30 Apr 2015

'Sensational': Rodgers' reveals 6 reasons why £8m Liverpool star is so 'important'

Same s&^t, different player. After inflating Raheem Sterling's ego with endless overpraise (and consequently turning him into a raging mercenary), Jordon Ibe is the latest Liverpool player to be grossly overhyped by Reds boss Brendan Rodgers.

So far this season, Rodgers has described Ibe as:

* 'Brilliant'.

* 'Wonderful'.

* 'Absolutely sensational'.

* 'Absolutely outstanding'.

Ugh. Rodgers just never learns. He continued his ongoing eulogy in an interview this week, when claimed that 'exciting' Ibe is 'very important' to Liverpool, and offered the following reasons why:

* Direct and 'wants to create and score goals'.

* Takes on board the 'concepts and principles' of the game.

* A 'natural talent' who is 'aggressive in his play.

* 'Super fast' and he has 'lovely technique'.

* Loves to be wide and 'in the duel'.

* Has 'beautiful balance' and can 'go either way'.

Rodgers also claimed:

"During his spell out injured we missed that pace and penetration"

After spending close to £120m last summer - including £78m on attacking players - it's concerning (and ludicrous) that Liverpool are already relying on the impact of a 19-year old with *12* first-team appearances.

Liverpool should not be 'missing' Ibe when he's out of the team, and the fact they are is yet another sad indictment of Rodgers' lamentable performance in the transfer market.

Rodgers makes Ibe sound like a world-beater already, but as usual, his rhetoric is littered with the same redundant praise. For example, he hails Ibe for wanting to 'score and create goals', but is this not the bare-minimum to be expected of an attacking player?

It's like saying a goalkeeper 'wants to make saves'. It's utterly meaningless as that's the core job of a goalkeeper, and in Ibe's case, if Rodgers continues along the same fawning trajectory, it'll be Raheem Sterling all over again.

Gross overhype aside, I personally don't get the fuss over Ibe. He is a decent, developing player, but he's made little real impact on Liverpool's results since coming into the team. Despite that, Liverpool have reportedly offered him a new contract, even though his current deal doesn't expire until 2017.

What has Ibe actually done to deserve a pay rise? He's made 12 appearances this season and hasn't scored or created a single goal, so I fail to see why there's an apparent rush to give Ibe a new contract worth £8m over 5 years [£30k-a-week].

In my view, Liverpool are sending the wrong message. Ibe is getting a new contract for basically doing the bare minimum expected of an attacking player in the top flight, yet he's still being rewarded. What happened to meeting position-specific performance goals before earning a pay-rise?

I'll inevitably be accused of being too harsh, but seriously, Ibe is not the second-coming of John Barnes, and although he has potential, he hasn't yet turned that into consistent achievement for Liverpool.

Sensational? Outstanding? Brilliant? Exciting? Wonderful?

Jeez, give it a rest already. Someone at FSG needs to have a serious word with Rodgers over the summer about his damaging propensity for gross overhype.

Author: Jaimie K


200 comments:

  1. Ibe has wonderful potential he has the strength pace and endeavor to go a long way in the game but he still lacks the technical ability to make it as a top level player.
    Still in my opinion 30k p.w is a reasonable wage and i think if he can take another step up next season it will be good value for money.

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  2. Pretty much all of what BR said is true though... He is direct and wants to score goals, as we've seen in his time in the youths and at Derby. He is clearly a natural talent and has a very aggresive style. He is Sterling-quick and has some great ball control and skills. He seems to love to play out wide but has a bit of physicality to be involved in the 'mix'. His balance is there for all to see and likes both cutting in and playing down the line.
    Honestly JK I think you are making a mountain out of a molehill here, because it is a pet peeve of yours. Ibe is a talent and should be encouraged publicly, if nothing else to keep him onside with the club when the player he is most directly compared to (Lil old Raheem) is coming under such scrutiny. This isnt a 'treat em mean, keep em keen' affair.
    And we did miss him while he was out, we missed having that option and having to play Johnson or a clearly out of sorts Markovic. My god how many comments on your own site were made saying that we really could use him while we had a bunch of injuries.
    BR can be a bit over the top sometimes, but he seems to be trying to highlight positives in what has become a very negative time of year for us.

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  3. B R talks too much - FULL STOP

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  4. JK you hit the nail on the head, we've signed trash therefore the only pluses have been Sterling's form in patches & ibe's breaking into the team. This may be Sterling mark two. The only antidote is to have quality in the squad so that the rookies feel that sense of awe. If they're your go to players already then there's something wrong with the transfers. Lazar so far has been awful along with most of the signings.

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  5. haven't seen any of this since coming back from injury

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  6. Apparantly he doesn't need too much coaching either, which should be music to his ears....Dummo about Ibe though, I'm sure he'd appreciate some coaching.

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  7. who cares. We as fans have no opinion what so ever. Fuck LFC i'm getting into fishing

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  8. As usual the loquacious Brendan tries to accentuate the only positives this season has brought, and his part played in it. Ibe being one of the few talents that has shed a glimmer of light upon Brendan's dismal season. I think this over praising of Ibe has had the opposite effect; and instead of recognising Brendan's capacity to blood young talent it will turn the focus on to the failure in the transfer market this season, as pinpointed in JK's article.

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  9. The more i hear people connected one way or another to Liverpool saying Rodgers he's the man to take the club forward and whatever and the more i feel you won't have to wait long before seeing Rodgers stop overpraising our player because he won't be there to do it anymore...

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  10. to be fair we haven't seen anything from the team for a few weeks now

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  11. Madhav Chaudhari7:39 am, April 30, 2015

    Everybody in the team is "Sensational? Outstanding? Brilliant? Exciting? Wonderful?", except Rodgers.

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  12. That's y Rodger need to go.

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  13. Too right EXCLAMATION MARK

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  14. Yeah, if Rodgers is still here...

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  15. Ibe has been pretty good in the games he played for us and to state that he has not made an impact on our season is wrong. When he played as RWB, we only lost one game and after he got injured, we lost to Arsenal and Utd. But, I do agree that the praise is too much. If Ibe was as outstanding as Rodgers says he is, why did he loan him out and spend 20 mil on Markovic. This is Rodgers trying to transfer the attention on others as usual and no one is buying it any more.

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  16. And that word should be BYE

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  17. Ibe had a sufficient impact to deserve a real pro contract imo but i understand Jaimie's irritation when you see that BR's overpraise could put Sterling career at the highest level in jeopardy (sure his agent doesn't help)

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  18. LFC's strikers (Daniel Sturridge, Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini) have scored eight Premier League goals between them this season. Everton's back four (Leighton Baines, Seamus Coleman, Phil Jagielka and John Stones) have scored nine.

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  19. I feel some what the same with his transfer talk. If he puts attention on the subject of recruitment, it can manipulate people to think that he's safe and will therefore stop talking about his future

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  20. "Now we have to look to improve the squad and it's always great if you can get marquee players to come in and help you. The owners will support that."

    So if no "marquee players" players arrive then FSG will be blamed as "The owners will support that."



    Rodgers is the best salesman we have ever had!

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  21. Jaimie,
    When you write your Headline's I see you use to describe the players
    as ;
    Ibe sensational
    Lambert brilliant
    Benteke world class
    Johnson outstanding
    Jovetic. extraordinary,
    Depay unbelievable
    Toure tremendous

    Not doing to badly yourself .

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  22. That's what I said in 1 of my previous post's ,
    Maybe it's time to leave Southhamton and raid Everton .

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  23. Message to our pampered youngsters especiall RAHEEM - Did you know that Manny Pacquiao s family were so poor his Dad killed and ate 14 year old Manny s dog - he ran away from home and the rest is history BUT he never forgot his roots - rem.ained humble and charitable throughiut and that is how you earn the tile LEGEND - Learn from Manny - its not too late but the clock is ticking

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  24. Does not bother me his overpraising, just his way. All managers have different ways in which they deal with media. The issue is the players being played out of position and I think he has gone back to how we were earlier in the season, over thinking with too many formation changes. I am all for us having this adaptability/flexibility but after those two defeats to Utd/Arsenal we should have played two up top and gone all out attack. Needs to get back to basics, I would like to see Can given a run in midfield until end of season.

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  25. rogers doesn't want liverpool in the champions league because he's not good enough or wise enough to get his team to perform in it and if we give him 200 million pounds he would still waste it on championship quality players

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  26. It's a dog eat dog world out there RAY!

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  27. Surely not only breaking into Liverpool's first team but establishing yourself in it is worthy of more money than when you were on loan at Blackburn in the Championship. Perhaps the club has learned from the Sterling contract situation and are making sure they don't allow the same thing to happen again so surely that's a good thing.
    I've got high hopes for Jordan Ibe. He has all the tools to develop into a top player and he seems like a decent lad.

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  28. Mr. Point Of View9:32 am, April 30, 2015

    Sell Sterling while he still got value ! I've read 1 of the comment say Sterling got high possibility will become like Aaron Lennon which i totally agree. With or without Sterling make no different much. He is fun to watch but make no impact.


    Maybe a new coach give him a new set of instruction during the game will we a far better Sterling !

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  29. There probably isn't a manager in the game who has final say on transfer fee and wages

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  30. Hahaha, I normally just read these inane arguments but must say congratulations on your reply to this one!

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  31. Benitez will never manage LFC again.
    However, some things haven't been exactly 'adding up this week'...eg. Brodge stated at the weekend that this squad was good enough to challenge for title next season, then yesterday he's quoted as saying there's no quality in it. Sterling was rumoured to be close to signing a new deal a couple of days ago, after stating a few weeks ago that nothing was happening before summer. And, Depay is rumoured to be nailed on for signing...
    All these things suggest to me that there is a BIG change coming regarding the manager... and I mean BIG.
    Okay, it's all rumour and paper-talk, but seriously, as we stand, there is no way Depay is coming, no way Sterling is staying, and a squad of "outstanding players" are suddenly donkeys... and the drop in form coinciding with Klopp announcing him leaving Dortmund???

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  32. It doesn't matter WHAT BR says, you will ALWAYS find fault. What is wrong with saying it's good to get marquee players?


    I would have thought you would be happy the he says the owners will now support such transfers?


    Yesterday you were moaning that he shouldn't ever say he didn't expect us to win the title this year..

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  33. He has better creative stats, (goals scored, chances created, successful crosses, key passes and assists) than Coutinho.


    So does that mean Coutinho should also be sold as he makes even less impact?


    What tosh

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  34. Baines takes penalties. Skews your figures a bit, don't you think?


    Replace them with:
    Pedro
    Lacazette
    Dybala
    Vietto
    There are lots of choices at the moment if we splash the cash

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  35. Why did he do that last year then?


    Pudding.

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  36. To be fair he created a goal in the Besiktas game (the run that led to the penalty) but I get your point.

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  37. Still no comment from Logan? Odd..

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  38. You wish. Look below...

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  39. He's finally realised that he's been out argued...

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  40. Yup, I know the problem was with my eyes.

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  41. Mike, you and I have been fooled!

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  42. Yep. Busted!

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  43. With Everton defense, simple math really.

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  44. Zamprini has categorically stated Dybala won't leave for anything below 40 m euros.

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  45. BR categorically said we wouldn't be signing Balotelli

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  46. That was decisive!

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  47. you're undoubtedly BR's spokesman .Cheers to that !

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  48. ha ha..I know by Marquee BR meant Everton

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  49. and you seriously believe these above mentioned stars would consider playing for BR.
    I am having a good laugh there

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  50. No, i'm not. I just don't see Lofan as in any way balanced or considered, Rodgers can't be wrong ALL the time


    Rodgers talks too much, refuses to admit poor performances do not warrant words like 'outstanding', and praises when he should keep quiet.


    But that doesn't excuse some of the vitriol he gets

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  51. this is characteristic of BR.
    Most of the time he ends up doing something he criticizes initially

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  52. Well, both Costa and sanchez said they did indeed consider doing so.So laugh away.


    We probably need to pay more wages to get someone good now, but money often talks..

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  53. Sorry, I'm afraid you're wrong. I'm quite calm. if Rodgers is replaced by a top class manager, a Klopp or better, I'm quite happy for that to happen.


    But I've recently posted about the improvement on every key metric since BR took over. These are hard facts, not tainted by anybody's view or like/dislike of Rodgers as a person/manager.


    Since he started, we have scored more points, more goals, higher goal difference and higher finishing placing. We got to within 2 points of winning the PL which is the closest for 25 years.

    So no, doesn't deliver is NOT on the list

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  54. Your right about them being inane though.

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  55. If your work is measurably as good as your peers at Microsoft, then you WILL get promoted in a week, regardless of your age.


    And that, my friend ,is a verifiable fact

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  56. To be fair silicon valley has the highest amount of teenage millionaires in the world I believe. If your code is good enough, you are good enough.

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  57. Once again inane and trite.

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  58. Exactly. Nobody says giving a 16 year old lots of money at 16 wll ruin him. That's just football.

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  59. I would disagree.
    He could have handled Europa league and FA better. And it was not something that was not attainable.
    3 years + 200 million is way too much to wait for a genuine result.
    I would say BR is a good attack minded coach - but there is a huge difference between coaching and managing.
    A good manager knows how to get his transfers right, how to effectively manage his squad (abstaining from gross over praise which is nothing but counter productive), HOW TO GET RESULTS FROM CRUNCH FIXTURES, how to get disciplined and dirty with the squad to pull out semi-final & final victories AND how to handle the media (accountability for the failure and laurels for the silverware- nothing more ,nothing less).

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  60. I think it all depends on the person some are level headed others are not.

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  61. So what is it you know?

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  62. i agree he needs to be better. I also agree he could have handled this year's campaign better.


    but i also realise that we have a squad which is worth £100m less than our nearest competitor despite last year's spend, and that that is a mitigating factor.


    that said, I would add that he could and should have approached last year's Chelsea game with a more pragmatic approach. If he had , we would have WON the League.


    BIG mistake.

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  63. He is not going to get another 100 million again - do you think he will do any better with his current know-how and bench strength - if he's in case given another year??
    and add to that the top 4 + Spurs ,Southampton & Swansea would get even stronger

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  64. Not without a change in transfer policy to concentrate solely on proven performers. If not, he's toast.

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  65. sadly he didn't learn anything from last year's mistake. If he had pulled out a decent result from Europa league or FA cup, I wouldn't be that harsh to him.

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  66. I actually thought he overcompensated because of it.


    Gone is the fast, blitz-type starts which overwhelmed teams last year. Our approach for me is far TOO measured.


    Even when we needed to win, we didn't seem to REALLY go for it.


    Thing is, a top finisher changes all that. We don't have one because we chose the wrong option and that is definitely down in part to BR

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  67. FSG must do something about this situation , else the club is destined to linger around the mid table

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  68. We are NOT mid table. what evidence do you have for such a claim?

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  69. agree.Some wins were so obvious but God knows what he had in his mind

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  70. I said destined to
    the way we're playing - with bunch of under performers and squad with a low morale , it's a possibility

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  71. BR is not so naive to know the obvious and neither are you.

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  72. But we are improving, not regressing overall. Even with this year's debacle, we scored way more points and scored more goals. And if we did regress, BR would be out like a shot

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  73. Low morale how do you know this?

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  74. the recent performances hardly indicate a confident team. low morale is a possibility.

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  75. improved but to what extent.
    Have we improved in comparison to our competitors?
    If not for title , a top 4 finish should have been a bare minimum.
    Marching to the title in one season to fighing for Europa league place in the next season is clearly a regression.

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  76. The performances could indicate a few things but 1 could well be a young inexperience squad that have just run out puff.
    Oh and a few older heads who havent performed at all.

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  77. I don't know any player personally but a low morale is self - evident from recent performances

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  78. No. The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing! Can't remember who said this - I think it might've been Yoda.

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  79. I said overall. In comparison to where we were, even this year's drop in points and position still represents a decnt step up to our position 3 years ago, 52 points we got, 8th place.


    If Sturridge had been fit all season, and we still had ended up 5th or below, then I would agree with you. But NOBODY, not JM or anyone else, can compete for the top 4 without a goalscorer, and sadly, Mario decided not to play to his talent and Sturridge couldn't play at all.

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  80. Eh?


    Sounds like seagulls and trawlers to me.


    What does that mean, you've completely lost me?

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  81. Then why all the fuss about Sterling's contract? Why has tgere been very little acknowledgmentof his importance? His form overall has been the best, perhaps bar Coutinho.
    The point I was trying to make is that a team loses its bargaining power when the quality of the squad is limited & the rookie in question is valued highly. IMO this is a very slippery slope as you end up signing youngsters on big contracts without being able tell if they'll perform.consistently. Like I said, it's healthy for there to be a food chain, gives the youn guns something to aspire for!

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  82. There is no point in bringing attention to if's and but's.
    Suarez was scoring goals for fun last season and compensated for our leaky defense.
    Sturridge lacks pace and is brittle - everybody knows that.
    Replacing Suarez should have been his utmost priority which was clearly ignored and he rather went for additions in other areas.
    All he needed was a hungry ,pacy striker and few defensive reinforcements to pull out an almost similar result like that of last year's.
    Balotelli was never an answer - some one who lacks drive and discipline. Mistake number 2- Playing Balotelli as a lone striker yielded nothing but plain sorrow.
    If he can't seem to understand and implement the obvious changes , how can he play some magic cards (tactics) that is synonymous to good managers

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  83. But, it is the manager's job to get a goalscorer. We all know Sturridge is injury prone and have know ever since he signed for us 3 YEARS BACK. Mario was clearly a panic buy and was bought in desperation. Rodgers has made it seem like the world is against him and has given him a dystopian world. But, he could easily have done something about it in the summer or even in Jan and did not. And, I hate to support Mourinho but he did make top 4 and was in contention for the title last season without a goalscorer.

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  84. don't make it overly complex. BR is a non-existent entity in Europe and I seriously doubt if any star player would sign for him

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  85. I'm not sure *our* Code is good enough, unfortunately.

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  86. Benitez said Xabi Alonso was not going to leave.


    We all know what happened there.

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  87. So he could not win the FA Cup after three years and over £200m?


    Give him another £200m then or how much more does he need to spend?

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  88. I was not moaning about him she should not have.

    I never said anything about winning the tite either and I will prove it.

    "Yes so you tell the fans there is a belief inside the club that we can challenge at the start of the season and then tells us 6 months later that "we weren't going to challenge for the league this year. That's reality."

    That alone is unacceptable. Agree?


    I am sure you can remember this post as you replied to it.


    No marquee signings will come, not under Rodgers but the fact that he says the owners will support it just blows the "buying young policy' out of the water which is a common excuse when it comes to Rodgers signings.

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  89. Benitez had one bad season at Liverpool and he still took them to a semi final. It was the right time for him to leave but I feel its the right time for him to come back too. He is a world class manager no doubt about that and he would settle in faster than any other manger and I include Rodgers in that in turning Liverpool into a wining team.
    Klopp taking over still instrests me too but if Rafa wants the job then Liverpool should get him back.

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  90. What does it matter that Baines takes penalties. It is a goal.

    Should we go retract all Gerrards penalties of last year?

    The fact that Rodgers has not used 3 of his strikers this season and instead put Sterling in the firing line just shows how much money he has wasted. Then he complains 'loss of 50 goals' but take Sturridge out of the equitation and you have 3 other strikers who have played a total 1971 minutes of EPL football combined which shows the utter wastefulness of transfer funds and people for for his excuses?

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  91. Come on Mayweather

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  92. This is what I have argued all along and if he for some miraculous reason stays on then we will not see any big name players join.


    He has put his foot in it now though as he has said the owner support the idea of marquee signings so if none arrive then Rodgers has nowhere to hide.

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  93. Well, if Balo took our PKs he'd have more goals now, wouldn't he?

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  94. And that is the best you could come up with?

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  95. It's true though.... Baines only has goals because he takes PK's. If Balo or Lambert took PK's they would have the same amount of goals.


    To be clear, the sooner we sell them the better, but your argument is so flawed it's funny.

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  96. Oh of course it is. Why are those players here and why have they not been utilised yet Sterling can be taken to the cleaners because he is 'not performing'.


    Pot kettle black.

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  97. Oh I have replied.

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  98. You ignoramus... Southeast Asia..

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  99. Well players need to be scouted and lists drawn up. Sanchez is the player we wanted but missed out. His goals would have helped a great deal. Gossip has it we Wanted Bony but that was not decided upon. Despite Rodgers not really seeming to be in to the idea we went with Mario. Rodgers can't scout, can't do deals, can't decode want wages we will offer. He has made mistakes for.sure but the blame for not getting a goal scorer is not wholly his.

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  100. How that is losing temper is beyond me..

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  101. Balanced and considered?


    I do not believe Rodgers is the right man for the job. So what do you want me to argue about then?

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  102. I really don't think it's the mercenary thing, but it is Brendan's fault he didn't sign the deal quite possibly. Raheem said he would''ve signed it in August, don't think he got so much greedier in few months- it might be the sensational thing that got to him and now he thinks he can play in Real or Bayern.
    And not getting him to sign this summer is a large mistake, though I don't really know who is to blame..

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  103. Mr. Point Of View1:15 pm, April 30, 2015

    B4 his contract rebel i edi say sterling wont bring us fwd!
    And my fren u judge him by stat? Tat bcoz other player are same s*** !

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  104. I personally do not care if Ibe wants to follow in the footsteps of Sterling, as long as we get 50 m for each. The player to wear the LFC shirt must have passion, like Cout.

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  105. In other new, JUST GLAD Johnson is leaving! Bravo Brendan, you got this one right.

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  106. Rodgers not so long ago was all for Johnson to sign a new contract.


    His contract has run out as FSG would not agree to pay him the same or more wages so it is more 'Bravo' to FSG for not wasting anymore money.

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  107. Fair point. Now, only if you were not so 'anti Rodgers' that would have seemed more right!

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  108. Case in the place1:29 pm, April 30, 2015

    There is of course another saying regarding known knowns and things we know we don't know.
    Definitely not Socrates, may have been BR talking up our transfer potential.

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  109. It is not about being anti Rodgers.


    We are not going to move forward with him. Mediocrity will reign...

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  110. Out of curiosity, who is you choice, Logan?

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  111. it is a fact I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't. And I know.

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  112. Who is my choice for what?

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  113. for the presidential election!
    for the managerial job is't that obvious?!

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  114. Not sure on the credibility of this but I just heard Flanno could be out for another 6-9 months after some more work on his knee? I hope the club offer him a new contract similar to when Brad Jones went through a difficult period in his life. He got the job done last season and seems to be all heart, better than Johnson et al.

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  115. If that is the case then it is very unlikely he will be offered a new contract. Have to feel for the bloke.

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  116. I have been on about Klopp for a while now...

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  117. He seems like a nice guy and a good manager that I like very much, but as much as I like him, he is going to take a certain amount of time first, and second, he is not going to guarantee us top 4 which is pretty much all we want now and third, as this season proves, he is susceptible to suffer from losing big players, the exact problem Rodgers has suffered this term. I would say the only clear upgrade would be on transfer dealings.

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  118. With respect, you are clearly not reading the articles properly. I never use words like the above to describe players; these labels are all said by someone else, not me, which is why every one of these words is:


    * In quotation marks.


    * Hyperlinked (to lead to the quote.


    Why do you think there are quotation marks around these words?

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  119. Case in the Place1:46 pm, April 30, 2015

    Wow so much hyperbole and so many tempting innuendo's.
    Following on from Nick1811' very good post re the clubs apparent will to repeat it's usual sub par transfer window performances, I can't help but think this gross overpraise of Ibe is just a big PR exercise to set him up in the fans eyes as our, in-house, readymade, marquee player for next season and thus prepare us for another let down of a summer.
    Really hope that's not the case. Very sad news regards Flanno as well Pete and I too hope the club do the right thing.

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  120. Haha. OK. It's not though but nice try.

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  121. I always assumed they were there to emphasize your feelings ;-)

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  122. Ahem. You forgot to say 'Rodgers Out' ;-)

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  123. So he is not naive? So wise, and the obvious? Truth? Make sense man.

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  124. It's just a big appeasement act, really. The only angle I can defend them on is maintaining a prestigious image. To admit that Liverpool can't attract top tier players would be an invitation for people to perceive Liverpool as a mid table club, which they obviously don't want.

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  125. Me and my girlfriend were talking about that recently. Despite Rumsfeld being a nefarious character, What he said actually
    Makes more sense than people let on.

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  126. Best? What Re you on about. It is directly comparable. Add Gerrard to the mix and it changes the complexion. If you include a penalty taker then that obviously skews the numbers. How is that not obvious?

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  127. Implied, between the lines.

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  128. We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.
    Benjamin Franklin one of my faves.

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  129. What? I think your computer is broke.

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  130. Klopp has proven himself in Germany and Europe.


    He already has 3 major trophies to his name, winning the Bundesliga twice in a row and is in yet another German Cup final.


    Also runners up twice in the Bundesliga with Dortmund.


    3 major trophies (could become 4) in 7 seasons, twice runners up in the Bundesliga, Champions League finalists.


    This guy needs no introduction. He won the Bundesliga in his 3rd season with a team of unknowns.


    Rodgers is the first manager in our history for a period of 3 seasons top not have won a single trophy.

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  131. To know,is to know you know nothing,that is the meaning of true knowledge. Socrates.

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  132. Not like you are keen on Rodgers staying either?

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  133. Case in the place2:35 pm, April 30, 2015

    You likely have a very good point there and that's definitely going to require I watch it a few times to assess.
    If I'm honest, perhaps a better less punch-able speaker than Rumsfeld, could have carried it.
    For some varied and amusing results I'd like to see Farage, Blair and if he was still here 'the Hitch' take a go at it.

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  134. The comparison was our Strikeforce vs Everton's defence.

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  135. Case in the place2:37 pm, April 30, 2015

    That's a cracker.

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  136. Yes a defence that has their penalty taker in it. In fact heir main set peice taker on general. You understand why that would give them.more goals don't you? This is not lost on you? When.players who start more games and play more minutes and take.set peices have more goals this should not be a massive surprise .

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  137. That's a group you wish were hung on a hook in Rookies meat fridge.

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  138. I don't think we should be happy to find out that our offense is doing as much as some teams defense :)
    Just being in the same ballpark regardless of how skewed the numbers are should be an insult.

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  139. Then he complains 'loss of 50 goals' but take Sturridge out of the equitation and you have 3 other strikers who have played a total 1971 minutes of EPL football combined which shows the utter wastefulness of transfer funds and people fall for his excuses?

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  140. Someone can see the light!

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  141. Since you've asked me three times since I've returned...I'm indifferent on the issue, I don't really care. If Rodgers gets red carded then so be it as he only has himself to blame, shot himself in the foot multiple times. He's done that over the course of his whole LFC career, but let's face it and just accept it, you blatantly disregarded Rodger's faults last season re Gerrard's positioning, signings such as Alberto etc. Now, due to poor performances, you reflect much more cynicism. Not a dig, just my observations.


    I'm actually quite positive about next season. I'm looking forward to a team that isn't laboured by Gerrard, Johnson, Lambert et al. Especially Gerrard, who has been a huge managerial hurdle Rodgers still hasn't yet beaten.


    Unless it's Ancelotti or similar, there's no point replacing the manager as of right now. Rodgers still needs some wins in the final games to restore confidence, but any move at this point is IMO premature and induces instability. It's not catastrophic like the Hodgson reign or the last season with Benitez for example. The squad just needs to regroup, let Hendo take charge, sign a right fullback and a striker, and go from there.

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  142. I would go for Klopp first then Rafa because no matter what, I think he will accept Liverpool. He loves the club and even if he's not their first choice, I don't think that would matter.

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  143. Yes and 'marquee' signings, Rodgers latest comments are going to be lining up to sign on the dotted line.

    It will be another season of 'I have no idea how I want the team to play' then 'oh I have found a solution' then 'sh!te is has been figured out' then 'what do we do now?

    Go look at every season Rodgers has been here. He still does not know how he wants his team to play after 3 seasons?

    I would rather even have Ronald Koeman manage us right now. Rodgers is completely out of his depth and still has not learned from his mistakes over 3 seasons.

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  144. Case in the place3:01 pm, April 30, 2015

    Agreed. It may be me being overly simple but I feel the answer is also simply found and I will use this shocking analogy to explain it:
    If you rely on a car to get to work and earn a living, you only own one and it breaks down beyond repair, you need to replace it quickly to carry on earning a living.
    Being that you need said replacement in a hurry, the garage owner, armed with this knowledge, is likely to try and fleece you.
    You are now faced with a choice, suck it up, swallow your pride and be fleeced in the knowledge your new car will now quickly re-coup it's overinflated purchase price, or, explore other options, such as:
    Walking to work - likely it will take you too long and you will not make it in time, or, maybe borrow your neighbours rusty old bike in the hope you can peddle it fast enough it will perform as well as a car. Or catch a bus... nope that one was a false dawn, it never turned up.
    Meanwhile as you are faffing about, workers from other companies, whom (due to Russian shareholders) have more money than you do, have snuck in and bought every single car available, and just to rub salt in your wounds, gotten them at a discount because the salesman saw they actually had more cars than he did and were in a stronger bargaining position.
    FSG - buy us our bloody Aston Lacazette!

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  145. I really dont understand how 8 out of 10 people think this would be a good thing.

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  146. Yet you are always replying so what is the problem?

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  147. Put it into account most of that go to the tax man and it's reasonable. I understand jaime but I think the pay rise is a reward for graduating from the academy into the first team starting 11 and nothing else. I mean how many grads have actually gone up into the first team. Not a lot I tell u. So he deserves it at least. And I believe it sends a great msg to the academy players. If u are good enough and u make the grade u will get paid enough.
    Don't mis understand we are all in this dor the money. From footballers to postman.

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  148. I can relate with your analogy. I find the way that the club approaches a lot of transfer dealings completely pointless and a waste of time. We rock up, put forth an almost insultingly low offer, stuff around, stuff around even more, and then opt out only for someone like Chelsea to quickly come in and say 'deal'. It doesn't help when your own fricken manager states concerns over whether the target player can handle England (Salah).
    What's the point of negotiating with another club if you know your offer is low and that other clubs will come in with a larger, more lucrative offer?! It's like they just do it for the sake of it to look like they are making an effort for 'big' players...

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  149. I was saying he should be playing before he started getting games.

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  150. Case in the place3:16 pm, April 30, 2015

    I thought that may well induce some strong opinion, probably no room for that discussion on here and who wants to have it anyway. But ;-)...
    I'm less so on Farage than yourself and quite like Hitch's work against religion, wouldn't of wanted to go for a pint with him though.
    I would need to make extensive use of a thesaurus to find many words with the same kind of meaning as pure, unadulterated and hatred, for Blair, and the internet is not big enough for the resulting article.

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  151. How many more reasons should we come up with for this man to sod off. He can do no more right. Maybe we should start a protest against his regime. Some will call us fickle but I'd like to think we just want to be successful.

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  152. Case in the place3:25 pm, April 30, 2015

    Absolutely, I generally try and remain positive about all things LFC but our whole transfer approach has left a lot to be desired for sometime now.
    Was really hoping for a much better go at it this time round, having said that (and although the initial signs are worryingly familiar), I will give them the benefit of the doubt for now, on the premise they may be keeping their cards close etc and pretty soon will start making the kind of announcements re new players we all want to hear.
    In the meantime someone should certainly try and get BR to curtail his rhetoric.

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  153. Logan, he is buying an excuse in advance for the next season. IMO - BR knows himself that he has mismanaged the club and that it's beyond him to achieve what the club is aiming for - titles, trophies , consistent CL etc.
    The reality is that he has given his 100% and failed. He has no magic trick in his sleeve to do any better.He knows that it's next to impossible for him to pull out victories against likes of Mou,Van Gaal, Wenger and the elites of Europe(if in case team again gets a chance to play in Europa league).
    As matter of fact - his footballing tactics have been exposed against lower ranked teams that have strong defensive mind-set.
    He has run out of his tactics - reason they were too rigid and simple and not hard to uncover.
    I am being repetitive but BR knows himself the results can't get any better considering the relative increase in the strength of his oppositions, dead wood he has at his disposal and no subsequent Marquee signings in the next transfer window. And this would mean a disgraceful fire at the end of next season.
    IMO - He would want a fire at the end of this season , so that he could manage a job at some lesser club and try to re-learn his craft for better. Therefore , he is already shouting for Marquee signings(which he knows won't happen) , so that at the end of season he can have this LAME excuse for failing again !

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  154. Ok. You can blame me for this .

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  155. Yeah but I think it's an undisputable fact that Ricky Hatton is a much better boxer.

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  156. Do you think this is somewhere on a wall in Logan's home?

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  157. I fully agree with every word you have just said!

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  158. Brendan Rodgers could cure a plague and Logan would complain he didn't do it fast enough

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  159. Just think how boring the world would be if we all agreed with each other or had the same opinions.


    Rodgers would then be at the club for eternity and still won bugger all.

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  160. And chelsea lost to Bradford after spending their money so...

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  161. Just think how morbid the world would be if we all agreed with each other or had the same opinions.

    Rodgers would then be at the club for eternity and still won bugger all.

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  162. It only matters when we lose..

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  163. Or "Good Night", "Read it and weep", "Foot in mouth", "I rest my case", "Checkmate"...

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  164. @Mike Aitcheson he didn't deny it!


    "Brendan Rodgers could cure a plague and Logan would complain he didn't do it fast enough"

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  165. 5 out 20 is not the middle as far as I can tell

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  166. What about if someone at Microsoft bites someone at Apple?


    :)

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  167. Sorry Jaimie, Had to have a little dig .
    I have only start following soccer ( what you call , football a few months ago ) after years of being a die hard Rugby ,Cricket and F1 supporter .In all the years i've never heard sportsmen been given so many superlatives doing and being paid to do what they love most .
    In our day ,as an amateur ,it was a .privilege and an honor to play for the 1st team .

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  168. Good on you mate... Unlike Mourinho, Rafa left Liverpool under a cloud, Mourinho never worked for LFC, so I don't care what he does.... It's my opinion... And It has some up votes, so I don't think I'm the only daft one.... Slagging off brendan to make your point is ridiculous....Also, what exactly is so concerning for you with New blood, new thinking..... Any manager that isn't Brendan would be just that.....Just goes to show that some people know nothing about football......Morinho had an open cheque book, and even now has enough surplus of players to essentially mean an open cheque book... But whatever.... Rafa pretty much turned his LFC stay into a nightmare, and after his first couple of seasons, he became a problem, not a solution....Gareth Barry for Xabi Alonso...good on yah!...

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  169. Haha, so clever....

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  170. Who here is "happy" about it?


    I think people are more befuddled by Logan's argument given the fact that our strikers have played significantly less games than the Everton defense, and that Baines is their penalty taker when none of our strikers are our penalty takers (even when they play, which has been rare this season).

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  171. No, you're spot on. The overpraise is ridiculous.

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  172. Then he complains 'loss of 50 goals' but take Sturridge out of the equitation and you have 3 other strikers who have played a total 1971 minutes of EPL football combined which shows the utter wastefulness of transfer funds and people fall for Rodgers excuses?

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  173. Vouchers & Discounts4:50 pm, April 30, 2015

    And Garath Barry has been outstanding for Everton in his time there. (I would still have kept Alonso)


    Also Brendan spent £120million at the start of this season.


    How much more does a manager need to pick some decent players ?

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  174. That works for me

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  175. That's a bit harsh on JK

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  176. Hitches is an odd one. I have found myself agreeing with him on one subject but wanting to seal him in an old mine over others. Garage is a bit of a joke. They are a one policy party that once you scratch the surface realise that they ate worse than the tories. Not long ago you had some of their Party talking about privatising the NHS, ending benefits completely as well as the usual tripe. When you see how many ex tories they have you realise they are not the party of the peoplease they claim to be. They back track so much it's nor even funny. I understand people's uncertainty towards immigration but there is far too much misinformation propagated by certain parts of the media and Farage and his ilk. He complains about Europe enough but doesn't mind taking shed loads of the money he can get his grubby hands on.
    Hitches doubts about the human element of climate change also.boggles the mind.

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  177. We wasted money on all.our currently fit strikers. Admittedly, but there is the excuse that we are talking about. Balo who was categorically not going to sign was clearly the last name on a list we have no idea the length of.

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  178. Rafa "Alonso not leaving"


    Bob Loblaw told me yesterday not too take Rodgers to seriously, I suggest you do to.

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  179. No one is making an excuse of the poor transfer record of the Rodgers era.


    I think that's been agreed upon by just about everyone here that we haven't been successful enough with our transfers.



    So what's your point? You're making an argument that people already agree with.


    The point that people here are arguing by way of your Everton example is that our strikers haven't played nearly as much as the Everton defense, and that Baines takes penalties which skews his numbers.


    Leighton Baines could be standing 75 yards away from a goal when a penalty occurs, having next to nothing to do with the penalty, and then score the goal because he's the penalty taker. How do you treat that the same as a striker's goal from regular play?

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  180. I would rather have a manager in our history that made our comeback to CL after years and brought us joy by displaying flair purely attacking football.

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  181. Part of me wonders if you and reaper are in fact one and the same... ;)

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  182. This was my point yesterday about the lack of use of Kenny's quote.


    You didn't consider it because a) it didn't fit your narrative, and b) because you took it with a grain of salt being that "what else was he supposed to say". And as it relates, to b) in particular, I understood your point and gave you the benefit of the doubt that it wasn't a).


    Therefore, wouldn't you treat this the same? Glen Johnson is still a Liverpool player. What's Brendan supposed to say: "Yea, we don't want him here anymore", while he's still here.


    But instead, this suits your narrative so you use what Rodgers stated against him.

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  183. More importantly, when Brendan Rodgers loses

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  184. You doubt that they would?


    Who have we gone after that we lost because of Brendan Rodgers? None that I know of.


    Who have we gone after that we lost because of money since Rodgers has been here? I can name a few at least. Costa, Willian, Salah, Mkhitaryan, etc.


    Who have we gone after that we lost because of London since Rodgers has been here? Sanchez.

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  185. Fact is this Rafa has never won a league trophy and I do not believe he ever will.


    The man is amazing at Cup runs where it comes to judging an opponent over 1 or 2 games but he can not do over a course of a season.


    Also you know at some point he will have a bad run and blame everybody but himself.


    Rafa has given me some of the my best memories as a Liverpool fan and for that I will always remember him fondly however he has also given me some of the most frustrating nights.


    He also treated some players shamefully like Robbie Keane.


    Lets not forget some of the bizarre substitutions and his crazy FACT rant which backfired on him spectacularly.


    If and its a big if, FSG do decide to replace BR in the summer then it needs to be somebody who has to have a world wide reputation and somebody who has a good track record with working with younger players.

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  186. Ha ha. Did you see how utterly sh!te we were in the CL this season?


    "comeback' 'purely attacking football' more excuses.

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  187. This comparison was from a BBC article. Do not shoot the messenger.


    The fact that Rodgers has relied on Sterling the whole season to produce the goods up top who is not even a striker shows that this manager is out of his depth.


    Then complains about loss of 50 goals when he is not making use of any of the strikers available to him.


    Do you understand?

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  188. Some people have very selective memories.


    Rafa lost us the league back in 2008 - 2009 by playing very defensive at home to the likes of Fulham, West Ham, Hull City, and Stoke City which all ended in draws.


    I even remember Jamie writing an article about it.

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  189. My point is Rodgers did not have a clue what he was doing representing us in this seasons CL.

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  190. If FSG sack Rodgers, and that's a big if, he will need to be replaced with a respected experienced manager who isn't too old. That means Rafa is most definitely on the very short list of suitable candidates. It's pointless sacking Rodgers and bringing in another young hopeful with potential and an 800 page dossier with envelopes.
    FSG have their man, a yes man who doesn't rock the boat and knows that even if he had the best striker in the world wanting to sign, FSG would say no because the wages would be too high.
    It is for that reason that Rodgers will be going nowhere and no real marquee signings will be coming to Liverpool anytime soon.

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  191. Rafa lost us the league ? I saw that season as a platform to kick on for the title next the following year. If you look back in history most teams that win the title were runners up the previous season eg Man u 91 Blackburn 94 Arsenal 2003. Of course that didn't happen for Liverpool as we lost big players and the ownership battle with Rafa undid the worked that Rafa did up til then.

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  192. old cat, young cat, brown, grey or white cat as long as it catches mice is always a good cat mate :)

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  193. Stan Dinaround4:31 pm, May 01, 2015

    New Blood just means different to that we already have, nothing to do with age....

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  194. LOL Mistook it for young blood, sry mate.

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  195. Grrrr The only good cat is a dead cat

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