As a Liverpool supporter, the obvious question has been thrown at me numerous times in the past 48 hours; so, Brendan Rodgers?
I would be lying if I said I was happy with the appointment - but don't think too much on that, let me explain. I'm not, not happy because we've hired Brendan, I think he's going to actually prove to be a shrewd move by the club. What I'm not happy about, is the way Kenny Dalglish, the "Heart and Soul of Liverpool Football Club" as Tom Werner so patronizingly put it at the press conference this morning; was thrown away like unwanted trash just two weeks ago.
Let's take a step back to the fall of 2010. FSG came riding into Liverpool in a flurry, rescuing this great club from administration; snatching it from the grips of the dubious owners Gillett and Hicks. When all the dust was settled, there was turmoil. Fans unsure of what they knew anymore, a manager with a mid-table mentality, and a squad that had not been adequately reinvested into for some time. Not wanting to do anything too drastic, too soon, FSG waited until it seemed everything was lost and started the rebuild by replacing Roy Hodgson.
What is the one thing that keeps your body alive? Your heart. What was the one thing FSG needed to implant, in an attempt to defibrillate this dying club? Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish.
FSG, as cunning as they are, knew Dalglish would be able to get everyone on the same page. They knew, if they could get the supporters onside, the club would benefit. The players too got a lift, helping elevate the team from 12th, to 6th by seasons end. I won't go into what transpired over the next year, the simple fact of the matter is, Dalglish was just a short term fix. He wasn't FSG's "guy", and unfortunately for them, results in the eyes of fans stipulated he must get the job full time. His departure at the end of this season was simply a matter of time, FSG needed any excuse and they got it, by finishing 8th.
June 1, 2012 Brendan Rodgers from Carnlogh, Nothern Ireland was named the 18th Manager in Liverpool history. The supporters are mixed somewhat in their opinions. Thanks to the society we live in these days, everyone wants a big name. But to me, football isn't managed by names, and it isn't played by names (there are exceptions) however, it is played by ideologies and systems. Brendan Rodgers has proven this.
Rodgers took Swansea City into the Premier League, where most bookmakers had them going down just a quick as they came up. Swansea had something else in store, finishing 11th.
Its not just that they finished 11th, but its also how they played. I've seen a number of articles about Brendan and his footballing philosophy in the past few days. These insights show appointing him may be something that harkens to the history of our club, shrewd managerial appointments - see Shankly and Benitez as prime examples.
One would notice, the articles make mention to the "Barcelona style" as well as La Masia. I'm not jumping up and down screaming that I want us to copy Barca's system, but what I want, and what most Liverpool supporters want is good attacking football. His vision and tactics are all about that, Swansea easily showed this as the dominated eventual Champions, Manchester City this year.
I'm not going to be blindly optimistic and assume that he will turn us around over night; I wouldn't complain if it happened. What I will say, is that I will give him time and the opportunity to show us what he has in mind. I do have a good feeling about him however, and I'm very intrigued to see what's in store.
My only caveat is this, if we move a year down the road and this project fails, I will continue championing for a certain Spaniard with the reverse initials of Brendan Rodgers to return. But that's another story for another day.
For now I'll just quote the classy words of one Kenny Dalglish "Congratulations to Brendan and Good Luck to everyone at LFC. Kenny."
