Football News: The big question from the Liverpool match?

Image from: thesportsbank.net

I was watching the Liverpool game last night and just one question kept shoving itself into my face throughout the whole match. Did Brendan use a sunbed or is it a spraytan? Is Rodgers' preparing for his next TV role, following his 'starring' one in 'This Is Liverpool'? Perhaps TOWIE beckons for a Norn Iron man who is so orange that you could be forgiven for thinking he was topless if he was wearing a Blackpool shirt. I have seen less orange in an orange order parade. It was like the colour footage from the liberation of Holland at the end of WW2 watching him on the sidelines. Maybe like me he always got an orange in his Christmas stocking and it inspired him to replicate it this year?

It must be said, it is very hard to like Brendan Rodgers, the dumping of his wife for a young bit of fluff, the flash car, the white teeth, the idiotic media comments, always looking to take the credit for good things while passing the blame for everything that goes wrong, and the nonsensical spiel that make him sound like a character from House of Lies trying to sell you a consultancy you don't need. To now add that orange colour, and it becomes impossible to do anything other than laugh.

Sadly performances on the pitch mirror that laughing stock act on the sidelines, becoming more and more prone to exasperating and annoying the onlooker. Gone is the free flowing, attacking football of last season, in its place is, well something. I am just not sure what that something is! It is far from tiki taka, there is short passing, but not the quick, short passing and then movement that characterises tiki taka. It is not even in the opposition half usually, which is another thing that tiki taka looks to do, to push forward initially into the opponent's half, then pass it around there, where they have to react, where they have to chase and harry, giving an opportunity to create spaces and move players into areas they are uncomfortable.

What Liverpool are doing is similar to the same crap that Roberto Martinez employed so successfully in getting that complete *censored* Dave Whelan out of the Prem spotlight with Wigan, and is now putting Everton in a similar relegation threatened situation. It is not tiki taka, it is the idiot's version of tiki taka, passing for passing's sake. It is the version designed by those who haven't actually understood the point of the style and have just listened to all the intensely stupid comments from media pundits, who are working in the media as pundits because they don't have the understanding of the game to be any use as managers.

Last night's performance against AFC Wimbledon resulted in a win, but it was so insipid, so uninspired against a team that never really showed any belief that they could trouble Liverpool, that it is difficult to understand how Brendan Rodgers has come so far in the game in such a short term. Sadly it just shows why life is dominated by those in senior positions in every situation whose only ability is to be able to talk about how great they are at everything, despite every piece of evidence proving them completely inept.

Liverpool have improved their academy beyond measure since Rafa Benitez came in and was shocked at the state of it, but would anyone know that outside of the club? I mean the academy prior to him produced Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, so, on the face of it, how can it be said to have improved when no one is coming through? Again this is another piece of evidence to suggest Rodgers is completely out of his depth, the Liverpool academy is stacked with talent who just won't be given a chance, not even at the end of games. Simply because Rodgers decided he needed to bring in so many players in the summer that there is now no space to give the kids a chance, there are simply far too many senior players to be kept happy.

Drop the orange, boot out the underperformers, learn to shut up and remember your job is to guide the team in how to defend as well as pass the ball, just maybe I can then grow to like you Mr Rodgers. I really want to like you, after all I still love Graeme Souness and he was a disaster of a manager, but he wanted to win, not to be seen to win. You are turning into Roy Hodgson, and, nice as he is, I really can't stand that man for the devastation he visited on my football dreams. So, Brendan, get help with defending, learn what the actual point of passing the ball is (to get it into position to put in the back of the net in case you are wondering) or walk away and admit this job is too big for you.

Written by Tris Burke January 06 2015 05:47:18