I believe every other top manager around last year would have won the title with us, but because we had in charge such an inexperienced one, we fu**ed up when it mattered the most, and where we should have used the brain, settling for a 0-0 draw against Chelsea, not chasing the game like we needed to recover a lead, Gerrard's slip wouldn't have happened if we had a defender covering him and not playing with the defence 40 yards from our goal.
You can believe what you want, but no coach can possibly legislate for the freak incident against Chelsea 12 months ago. These things happen in football, unfortunately it happened at the worst possible time from our pov.
Against most sides, you can even recover from such an incident, but against a side stuffed with world class players it's that bit harder. But you couldn't really lose that day tbh. If we win the game, we move on to Palace and go again. If we set up to win it and lose, you say we should have gone for a point. If we set up for a point and invite their world class superstars to walk all over a team that can't defend, you then announce to us that Rodgers has torn up a winning formula and "bottled it". Whatever the outcome, he can't win.
My view is we got into a league winning position playing free flowing attacking football. So to tear it all up with three games to go, would have guaranteed a loss from the ko rather than just before half time. Which do you prefer folks?
Thing is though, there are some who are just hell bent on being right. Say something against him and you want Rafa Benitez back and have always wanted Rafa Benitez back. Usually from the one poster on the forum who is more obsessed with Benitez than any body. You know who you are
The voice of reason.
Rodgers has done some lovely stuff but he also done some horrendous stuff but what's fresh in my mind is the lack of steel in our team over the last month or so when it has really mattered. The lack of tactical nouse is fresh as is his ability to talk far too much and say stuff that you just know is going to come back and bite him on the arse.
I'd love him to stay and get it right but there is a niggling feeling that he hit his peak last season.
I'd be lying if I said that Jürgen Klopp hasn't turned my head when I think of his obvious qualities and Rodgers' lack of trophies and European experience.
He will probably avoid the sack, and assuming he does, it's down to how he did last season and last season alone.
Even if he didn't, talk of Klopp coming is cloud cuckooland stuff. The next lackey to put up with the cowboys allegedly "running" this place, will be the cheapest one they can find. They're business people, not football people, and 5 years on, they still only understand the bottom line, not the white line.
Their goal remains as it did then, make the top 4, nothing more. In the meantime, players have cast their judgement. Torres, Suarez, Gerrard, Carragher; to name a few are fed up with the lack of ambition and have decided to bugger off. Sterling wants to, Skrtel hasn't made up his mind yet. The policy is to buy players to sell on rather than build a team, keep it together, and get the results. Now they can summon him off to Boston to hand him his P45 and get another skivvy to consolidate 5th spot next season, and dress it up as "progress", but they sacked a proven winner with a second choice replacement, and no replacement for Rodgers could do any better living under the conditions the bunch of yankers set for him.
Back to Rodgers. The cup semi was a complete embarrassment on his part, culminating in the declaration that the "occasion got to the players". It did no such thing. Did the occasion get to Bradford at Chelsea? Or Reading against Arsenal? Or Wimbledon? Or Bolton? Or Blackburn? If the occasion got to anyone, it got to him. I'm used to us in semi finals and playing at Wembley, so to me anyway, it was a run of the mill cup semi final. Villa may be a bogey side, but changing tactics three times to no avail, suggests he should ask who really bore the responsibility for the outcome.
Atm we're a shambles on and off the pitch. Rodgers will take the stick but the real problem is in America, not Anfield.