Liverpool Mystery: £26m star reveals the surprise truth about Rodgers' 21-day silence?

It's 21 days since Brendan Rodgers' last public statement as Liverpool manager, and in that time, Liverpool have signed three new players; tied two existing players to new contracts (Kolo Toure/Andre Wisdom), and dispensed with the two key members of the manger's back-room team. Surely, at least one of these developments warrants a reaction from Rodgers, but his silence continues to be deafening.

Rodgers is the official public voice of Liverpool FC, so it's strange to see him disappear from from view like this, and his lack of visibility is leading many to speculate that all is not well behind the scenes at Anfield.

Despite the season being over, the likes of Arsene Wenger and Louis Van Gaal continue to make public statements about their respective clubs, so why is Rodgers keeping an incredibly low profile?

Is he on the verge of being replaced? It's definitely possible, especially after the seemingly ruthless excision of Mike Marsh and Colin Pascoe, Rodgers' two most trusted lieutenants.

Now, the plot thickens. In an interview with The Telegraph on Saturday, Rodgers' record signing, Adam Lallana, made the following statement:

"They [Pascoe and March] were great coaches. It’s the same as a player. A manager might come in and not fancy you and you are the one who is looking to be sold. It happens to coaching staff, too"

Is this a Freudian slip by Lallana?

* He makes a clear comparison between the arrival of a new manager, and the consequent expendability of players/coaches.

* In this case, Lallana is basically saying 'A manager might come in and not fancy the coaches currently at the club'.

* No one new in the management hierarchy has 'come in' yet, but perhaps Lallana is aware of something happening behind the scenes? With that in mind, it's possible that his subconscious speculation inadvertently wormed its way into the interview.

Of course, it may be nothing, but with Jurgen Klopp available, and seemingly sending clear messages that he's interested in the Liverpool job, anything is possible. Liverpool legend John Toshack summed it up on Friday, when he told TalkSport:

"It’s very unusual that a coach stays on when his backroom staff have been sacked. There’s something not quite right there".

It's unusual, but there's also another possibility:

* Perhaps Rodgers wanted rid of Pascoe and Marsh, and deliberately threw them under the bus during his end of season review?

* Perhaps Rodgers is now staying silent on the issue so that FSG can take the heat for those decisions?

* Marsh is the only scouser on Rodgers' senior staff, and I doubt he'll want to be associated with getting rid of the club's only homegrown influence, so it makes sense to allow speculation to mushroom, much of which geared towards painting the manager as the victim in an apparent FSG power-play.

* As for Pascoe, he and Rodgers have history, but like Rafa Benitez and Paco Ayesteran, long-standing business relationships can fracture, and it's entirely possible that may be the case here.

Like Benitez - who once fired SIXTEEN members of staff in what resembled the football version of a Coup d'état - Rodgers has a history of power-plays to consolidate power/influence at the club. Examples:



* AUG 2012: Two months after Rodgers' appointment, Academy technical director Pep Segura quit the club. At the time, the Liverpool Echo reported: "Segura looked set to be promoted to technical director...but those plans were shelved when Brendan Rodgers made it clear that having total control would be key to him accepting the job".

* NOV 2012: Rodgers promoted Rodolfo Borrell to head of Academy coaching, and brought in his own man, Alex Inglethorpe as the new Reserve Team manager.

* MAY 2013: Rodgers dumped U18 coach (and former Academy Manager) Steve Cooper, and brought in his own man - Neil Critchley - to take over.

* NOV 2013: Frank McParland and Rodolfo Borrell were both sacked by LFC. Rodgers then brought in more of his own guys to take on their roles.

The pattern here is clear: remove employees from influential posts and bring in hand-picked replacements, thus solidifying control across the club. Now, with Pascoe out of the picture, it's no surprise to hear that Alex Inglethorpe - one of Rodgers' guys - is being linked with a promotion to the senior management team.

If Rodgers is responsible for Pascoe and Marsh being dumped, then it's a crass move, but understandable if he realised that they weren't effective enough for a team of Liverpool's stature.

The same thinking can be applied to Rodgers himself, but if he's willing to sever ties with his long-standing assistant, then it means he has the Reds' best interests at heart, i.e. ensuring the club has the best coaching staff in place to achieve long-term success.

I personally believe this is a more believable scenario that the narrative being peddled by some fans, which entails FSG trying to force Rodgers to resign by restricting his influence at the club. Whilst it's certainly a possibility, it's clearly a poisonous, counter-productive approach to take, with the potential to dissuade top managers from coming to Anfield.

Fans may never discover the truth, though. Marsh and Pasco will almost certainly have contractual agreements forcing them to remain silent on the issue, and I highly doubt Rodgers will make any public statement on the issue outside of thanking the departed duo for their efforts.

Whatever happens, there's a manifest lack of professionalism shrouding current and recent events at Anfield, and no one at the club will come out of this smelling of roses.

Author: Jaimie K