When a fresh-faced Brendan Rodgers took over the top job at five-time European Champions Liverpool he begged just one thing of the fans: “Don’t judge me now, judge me in three years”. Well, I’ve got news for you Brendan, your three years is up.
As the news surfaced that Real Madrid had sacked Carlo Ancelotti for finishing second and falling just short of a second consecutive Champions League final berth, Liverpool fans had no choice but to head back to their happy places, and pray no one realised that their club had been quietly leapfrogged by Tottenham Hotspur on the 38th and final day of the 2014-15 season.
A 6-1 loss to Stoke in their final fixture only added insult to injury in a season to forget for the Reds. Kop legend Steven Gerrard was farewelled with losses in his final two matches, not a fitting farewell for perhaps the club’s greatest ever player.
Rodgers obviously cannot be held entirely culpable for his side’s fall from grace following their title challenge last season. A number of factors can be pointed to, but most will be pointing the finger at the club’s failure to keep hold of talismanic 31-goal striker Luis Suarez – who departed to Barcelona at the conclusion of last season, albeit for an almost ludicrous sum of roughly £80 million.
Rodgers’ attempt to fill the Suarez-shaped void in the squad with a $200 million-plus foray into the transfer market yielded little to no success. Signings such as Mario Balotelli, Adam Lallana, Lazar Markovic, Alberto Moreno, Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert have failed to make an impact on Merseyside. So should Rodgers be trusted with the strings to the bank account in yet another transfer window? Or is it time for John W Henry and Fenway Sports Group to tap Brendan politely on the shoulder and tell him to be on his way?
A look at the potential candidates for the role suggests Brendan’s time should be up. The timely departures of Carlo Ancelotti and Jürgen Klopp from Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund respectively provide a massive opportunity for the Reds to poach a proven big name manager who has extensive experience at Europe’s top table. One which could well prove too enticing to pass up. After all, managers of this calibre do not become available every day.
A hindsight look at the Reds’ exploits this season yield the fact that they never at any point sat higher than third on the ladder, a feat they achieved at the conclusion of the Premier League’s first game week. This is an alarming statistic for a club who would have high ambitions of not only achieving qualification for the Champions League but challenging for a 19th Premier League title. It simply isn’t good enough for a club with the calibre of squad that Rodgers had at his disposal.
While I’m no genius, all the statistics seemingly point to one inevitable fate for the manager of Liverpool. Brendan, it’s been a helluva ride but it’s time to pack your backs and hit the road. Liverpool need a manager who can provide the consistency their loyal fans crave, and you just haven’t done that in the past three years. Your time is up.
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