‘Overrated bag of sh*te’ Rodgers ‘mental’ for letting Reina leave
You know what to do now – mail us at [email protected]
Diamond Geezers
Good job I have an office door that closes, as I actually jumped out of my chair and said “get in” when Sir Les equalised at Old Trafford. I absolutely love this series, I have even downloaded Champ Man 01/02 and started my own nostalgia journey, absolutely brilliant.
Ryan, Liverpool
I am following Diamond Geezer article with deep interest. Awesome writing!
Not sure if this is allowed but – there is a (legal) website where you can download CM 01/02 to play the game!
However (almost even better) they provide updates so that you can have all the modern players but with the super fast game play of the 01/02 game!
Its unreal! You can win the league in a night!
I wont add the website for all sorts of legal reasons but searching is surely allowed…?
Happy losing hours of your lives! I have been! Its fantastic!
Wilf (James Oldmeadow has wonderful hair), York.
He’s back!
Well, he’ll certainly light up the PL with the reflection from his Veneers..
Brendan’s back, as is Alan Partridge… We really are being spoiled, aren’t we!?
Buzzing about tonight!
Gregory Whitehead, LFC
Expect an unholy amount of bullsh*t talk
Taking each of Mark’s questions in turn:
1) Unparalleled domestic success mixed with historically bad European results with about 80% of his signings being absolute muck. From what I can tell, his personality, his European results and his signings were the 3 main issues at Liverpool and after his first season at Celtic we gradually saw more and more of that creeping in. The domestic success was incredible but when your budget is bigger than the entire league combined I suppose there is an expectation that it should be. In Europe he steadfastly refused to learn from previous mistakes and wouldn’t alter from trying to play the elite teams at their own game.
2) Leicester fans can definitely expect an initial lift in performance/results. They can also expect an unholy amount of bullsh*t talk as I’m sure you’ll all remember from his Liverpool days. Gradually I imagine we’ll see the last two patterns repeat and further down the line they will see stale football which consists of lots of passing it around the back 4 and a team which seems to get worse the longer he is there.
3) Rodgers at Chelsea! No. Not even close. His European record at Liverpool is shocking when you look at it and 7 trophies out of 7 in Scotland does not a Chelsea manager make.
Peter (Glasgow).
Celtic fan here, and here are my answers to your questions…
1. How would you sum up Rodgers’ time at your club?
Until yesterday, impeccable. Won every trophy available and went a whole season unbeaten, making Celtic ‘invincible’, on the way to securing a ‘double treble’, HOWEVER, he could have become immortal by staying until the end of the season and aiming for the ‘treble treble’ which has never been done in Scottish football.
Brought through lots of youth, and improved players massively – Scot Brown became SPL player of the season under Rodgers, when the season before he looked finished.
Seems to have had his head turned by the EPL money (claimed Celtic were his boyhood club and dream job) and will leave winning trophies and possible immortality, to probably get Leicester comfortably mid table and then sacked in 18 months when Leicester’s board get itch feet (again)
2. What should Leicester supporters expect for the rest of this season and next?
Focus on young players. Great football to watch when his system works, frustrating to watch when it doesn’t as he is very tactically inflexible. No plan B at all (especially for Celtic in Europe). God help you if you get into Europe, as even if Leicester are playing well domestically, that will go to shit on Wednesday / Thursday nights
3. Would it have been realistic for him to go to Chelsea?
Nope, not at all. He wouldn’t have lasted six months. To sum up. He did amazingly for Celtic, however all the talk of ‘dream job’, ‘happy here’ etc. etc. means nothing now as he has left for the first EPL club who has offered him more money, but less chance of glory. The only thing Leicester have more of than Celtic is that EPL money.
Not success, prestige, reputation, ground size, fanbase or history. Just money. Sorry Leicester fans, but i hope he fails miserably.
Yours in sport
Whitley Bay Hoss (Judas doesn’t deserve brackets)
I’m a Liverpool fan who lives in Leicester, so thought I would chime in. Before I start, I hope I’m proven wrong. Obviously, living in Leicester, I have a soft spot for them but I can’t help but think that it will go tits up with Brendan in a few months time. Let me explain.
Everyone will point to the 2013-14 season were we were ever so close to winning the title, but it does seem to gloss over the fact that in his first season, we finished 7th, and 6th in the 2014-15, before being sacked in his fourth season for a poor run at the start of the season. This suggests to me the perfect storm of stellar performances from Suarez and Sturridge, the emergence of Sterling and Coutinho, and Gerrard’s last decent season at Liverpool could be seen as the reason we over-performed that season, rather than Rodgers managerial ability. Plus, after Suarez left (admittedly a massive loss), the team started to play some of the most turgid football I’ve ever seen as a Liverpool fan. But I don’t think that was helped by the reinvestment of the Suarez money…
Which leads me perfectly on to his transfer record. Let’s just say it was mixed at best. From what I remember, I can only say that Sturridge, Coutinho, Can, Lallana, Gomez, Milner and Firmino were ever really successes out of the 30 odd transfers he made in his time at the club, and most of those only kicked on after he left! Even the outgoings can be scrutinized. Barring the obvious of Suarez and Sterling who were obviously not going to stay, he forced out players who could still do a job. The obvious example, whoever reckons Mignolet was an upgrade on Pepe Reina is mental, lying or both.
Then there’s his uncanny ability to piss off key players. Sterling probably never would have stayed, and Rodgers did give him the opportunity to make a name for himself, but undoubtedly, their relationship was never great and probably contributed to Raheem leaving. It can be seen in the way Moussa Dembele has been speaking out since his transfer away from Celtic as well. Do you think Leicester will take the same if he starts to piss off players like Vardy?
Again, I hope I’m proven wrong. There seems to be a lot of positivity around his appointment with all my Leicester supporting friends, despite my warnings. His time at Swansea proved he is a manager with great potential. It’s hard to comment on his time at Celtic, because, come on lads, it’s Celtic, you’d have to be Moyes levels of ineptitude to not win the Scottish league every year! It’s going to be interesting to see the Brent-wannabe back in the Premiership regardless.
Mapes LFC
Mark (Or vice versa) MCFC asks about Brenda at previous clubs. He managed Reading before Swansea. At Reading, he took over a club that had just lost a play-off semi in the Championship 08/09. He left after 6 months on 16 December 2009 with the club one place above relegation. Brian McDermott then steered the club to 9th (essentially championship winning form), and to the FA Cup quarter final. Which is all a nice way of saying he’s an over-rated Bag of Shite.
Dave
Brendan’s living room selfie
Erm… I would think that it’s unusual to NOT have a picture of oneself in one’s own living room! Or am I also so far up my own arse that I don’t realise how weird I am for having pictures of myself in my living room?
James (confused), Zug
Musings about Rodgers
So Brendan “Raven Face” Rodgers is back. I’m ok with it because with Wenger gone and Pep slipping into the good books by knicking the title from Pool this year there wasn’t really any manager left to completely despise. Now I’m faced with the task of wishing every sort of poor outcome on a manager of a team that I rather like seeing do well. For those of you on the fence, here are between three and five completely factual reasons to join me in disliking Rodgers:
1. The man left Celtic in the middle of a title race to manage a team who are fighting for nothing and that he could have joined in the summer. Clearly 0 integrity. If a better job comes along, he’ll leave you too Foxes!
2. He’s got the face of a raven. Eating carrion is how I imagine he maintains his strength. Do you really want to like someone who hangs out on the side of the road waiting to eat what you accidentally ran over?
3. Big Sam doesn’t get a job this year now. Leicester weren’t fighting a relegation battle, but any year without Big Sam stepping into a team is a sad year for football. I hope you’re doing well big guy!
4. Once managed Liverpool. This would normally be #1 reason, but it is tempered by his leading Pool to that absolutely delicious PL title collapse in 2013-2014. Well done sir!
Jamin (MUFC “Ole’s at the wheel so absolutely nothing can go wrong for us ever again”) Chaput
Question for the Mailbox
I wanted to write about John Nics article but seeing as everyone already agrees it’s a dumb thing I have to ask a question instead.
Has there ever been a dumber move by a player than the Kalinic Croatia thing? I live in BiH a country bordering Croatia and have many friends there and I can tell you with some certainty that the silver medal might be the greatest success the country will ever have in football. So imagine thinking you are better than the guy playing for Juventus (Mandzukic) getting so pissy about it you decide you will take your ball and go home. Being sent home, only to watch the player you claimed u were better than have a f**king blinder of a tournament and the team achieve the greatest success their country ever has in the most popular sport in said country by a large margin. Every one of those players but especially the coach (Zlatko Dalic, who I believe is from BiH originally) is a national treasure there for the rest of their lives.
Well played sir.
Dino
Levy and Pochettino
Is Daniel Levy telling Poch what to say? Is there something in the water in North London?
After telling journalists trophies are not important, he now says it takes 10 years to challenge for titles. Just wait, in a few weeks he’ll say he likes the shops and the weather in London, that it’s grim up north and maybe that he doesn’t like the colour red.
Assuming Solskjaer hadn’t already wrapped up the position, I don’t think Poch would be such a firm favourite for the job now. Like Arsene in his last decade or so, I think he’s found his level, there must be something in the water in North London. It would probably be easier to turn Chelsea into title contenders as at least some of their players have tasted success before whereas the North London players are clearly drinking the same water as their unambitious managers and would rather the relative success of a 4th placed trophy than the risk of bottling it.
Jon, Cape Town