Brendan Rodgers (Liverpool -> Celtic -> Leicester)

I voted Stay myself, though did you want Hodgson to stay? I personally thought he was incredibly disrespectful to the fans in what he said about us, blamed the players, never himself and, classically, threw Torres under the bus after United so he wouldn't have to slate his best mate Ferguson.

No mate, maybe I didn't make myself clear but I said "apart from Roy", that is, I meant he's the only manager in my time as a supporter that I was glad to see gone. All the others, regardless of criticism, made me sad to see leaving the club.

Is that it then?

I was clicking thorough there hoping for a bit more from Mick and Luke about how Welsh Brendan is.

Again, I reaffirm my stance that I want him to stay but on the basis there are major changes, and that would include:

* A larger backroom staff
* A director of football

I've said everything about the benefits of a DOF so no need to say it again. But I hate to say it, but Rene Meulensteen was bang on last year when he said our coaching structure wasn't capable of coping with the demands of Champions League football. Our coaching staff is lightweight and inexperienced at dealing with such demands. Rodgers doesn't help himself by hiring coaches with no experience at all of top level football. The likes of Ferguson delegated and ceded control over many aspects of training to specialist coaches like Quieroz. These were men who offered alternative advice, had experience abroad, and generally challenged opinions of the manager. Likewise, Ayesteran was known for being a thoroughly independent minded coach with Benitez, and he certainly contributed to our organisation as a team, and I think personally, his loss was keenly felt in the immediate aftermath when he left.

The management structure is a team in itself really - there are individuals with different, original ideas who challenge the status quo in order to overcome a stumble, and it was obviously evident in the last season that this management had run out of ideas. Is it any wonder why Ferguson changed coaches now and then on order to meet new challenges?

They say behind every great man is a great woman, so in football, it only applies that behind every great manager is a great coaching staff. And I don't think Liverpool have that. Anything less than these changes, and we won't progress and Rodgers will be sacked.

No mate, maybe I didn't make myself clear but I said "apart from Roy", that is, I meant he's the only manager in my time as a supporter that I was glad to see gone. All the others, regardless of criticism, made me sad to see leaving the club.

Oh damn, apologies Diego, shouldn't have skim read that!

Again, I reaffirm my stance that I want him to stay but on the basis there are major changes, and that would include:

* A larger backroom staf

This is one point I don't agree with and have debated with a few on here in the past. I feel that if you think Brendan needs more help in his backroom staff and changes are needed then there isn't enough faith in his coaching ability, and he is very much a 'coach', for him to continue as manager.

I always said that if I ever lost faith in his ability to coach the side and get the best out of the players that would be it for me and that is where I am now.

This is one point I don't agree with and have debated with a few on here in the past. I feel that if you think Brendan needs more help in his backroom staff and changes are needed then there isn't enough faith in his coaching ability, and he is very much a 'coach', for him to continue as manager.

I always said that if I ever lost faith in his ability to coach the side and get the best out of the players that would be it for me and that is where I am now.

I don't believe any one manager can control the whole team and the ethos of that team. All the best managers have great coaches and I believe sticking Mourinho/Guardiola hybrid in such a lightweight structure wouldn't see much more benefits.

A larger backroom staff

Would that include Pascoe and Marsh or would you condone Rodgers sacrificing them to save his own bacon ?

I don't believe any one manager can control the whole team and the ethos of that team. All the best managers have great coaches and I believe sticking Mourinho/Guardiola hybrid in such a lightweight structure wouldn't see much more benefits.

I may have picked you up wrong mate but are you suggesting that if you dropped Pep or Mourinho into our club, in the exact same structure with the same staff, we wouldn't see any improvement?

If that is what you mean then I think you're crazy.

I may have picked you up wrong magte but are you suggesting that if you dropped Pep or Mourinho into our club, in the exact same structure with the same staff, we wouldn't see any improvement?

If that is what you mean then I think you're crazy.

I gotta say I think there are a couple of managers that would definitely improve us. Mourinho obviously would find a way to win lots of football matches with us almost regardless of which players we had, I'm pretty sure Guardiola (not as sure but pretty sure) would, Ancellotti, Klopp etc etc. I don't personally think however that any of those managers will come to Liverpool under our transfer and wages policy. I think it's entirely possible that the day after he was sacked if you said to Ancelloti "fancy going to Liverpool" he'd say "f*** yeah!", but once we showed him the blueprint, the wages structure, the buying policy, the committee make-up, the moneyball thing and all the rest of it, he'd be off quicker than a bag of prawns in the Aussie summer.

That's part and parcel of the reason I voted for Brendan to stay. At least we know what we're getting, at least we know (or at least I believe it to be so anyway) that we have a bloke who honestly wants what's best for the club. And before "the lads" get stuck in along the lines of "how can you say you back the manager but you'd get rid of him if such and such came along?" (one of them made that argument earlier in the week), it's a bit like saying I don't want to get rid of Coutinho (I don't) but if Barca offered a swap for Messi I'd take it. It's not about to happen though, so I'd stick with Coutinho thanks rather than trust FSG to come up with a better version. 

I gotta say I think there are a couple of managers that would definitely improve us. Mourinho obviously would find a way to win lots of football matches with us almost regardless of which players we had, I'm pretty sure Guardiola (not as sure but pretty sure) would, Ancellotti, Klopp etc etc. I don't personally think however that any of those managers will come to Liverpool under our transfer and wages policy. I think it's entirely possible that the day after he was sacked if you said to Ancelloti "fancy going to Liverpool" he'd say "f*** yeah!", but once we showed him the blueprint, the wages structure, the buying policy, the committee make-up, the moneyball thing and all the rest of it, he'd be off quicker than a bag of prawns in the Aussie summer.

That's part and parcel of the reason I voted for Brendan to stay. At least we know what we're getting, at least we know (or at least I believe it to be so anyway) that we have a bloke who honestly wants what's best for the club. And before "the lads" get stuck in along the lines of "how can you say you back the manager but you'd get rid of him if such and such came along?" (one of them made that argument earlier in the week), it's a bit like saying I don't want to get rid of Coutinho (I don't) but if Barca offered a swap for Messi I'd take it. It's not about to happen though, so I'd stick with Coutinho thanks rather than trust FSG to come up with a better version. 

What is our transfer and wages policy BigMick, is there an official document somewhere I can read? What is the transfer limit? What is the wages limit?

Vote going as I expected. Although I'd bet 90% don't even think it's the biggest problem at the club.

I wish Brendan would discriminate a bit more against Joe Allen and Glen Johnson.

Anyway question for you BigMick, now that you've finished successfully winding up KopiteLuke, do you really consider Brendan Rodgers a better manager for us than Ancelotti, Rafa and Klopp, if so why and please base your answer on our performance this season after having spent £100 million in transfers.

Fair question Heimy. I think if we could get any of the managers you've mentioned, there's a very good chance they could be better managers for us than Brendan. I'd add Mourinho to that list too, if we had him I think we'd have probably got into the top four even this season. If we get rid of the manager and bring one of those blokes in, I'll be as excited as the next man. I don't think it'll happen though, not wth our transfer and wages policy. The only one out of those who would come near us is Benitez, and for at least another year it looks like he isn't going to be available.

As for the "100 million spent", it's not a figure I go along with mate I'm afraid. I like to take all factors into consideration, ie player sales and money recouped, wages saved etc etc. It's a fair question though and obviously everyone will come to their own conclusions, which is absolutely fine by me. I'm not here for the Brendan Rodgers party trying to convince people, I'm just giving my opinion. If people disagree with it, it's 100% cool.

That's part and parcel of the reason I voted for Brendan to stay. At least we know what we're getting, at least we know (or at least I believe it to be so anyway) that we have a bloke who honestly wants what's best for the club. And before "the lads" get stuck in along the lines of "how can you say you back the manager but you'd get rid of him if such and such came along?" (one of them made that argument earlier in the week), it's a bit like saying I don't want to get rid of Coutinho (I don't) but if Barca offered a swap for Messi I'd take it.

You've nailed the problem.

We've accepted mediocrity. The Fenway effect.

Vote going as I expected. Although I'd bet 90% don't even think it's the biggest problem at the club.

I'd agree that it isn't the biggest but I'd say its second or third on the list. One includes the committee and the other includes the owners.

I know a lad, a bitter strangely enough, (although that shouldn't cloud your judgement here,) who used to buy scanties for his sister from the local charity shops. 'Sister', because locally, everyone knew he didn't have a girlfriend in tow.  Then one Sat afternoon whilst alighting from a taxi after a session at the local club, he slips, and his mate tries to grab him, to prevent him falling. he only succeeded in grabbing his trackies, and they come down, only for the lad to go lurching across the pavement, crashing into a shop front, and ending up, prostrate on the path in front of a huge bus stop queue, and loads of casual shoppers and passers by, with his trackies round his ankles, with the full works on show.
The lacy crotchless panties, stockings, suspenders the lot. He looks round at his mates in the taxi, who are now roaring laughing, and says sheepishly, " you won't tell that lads down the club will you" 
 Whaaaaat ? No chance, of course we won't.  Like feck we won't....     Is that you Fabio ?     

What is our transfer and wages policy BigMick, is there an official document somewhere I can read? What is the transfer limit? What is the wages limit?

I'm not sure there is much documentation mate other than the "we will no longer sign etc etc" quotes. It's one of those where you kind of have to read between the lines a little bit, come to your own conclusions as it were. You could start by looking at the number of players we look to be about to sign then either get pipped by someone else (Mikkiwhatsisface, Willian, Depay etc) or by looking at players who we are the only ones in for but still don't manage to sign (konoplyanka, Diego Costa etc). Then you could check on the disparity between what we offered Depay by all accounts (45K) before he signed for Man Utd for 140K. You could look at what our supposed captain next season and England regular signed for (Henderson, 100K) and compare it to what Man City have reportedly offered Milner (165K). Alternatively you could just look up our spend on wages on the official accounts and you'll see we pay the fifth most in the league.

Like I say though mate you have to actually make your mind up for yourself and give it some thought,  I appreciate it's not everyone's cup of tea.

Budget > Owners > Committee > Manager > Squad

You've nailed the problem.

We've accepted mediocrity. The Fenway effect.

Not really "accepting" mediocrity, more a case of better the devil you know and accepting that the owners could literally give anyone the job. If it were to be Klopp then fair enough, but if it's to be some unknown Romanian bloke who will take the job for 5K a week, or Sam Allardyce, or Sean Dyche etc etc, I'll stick with what we've got thanks.

If it weren't for the transfer and wages policy we might very well get a Klopp or similar, but as it stands I don't believe people of that ilk will touch the job with a bargepole. Given that, and given we have a manager who almost won the league last season, I say stick.

Not really "accepting" mediocrity, more a case of better the devil you know and accepting that the owners could literally give anyone the job.

The thing is they did give anyone the job , and the reason he got it was his willingness to work within their rules . Small minded attitudes the lot of them .

I voted stay.

Like I said in previous threads has committed a multitude of sins but has also done some good things. Highlight was last season albeit on the back of Suarez and he turned it around post Jan for a few months there this season. Spent money on players in key positions speciffically referring to Lallana and Lovren here who failed to deliver to a minimum standard at least equivalent to what they delivered at their previous club through injuries bad form etc. Not having Sturridge available for the bulk of the year killed him too.

He does need to grow a spine though come out and admit that he has fu**ed up and start taking responsibillity instead of hiding behind a number of excuses. Needs to learn to control his gob also as at times he has made an embarrassment of himself and the club with some of the statements and comments he has made.

I would give him until Christmas to have us at least competitive on the park playing football with some fluidity.

I voted go, because the truth is I don't believe Brendan is a winner. I think he believes in his "philosophy" even to the detriment of big results in big games. Maybe given time he will learn to become a winner, but at the moment I believe when it comes to crunch games it is a case of winning or losing his way and only his way , while I just want a manager who will do everything possible to win those games. I prefer my teams to have a little more fight while Brendan seems to prefer nice passers but sadly players who seem to lie down when the going gets tough.   
 
We have a few top managers at the moment flashing their knickers at us and it may be time we did more than just look with envious eyes, but if we can't pull one of them I would prefer to stick with Brendan rather than to just change for the sake of change.

I think if we were in a position to bring in a few world class players Brendan might come good, but as it is I think a top manager could get more out of what we have and what we are likely to get. I also think a top manager might just have a little more strength and influence when it comes negotiating with the FSG and the transfer committee on the type of players we bring in, as well as maybe attracting a few players that wouldn't look twice at Brendan's approaches. 

Well said S@int,direct and to the point.

I voted go, because the truth is I don't believe Brendan is a winner. I think he believes in his "philosophy" even to the detriment of big results in big games. Maybe given time he will learn to become a winner, but at the moment I believe when it comes to crunch games it is a case of winning or losing his way and only his way , while I just want a manager who will do everything possible to win those games. I prefer my teams to have a little more fight while Brendan seems to prefer nice passers but sadly players who seem to lie down when the going gets tough.   
 
We have a few top managers at the moment flashing their knickers at us and it may be time we did more than just look with envious eyes, but if we can't pull one of them I would prefer to stick with Brendan rather than to just change for the sake of change.

I think if we were in a position to bring in a few world class players Brendan might come good, but as it is I think a top manager could get more out of what we have and what we are likely to get. I also think a top manager might just have a little more strength and influence when it comes negotiating with the FSG and the transfer committee on the type of players we bring in, as well as maybe attracting a few players that wouldn't look twice at Brendan's approaches. 

Honest and succinct answer.... Nice to see you posting Saint.