I have sympathy for Brendan Rodgers.
In a fair world he would have been given more time to right the ship at Liverpool. Sadly we don’t operate in a fair world, and even the slightest hiccup results in owners rocking back and forth in their chairs, knuckles white and lips pursed. Firing Rodgers is unfair, but it’s also completely understandable.
The self-confident Northern Irishman would likely have been better served staying at Swansea City for a few more seasons, spending some more time growing as a manager, and learning how to deal with the media. Of course, he was never going to be able to turn down a job of such magnitude as Liverpool.
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His early bravado hit home with a fan base that had been screaming out for a big personality to back. An intent to cause other teams “death by football” hit all the right notes, until he realized after a season that in fact rather than depend on his preferred possession based game, he really needed to embrace his team’s strengths—do what is ever needed to get Luis Suarez the ball.
The second-place season was wonderful for fans as well as neutrals, as Rodgers’ Liverpool side played a swashbuckling, high octane brand of attacking football that at times (usually via the boot of Suarez) was mesmerizing. Close observers would quietly lament that although fun it masked what was a very questionable defensive structure. What if the goals dried up? Then what? What if the man providing those superlative long range passes (Steven Gerrard) suddenly aged? What if? What if?
The very fact that Luis Suarez even remained at the club for that season was something of a miracle, and both Rodgers and Gerrard should be given a slow hand clap for convincing him to stay. However, it really was out of the manager’s hands when Suarez finally decided that an offer from Barcelona was too good to ignore, and the owners had grown tired of his constant cannibalistic indiscretions.
Suarez leaving was not Rodgers’ fault, nor was the injury situation that befell Daniel Sturridge. Remember those worries close observers of the team had pointed out earlier? Last season they were valid. Over 50 goals conceded, and what was left was the same shaky defence, admittedly put under the microscope further by the dreadful form of big money reinforcements such as Dejan Lovren and Alberto Moreno.
The big question that has yet to be answered is just how much responsibility should Rodgers assume for these questionable transfer dealings? The much ballyhooed “transfer committee” implemented under owner John Henry does need to raise its hand and let us know exactly how much power Rodgers had within the four-man huddle.
And then to this year. A strange season so far on all fronts, where no team really looks like it wants to win. That in itself may have been Rodgers’ death knell; despite such an inconsistent start, a top four finish actually looks as if it might be as attainable. Add in the instability at many of Europe’s top clubs, and any potential managerial target had better be snapped up soon before it is too late.
Brendan Rodgers is an intelligent football man, perhaps he is guilty of over complicating things at times, and perhaps the Liverpool job came too soon. But he will be back, and will be successful. And even though given the various dynamics at play this season his firing was probably the right thing to do, it still seems unfair in many ways, and I do feel sorry for the man.
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