Brendan Rodgers Discussion Thread

Second half against Hearts was good but we could and probably should have been a goal or two down at half time. Against Killie we allowed far too many chances for them. Even Hibs the other week could have scored a couple.

Brugge at home was a tricky game but given our previous CL result I think it’s fair to say we were massively disappointing. Dinamo performance I thought was genuinely terrible. They were rotten and missing a few players and still we offered nothing.

A good performance and win this weekend would be great. Can’t argue with the results (Dinamo aside) of late, but we’ve definitely dropped off a bit when it comes to the football we’re playing.

Might just be the schedule…but it’s something to keep an eye on.

 

Unbeaten domestically, drawing only one and the first Cup in the bag.

One defeat in 6 CL games and with an excellent chance of progression.

Our form has been a bit patchy during a heavy schedule. Hard to grumble.

 

Schedule has 100% played it's part, Alistair Johnston has had next to no rest over the season and having so many games hasn't helped, I think having McCowan available for Sunday would have made a big difference.

Going into the second half of the season, we desperately need a Winger and at least one other signing, whether that's a LB, another Winger or someone else, it needs to be done, and hopefully it is.

 

I think the performance side has correlated with other teams’ approach to marking Kuhn and our own players becoming over reliant on Kuhn. It’s not as bad as the McGeady days under Strachan but I think there is a bit of that.

If you look at the Aberdeen Semi, probably our best domestic performance this season we had Valle being a creative force from left back both wide and inverting, we had Johnston up and down the right handside of the pitch, Hatate absolutely bossing it always looking to go forward,
Kuhn absolutely flying, Maeda always looking to go in behind or get in at the back post, Kyogo buzzing around the box and Engels making late runs to attack the box and with some nice deliveries.

Since then Valle has dropped out to bring Taylor back.

AJ has had a couple of knocks and an international trip back to North America.

Hatate’s form has dipped and he’s been to Japan and back.

Maeda’s form has dipped and he’s been to Japan and back.

Kyogo is again not really featuring in games and he’s been to Japan and back.

Engels form has dipped and he’s been
struggling to impact games.

Kuhn I think has still been effective just not right at that top level and he always now has 2 or 3 men on him. Teams can afford to do that as the others have dropped off whereas if at least half them are right at it you would destroy teams from elsewhere.

I am hopeful this mini break helps the guys come back refreshed and ready to go for what is a busy schedule of games but most of them are games at home to the middle to bottom of the league, with the exception of playing Rangers on the 2nd of January.

I am hoping over the next 3 games some of the above start to show form again going into that one.

 

Last season we entered a gradual slump in form due Rodgers persistence with slow build up play, high positioned wingers who were too predictable and wanted to cut infield after the opportunity to exploit the space in behind the opposition defence was lost. We eventually came out of that poor patch when we began to play more direct, at a greater pace and with more intensity.

This season, we have started very well and we find ourselves in a great position. But for a few weeks it is obvious that we are struggling to progress the ball through the lines as teams attempt to nullify Mcgregors influence and cut off the supply lines to Kyogo.
Rodgers needs to find a plan B and has shown that dropping Hatate in offers an alternative in our build up play. He also needs to make tactical changes earlier as we wont always be as fortunate as we were on Sunday.

 

Who loves ya, baby?

 

It'd be funny to see Roders with one of those lollies on his mouth, that hat too.

Imagine it; going up to Clement and saying that after the game.

 

I canny wait to see what he says about the fallout in his pre-Dundee Utd presser. There's going to be a quality line or two

 

So Brendan, what do you make of the decision to not award the huns a penalty last weekend?

BR - 'big Kasper would be saving it anyway...119 ya *!'

 

Little half grin after he delivers it . He * hates Clement and knows he's a diddy.