The 2011/12 Gary Speed Memorial Thread

[Pesci]

Only managers who get eaten alive are those who take us worryingly close to the relegation zone.

[botchedpiledriver]

Martinez to Swansea?

[Marcos]

I doubt they would take him back, and I doubt he would leave Wigan for Swansea.

[Matt]

Poyet to Swansea, probably.

[Matticus]

Im hoping this means Gylfi won't go to Swansea and Reading can sign him back!

[Christain#1]

Still see Liverpool finishing outside the top 4 with Rodgers in charge.

[Lineker]

Liverpool will finish outside the top 4 no matter who's in charge.

[Pesci]

Well time to try to look at the positives I guess. He's young and exciting, has confidence in his team to beat anybody and he's shown a good eye for recrutement - Vorm, Sigurdsson and Caulker were all good moves. My biggest concern is that he'll continue to play the same laboured football he did at Swansea, which to be fair to him can hardly be called ineffective and was better than the stuff we played a lot of the time. Either way he'll most likely change that up to be less wasteful with the ball and launch earlier attacks. If he can stop Gerrard and Adam going for the Hollywood diagonals I'll be very impressed...

[Christain#1]

Not when Charlie Adam regains fitness and stewart downing and Andy Carrol come back with winners medals linekles.....

Edited May 30, 2012 by Christain#1

[Rich]

I think you will find that there are most certainly 4 teams better than Liverpool out there, 2 are from Manchester, 2 are from London.

[Christain#1]

I think you will find that there are most certainly 4 teams better than Liverpool out there, 2 are from Manchester, 2 are from London.

It could be argued that there are 3 in London and looking at the table one from Liverpool.

[botchedpiledriver]

Still see Liverpool finishing outside the top 4 with Rodgers in charge.

Talk about a safe bet.

[Dingle]

If we ignore the finishing positions though and Liverpool get someone who can get them a 'winning formula' then there is no reason they can't challenge for the top four, I just don't think they will break the top four with the teams that are up there at the moment. City and United are gonna be there, same for Chelsea. Then you have Spurs, Arsenal and Newcastle to contend with around the fringes of the top 4(assuming Newcy have another good season, and unless something drastic happens I can't see them vanishing off the face of it). Pool need a lot of development or a lucky run of form that settles then down at the start of next year or they may be looking at being rather uninspiring once more.

[Hobo]

Still see Liverpool finishing outside the top 4 with Rodgers in charge.

It is much harder to get into the top four now than it was four years ago too.

That said, in the first half of the season Liverpool were not far off at Christmas. Had we not collapsed in the second half of the season. For whatever reasons, the loss of Lucas, Bellamy running out of steam, the Suarez ban, cup runs - whatever it was.

One thing Benitez did with Liverpool was prepare the side for a long season really well. The second half of the season was usually when his side hit its stride. Under Kenny this season it was pretty much the opposite of that.

Rogers fits the bill as being a good coach, who plays a style of football the owners want, and unlike Martinez he seems by the fact he is going to meet them, that he may be more open to working under a DoF in a style that is going to seek to emulate the Lyon model.

[Christain#1]

If we ignore the finishing positions though and Liverpool get someone who can get them a 'winning formula' then there is no reason they can't challenge for the top four, I just don't think they will break the top four with the teams that are up there at the moment. City and United are gonna be there, same for Chelsea. Then you have Spurs, Arsenal and Newcastle to contend with around the fringes of the

top 4(assuming Newcy have another good season, and unless something drastic happens I can't see them vanishing off the face of it). Pool need a lot of development or a lucky run of form that settles then down at the start of next year or they may be looking at being rather uninspiring

once more.

Totally but if the run continues you are looking at the better players wanting away. It's not a terrible team but they spent alot of money buying players that are supposed to be the

building blocks of the future. I think all of them could be sold in the future rather than be players you expect to be at the club for years.

I just think Rodgers will be the same old. Certainly with City, United, Tottenham and Chelsea all strenghining their squads.

This is kinda simular to hodgson. Did well with a smaller club and look how that turned out.

Edited May 30, 2012 by Christain#1

[Hobo]

BBC reporting the Rogers is going to be named Liverpool manager within the next 48 hours.

[Summers]

Brendan Rodgers has agreed a deal to become the new manager of Liverpool Football Club.

The 39-year-old will sign a three-year contract at Anfield and his appointment is likely to be officially confirmed within 24 hours.

Turn down an interview -> get job.

Weird.

[Hobo]

I'd say once Martinez looked like it wasn't going to work out and Rogers knew he'd be more likely be next in line he change his mind.

[Summers]

Would you guys have preferred Martinez over Rodgers anyway?

[Pesci]

I would have because Rodgers seems like a massive prick and thinks he's god's gift to English football, but then maybe that's better for a job like this. Roy comes across as the world's nicest man a lot of the time and he obviously couldn't cope. I wouldn't say I preferred Martinez over Rodgers to a drastic extent, so I'm not really upset about it, but yeah I would've preferred him. Either way it's done now. I just hope the owners don't sack him when he finishes 6th, 7th or 8th next season.