I have defended the man when I felt he got undue stick. I also would defend his record at the club to a lot who think he's been terrible. After yesterdays result, its tough to look at the players in the dressing room or the manager and not feel overwhelming disappointment, again, at how we've ended a season. Now, last season was very different. A few games away from a league title, pressure hits, and we fell away. Having not experienced the run-in like that before, it was almost understandable. To finish our season in the league with 5 losses in our last 9, and only 8 points from those 27. 3 wins from those 5 losses would have given us a CL spot.
I spoke a few weeks back with a graph showing the clubs general progression under BR. Where the run of results fell in line with the general progress, that has now fallen a fair bit below that expected progress. 1 point from the next 9 games makes a big impact, especially when we'd be level on points with Utd if we hadn't drawn with West Brom, and lost to both Palace and Stoke (games we'd be looking at thinking 3 points a pop.)
Now a terrible end to the season is just that, but its clear to see the worry in some fans. With options available to replace him in the market, most minds are made up. While I still believe Rodgers can and would turn it around, I find it difficult to judge whether FSG will show trust or target someone new. Under FSG, there are some question marks. The transfer committee has spent a lot of money with apparent minimal quality. I'd disagree subjectively, but we could have spent money more wisely last summer. Not a single player settled before Christmas... that is a huge problem, and it would be easy to have that in mind looking at the start of next season.
Rodgers makes some bizarre comments in the press at times, but at times has shown that his self-confidence needs to be honed in. He looks stupid for saying that spending £100m means you should be expected to challenge for a title. He looks idiotic when we play poorly and bigs the players up as being outstanding. He spoke of how it is incredibly more difficult to attract players when out of the biggest competition, despite Utd signing Falcao, Di Maria, Herrera and Blind. He suggested that nobody is better than him for the job, when we've ended the season like this. He also spoke of not getting too carried away by winning in the same vein as not too much disappointment at losing, despite at one point this season targetting 2nd place after a 1-0 win against Swansea.
But with FSG at the helm, it is unlikely that they will remove the committee altogether. Despite suggestions of bad signings, a lot of players still retain very high value. The problem lies with two main areas to me, and FSG may have given them the positions, but they are less to blame than Rodgers and the committee. Rodgers' squad is good enough to have been able to get into the CL. Our poor end of season form manipulates the truth, that our start to the season put us too far behind, and in truth, that had a huge effect on our energy at the end of the year. Scouting players, it seems, isn't the issue. Willian, Costa, Sanchez are but three players we attempted to sign and have proven to be good and great PL players. The problem is getting over the line with deals, and being able to convince them that the project at the club can yield success.
It is for that reason that Rodgers and Ayre's positions SHOULD be under more scrutiny than the scouting members on the board.
Last season, we should have aimed higher. Lovren and Lallana, while good players, were overpaid for by the committee in order to adjust and settle into the team more readily, and that failed. Balotelli should never have been seen as a striker able to lead the line on his own. Markovic came in with some expectation to make an impression, but he has been lost behind all the bad form and seems unable to break through like we'd have hoped, and most fans of his, would have expected.
It is left to players like Moreno and Can to impress because of their lesser fees, but buying "near" top quality for big fees is looking like it is always set up to fail.
If Rodgers remains, and it is still possible he will, I think the humiliating end to the season will knock him back a little, and that can only be a good thing. He is clearly a good coach, and clearly has tactical nouse (even if mid-game that wanes with substitutions), and if anyone is able to balance signing young players and getting the best out of them, Can, Coutinho, Flanagan, Sturridge, Henderson and Sterling are prime examples of what working with Rodgers can attain.
So is Rodgers just a good coach? Klopp is seen to be too much of a "coach" and too "independent" to work at Madrid, and he appears to be looking for a team that can offer a good position to impress from. Expectations are incredibly high at Napoli and Real, and he has proven to be suited to longer terms at clubs with a rebuilding job, with opportunity to build and sign players under a sporting director, and so isn't averse to working with others on signing players and picking targets...
He IS a bigger name. He IS wanted by clubs. He IS a manager that suits bringing through young players. Klopp is more experienced and achieved more, and it is that, that makes him a better candidate for the Liverpool job than Rodgers. If a manager like Klopp wasn't available, I'd suggest sticking by Rodgers for another season and giving him a chance. Right now, I'm more over the fence and think maybe Klopp is worth sacking Rodgers for. If we can't get him though, I worry for the alternatives. I don't doubt Rodgers potential, but right now, it is potential in the entire club, and we need something justifiable right now to bring the fans and club together as one. Rodgers' "outstanding" naivity has most probably cost him the job, rather than the results at the end of this season.
