Our manager told his players before the first game of the season that he had envelopes containing the names of 3 players 'that will let us down this season' please log in to view this image Ok there's only 7 league games gone but my 3 would be, Martin Skrtel, he questioned the clubs ambition during the summer and so far his lapses of concentration have cost us goals. Fabio Borini, he's now out injured but so far he does plenty of running off the ball but for a striker his goals return is poor. Stewart Downing, he had a go at Rodgers for what he considers unfair criticism but whenever he gets his chance in the side he cant wait to get rid of the ball and he aims wasted high balls into the area when Saurez/Borini want it to feet, looks like his days at Anfield are numbered.
Agree with the three names you've picked there PMK, but my money is on those envelopes being blank, and " I knew you wouldn't let me down " come the end of the season..
1. F 2. S 3. G More likely to be no names but either way I can see the young players falling for this **** but surely the senior players will be shaking their heads at this kind of amateur psychology. Basically I'd ask a simple question...if you know who's going to let you down already then you won't be playing them much as it is surely
Obvious mind games, its an old trick and I reckon its been done for the camera, a lot of it has. However, my three would be: 1) Steven Gerrard; 2) Stewart Downing; & 3) Dani Pacheco
ok so lets play the game. first i reckon honestly rodgers IS the sort to actually put names in envelopes. He'd never think of the consequences of those being opened. If we then play the really obvious game that rodgers isn't the type to go knowing there's 3 players who will let him down without getting rid of them (giving him a modicum of beleif that he's not incompetant) I reckon he'd write, carroll, downing and enrique in there. I am firmly of the belief he thinks the sun moon and stars shine out of gerrard and carraghers butts. I think if he were the guy we'd want him to be then the names would be; reina, cole and gerrard on that list for differing reasons
1 If the players think their name is in there, there is a certain amount of pride to be had from not letting the team down to find your name was in there and making the boss eat some humble pie to boot Lets be honest, we like proving people wrong. 2 Everyone has copped there are no names and how they play decides who belongs in there. Incentive to not be shamed or lose to the other players. Competition. I think even if you know the gag the effects are the same. Outside of this are the players who know it is not going well.. mainly Downing Skrtel Reina and their nightmares mean they do not give a sh!t about envelopes because thy are having consistent blunders which is affecting results
I honestly ydon't think rodgers is a very complicated person and would do this to put the backs up on some players and those who didn't take it well were the guys he didn't want cos they first had the attitude that he must be talking about them and second that they didn't buy into him day one. I think he wants to eliminate any attitudes like that.
I think Rodgers is smart enough to know you cannot eliminate human nature, we have genetically evolved to get one up on the other and compete. In the younger players this will be even stronger as they look at the more senior players and those looking for the same positions. It's one reason why you have more players than positions. Rooney funnily enough has woken up a bit since RvP arrived as for the first time in years he has at least some competition at United now.
Like anything else He's done: in 3 years time if he's been a success, it'll be looked like he's a genius. If he's failed miserably it'll be what fans use to Hodgeson him.
This has to be at least a 3 year plan as long as we don't mess about dangling anywhere near the bottom 10 as he has enough resources to manage that at least
I stumbled across Being: Liverpool this week, despite trying to avoid it, so I watched a bit. Things are worse than even I feared. Not only has he no record to back up all this hype but he reminds me of an old managing director I had. This guy came in and had a VC meeting with all the engineers. We'd had senior management who talked plainly but the new guy loved his corporate metaphors. so we got four little columns and a white pyramid. The columns were the company's core values and the pyramid was the company, sitting on its core values. After half an hour of this BS the senior engineer at our end unmuted the mic and said we had to vacate the room as it was booked. See, that MD's problem was he was talking to engineers, not middle managers. And Rodgers is making the same mistake, talking to footballers in language which probably makes JW and Tom Werner cum in their shorts. it was bogus new-age fluff written on the back of an envelope. There was "one thing to remember", which turned into three things. A bit like the Spanish Inquisition, then. Play for each other. And the fans. And your family. No actual detail of what to do in the game, though. It made me think of the stories of Rafa at half time in Istanbul, talking to players about the details rather than this empty rhetoric Rodgers talks in. I bet the players loved having cameras in at half time for WBA. I didn't actually notice any mention in the show that the manager who'd just gubbed us was our old coach in his first management game but maybe I missed that bit. I did notice Reina fidgeted with his boots all through Rodgers' BS. I've suspected since he said he wanted Rafa back that he's not as supportive of Rodgers as others and it makes me think he'll be gone before season's end. So only one name on the back of my envelope and you all know who that is.
"It was a motivational speech designed to make sure we were focused and tuned in all year," Reina told Spanish radio station Onda Cero. "I never feared being in the envelope. No one can ever put my name in an envelope because of a lack of attitude or commitment. "It's the first time I have seen a manager do that and, personally, I liked it. It stands out. "It was a speech designed to motivate." Reina admits the squad are still getting to grips with Rodgers' style of play, but is confident they will soon start to find their best form. "In terms of the way we have played, there have been moments that have been very good," added Reina. "We are trying to impose a new style with a new manager and that takes time. "There are mistakes at times because it's not easy, but I prefer to make mistakes trying to do what the manager wants and trying to do the right thing. "We're optimistic that sooner or later we'll be fighting near the top again."
Surely they work on the tactical details and not talk about envelopes all day. There have also been signs on the pitch, but.. do you believe we have the players to play a game like that? I honestly don't think we do, I think we can pull it off but we can't maintain it over a long spell. Ditto on the corp speak but the very presence of the cameras changes what happens when they are there and I suspect it was for just that reason. Passing and retention have improved, we'd under our normal game have lost a lot more possession against Stoke than we did and although we drew, that was a game we often went down a goal in the last 20 minutes because we could not pass nor keep the ball and work it around their half. Improvement there for sure, not massive but certainly visible in parts of our game. Just cos you liked your mum's old boyfriend doesn't mean you should be mean to the new boyfriend.
I'm not sure if we can question how Rodgers speaks to the players - he's the one that's worked at the peak of professional football all his life after all.
