this stumble if all of our players we fit. I strongly doubt it.

 

I believe in what he is trying to do and I want him here as long as possible. I genuinely believe he can cement our place in the elite if we give him the time and reasonable resource 

[Larry_LCFC]

7 minutes ago, Jazzy_Jeff said:

We need to be realistic about where we should be. We do not have the funds and draw of the Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Chelsea and potentially others. Our title win has masked the fact that we are working ourselves towards being in the elite group - we are not there yet. The best way of getting there is to grow at a steady pace and build a strong squad over time by using our outstanding academy and good value purchases. 
 

Are we in a better place now than two years ago when he took over? 100%. Would we have had this stumble if all of our players we fit. I strongly doubt it.

 

I believe in what he is trying to do and I want him here as long as possible. I genuinely believe he can cement our place in the elite if we give him the time and reasonable resource 

I agree Brendan has built one of the best squads we have ever had. Arguably on paper better than the title winning squad. But we need to be realistic, is our current squad capable of a title win? I don't think so. Capable of top 4? I would say yes. Are we likely to invest significantly in the next 12 months? Probably not. We have got what we have got and we need to achieve something with it because we have some absolute quality players that we need to keep.

 

Its frustrating because I genuinely think we can finish in the top 4 this season with BR in charge if we put our minds to it. Last season was a gutting way to finish. A repeat of it would just be going round in circles.