Debunking LFC Myths: No 15 - BR publicly dissed LFC starlet as 'not good enough'

In September, Liverpool youngster Joao Carlos Teixeira sealed a three-month loan deal to Brentford, which, on the face of it, seemed like an ideal opportunity to gain some much needed experience. Unfortunately, after only 28 days, the Bees have sent 20-year the Portuguese attacker back to Anfield. At the time, Reds boss Brendan Rodgers provided a perfectly reasonable explanation for the termination of the deal, but some fans are perpetuating the myth that the manager publicly claimed that Teixeira got dumped because he is 'not good enough'. This may be a minor myth, but it I feel compelled to get the actual truth on record.

In my view, it is categorically untrue to suggest that Rodgers hinted, implied or stated - either directly or indirectly - that Teixeira is 'not good enough'. When asked about the situation in his pre-Newcastle press conference in October, Rodgers gave a lengthy explanation, the bulk of which is below (verbatim):

JOURNO: "Michael Ngoo and Joao Teixeira came back early from their loan spells. What was the reason behind that?"

RODGERS: "There’s different types of loans. There are loans where players go out to play, or where they go to offer squad support. If it helps a club with their finances to bring them back, or they’re not getting enough game time, then that’s what we’ll do.

"I’ve worked at the lower level, and if they’re not playing, and they’re not going to play, they might as well come back here and get prepared for another loan deal. That allows the club to then go and get a reinforcement in a different area. I have to protect the young players here. They will have learned from the experience, good or bad, and they can either progress here, or get another loan spell".

At this point, the question is answered. If the press conference ends here, there's clearly no negative reference to either Teixeira or Ngoo. Another Journo then asks a related question, and as you can see, it is a general question, and is not specifically related to Teixeira:

JOURNO: "There’s a lot of debate about the experience young players need, but it’s not as simple as throwing them into loan spells as it doesn’t always work out.

RODGERS: "No, absolutely. With all due respect, some of the young players aren’t good enough. Everyone thinks that because you’re at a top club, and you’ve got some good young players that think they can just walk into a League One team, but they can’t. I supervised a group at Chelsea where we had some wonderful young players, but the harsh reality is it’s not all bright lights and the Premier League. It’s a tough world".

Rodgers simply makes a general comment about young players, and it's a valid point: some of them just aren't good enough. I don't see how his answer to question two has any direct relevance to his points about Teixeira and Ngoo. Rodgers even mentions Chelsea in his second answer, which suggests that (subconsciously) he could've had young players at Stamford Bridge on his mind.

The press had a lot to do with the misconception. Lots of high profile sites - such as ESPN, for example - ran headlines like 'Rodgers warns LFC young players', and used his line about young players not being 'good enough' in a misleading context.

Rodgers' comments are, of course, open to individual interpretation, but I don't see any evidence to support the contention that the manager directly criticised Teixeira. He certainly didn't say that he's 'not good enough'.

View Rodgers' press conference HERE.

Author: Jaimie K