Owners, FSG, Look to Salvage the Season
Soccer News: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has been dismissed after a disappointing start to the season.
Less than five months after owners Fenway Sports Group gave their backing to the Northern Irishman after a woeful end to the 2014-15 campaign the Americans have done a u-turn.
And just a couple of hours after Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Everton at Goodison Park in the 225th Merseyside derby – another unconvincing performance – Rodgers was relieved of his duties.
“We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Brendan Rodgers for the significant contribution he has made to the club and express our gratitude for his hard work and commitment,” said a joint-statement from principal owner John W Henry, chairman Tom Werner and president Mike Gordon.
“All of us have experienced some wonderful moments with Brendan as manager and we are confident he will enjoy a long career in the game. Although this has been a difficult decision, we believe it provides us with the best opportunity for success on the pitch.”
“Ambition and winning are at the heart of what we want to bring to Liverpool and we believe this change gives us the best opportunity to deliver it. The search for a new manager is under way and we hope to make an appointment in a decisive and timely manner.”
Rodgers has been dogged by speculation about his future since the humiliating 6-1 defeat at Stoke on the final day of last season.
FSG initially came out in support of their manager, although they did effect changes on the coaching staff with Rodgers’ close friend and assistant boss Colin Pascoe and first-team coach Mike Marsh being jettisoned in favor of England Under-19 coach Sean O’Driscoll and former midfielder Gary McAllister.
The Americans allowed Rodgers to spend £80 million in the summer – much of which was recouped with the sale of Raheem Sterling to Manchester City for £49 million – but performances have been far from what was expected, even if the side are still only three points off fourth place.
Injuries, most notably to captain Jordan Henderson, have prevented the Northern Irishman from fielding his strongest side so far this season while striker Daniel Sturridge has only just returned from a hip operation he had in May, but the owners have decided the club is not heading in the direction they want it to and have acted decisively.
Former Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti and ex-Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp are both out of work and were linked with Rodgers’ position several weeks ago.
Speaking shortly after Liverpool announced Rodgers had departed, Arsene Wenger said: “I am always sad when that happens because I think he is a quality manager. Unfortunately, the pressure is always bigger on the managers and to resist the disappointment’s more difficult.”
“I think he was unlucky not to win the Premiership. He was the closest certainly to win the Premiership of all the managers who have been working for the club. But that’s the way it goes now and I wish him good luck. I am sure he will find a job again.”
Further support for Rodgers came from his former club Swansea, where manager Garry Monk was stunned by Liverpool’s decision.
“I can’t believe that. A very, very harsh decision. I don’t think he deserved that at all,” said Monk, who played under Rodgers at the south Wales club. He is a top manager. You don’t know what goes on behind closed doors but I was surprised. I will speak to him at some point. He was fantastic here at Swansea. I can’t see who else is going to do a better job for Liverpool at this moment in time so I am sad to hear that.”
“I learned so much from him – he gave me the in-depth insight to be a manager and he is a top man as well. I am very surprised. It doesn’t make sense to me, to be honest.”
Former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher said the club’s owners must get the next appointment right, and suggested Rodgers should have gone sooner.
Reflecting on a dismal end to last season, Carragher said: “They finished poorly – you think of the (FA Cup) semi-final against Aston Villa, games against Hull, Palace and that finish at Stoke (where Liverpool lost 6-1 on the final day), so he’s lucky to keep his job.”
“But to then keep him in charge, give him that money and then change the manager after seven games, he will know himself he had to make a big start and he hasn’t so that’s where the pressure comes from.”
Addressing the challenge facing owners Fenway Sports Group, Carragher was critical of their performance at the helm of the club.
He said on Sky Sports: “They’ve made a lot of decisions since they’ve come that haven’t worked. At the moment the owners’ track record in making changes for Liverpool Football Club over the last two or three years has not been good enough. It’s miles off.”
“I’d have preferred them to do it (sack Rodgers) in the summer. He’s been there three and a bit years, they haven’t won a trophy and they’ve played Champions League football once, that’s not good enough for Liverpool. Liverpool have won one Carling Cup in 10 years.”
“Liverpool are becoming Tottenham: they think they’re a big club but the real big clubs are not too worried about them, who they buy and what they’re going to do. That’s the situation it’s become for Liverpool, even when I was there towards the end. I’m not just blaming Brendan Rodgers and this set of players.”
“What are these owners of the club going to do to get Liverpool back to where they need to be, which is consistently in CL and challenging for trophies?”
Graeme Souness, who captained and managed Liverpool, said the club had fallen behind their supposed rivals, notably in the transfer market.
“The teams that buy the finished article are Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City, and what do they have in common? They win the Premier League,” Souness said. “I’m amazed by the story and I’m not sure which way it’ll turn now.”
Ex-Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp believes Klopp is the ideal man to take over from Rodgers.
Klopp has been out of work since leaving Borussia Dortmund at the end of last season and the German is the early favourite to replace Rodgers, alongside Ancelotti.
Redknapp told Sky Sports News: “I would go for Klopp over Ancelotti; I think he has got more to prove. Liverpool is not an easy job now.
“It needs somebody with that energy and drive to get Liverpool back to where it wants to be and I think Jurgen Klopp is that man.”
Redknapp felt Rodgers handled himself well at Anfield after losing some key players during his tenure, adding: “The football Liverpool played at times was fantastic. You could say that was because he had Luis Suarez but he certainly gave him the right role, he handled every situation Luis Suarez caused him extremely well.”
“He’s had to deal with Raheem Sterling leaving the club, obviously he has lost Steven Gerrard this season so he’s had a lot to deal with, to a certain extent.
“But as soon as things start to go wrong, and there was a clamour for a change at the club with the fans, it becomes very difficult for you.”
John Aldridge, who played for Liverpool between 1987-89, was surprised by the timing of the club’s decision to end Rodgers’ spell in charge.
Aldridge said: “Well I’m utterly shocked. I’ve seen the press conference and I’m really shocked the way it has all happened so quick. Us ex-players have tried to be constructive in our criticism of how Liverpool have portrayed themselves over the last couple of months of last season and the way we’ve started this campaign – it’s not been great. You wait and see signs of us rejuvenating but it’s not really happened up to now.”
“The timing I have to say – I thought Brendan was going to be given a bit more time to turn it around – but you move on, that’s what football is all about.”
“It’s a results business and Liverpool has got a massive, big stand to fill with nearly 10,000 more seats and they have got to get the feel-good factor within the club which we haven’t had for a while now and maybe that might have tipped the balance with the owners.”
