Rodgers “can’t fault the players” after West Brom defeat

By This Is Anfield on February 11, 2013

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• gaz186

  What is the point in sweeping the ball majestically from one wing to the other and attacking the flanks with speed and numbers? There is no one in the middle capable of converting crosses.

  Also, that corner had goal written all over it before the ball was even struck.

• Fahrenheit

  And the mob gathers…

• marctick

  For once BR gets it right. You can’t fault the players; the blame is squarely on the manager. We played the sort of football Rodgers wanted – we had lots of possession, we moved into the areas he wanted us to move into. Because of his system, teams can and do predict what we are going to do.

  Can anyone seriously tell me that Rodgers would get us any silverware, even if, God forbid, he were to remain at the club for 10 years?

  Despite having lost players to LFC and Spurs, Swansea are at-least as good as they were under BR. Why? Because BR is not so special. And those fools who keep going on about our performances against City and Arsenal, look at how many points we attained against them. Second half in the Arsenal game we were atrocious and as for City, they are not on form, as their loss to Saints indicates.

  I’ve had enough! Let’s stop messing about and get a decent manager in!

• David Dolan

  Johnson and Enrique are as much a part of are attacking set up as are defence , the two of them where very sloppy and Johnson with his complaisant passes and touches once again but even worse in this game ,, he does it every match gives the ball away cheaply or takes his eye of it which is not good enough at this level , The Coon should of came on for Lucas leaving Downing on who was are only threat , above all the lack of players present in the box killed us once again and the main example of that was when Reid nearly scored an og from a Shelvey cross and not a Liverpool player 20 yards of the ball , Would of liked Henderson playing in the hole last night and Assadi on the left wing and I cant for the life of me understand why he is not getting a chance was he just a cheap buy along with Yesil to keep us quiet ??? it was just a very bad performance but not let us forget the great performances against Arsenal and City and the players have to remember the in the Prem each game is as hard as the last and to be complaisant at this level will hurt you very badly , we can just look forward now to try winning the Europa and getting the players in we really need to compete for the top four next season !!! all I can say and its sad to say it roll on next season !!!!

  • David Dolan

    Blaming Rodgers is an easy scapegoat boys the fact of the matter did not matter what system or what players could of should of played are main players where very poor apart from Downing , Lucas gave away the ball time and time again as I mentioned Johnson and Enrique where a disaster , Stevie G was even very complaisant at times Suarez was not on his game either , and these are players the rest look at for inspiration and when there not playing well the pressure on the likes of Shelvey etc. go up ten fold and there lack of experience shows up , as I said its easy blaming the manager but the players deserve most if not all the blame !!!

• RS1989

  Rodgers needs to start holding players accountable. I have great faith in the man, but he can’t criticise players like Enrique in public between games, then pull punches when it comes to the post-match. I’m not saying he needs to say “OH, ENRIQUE, SHELVEY AND JOHNSON WERE POOR TODAY”. There is no need to call individual players out, but if he just said “a couple of our players weren’t up to it today and made a lot of mistakes and I will deal with that appropriately” then we’d all have peace of mind that he was dealing with the problem of underperforming players.

  As someone else said on here, we needed players who can run at the defence in this case, which is why i’m pleased we have Coutinho. But why no Assaidi? There is no use in hitting crosses in from wide against teams with 6″4 centre-halves when we can’t compete in the air.

  Ideally, we need a plan B in such situations, which was again lacking. This is why some people feel Carroll would be an asset. The problem there is he expects to play week in, week out and is on ridiculous wages. This might be where Ngoo can be useful. A hungry young player on lower wages who can come in and provide that physical presence when we aren’t getting the breakthrough.

• Buzzardbreath

  I’ve been a big supporter of the manager since he came, but this comment makes him appear either dense or clueless. Was he watching a different game from the rest of us?

• CHRIS1892

  I’m sorry Brendan, but Glen Johnson & Jose Enrique were appalling last night, giving maybe 9 out of 10 passes away. Add to that Jonjo Shelvey & Danny Agger, who up till last couple of games was playing very well but was responsible for both goals & there you have several reasons to fault a fair chunk of the side last night. 20 plus chances, no goals v 3 chances, the first in the 80th minute, & 2 goals! We can only say we’re “unlucky” so many times before it gets monotonous. Champions League? Not with form like that!

• Grizzly

  TBH this is what happens when you have all your best players coming back from International Duty then facing a team that are more up for it than you are…… I think it was Naive to think West Brom would have studied the Liverpool squad? so why didn’t they do some new stuff to catch them out get some different players in the mix or at least get a different Pena taker etc because Even i thought he’s going to go the other side as they showed his stats of all his Pena goals being Bottom left. Geez they just did there home work and Liverpool didn’t. It was an All round bad game they made us look like Noobs.

• munyuktae

  And suddenly all the experts comments, best supporters in the world my ***
  Get a grip people, our club is in bad shape for the past few years, have patience please!
  When we are winning, do you made any comments and praise him?
  It is a bad effort from the lads but dont just simply say BR out, any worldclass manager want to take the job if the supporters just like you?
  World class managers, does AVB and scolari ring any bells?
  Grow up people, grow up!

  • jon camp

    at last a voice of reason from a true red SUPPORTER….

  • marctick

    Rubbish! Rodgers’ philosophy is flawed. He is all ideas and zones and the players’s flair and individualism has been stripped from them. The style of play he expects from the high quality players that we have is predictable and pedestrian.

    Wake up. We’ve been unable to beat any team in the top half and we’re now two thirds through the season. Rodgers has taken talented players and made them into mid-table team. In every game the ball starts with Pepe, the wing backs move into a congested midfield, nullifying the wingerrs, the central defenders take
    The positions of the wing backs, everyone moves into a predecided zone, playing robotically and predictably. If we know what to expect in every scenario, don’t you think the opposition knows aswell? Of-course they do! Result, we drop points against inferior teams.

    Open your eyes, use your critical abilities, descrimate. It’s what our opponents do. You’re not a true supporter, your just someone who accepts mediocrity.

• TartanRed

  Sorry there is a point here everyone misses. I don’t think you can blame the players alone. the manager has to acknowledge that the pretty, short, back, and sides style of passing alone is insufficient. We need quality players to have outlets for direct fast attack. Jonjo ( sell) is slow and not cutting, Allen ( sell) has no vision, steel, or pace so our midfield without St Steven is lacking greatly. 3 buys are needed in the summer, two strikers and a midfield toughman. Our defense is fine. Get the team sorted with a positive tactical approach for every game next year our passing back to Pepe every 3 minutes should be banned and gives up so much territory we kil ourselves. Forward forward forward attack attack attack with clinical fashion and goals is where the games are won. Not passing percentages!

  • Prince

    Agree but problem is the defense too soft allowing goals 6 goals in 3 games is unacceptable

• JOHNBARRETT

  i did not see the game itself but listened on the radio, again lots of passing and moving but no actual threat. I hate to say be patient but this season is over. We hopefully will finish in top 6 but it might be difficult. We are an ok team but with Carra retiring and Gerrard only a few years left, the team must rebuild big!! In the modern era though results count, in the old days a manager could last but i think given BR another season at least and if team is still mid table in a year then need to find some new ideas. Also LFC these days do not have the spending power of Man U, City or Chelsea. That is now the only way to get success. To be positive we can be great just not this season I’m afraid.

• saraceninc

  Hey anyone out there, BR states that the players gave everything and yet we lost 2-0 to WBA. What is he saying? Is it that the players even at ther best still can’y beat WBA?? If that is the case why has he sleceted or played them?? Is he stating that with the very best effort we still can’t beat WBA with the squad we have??? comments anyone…

• Babeouf

  I’m a united supporter who watched the game. For the first twenty five minutes Liverpool were all slick passing but no goals. And after about thirty five minutes the team began to make unforced errors. This happens when United are on top and don’t score. Suarez wasn’t at his sharpest. Gerard missed a penalty. There was no second striker ,like Sturridge, with a cutting edge. Liverpool created dozens of chances and scored none.
  The squad doesn’t have enough real depth as opposed to names. With an on form striker they might have scored four goals and the discussion then would have been of the United variety ‘How long can they keep winning with a crap defence’i

• JulHI

  BR- I’m jus wandering why you so stubborn & difficult to admit that the club defenders were under performance & req immediate replacement!

• Paul – Bootle

  BR i think its time to stop wrapping your players up in cotton wool and let this take some of the blame… Although you certainly didn’t help the cause buy fielding Shelvey…then dragging Hendo… silly man!

• Mikestevo

  This guy has to go….bored of the project…bored of the group….this guy is a mid table manager who cannot believe his luck….dont give him another penny to spend. YNWA.

• ianmcd31

  Can’t find fault? i’d be spitting feathers at our players wastefulness in front of goal. I’ve also just watched the Zenit game, how many chances do we need to score a single goal this week!