Statistically, if we're talking meaningfully, your analysis doesn't stand up.
No. I was fairly torn but I simply don't believe he has anything remotely approaching a long term, or even a medium term, strategy for us and at this stage in time we sorely need one.
No analysis there mate. Just made an assertion and provided some evidence. Think it's interesting though that of Redknapp's eight predecessors only one would be deemed by most to have been a successful appointment. Jol, and he didn't do as well as Redknapp.
Maybe you think Levy would pick better than previous chairmen? Well, he selected Hoddle, Santini, Jol and Ramos so I wouldn't be so sure.
The thing about football is that fans' expectations tend overwhelmingly to be set too high. We expect third, we get fourth; in years gone by, we expect 6th, we get 12th. Fact is, most fans reckon their club should be finishing a few places higher. That's part of being a fan for a lot of people - thinking your tribe is f*cking eh and deserves to be doing better.
But when you take one big step back, remove those spurs tinted spectacles and view it dispassionately it's pretty clear that Redknapp has done a great job.
TBH, I think you are overreacting a touch.
For a start, I believe Rodgers will need two or three arduous years at Liverpool, maybe four, before he gets them competing. Even then ther eis still the issue of the missing stadium. Will he get that type of patience from the Scouse fans with their overweening sense of entitlement? I doubt it. More like they will be expecting to be challenging for the title by november, when, frankly, even with a genuinely top manager I think that they have their work cut out to even break the top 4 within the foreseable. This is honestly no sour grapes, but I think we were a much better fit for him than that shower. No new stadium even planned, a decidedly inferior squad, medieval training facilities, a youth team packed with traditional English/British youth player types, all physicality and competitive edge, and no finesse - does he know what he has taken on?
And, really, despite issues with Mr Redknapp, largely to do with his narcissistic, verbal diarhaeah media obsession, going missing when he thought he was getting the England job, sheeeeee-ite, we still finished 4th. With our squad + and him concentrating on the job, I don;t think we will be in too much trouble, TBH. With a few strategic additions, I think we'll will be good to go. Verts will be a good start, and one of our biggest problems last season was the uncertainty at centre-half. And we have to believe the strike force will be better, and we have reason to believe it is so. Sandro will come on again.
COYS
Disagree - we expected them to do well last season as well, and look what happened. I have doubts on how well Rodgers will adapt to a "big" club in his first year. (Will he have a DoF?). Stick with him, however, and they may well be a threat in 3 years time, even 1 or 2.
I would expect them to improve on 8th (?) place, but not to be "competing for top 4 at least next year", even with the returning players you mentioned - who, lets face it, aren't exactly all that (Aquilani, Cole and Lucas).
Clearly a lot depends on who they bring in (have they really got money to spend), but all in all I don't think they have a top 4 squad. Plus, as I said before, my gut feeling says thta Rodgers will not hit the ground running in his first season.
No. I was fairly torn but I simply don't believe he has anything remotely approaching a long term, or even a medium term, strategy for us and at this stage in time we sorely need one.
Plus Conte is a Juventino - more reminiscent of Dalgliesh's first stint as player-manager, fan's favourite, club man.
You are bang on Monta. It's not a simple yes or no.
Who knows if Harry, with no distracions such as England next season, couldn't have us playing the same way and winning as we were up to february, for the whole of next season. It's quite possible that he could.
He just needs to be backed or sacked.
Rodgers is a fecking disaster for us. Sure, Pool in comparison with other 5 clubs they're looking to compete with have a lot of military medium players but Rodgers got championship and league 1 players withing a gnat's hair of a top half finish.
He can make a team greater than the sum of its parts. They were a fair ways behind top 4 for sure - I think about 16 or 17 pts - but if anyone can get them to eek out 3 or 4 more wins from draws and a couple of draws from losses, this guy might pull it off. All of a sudden, they're right there sniffing around the top 4.
Keeping the Lampard and JT of Liverpewel (Stevie G and Donkey Carra) sweet will be his toughest tast this season, imo. If they decide they don't like him, they'll kick up again and have him shit-canned as they did with FSW and Woy.
I think you're underestimating them a bit SP. I think they'll be competing for top 4 at least next year.
First, I think they are upgrading massively on their manager. Time will tell, but you can just see that Rodgers has a little more going on up there than "King Kenny." (Maybe he's more charismatic ).
Second, they have good players coming back into their team (better than the current ones) - Aquilani, Lucas, and Cole. Replacing Henderson, Spearing, and Downing with those 3 would already be a massive improvement. I expect them to spend some money as well this summer. They need some decent wingers, a central midfielder, and a striker imo. Their defense was pretty good last season (better than our's). Plus they have a player coming through their academy - Raheem Sterling- who is supposed to be pretty good.
Say hypothetically they signed Siggurdson (which looks likely), A. Johnson and Affelay, plus a midfielder such as Dembele or M'Villa, and a striker like KJH, they could be very competitive next season. Despite being in 8th, they still have the money and pulling power, so I certainly see them as a great threat this coming season, not 3 years down the line. IMO they will spend wisely this summer, because Rodgers seems to have an eye for players that fit his style. It won't be tens of millions for terrible British players who can't play.