Brendan Rodgers Discussion Thread

Still not addressed the point mate. We’ve no one in wide areas that can beat a man.

Abada has barely been available and didn’t play in Ange’s best team.

Johnston done well for 4 months. Lee Naylor done well for 12.

Kyogo was never Larsson esque, nor is anyone that has ever played in the SPL, but he is making the same runs he has been in the past few seasons. O’Riley is the only player capable of finding him. Poor * is offside before Palma can trap the ball.

 

Thats your opinion. Everyone was touting kyogo as potentially as good as larsson. Go back on his thread if you've forgot. Fact is all these players have went downhill and that's squarly on the manager. Look at the * ange had for the majority of his first season yet played every * off the park. Sure he had a few bad results but not once was any of us board to tears.

 

This is another myth. We actually had a better points per game this season going into the winter break.

It was a massive January transfer window that transformed that season. Similar to what we needed this January as well. The clowns running us decided otherwise.

 

Still not addressed the point mate.

I don’t blame you, it’s a tough one to negotiate.

If you think Kyogo was ever as good as Henrik Larsson then fair enough. It’s irrelevant. Couldn’t care less. Doesn’t matter.

But can you name me anyone in the wide areas, either full backs or wingers, in the current squad who is capable of dribbling past an opponent?

 

Actually the new guy looked great at that. Still doesn't change the fact every player has reverted to passing it back instead of going forward. Probably why we miss hatate so much. Nobody else in our team can connect defence to attack like him.

 

So no * then? A guy that’s played about 40 minutes.

Hence why everyone needs to pass it back.

Not the managers fault. Or any managers fault in history for that matter.

 

Im no even arguing with you. I'd sack him today though.

 

Is anyone in here able to explain precisely what Rodgers' system is supposed to do? How his wingers and full backs are supposed to link up?

 

Aye it would probably take overlapping full backs. Which we don’t have.

 

Cos you canny argue mate. If you could you would.

We’ve got about 12 registered wide players in the squad, not one of them can dribble past a player with a football at his feet.

The shittiest teams in Celtic history had wingers and full backs who could commit defenders.

Yet people have the audacity to call out the manager for a lack of progressive football.

It’s absolutely * laughable.

 

Ange has a style of football that always had our players in space, always moving the ball and so keeping the game very simple, it also obvious what they need to do on the pitch, almost instinctive football.
He recruited players very, very precisely fit that style.

The genius part is that this approach allows very fit, dynamic but often very average players to play to their strengths and avoid their limitations - such as being very weak physically, taking a player on from standing start, having to think creatively etc.

Brendan plays a different, ahem, 'more considered' style that unfortunately now exposes every weakness our current squad has and simply doesn't play their strengths.
There is a fundamental mismatch that can't be resolved unless either a) the style changes to suit players or b) the players change to suit the style.

One is clearly much easier to resolve than the other in short term, but he's gone with the harder approach (as most coaches do) and then hasn't been given the support from the recruitment team/board to get the required standard of player in to match the style.

One other issue is that SPL teams have now sussed out how to setup against us.

Lastly, BR is simply not a leader of men or a strong motivator, he is a good technical coach - and that's it....he simply doesn't have Ange range of capabilities.
Our back room staff just put cones out so no help there, that suited Ange but not Brendan who relies on his 'team'

Brendan is clearly part of the problem but the primary issue remains the board and continued underinvestment - that has undermined every manager we've had in the last 15 years, even Ange in the end.

When you bring all the coaching issues, the limited squad capability and the fundamental lack of investment - it's just not going to end well.

 

Awrite you win

But I'd still sack the board.

 

Am just thinking the likes of Abada under Postecoglou was brilliant at getting high up and swinging balls in for Kyogo or GG, but now he never seems to get high enough up the park to do it. He's always in front of a fill back trying to do things he's never been good at to try beat his man. That was something AP identified as a weakness and rectified by keeping him high and wide on the pitch.

Ralston done it multiple times aswell, overlapping and whipping it in. A guy who many see as not good enough yet AP was able to get the best out of him, as he did with Taylor on the other side. Jota was obviously high quality but him aside, we had apparently average players able to play well above their level and create goals and chances even up against low blocks.

So what has changed? Ideally we want better players of course, but for someone (Rodgers) who prides himself on being 'all about coaching and improving players', why can't he get a tune out of players who have already proven they can operate to a good level?

Of course it has to be down to the system, and I'd also say poor man management. No one can tell me it's impossible to get AJ high up to overlap and get balls into the box, the guy is a good player but looks so devoid of confidence or direction.

 

You can get to the byline playing one twos and using pace. We don't even try to get to the byline. We play it out wide then pass it back again. Abada got to the byline plenty last year - why not now. It's Rodger's tactics that are the problem.
Everybody except him knows that to beat packed defences you need to get to the byline and put crosses and cutbacks in or shoot from the edge of the box - you might get deflections or rebounds if the shot doesn't go in.
His pass sideways and back taking no chances football is boring and ineffective.

 

The fact of the matter is though, Johnston and Taylor are not overlapping full backs. Johnston very rarely done it under Ange, and Taylor just doesn’t have the attributes. If you are going to appoint a manager you know plays this way, give him the money to get the tools to play it. Otherwise, don’t bring him in to begin with.

 

So what you’re saying is, we have the personnel to breach defences at will, yet Rodgers would prefer to just try and keep possession and not create chances and score goals and win games?

 

I often think about Ange standing in the touchline shouting play the ball * forward.

He would be going nuts at this team, in this set up.

Rodgers says he wants to control possession and limit the oppositions chances but theres too many needless passes.

His idea of wing play is getting his wingers high and wide on the touch line as possible, receive the ball and cutting in with and underlapping/overlapping run by the full back.

Our wide players lack the technical quality of a Sinclair/Jota.

 

“Right lads, I know you can score goals anytime against this mob. I * hate when you do that though. Just try and keep the ball and take every game to the wire” - Brendan Rodgers.

 

How then were we able to get ball in behind and across goal under Ange when we didn't have the personnel to do it?

 

It certainly looked that way. He likes possession and thinks if we keep the ball for long enough eventually something will happen and if we have the ball then the opposition can't score. It was a concept thought up in the nineties and it didn't work then either.