And what you know about Liverpool FC can be summed up by the fact you just posted a link to the S*N.......

No, I posted a link to a photo of a headline on a site far away from The Sun newspaper.

You need too cool down. A cold drink perhaps? What would you like in it? Just ice?

I have no idea what FSG will do - I cannot figure them out. they do seem loyal to BR so I am almost expecting them to keep him, perhaps even give him the whole season. Given the performances that is a depressing thought - and tbh it is not just this seasons performances it is the vast majority of last season too.

Last year we were rubbish in almost every PL game up to Christmas, rubbish in all 8 European games we played, then after Christmas in the PL we hit a decent run of about 10 to 15 games when we got a lot of points but often were lucky (a bit like the 0-1 at Stoke first game of this season). We put ourselves in a position to challenge for top 4 but totally flunked that and ended the season with our form nose diving and several really embarrassingly bad displays (V MUFC and AFC, V AVFC in the cup semi to name some) culminating in a 3-1 loss in SGs last game at Anfield and a 6-1 loss in the final game of the season when we were 5-0 down at half time to a mid table team. It does not get much worse than that. Also factor in that many of the signings made by BR flopped - we lost a world class striker who the previous season had scored 31 goals in the PL and the 3 strikers who BR brought in who played for us last season between them managed 4 goals in total in the PL. You could not make it up!!

The FSG big wigs came over to review the season and despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary decided to keep BR. I was very disappointed. Then he tweaked the squad and got rid of many of the worst underachievers, brought in some players who looked good buys and recruited S O'D and Gary Mc both of whom I rate. So by the start of the season I was back on board to an extent and felt sure it would be better.

We have now played 8 competitive games this season (6 PL, 1 EL and 1 CC) and apart from 45 minutes at AFC have looked poor in most of them - no better than what we did from March on last season. So do we persevere and say a) if he got more time he would be likely to turn it round or b) do we say enough is enough, it is clear it is never going to turn round under him so the sooner we get rid the better.

As I said in the first para all my instincts are towards (b) but I fear FSG will take the (a) option - they seem to like BR far more than they ever liked Roy or Kenny both of whom they had no problem sacking, to sack BR now would leave them with a lot of humble pie to eat and perhaps more importantly would cost them a lot of money.

Which newspaper do you think the headline came from, then?

Yes cut our losses, Its Rodgers who is the problem here, no one else. He's changed players, back room staff and still the problems persist with no sign of improving, we have a weaker side now than we had when Rodgers arrived.

It seems pretty clear though that FSG are going for option B, they will not admit they got it wrong and it will be the club that suffers, As a Liverpool fan all my life it saddens me that it has come to this, they are ruining a legendary club.

You see on the field I feel our performances are at the level of mid table clubs - at best. I would never label us a mid table club as there is so much about LFC that says it is not - I know non LFC fans do not like us talking that way but I think it is the truth!! Apart from MUFC we still have the biggest world wide fan base of all British clubs for one and for anyone who gets it right at our club - both players and manager - the rewards are among the highest in the game. Not financial necessarily but fan acclaim ..etc. Jose talked about it on the famous night in 2005 when he felt the power of Anfield Road and the MCFC home game in 2013/14 when we looked like winning the PL saw a truly amazing atmosphere. Cruyff has also commented on it as has Thierry Henry. We are a sleeping giant. So any person who gets offered the managers job at Anfield should not look on us as the same as some of these other mid table teams - teams that finish 6th to 10th - cos we are not.

What I will say tho is that before long we could be - look at where the likes of Leeds are now, that could be us before long altho yes I know they were never as big as us but they weren't far off.

The only previous time I have felt that we may drop down to being a real mid table team was when Hodgson was there but I would have to say that this feels very similar. Fortunately we acted fairly promptly then -lets hope we do so now too. I do fear that if we leave it till the end of the season we could be far less likely to get a high quality manager in - and so that is another pressing reason why to me we need to not be afraid to act very soon. Whether FSG will do so I have no idea as I said in the long post.

I have been a fan for 50 years and mostly have only seen success (or relative success if you look at the last 26 years) but it could be that we are going to slip further down than I have ever known us. Worrying - but it does not mean I will stop being a fan!!

YNWA.

Good points you make Alan. We've been pretty mediocre in the PL ever since it took over from the old First Division.Give or take a couple of second place finishes and being regular CL qualifiers over one period of around five years.The fact is we stood still whilst other clubs got massive money injections and have been able to attract better management and players than at LFC.

On the playing side, I think the lack of a league title for over a quarter of a century weighs heavily on all LFC players and bosses.Players and managers tactics often seem to translate to mediocre displays when we really need points.I'm 38 now and don't realistically expect to see another period of LFC dominance of English football in my lifetime.I'll be happy enough to see a first PL title won, then at least have a realistic challenge for more every two or three years.Until then, regular CL qualification is a must as this club has proved it can win ole big ears in the modern era without being the best team in the English league.

I really don't want to be posting on here in September 2020, saying that we've waited more than 30 years to be champions and still haven't got back in the CL.

Hi Alan - Yes, whilst you can never be sure I do think things will have to get even worse before they consider stepping in. With some owners the last game of last season loss to Stoke would have been the end I think, but FSG chose to back him.

You are spot on about last season and this season thus far - way below par!

Does make you wonder how Rodgers kept them sweet in the end of season talks they had. as you said though I think we all felt a bit uplifted after some of the ins and outs but team selection and team performances have soon dampened that!

Steven Gerrard has criticised Rodgers overconfident approach to the decisive game against Chelsea in 2014.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...overconfidence

I can't believe there are some people on here who think that Rodgers should be given until Christmas or even the end of the season, by then we could be in the relegation zone. Now is the time to take action, if we lose against Villa tomorrow that will be the final straw, if he hasn't already been sacked by them.

Overconfident?

The run we were on and goals we were scoring we had every right to be confident of winning @ home v chelsea.


By then we could also not be in the relegation zone.

Jeez, sometimes your one-man Rodgers love-in is nauseating.

SG persuaded Luis to stay 2 summers ago when AFC came calling - many of us are aware of that anyway, but lets think that through.

What were the owners and the manager doing to keep him at Anfield? - not enough obviously cos without SGs intervention it seems pretty clear that he would have left meaning that we would not have had the 31 goal season where we finished second and played so well. That should tell you a lot

The more I think about it the more I think BR and even tbh FSG are very unlikely to take our club back to where we want it to be. I expect BR to go soon - btw these rumours about FSG giving him 3 games to turn it round = nonsense to me. He is either good enough or he isn't, but if FSG were also to sell up and exit the scene soon I would be pleased - provided someone more suitable came in. With a different manager and owners I think we would be far more likely to get back to the level we want.

He didnt need convincing did he considerding the club made its position quite clear that Suarez was not being sold to Arsenal.

If a side who wins 11 on the bounce (coming from behind on numerous occasions) scoring 38 goals in the process cant go into a home game believing they will win no matter what then I dont know when they ever can.

But that's not the point Gerrard was making is it.

He is effectively saying the Rodgers became cocky to the point of disregarding the fact it was Chelsea, not some bottom of the table team. "Just go out there, do what you do, blast them away!"... We all know that's not how you treat Chelsea, especially when, on the day especially, Mourinho knew that he only needed one goal and he would shut up shop to spoil the party.

Rodgers should have said to his team that a draw is enough but instead, he didn't change his game plan, he didn't change his tactics, he just had them shooting and shooting aimlessly from anywhere in and, more often, outside the box in desperation once they got the goal they wanted.

It doesn't matter if a team has won 11 or 1, you treat every opponent with a certain level of respect but going from Gerrard's words, Rodgers was in a bubble and became "over confident" thinking that his side was just going to cruise their way through every match. The rest, as they say, is history.

“When you’ve got the ball 65-70% of the time, it’s a football death for the other team. We’re not at that stage yet, but that’s what we will get to. It’s death by football. You just suck the life out of them.”

“My biggest mentor is myself because I’ve had to study, so that’s been my biggest influence.”

”It was a perfect away performance, apart from the first 10 minutes.”

I could spend all day quoting this man so funny, I thought Hodgson was full of it in his time.

The fact is a manager is only as good as his last result, He has been a failure for over half a season now, In years to come people will say this is our worst start since 2015 and that is very telling about our current manager and not good enough for us.

Allardyce or Redknapp would be an upgrade on the dross we have been watching for a long time now.

I don't think the over confidence can just be laid at the manager's door. There were experienced players in that team, one of which dropped a major clanger during that game.

You were in good form. I think it's a bit much for your ex captain to start slinging shots tbh.

Look at the season we had an eight point lead over City and blew the league with around six games to go with the Everton game where we had a two goal winning margin.

That was under Fergie. Shit happens.

Woooaaah, I want Rodgers out just as much as the next guy, but let's not get crazy now.

Oh no, absolutely and taking both sides into account, he's taking a stab at Rodgers instead of addressing "the slip".

I think the point Gerrard makes has more of an underlying story to it, in that it was less about tactics with Rodgers and more just riding the wave of a great upturn in fortunes - great form of Suarez being a major contributing factor.

Take him out of the equation and when the manager is required to employ tactics, manage his players as the game unfolds, there's a glaring problem.

But who got him back on board? - SG, BR or John Henry?

I'll tell you - SG and without SGs intervention the stalemate would have continued and maybe in the end Suarez may have had to be sold to AFC - cos after all they did meet the clause in the contract so foolishly put there by FSG.

Some LFC fans abuse Wenger for that episode - I don't, to me it shows he is a very good judge of a player cos at that time LS was not popular to say the least but Wenger (unlike every other manager in England) could see what he could do and was prepared to take a chance on him and so tried to exploit the clause. Imagine if he had got Luis Suarez for 40 million!!

No one doubted Suarez as a player by then though. He was a big big player in terms of ability and his goal scoring was coming into his own. I wouldn't praise Wenger too much for noticing that in all honesty. The only thing with Wenger was that he was prepared to overlook the baggage that came with the player.

£40m now looks cheap of course but given said baggage it was always difficult to put a price on Suarez. What I do find interesting is that to the best of my knowledge he hasn't put a foot wrong in Spain. I genuinely wonder what's changed, or do we just not hear about minor stuff?

"It is great for the public here at Sunderland to see us," he said after the game. "They must have been wondering what this team everyone is talking about are all about and now they have seen. We were wonderful. Our intention is always to pass teams to a standstill, but give credit to Sunderland, they defended ever so well when other teams might have wilted."

Sunderland had just beaten Swansea 2-0.

Right, last weekend I made my Ultimate changes, and I've checked it a few times since, including earlier today and I've just checked it again. Not much room for error though with most of my players playing in the first match day.

I'm ready for you this time, football!

Are you sure now? Did mine this afternoon, but will take another look in the morning, leave nothing to trust!

It's like locking the front or back door then going back 10 seconds later just to make sure.

See, I normally do changes early on, kind of in case last week happens, or so I don't forget to take someone out of my reserves or whatever, then check in later in the week to finalise things.

I don't do that with Mondogoal though. With that I wait until nearer the weekend in case of any injuries or whatever. You can edit squads on that but it might not occur to me that someone injured is in my squad.