As we build up to tonight’s FA Cup replay against Blackburn
Rovers, there has been more and more naïve Liverpool fans calling for Brendan
Rodgers’ head should we lose the game, following our last two results. The same
fans that were praising him for our turnaround little more than a month ago,
such is the modern fickle fan. This in my opinion is absurd. For me, even if we
lose tonight’s match at Ewood Park he is still the right man to take the club
forward, and here are 5 reasons why.
1)
Last season’s success
Granted, we didn’t win a trophy or win the
league but had you offered most fans second place at the start of the season,
they would’ve bitten your hand off. Even if the end of the season was a bit of
an anti-climax, the sumptuous style of play Rodgers had created was fantastic
to watch and scoring over 100 league goals was testament to that. Unfortunately
we haven’t reached those heights this season, however it took two seasons to
mount a serious title challenge and having bought a near whole new team last
summer following the departure of Luis Suarez, it was always going to take time
for everyone to gel. Next season has the potential to be as spectacular as
Brendan’s second year in charge, providing he buys well in the summer and keeps
our best players.
2)
Development of players
Rodgers has proved in nearly three years at
the club that he is a fantastic coach, having developed the likes of Raheem Sterling,
Phillipe Coutinho and Daniel Strurridge. All these players of course had
undoubted talent but under the tuition of Rodgers have kicked on to the next level,
or in Sterling’s case, many levels. He has also developed a player who was heavily
criticised in the early stages of his Liverpool career, Jordan Henderson, into
a player who is being talked about as the heir to Gerrard’s Anfield throne.
Other players such as Martin Skrtel, John Flanagan and Mamadou Sakho also
deserve a mention as they have also developed massively since Rodgers taking
charge, or since buying them. If he can
sustain the number of players developing and continue to do so, there is no
doubt he is the right man for the job.
3)
Trust in Youth
One of the main things that has impressed
me about Rodgers since taking over The Reds is the level of trust he places in
youth players. Liverpool are a club well known for their youth academy over the
years having produced the likes of Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Jamie
Carragher and Robbie Fowler. However, since the likes of Gerrard and Owen,
there hadn’t been a really successful academy graduate until Sterling (if he counts)
and since then, Flanagan and Jordon Ibe. Of course Flanagan and Ibe haven’t achieved
anything yet but the potential is there. So it’s nice to see a young manager
trusting young players, so much so that youngster Jordan Williams has been on
the bench for many games this season. What particularly encourages me for the
future is decisions like he made with Ibe, a young player playing well on loan
in a position we needed depth in, so instead of buying, Rodgers recalled Ibe
which has been fully justified having excelled in most games he’s played since
returning. The rate of academy graduates
appearing in the first team has without doubt increased since Rodgers took over
and is another reason I think he should stay.
4)
He’s tactically astute
Now, I’m going to be the first to admit
that Rodgers has made tactical errors in the past, as I’m sure he would admit
himself, but on the whole he’s excelled. Particularly during the tail end of
last season where game by game he would create a plan and tweak the system appropriate
for our opponents, using a combination of different formations and styles. This
season as well, he managed to turn around a frankly disastrous start to the season
where the team couldn’t defend into a solid unit and renewed aspirations for
Champions League football. Obviously this is looking distant now but the fact
he turned it round to go unbeaten for 3 months is testament to his tactical acumen
and coaching. I fully believe he will only improve in this area as he’s
obviously a fast learner, and his decisions in the big games will become
better. He is, in my opinion, one of the best man managers in the country and
is extremely bright which is why he should without doubt keep his job.
5)
Still young and learning
On top of all that’s been said, he’s still young
for a manager at 42 and is still learning his trade. Every manager makes
mistakes, Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t win anything for the first six years of his
reign at Man United. Jose Mourinho has often got it wrong and it’s well documented
that Arsene Wenger has got it wrong on many occasions. That being said, for a
young manager he has done remarkably well in his first big job, no disrespect
to Swansea or the other clubs he’s managed. Dealing with the added pressure
with calmness and dignity, I believe he will become a world class manager and
Liverpool would be foolish to get rid of him, contrary to some of the idiots
that think otherwise.
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