SOCCER SPORT !

[Steppy]

Liverpool can't spend like Chelsea, Man. U, City or even Arsenal(when they choose to).

They are trying to make up the shortfall by having a manager who can develop young players that don't cost much. He might lack tactical ability but Rodgers can do that as well as anyone.
If they sack him, they'll need another manager in that mould. But who does that better at a price Liverpool will pay?

Rodgers is part of a longterm plan and things will have to go a lot worse (they have the 5th most expensive squad and will probably finish 5th) than they have before he gets the boot.

You're right of course, other than Jurgen Klopp I can't think of any other manager I would want to run the club, and I don't think he would want to come to a non-champions league club.

Its just frustrating to watch a decline like this, although I would be happy to see the back of Raheem Sterling for £60m or so, he's overrated.

[Raza]

You're right of course, other than Jurgen Klopp I can't think of any other manager I would want to run the club, and I don't think he would want to come to a non-champions league club.

Its just frustrating to watch a decline like this, although I would be happy to see the back of Raheem Sterling for £60m or so, he's overrated.

He is currently managing a relegation zone Dortmund....

[Steppy]

True but if he left Dortmund he would pretty much have any number of suitors and could choose any club he wanted, it saddens me to say it, but I don't think Liverpool are one of them

[93EXCivic]

I find it hard to believe Liverpool would fire Rodgers and I can't help but think it would kinda stupid.

It is always going to be hard to finish in the top four when you have clubs with the spending power of Man U, Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Sure you lost to Arsenal and Man U recently but both of those were going to be difficult games and Liverpool was on a long winning streak before that.

[shameless]

I find it hard to believe Liverpool would fire Rodgers and I can't help but think it would kinda stupid.

It is always going to be hard to finish in the top four when you have clubs with the spending power of Man U, Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Sure you lost to Arsenal and Man U recently but both of those were going to be difficult games and Liverpool was on a long winning streak before that.

they won't fire Rodgers -not this summer anyway -they had better get a contract with Henderson sorted out soon though !never mind Sterling !

[Steppy]

I'd happily lose Sterling for a good fee, he's nothing more than a pace merchant kick-and-run Theo Walcott type player. Losing Henderson however, would be unforgivable and a major setback to the team

[Raza]

I'd happily lose Sterling for a good fee, he's nothing more than a pace merchant kick-and-run Theo Walcott type player. Losing Henderson however, would be unforgivable and a major setback to the team

No Score Sterl can go for whatever inflated price they'll get for him. But Henderson makes us tick. It's telling that our tail off last season was in line with his suspension due to red card.

My biggest issues with Rodgers are as follows:

1. He buys Balotelli and has been too negative with him. Luis Suarez didn't turn from talent to superstar by Rodgers going on TV and saying he doesn't fit our system.

2. He doesn't give Balotelli enough of a chance. He wasn't even on the bench at Emirates and after his passionate, although bordering reckless, performance against United should have earned him a start. Sterling fails time and time again in front of goal, but he continues to get chances. And a vacation.

3. He insists on playing Sterling playing up front, when the kid has no instinct for it. Watch him. He likes to go wide in the box, and without a real striker, there's no one in there in the middle to receive a pass.

4. He talks up Sterling like he's the greatest player to ever live, contributing to his inflated ego and price tag.

5. He said the negotiations, interest by Arsenal, and the BBC interview were distractions, but played him anyway, out of position. Why?

6. Doesn't spend a penny shoring up the striker position, knowing that Sturridge has had injury problems all year, but rather wants to shoehorn a winger into the position. This is his biggest failing.

7. Sterling is not a striker. No instinct for it. He's very small, too, which means he's not going to pick a ball out of the air and he may fall short on a lateral pass (like Markovic's) because of his tiny little child legs. Didn't we already have a small, quick, and ineffective striker last season? But since he is Spanish and not English, he gets (rightfully) shipped out, and Sterling gets to turn down a huge raise. It leaves us with quick, twinkle-toed wingers who can't exercise the option to cross into the box, making the attack too predictable, since we always have to go down the middle to attack.

8. Borini was his guy. Brought him in. Doesn't give him a chance, even though he scored double digits at Sunderland last season from a left wing position. Borini has shown nothing but passion and high work rate whenever he is included. He's not Sterling quick, but he's not slow, so he fits the system, "unlike" Balotelli, and definitely unlike Lambert, who is most useful as one of two strikers in our system. He should be able to get on the end of a cross though.

9. He tends to make only future purchases and never right now purchases, which need to balanced.


I'm not saying he HAS to go, but I wouldn't shed too many tears if he gets cut (assuming we don't have a favorable end to the season).

[Steppy]

No Score Sterl can go for whatever inflated price they'll get for him. But Henderson makes us tick. It's telling that our tail off last season was in line with his suspension due to red card.

My biggest issues with Rodgers are as follows:

1. He buys Balotelli and has been too negative with him. Luis Suarez didn't turn from talent to superstar by Rodgers going on TV and saying he doesn't fit our system.

2. He doesn't give Balotelli enough of a chance. He wasn't even on the bench at Emirates and after his passionate, although bordering reckless, performance against United should have earned him a start. Sterling fails time and time again in front of goal, but he continues to get chances. And a vacation.

3. He insists on playing Sterling playing up front, when the kid has no instinct for it. Watch him. He likes to go wide in the box, and without a real striker, there's no one in there in the middle to receive a pass.

4. He talks up Sterling like he's the greatest player to ever live, contributing to his inflated ego and price tag.

5. He said the negotiations, interest by Arsenal, and the BBC interview were distractions, but played him anyway, out of position. Why?

6. Doesn't spend a penny shoring up the striker position, knowing that Sturridge has had injury problems all year, but rather wants to shoehorn a winger into the position. This is his biggest failing.

7. Sterling is not a striker. No instinct for it. He's very small, too, which means he's not going to pick a ball out of the air and he may fall short on a lateral pass (like Markovic's) because of his tiny little child legs. Didn't we already have a small, quick, and ineffective striker last season? But since he is Spanish and not English, he gets (rightfully) shipped out, and Sterling gets to turn down a huge raise. It leaves us with quick, twinkle-toed wingers who can't exercise the option to cross into the box, making the attack too predictable, since we always have to go down the middle to attack.

8. Borini was his guy. Brought him in. Doesn't give him a chance, even though he scored double digits at Sunderland last season from a left wing position. Borini has shown nothing but passion and high work rate whenever he is included. He's not Sterling quick, but he's not slow, so he fits the system, "unlike" Balotelli, and definitely unlike Lambert, who is most useful as one of two strikers in our system. He should be able to get on the end of a cross though.

9. He tends to make only future purchases and never right now purchases, which need to balanced.


I'm not saying he HAS to go, but I wouldn't shed too many tears if he gets cut (assuming we don't have a favorable end to the season).

9 Good points there (just to confirm you don't think Sterling is a striker? ) and you didn't mention his huge deficiencies when it comes to defensive management - which would probably lead to 9 more points! Just shows how many issues there are!

He has shown no tactical acumen at all when it comes to defense coaching. We would've won the league last year if the defence was at least half competent. Last season Sturridge and Suarez made up for the hopeless defence - this year that has not happened.

What annoys me is that he's failed with a 4 man defence (which is standard in all successful teams) so his solution was a 5 man defence which he's failing at as well, we are still shipping goals with schoolboy errors happening every game. No work has been done on the defence, he just bumped up the numbers. And yet still he refuses to take on any sort of defence coach. Its this sort of stubbornness that gets managers sacked.

[GaryF]

No Score Sterl can go for whatever inflated price they'll get for him. But Henderson makes us tick. It's telling that our tail off last season was in line with his suspension due to red card.

My biggest issues with Rodgers are as follows:

1. He buys Balotelli and has been too negative with him. Luis Suarez didn't turn from talent to superstar by Rodgers going on TV and saying he doesn't fit our system.

2/3. He doesn't give Balotelli enough of a chance. He wasn't even on the bench at Emirates and after his passionate, although bordering reckless, performance against United should have earned him a start. Sterling fails time and time again in front of goal, but he continues to get chances. And a vacation.

3. He insists on playing Sterling playing up front, when the kid has no instinct for it. Watch him. He likes to go wide in the box, and without a real striker, there's no one in there in the middle to receive a pass.

4. He talks up Sterling like he's the greatest player to ever live, contributing to his inflated ego and price tag.

5. He said the negotiations, interest by Arsenal, and the BBC interview were distractions, but played him anyway, out of position. Why?

6. Doesn't spend a penny shoring up the striker position, knowing that Sturridge has had injury problems all year, but rather wants to shoehorn a winger into the position. This is his biggest failing.

7. Sterling is not a striker. No instinct for it. He's very small, too, which means he's not going to pick a ball out of the air and he may fall short on a lateral pass (like Markovic's) because of his tiny little child legs. Didn't we already have a small, quick, and ineffective striker last season? But since he is Spanish and not English, he gets (rightfully) shipped out, and Sterling gets to turn down a huge raise. It leaves us with quick, twinkle-toed wingers who can't exercise the option to cross into the box, making the attack too predictable, since we always have to go down the middle to attack.

8. Borini was his guy. Brought him in. Doesn't give him a chance, even though he scored double digits at Sunderland last season from a left wing position. Borini has shown nothing but passion and high work rate whenever he is included. He's not Sterling quick, but he's not slow, so he fits the system, "unlike" Balotelli, and definitely unlike Lambert, who is most useful as one of two strikers in our system. He should be able to get on the end of a cross though.

9. He tends to make only future purchases and never right now purchases, which need to balanced.


I'm not saying he HAS to go, but I wouldn't shed too many tears if he gets cut (assuming we don't have a favorable end to the season).

1) I think he's tried every trick in the book to get Balotelli firing, including piling public pressure on him (as has his agent who knows him as well as anyone). I don't think I've ever seen a player so unwilling or unable to take on instruction, though. Run into space. Just run into space behind the defender in front of you. How hard is that? The only time he does it seems to be when his defender is that last man and he'll be offside.

Plus, Balotelli renders any other movement up front a waste of time. Every defender in the country knows that they don't need to track their runners because Mario isn't going to use them. 9 times out of 10, he's going to blast a shot from where he is. Get in front of Balotelli and you've stopped the whole attack.

2) Sterling is switched on. He listens and has a good tactical brain (on the pitch, at least. Let's not talk about his PR instincts). Sterling is (maybe was) his project and young players like that benefit from experiencing a few different positions. How many did Gerrard play in his early days?
Yeah, Sterling should probably be a number 10 but he isn't as good at that as Coutinho and Rodgers is trying to accommodate Lallana, too.

4). Yeah. Totally.

5)Because he has to. If he leaves Sterling out, the media frenzy gets even worse, particularly if they lose.

6) Again, totally. That was poor though I don't know how much of it can be put at Rodgers's door.

7) I think Sterling is better than you are giving him credit for. And getting crosses into the box is the antithesis of the style of football we're trying to play. That's all Manquillo was doing and we never looked like scoring from it even with Mario and/or Lambert playing up front.

8) Agreed!!

9) Agreed but with the caveat that Rodgers has said several times that he needs seasoned players sprinkled through the squad and it looks like the transfer committee aren't playing. They did go hard after Sanchez but that seems to be the only time and they blew it then.

[Raza]

9 Good points there (just to confirm you don't think Sterling is a striker? ) and you didn't mention his huge deficiencies when it comes to defensive management - which would probably lead to 9 more points! Just shows how many issues there are!

He has shown no tactical acumen at all when it comes to defense coaching. We would've won the league last year if the defence was at least half competent. Last season Sturridge and Suarez made up for the hopeless defence - this year that has not happened.

What annoys me is that he's failed with a 4 man defence (which is standard in all successful teams) so his solution was a 5 man defence which he's failing at as well, we are still shipping goals with schoolboy errors happening every game. No work has been done on the defence, he just bumped up the numbers. And yet still he refuses to take on any sort of defence coach. Its this sort of stubbornness that gets managers sacked.

Oh yeah, defense. How could I forget?