Brendan Rodgers (Liverpool -> Celtic -> Leicester)

Rodgers will get us in the top 4 this season. He knows what he is doing.

Nice to see you quoting me and totally removing all context, the context being that I was addressing a Martin Skrtel backpass as opposed to the overall performance of the team.

Again, take your Chavski/rent boy supporting brain of yours and apply it to the place you really love - the Shed End forums. You can talk about your experience of the only Liverpool game you've ever seen live (incidentally at Stamford Bridge) and w*nk yourself silly over Mourinho and his men and defend their racist fans like you defended them on here.

Yes, lets not forget all that Chelsea praise and defence for their racist fans. How he hasn't been banned yet for proving himself to be a troll is amazing.

Anyway, back on topic, but what does everyone think of Brendan's new backroom team?

I'll admit, I was incredibly underwhelmed with O' Driscoll's signing on the night he was appointed. Such irrational pettiness gave way however when I read up on him, and I think he's a guy who deserves his chance here and I do think he can genuinely offer alternative opinion to Brendan. There is a Guardian article I will try and fish out about him.

I was listening to The Anfield Wrap (a recent edition from the lasst few weeks), and they were suggesting that, privately with Borini being shown the door and Allen struggling to get in the first XI, Rodgers pretty much owns up to some of his signings in 2012 as being incapable of the bigger step up (however, they were sympathetic to the fact there were no scouts at Liverpool and that ex-managers usually bring with them players from previous clubs anyway).

And it wouldn't at all surprise me if he realised this with coaching where a full on hands on role is fine for smaller clubs, but for bigger clubs and bigger demands, the workload forces managers to delegate to coaches and that the step up to a bigger club means a different way of managing. It wouldn't surprise me if Pascoe and Marsh were men who merely put the cones out in training as opposed to independently minded coaches like O' Driscoll, Linjders and McAllister who offer diverse opinion.

Interesting, echoes what some have said here all along...that Brendan doesn't always have FIRST say on the players that come in, but yes he does have a say so that has to count for something.

Interesting, echoes what some have said here all along...that Brendan doesn't always have FIRST say on the players that come in, but yes he does have a say so that has to count for something.

Is the committee dead now? Looks like Brendan has finally grew some balls.

Is the committee dead now? Looks like Brendan has finally grew some balls.

I don't think it's dead mate just a bit more refined. 

From various reports over the summer Hunter, Fallows and Gordon were more involved in the early approaches to players, rather than Ayre and Joe Gomez came on the recommendation of O'Driscoll who had worked with him in the England setup.  Brendan also seemed to be more involved in the "selling" of his vision for how they'd fit in if they came, rather than meeting them after they'd agreed to sign.

They might only be subtle changes but it certainly seemed like our recruitment process was more streamlined and focused than in previous years.

Just a ridiculous comment from federer.

We have spent over 30 million pounds on a striker to build the foundation of our attacks and he wants to drop him after 90 minutes of the season?

How much time should we try the replacement for? 45 minutes? What if he doesn't work, give 30 minutes to the third choice?

Laughable.

For me, Benteke played OK and took up some good positions. He was solid in the physical stuff and provided an outlet against their press. In addition he showed some great touches and seemed to be developing an understanding with Coutinho and Henderson.

Just a ridiculous comment from federer.

That's not like feduhrer.

Just a ridiculous comment from federer.

We have spent over 30 million pounds on a striker to build the foundation of our attacks and he wants to drop him after 90 minutes of the season?

How much time should we try the replacement for? 45 minutes? What if he doesn't work, give 30 minutes to the third choice?

Laughable.

For me, Benteke played OK and took up some good positions. He was solid in the physical stuff and provided an outlet against their press. In addition he showed some great touches and seemed to be developing an understanding with Coutinho and Henderson.

As you say, Benteke was OK without being spectacular.
It was a solid debut rather than an inspiring one, but it's the first game of the season, he's still getting fit and learning to play with his new team and he still had a decent enough game if you look at it in context.

It was very noticeable that Stoke had to drop deeper and deeper to deal with Benteke, which in turn allowed us to play higher up the pitch (as BR wants us to).
We won't use that tactic against every team, but we will use it against teams who press very aggressively.
It's a long pass rather than a hoof style, and we've used it many times in the past to good effect.

As the season progresses, I'd expect to see us using the 433 that BR likes, more and more in the league.

ok, so you don't think we should learn from playing poorly, as long as we win. 

As long as we win yes.

Last year at Old Trafford we probably put in our best performance of the season, their keeper was named Man of the Match that's how well we played. Yet we lost three F***ing nil. The year before at Anfield, we beat Man United one nil with a goal in the first five minutes and then very little else during the rest of the game.

Give me a sh*t performance and a win over a good performance and defeat any day of the F***ing week.

I absolutely disagree.  Take last season for example.  In March we went away and played terribly at Swansea, but we won 1-0, and afterwards everyone said "oh it doesn't matter how we won, all that matters is THAT we won...."

Absolutely wrong.  The warning signs were there.  It DID matter how we won.  Because it might've been good enough to squeak by Swansea, but if we kept playing like that we would get found out, and very fast.

Lo and behold, it happened.  The next week we lost at Anfield to the Mancs, playing the same sh*te football; the next game we got destroyed 4-1 at Arsenal.  Then in less than a month we got played off the park by Villa in the semi final of the FA Cup while some child named Grealish danced around our midfield.  In that same month we lost to Hull.  Hull.  Who got relegated because they were so sh*te.

Maybe if someone had taken a look at the Swansea game in March and said "okay, we won, but that was NOT good enough and we need to change something ASAP, this won't cut it against the Mancs and Arsenal,"---maybe the results that came afterwards would have been different. 

We lost out on fourth by eight points.  United: 70.  Us: 62.  Just taking those league games I mentioned above---had we beaten the Mancs that would have been a 6 point swing, they would have been on 67 points and us on 63.  Beat Hull and suddenly we're on 66 points.  Draw at Arsenal and we're suddenly level with them for fourth on 67.  Beat Palace at home instead of losing 1-3 and we're on 70 and WE finish fourth.

So yes.  It absolutely matters how poorly we play, even when we win.  If we had cared more about it after the Swansea game then maybe our season would've turned out differently.

In fact, I do agree with what you said Fed. The sooner we get out of gear one, we would be in an advantageous position. Yes, winning convincingly and trounced the opposition is very different from winning 1-0 due to the opposition being poorer than us or that we got lucky.  A world class manager would have turned things round very differently for good in the next game. At this point I'm not sure whether BR has the experience to do just that. We're don't have much cohesion in our play and the players are so compartmentalised and were like silos.

It's winning that counts. If you can also win well playing good football and dominating the opposition so much the better. This gives us and the team confidence going into the next game, but a clean sheet, a win away from home and with a number of our rivals slipping up as a bonus ... it will do me for now.

This is long but I had to do this to dispel some negativity here.

Some posters, select few, here have to realize that BR set up the first half at Stoke for damage-limitation. It was about NOT letting in goals or allowing shots on target. And guess what, we did that!

We played sh*t yes, the plastics did the same on 27Apr14. They were absolutely appalling to watch but they came with a purpose. NOT TO LOSE and taking chances when provided. Maureen told his team, 'This is your day, silence the circus'. They did that for 90 minutes and we did that for 60 minutes. BR's message to our lads would've been on very similar lines. So, if they can do that at the fag end of the season with nothing to lose in terms of the title race, why cant we do it on the opening day of a new season, at a place where we were phenomenally slaughtered 11 weeks back??

Last Saturday was HUGELY built up on the mold of a revenge and give-it-back kinda game. Imagine the egg on our faces had we shipped in a couple of goals in the first half. I can practically put down 25 headlines on how BR must have been sacked, how Lovren must have been sold, how we are sh*t in our transfers again, how FSG should've gone all out for another manager, how they should consider 'refining' the transfer committee, blah blah, etc etc.

If this is how we are gonna set up for all 'big' games and grind out a win, I'm ALL IN for it. And so will everyone. Again, I call this 'big' because of what happened 11 weeks back. Media are already predicting that Maureen would be happy with a point against City this Sunday. But there are some 'fans' here who ALWAYS blow things out of proportion if we enter a game with a 'do-not-lose' mindset.

And there were comparisons to last year's Swansea game and thereafter. Based on the personnel available, I don't think we could've set it up in any other way other than a 3-4-2-1. Sterling already wanted out. Our full backs were sh*te. Central Defense was Titus Bramble. There is only much you can hide under a carpet. The loss to Mancs shattered our confidence before Ozil and Sanchez scored exquisite goals at the Emirates.

Someone said, we didn't "react" to the losses. In fact, we did. We played a 4-3-3 vs Newcastle (Johnson-Can-Lovren-Moreno; Hendo-Lucas-Allen; Ibe-Coutinho-Sterling) and it was one of the most comfortable wins of the season. That was the game when Coutinho played false-9 with Ibe and Sterling either side of him. That actually built up our confidence a bit but the next game at Wembley was a disaster. Again partly because of the personnel who were available. Lucas was injured in the Newcastle game and Stevie was his replacement whose took Ibe's place behind Sterling cos Ibe was cup-tied. Johnson was amazingly sh*te, so Lazar had to come in. Skrtel became available after his red card, so we played a back-3 again cos of the personnel available.

Venturing late into the cup competitions takes the toll on you unless you have a damn good squad (Read: Arsenal 2011). We were hit physically and mentally after the semi final defeat and couldn't capitalize on the Mancs' defeats for that 4th spot. It was just too late. We then played a 4-2-3-1 vs West Brom and a 4-3-3 vs Hull. So, to say we didn't "react" is just the most foolish claim to make. In fact, BR reacted after 45 mins at Swansea and converted to a 3-4-3 diamond that got us the win.

So before anyone complains AGAIN about how pathetic we were last weekend, rattle your brains a bit to consider 'other' factors and then spout your sh*te.  At least, the quantity of sh*te will be comparatively lesser. Bottomline - ALL THAT MATTERS IS 3 POINTS!!

BR showed resolve at Stoke, really went to be solid and organised. Could've ended in 0-0, which wouldn't have been a disaster, but we came away with 1-0. If you defend well and keep a clean sheet, you give yourself a chance.

Different game on Mon. Will he start with same team, except Can for Lallana? I think (hope) so.
Keep it tight initially. Give Benteke time to get a feel for the defense. If needed, bring on Firmino/Lallana/Ings/Origi later on.

These early games, think 'softly softly catchy monkey' is fine.

If you defend well and keep a clean sheet, you give yourself a chance.

Don't think we defended all that well. They had a fair few good chances because we were all over the place, they just didn't take their chances but on another day they would have been goals and I don't think we even mustered a shot on target until the 2nd half did we?

But we did keep a clean though so like you say, give you half a chance.

All I care about at the moment is picking up points, being far more solid at the back, developing some mental toughness and a never say die attitude that is ingrained within the entire squad and back room.

Once that is in place and some proper confidence and resolve return then we can start to move forward and play some more expansive and exciting footy

Don't think we defended all that well. They had a fair few good chances because we were all over the place, they just didn't take their chances but on another day they would have been goals and I don't think we even mustered a shot on target until the 2nd half did we?

But we did keep a clean though so like you say, give you half a chance.

Same could be said of us too...there were a few times we should have had goals and we shot ourselves in the foot. It evens out. Yes there are going to be lapses for every team, what you don't want to see is the same mistakes over and over again and against Stoke we actually didn't seem to be doing that. By no means was I confident in our defense (other than Clyne who I thought was excellent) but a lot of that lack of confidence comes from last year and not anything we've done so far this season.

Same could be said of us too...there were a few times we should have had goals and we shot ourselves in the foot. It evens out. Yes there are going to be lapses for every team, what you don't want to see is the same mistakes over and over again and against Stoke we actually didn't seem to be doing that. By no means was I confident in our defense (other than Clyne who I thought was excellent) but a lot of that lack of confidence comes from last year and not anything we've done so far this season.

Our defence is no good for a couple of seasons allready and we still did not brought in any good CB this season.
I hope Lovren will play a bit better this season and that BR will show a bit more faith in Sakho.I think that Sakho should start against the Bournemouth,but than again every experienced BPL defender could look good against the Bournemouth.

This guy newer lost my trust since the 2013/14 season.I just hope new players will repay us the money that we spent for them and to show that will not be a pure waste of money like Mario was.But there is no more place or time for excuses,this season must to be a better than the last one,we did not won a trophy since 2011/12 season and that is something that needs to be changed.

Now Rodgers spotted at the game Man City vs Chelsea, don't know if he watching any target.
   

Now Rodgers spotted at the game Man City vs Chelsea, don't know if he watching any target.
   

Just popped in to see his mate, Sterling.

Just popped in to see his mate, Sterling.

Just popped in to boo his mate, Sterling.

Just popped in to boo his mate, Sterling.

And cheer for Eva

Now Rodgers spotted at the game Man City vs Chelsea, don't know if he watching any target.
   

And cheer for Eva

Yes! We're signing Eva!