We all knew going into the month of October that Brendan Rodgers days as Liverpool FC manager were numbered but like many, I thought the owners, FSG would give him till the end of the month to prove his worth at the helm of one of English footballs most prestigious clubs. Little did we know that his fate was already sealed come the day of the derby between Merseyside's biggest two teams. Regardless of the result, the time on the Anfield clock was up for Brendan, even though his team put on a fantastic first half and should have went in at half time in the lead thanks to a Danny Ings goal, only for a shoddy clearance by Emre Can, who I feel was played out of position to find its way to Lukaku off Martin Skrtel to which he cooly slotted past goalkeeper Simon Mignolet to level the scores before half time.
Brendan's career at Anfield was a roller coaster of note, whether or not he was fit for the position was questionable but after witnessing the drastic fall of the team after that dramatic season in which we narrowly finished second, it was clearly evident that Rodgers was batting above his weight. In time I suppose he would turn out to be a stellar manager but in today's game, many are not afforded that luxury as results are needed almost immediately. When hearing his closing comments after the decision was made to release him from his duties at the club, you can see that the man is passionate about the game, about the club and understands the values that go along with it. It's with this I wish him nothing but the very best for the future and in time he will become a manager that is ready to take on a role at a big club.
Now with FSG taking the decision to relieve Rodgers of his duties, it would be stupid of them to do so without having a plan in place. Everyone knew that there were two contenders for the position, Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti. Jurgen was always the favourite with rumours doing the rounds that FSG had always been chasing for his signature even prior to Rodgers but he stayed true to Borussia Dortmund and had a magical 4 seasons with them, not so great in the last one which saw him take a sabbatical from the game. He said at the time he will take a year off but with the timing in place, I'm sure there was an approach from FSG which had to be behind closed doors as it would be in breach of their contract with Brendan to lure him back into the game.
FSG announced that a manger would be in place before the end of the week and they were true to their word. Negotiations took place in Germany with Jurgen and by Wednesday he was on a plane to England. With half of England in a scurry to get pictures of the German on English soil you could sense there was a new buzz not only in Liverpool but in England as a whole. A new life as such that has reignited the flame on the red half of Merseyside and has instilled belief in the supporters again. Jurgen is no miracle worker but it's the first time the club has brought in a manager of such high calibre. Hence one has to commend the owners on securing the signature of such a highly sort after manager with a club that's performing mid table with no Champions League football and no superstar players.
Jurgen's first presser with the club on Thursday was even more enlightening to the faithful as he gave us a brief view into his vision of the next 3 to 4 years in which he said he is confident we can win the elusive Premiership in that time. Like I said, he is no miracle worker but he is a worker! If one has to look at his playing career in which he called himself an average player and what he did at Dortmund, it speaks for itself. He works hard and expects his players to work as hard, it's like that old saying, hard work pays off in the long run and that's the mentality he will bring to the club. The kind of stuff that motivates players again and in term motivates the fans in the stands. His first game in charge will be against Spurs in London, a tricky game but we've had a good run there. He has quality players at his disposal but we will have to wait and see the strategies he will use with the players and the formation he chooses.
It's exciting times at the club once again but I urge fans not to expect us to turn things around with immediate effect as it will take some time but not as long as we would think. He is a quality manager, one that's already got the others fearing because they know what knowledge he brings to the team but apart from that, he has and understands the passion that it brings to Liverpool. He has experienced this with Dortmund as it is a very similar setup between the clubs with the fan base also being identical, so he knows how much it means to the people of the city for the club to be doing well. He is a winner and with that winning mentality in place, it's very hard to stop a person. It won't be long when Klopp will be King of the Kop.
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