We Go Again! The Premier League thread

[Guest]

First topic message reminder :

that's the golden boot wrapped up

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Klopp would be a sensational get for them. Keoman surely to be linked.

[Guest]

I wouldn't mind Keoman.

[Duty281]

Liverpool's owners must have someone lined up, otherwise they wouldn't have sacked Rodgers at this stage.

Klopp is odds-on with most bookmakers, so presumably him (or Gerrard!).

[Hero]

Klopp visited England this weekend so it's looking likely the deal for him was agreed prior to then terminating Brenda's.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

That was the rumour before the game. Rodgers was gone regardless. Klopp will revitalise them and is a name foreign players will want to play for.

[Guest]

Klopp would be a sensational get for them. 

Nothing guaranteed with Klopp. New culture & only worked with top players at Dortmund, found it tough last year, when he lost players to Bayern & injuries. Turning Liverpool around is a whole new ball game for Klopp, he might be a name, but Liverpool aren't anymore & don't have champs lge football.

[owen10ozzy]

Football really has gone bonkers when your sacking a manager with the team 6 points off top spot!

I understand they had a far from spectacular season last year but given they lost their star player and one of the top 3 players in the world at the time & then had his other significant impact player in Sturridge injured for the best part of two thirds of the season what did people expect?

He took Liverpool to 6th in his first season (higher than the previous campaign), 2nd in his 2nd season (closest they have come to winning the title in a long time) and then had to essentially rebuild after he lost an influential player in Suarez as well as the need to start building a life without Gerrard. He hasn't had a great start to this year but the team are hardly out of the running & they have already played arguably 4 of their toughest assignments of the campaign in Arsena (a), Everton (a), Utd (a) & Stoke (a).

I don't know what people expect from their clubs anymore...both fans and those involved at the board room level. Rodgers has brought in 4 players (3 this season) who could become the core of that team over the next 5+ years if given a chance in Benteke, Coutinho, Firminho & Ings...yet by sacking the manager your essentially setting yourself up for more rebuilding as a new manager will have new ideas and new players he wants to build around etc.

I don't see Ancelloti being interested in the job to be honest, Koeman will I believe stick with Southampton which leaves Klopp as the firm favourite (he seemingly has already signed a 3 year contract) but as someone has already stated his track record in the transfer market has never been incredible..and while he does hold silverware with two league wins plus cups they came during a time when Munich were themselves rebuilding & given the depth of the league a challenge was unlikely to evolve from elsewhere. That's not to say I don't rate Klopp at all because he is a good manager but he too has had some poor seasons in charge in a league which is fundamentally much weaker top to bottom.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Rodgers should've been sacked last season - they sucked then and still suck now. Wasted summer really

[Fernando]

#BrendanForChelsea The only bad thing out of this is Deluded Brendan being out of a job (Twitter not actual)

[Guest]

Rodgers ... has spent like 300m over three years? ...

He's brought in 31 players in 3 years, yet still needs a rebuild. ...

This was why Brendan Rodgers was sacked. Only a very few of the 31 players he has brought in have improved the squad. He has bought a lot of duds and lot of old fading duds. The person they bring in has to be able to build and develop a team and squad. Rafa Benitez was by results a better manager but he too was wasteful in the market for players.

[Guest]

No guarantee Klopp will fare any better, given full control. Once Lewandowski & Gotze left, he signed terribly with Immobile, Adrian Ramos, who flopped considerably. If you're not in the top 4, it's difficult to attract the top players, regardless of name recognition of manager. Liverpool are a fading club, Klopp will have his work cut out trying to reverse that decline.

[Liam]

Couple of points on today's events:

1. Utd - was a horrific start for us, and not just when the game began but when I heard the starting line up. Feel for young but a winger playing left back vs a team of arsenals attacking qualities was ridiculous. Jones has only just come back but personally would have just slotted blind at lb and jones into cb. Despite spending millions we still have players out of position with no balance to the side. Love mata but he's no right wing, he gave no protection to darmian today and he got torn a new one. The key to getting the best out of this side is to play 4-3-3 with schneiderlin Herrera and schweinstiger as a 3 with martial Memphis and unfortunately Rooney up top. Carrick and schweinstiger cannot play together. Tactically, I'm really starting to question van gaal now. The way he wants to play for me doesn't work in the prem. just too slow and ponderous.

2. Rodgers - bit of everything for me. Liverpool are a club still thinking they're winning league titles when in fact they've been nothing other than side finishing 4th to 7th for near enough 10+ years now. They're finishing where they should be really. However, Rodgers despite losing an incredible player in Suarez has bought so poorly with the huge funds he's been given, and ultimately it's cost him his job. Still think he should have been given till Xmas considering he's brought in several new players again, at least to work with them because I'm not sure how much better another manager can make this side that much better than they are. They're a side pushing for 4th at best.

[owen10ozzy]

It's brilliant how people bandy about that 300 million figure...completely ignoring the money he has brought back in, the actual figure is more in the region of £255 million with around £170 million being recouped. A net spend of 85 million isn't a drop in the oceon in this league when your trying to rebuild a side which to be fair Rodgers has been doing for two of his 3 years...lost key player going into last year...and another this year and when inheriting the squad initially it was a shambles and he had to replace a lot of dead wood (otherwise known as Comolli's Bunch).

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

It's brilliant how people bandy about that 300 million figure...completely ignoring the money he has brought back in, the actual figure is more in the region of £255 million with around £170 million being recouped. A net spend of 85 million isn't a drop in the oceon in this league when your trying to rebuild a side which to be fair Rodgers has been doing for two of his 3 years...lost key player going into last year...and another this year and when inheriting the squad initially it was a shambles and he had to replace a lot of dead wood (otherwise known as Comolli's Bunch).

Have you seen Liverpool play recently Owen

[Liam]

I don't understand this argument of net spend, and I hear Utd fans say it too so I'm not being biased. If you spend 300m on players those players should be improving the side, or addressing the areas of weakness. Yet there's no top midfielder, no top cb or lb or keeper at liverpool, and for us at Utd not top winger, cb or striker (martial is not the finished article). Allot of the players going out who contribute to net spend are leaving because they are not good enough. Only 1/2 players who leave clubs like Utd and Liverpool actually go to clubs like barca real because they are top players. Nani cleverly falcao Evans all helped net spend but left because they weren't good enough.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

The problem with that net spend figure is that he's still gone out and spent it. Or the club have. But regardless, he has spent X amount of money and hasn't been able to make them good enough. It's not even missing top four; Spurs were better than them, they flopped in Europe and he hasn't made any progress with them as a squad. The defence are not better, he hasn't got them playing great football and the fans were on him.

Scraping by an underperforming Villa whilst losing at home to us, being held by Norwich and looking afraid of Everton...Liverpool managers don't survive that.

[NickisBHAFC]

Tim Sherwood Liverpool need to get. We've had deluded Brendan, smug sherwood has to be next! Come on Liverpool do it for banter! All the club is good for these days

Gutted for Rodgers, means we also see a British manager no doubt replaced by yet another forgien manager.

[owen10ozzy]

Ok even if you want to ignore net spend...the fact is he has to spend that kind of money for a reason...he lost Suarez and was never going to be able replace him like for like or even with another superstar, especially given the fact they then didn't have Champions League place.

They finished 2nd in the League, spent the summer fending off suitors for Suarez and then struggled with the added weight of Champions League football...like many teams do when qualifying for it for first time in few seasons. They reached the Semi Finals of the FA Cup & League Cup and it played a part in the poor run in in final 8 games of season where the team looked out on their feet.

He's added depth to the side this season, brought in more bodies to cope with Europe but arguably has again lost his biggest threat in Raheem Sterling. That makes it 3 of their most influential players gone in 3 seasons of being at the club. Would be like Man City losing Toure, Aguero and then Silva/Kompany and expecting them to be as good...it's extremely unlikely they would be.

I just can't see how you can expect a team like Liverpool to challenge for the top constantly when you don't allow a manager time to really build foundations to do so, it's all well and good saying 'well he's spent 300 million and had 3 years' but in that time he has also lost his 3 most valuable players, 4 if you include the injuries to Sturridge.

After Ferguson's first full season in charge of Utd (they finished 2nd) he went on to finish 11th, 13th & 6th in the following 3 seasons....imagine Utd had then sacked him...they didn't they saw he was building the foundations to something...gave him the time and spent the next 20 years collecting silverware.

[Hammersmith harrier]

You can't compare modern day football to the 1980's Owen it's a different time with money being the primary driver, the Ferguson argument gets bandied about all the time but it's no longer relevant.

You say he's been building a squad but Liverpool have been bringing in average player by the bucketload, aside from Coutinho I can't say they've signed anyone that has helped the team progress.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

The Ferguson point really is one people should stop bringing up. Whats then was then, whats now is now and vastly different.

The fact of the matter is that Liverpool fans do not need to be peddled lines every year about a manager rebuilding. Horses for courses, but whatever the club, steady decline can be seen as gearing you up for the sack. If Liverpool demand they are to be challengers to the top four every year, yet Brendan really looks unlikely to do that seriously again, then hes got to go.

They flopped out of the Champions League with a whimper, even sacrificing the Bernabeu game. You do that and dont back it up then you're gonna get criticised.

Neither were people expecting them to be just as good without Suarez. But they were a shadow. They don't look like a team who was managed well and had a gem, they look like a team that had a gem and nothing else. He fell out with Sterling, seems unable to stand by any system and is also a bit of a knob. When the wheels stared to come off it was inevitable. You have to earn credit in reserve, well liked characters do, managers with special envelopes who dont care about trying to win in Madrid, all the while failing at every big challenge (semi finals, CL group etc), those managers dont get too much grace.

[Hammersmith harrier]

It's worth remembering that Ferguson had a lot of credit in the bank having performed miracles at Aberdeen, a manager with a proven track record is usually given more time to turn things around.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

He also has failed miserably to fix their defensive woes, and if you've watched them this season they're abysmal going forward, devoid of any style merely hoping for a moment of magic from coutinho.

I tend to go by the fans in these situations, and most Liverpool folk wanted him gone.

[westisbest]

Goal of the month for me was Matt Ritchie.

[Guest]

Louis Van Gaal - well he has an impressive cv.  His modus operandi is a bit strange he buys big but then rapidly gets rid of them if they don't fit his system while their resale value is still relatively high.  There does seem to be problems but he seems like someone who can guarantee Man Utd a top four slot.  He also seems keen not to do much more than three years before retiring from the game and is keen to help develop Ryan Giggs as the next manager.  Not sure if Liverpool have any developmental programme for coaches.  It seems that Klopp will be the next manager of Liverpool, although maybe Mr Abramovic may have something to say about that.

[Alistair]

For all the negatives about Klopp last season, did he not manage to get them in to Europe?

[Guest]

Yes, but it's hardly difficult to achieve a European position in Germany, even if you've had a bad six months, as if the lack of quality in that league. 

Just want to discuss about two players, kind of got missed with the Rodgers story, but what's people thoughts on Depay & Sterling so far. Has Depay done less than di Maria, think he's looked awful & it already looks like De bruyne is taking charge in the battle between himself to & raheem, with more goals & assists already. Never rated sterling, playing with aguero, silva & de bruyne will only highlight how average he is in my opinion.

[Guest]

Any manager who gets Coutinho firing again will have my support, he's looked bang average this season and I'd have taken him off yesterday if Ings hadn't picked up an injury. As for Klopp, I have my reservations, mainly because I dislike grown men who wear baseball caps!!!

[Guest]

I think both have been pretty average, although it's still early days. Technically, I've never rated Raheem, so to see him fade into the background at City amongst top quality players, is no real surprise. De Bruyne looks a genuine threat in most games & already his stats are putting pressure on Raheem to deliver. As for Depay, he's been very poor. In the Eredivisie he looked quick, but having seen him in England, he doesn't look that blistering at all & he's pretty predictable coming in on his right foot.

[lfc91]

What can I say really. Never wanted him from day one, was one of his biggest critics throughout his reign at liverpool. Recieved a fair amount of stick from various fans after we came second which for a short time in many eyes highlighted that rodgers was the right man to take us forward. Was his own worst enemy in many respects. Pure stubbornness on his part that resulted in many of the issues throughout his tenure.

If we got either Klopp or Ancelotti it would be a real result, however the Liverpool job as it stands is a very difficult one to take. Fans that expect Top 4 as a minimum in a league where we are probably 5th/6th in terms of first team and squad strength..

[Guest]

What can I say really. Never wanted him from day one, was one of his biggest critics throughout his reign at liverpool. Recieved a fair amount of stick from various fans after we came second which for a short time in many eyes highlighted that rodgers was the right man to take us forward. Was his own worst enemy in many respects. Pure stubbornness on his part that resulted in many of the issues throughout his tenure.

If we got either Klopp or Ancelotti it would be a real result, however the Liverpool job as it stands is a very difficult one to take. Fans that expect Top 4 as a minimum in a league where we are probably 5th/6th in terms of first team and squad strength..

Be lucky to get Big Sam!!!!!!!!!

[lfc91]

Sad but true. If this happened at the end of last season (which after the Stoke game it should have!). The new manager would have had all summer and substantial funds to build a team that could play the football he wants. Now any new manager is stuck with an average squad to try and perform miracles with..

[Guest]

even if klopp came in after the stoke game, who would he have signed? No guarantee either, that under klopp, you would of been playing better football. just nonsense all this 'what could have been' stuff. clyne was the best right back in the PL last season, i heard no complaints, you signed Milner - an experienced & strong PL player, Firmino was one of the best players in germany & was the no.1 player for brazil at the copa america, i heard no complaints. Firmino was probably known to klopp from his bundesliga days & he might of ended up signing him too, just like brendan. Just because Klopp might of been appointed, doesn't mean you would of signed better players, he's just a name, pro footballers care about the club direction & whether or not they play in the champs lge.

and klopp will hardly have to perform miracles, its not that awful a squad & you're only six points off the top. hardly a dire situation.

[lfc91]

No one is saying the appointment of Klopp or anyone else in the summer would have resulted in better players signed. Just that if you are going to make a change (which it seems now that they had planned to all along after last season) then the summer is the time to do it for obvious reasons!

As for the signings, no one complained because those you listed are good signing. Benteke/Clyne/Milner are all first team players and I am happy to see them play for Liverpool. It is the way in which Rodgers had us playing this season and last that has lead to him being sacked. Inability to defend the simplest attacks and when suarez left our great attacking football seemed to have went with him. (Obviously the injury to sturridge affected that aswell). We haven't looked as bad as this since the Roy Hodgson days..

Just personally don't think Rodgers was ever the right man. Although admittedly after the 2nd season I looked for all the world to be wrong in that opinion and was more than happy to be wrong.

[Guest]

If we hang fire we might get Mourinho as Chelsea have just issued a statement giving him their full support (surely the kiss of death for any manager!)

[TRUSSMAN66]

Feel sorry for Brendan...........Overachieved when he finished second a couple of years ago and fooled the owners into believing Liverpool are a top 4 team....

They aren't..

[lfc91]

The pressure from the fans doesn't help either. We believe we should be acheiving top 4 finishes even though there are 4 teams quite clearly above us in terms of both squad quality and financial/pulling power when signing players.

[Guest]

Sure Rodgers is warmed by the show of support from people...that and the lovely cheque for several million quid he's probably pocketed too.

"Hi, EasyJet? Yeah, I'm looking for a flight to Spain. Where exactly? Oh, I'm not fussed!"

[lfc91]

True, must be in line to pocket more than most of us will earn in our lifetime. Think it will be a huge knock for his ego if nothing else (Seemed to fancy himself some sort of footballing genius).

[Guest]

I don't think it will...comments he made after the Villa game tended to suggest that he wasn't being given the right tools for the job (implying that the transfer policy was out of his hands...he liked Ashley Williams, no-one else did). I think the thinly veiled criticism of FSG will have done for him as much as the mediocre performances. It's a bit like Rafa when he got sidetracked by boardroom antics and performances on the field suffered.

Rodgers is like every other manager, when it's going well, you look like a sage, when it's going wrong, you look like an idiot. Difference is, Rodgers has let his feelings about the owners slip. You won't hear Jose saying in public that Roman is an absolute w*nker who wears the expression of a kid with slight learning difficulties being shown a card trick.

[Guest]

Mourinho given vote of confidence, but apparently told end of season minimum requirement is top 4, without a penny spent in January. Fail & he's gone.

[Guest]

Making the top four is pretty much the required guideline for any of the top managers, in keeping their job. No money spent isn't that much of an issue, as you rarely sign quality players in January, especially six months before a Euro's.

[Guest]

Breaking News on BBC- Liverpool have made contact with representatives of Jurgen Klopp as the Anfield club look to replace sacked manager Brendan Rodgers.

More like, they contacted him weeks ago, already have set his house up in Formby (as was reported last week) & it's a done deal.

[westisbest]

Shame for him that he is no longer Liverpool manager.

Would never feel sorry though for one who was sacked, never mind the money, they can pretty much walk into another job with in a couple of weeks, or the next month.

[Fernando]

#BrendanForNewcastle....Or...Chelsea

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Shame for him that he is no longer Liverpool manager.

Would never feel sorry though for one who was sacked, never mind the money, they can pretty much walk into another job with in a couple of weeks, or the next month.

Thats why I like Advocaat. He could have stayed and got sacked. And hes old enough now that its not gonna ruin his chances of career progression to get sacked. But he didnt think he'd be able to do the job with that squad so left.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Klopp is an incredible get for Liverpool. Think of the credentials of Rodgers when he was hired. Think of the credentials of Klopp. That Liverpool can finish 6th last year, 8 points outside of the top four, and get a manager that would probably be high on Man United, Arsenal or City's lists were they to lose their manager means they have done well with that hire.

As for Brendan, he is waiting for someone to take Monk off Swansea so he can walk back into that job.

[Guest]

#BrendanForNewcastle

We already know how not to defend, we don't need to be taught it

[compelling and rich]

really like klopp so would be a shame to see him go and be wasted at anfield

if he's just patient enough one of the jobs at a big club will come up soon, arsene, jose, lvg and pellegrini all not guaranteed to see out the season and plenty of pressure on them. much better job for him there

[Marky]

I can see Rodgers getting a job in Spain similarly to Moyes. Not one of the big 2 clubs obviously. Also;

Never rated sterling, playing with aguero, silva & de bruyne will only highlight how average he is in my opinion.

Sterling is only 20 years old FFS. Years ahead of him before he reaches his peak and could be a world class player for England. If anything he's going to learn from playing with more advanced players in Silva, Aguero and KDB. Not to mention how Sterling as a minimum will be a focus for defenders leaving space for the others to do damage.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Sterling has been what City need him to be. Fast option who will look to go in behind but is just as comfortable taking players on. Neat, tidy, young, English. they'll be happy so far

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