Monday, 4 June 2012

A Huge Risk


Every sensible bone in my body, of which there are admittedly very few, says there is a big element of risk in Liverpool's appointment of Brendan Rodgers.
After all, this is a manager who has only had one season in the Premier League and was 'mutually consented' by Reading in December 2009. Despite achieving promotion, survival and an admirable style with Swansea, have his two years in south Wales provided enough evidence for Rodgers to be deserving of promotion to one of the biggest jobs in football?
There is a train of thought that Swansea's methodology owes more to the infrastructure and mentality introduced by the Northern Irishman's leading rival for the Reds' job, Roberto Martinez. The Wigan manager fashioned the baton before handing it to Paulo Sousa when his love affair with Dave Whelan began. The Portuguese maintained the philosophy and so did Rodgers in turn, albeit with more success. But whether he can implement the same approach at another club is yet to be seen. Have FSG possibly overlooked the real thing for the next best thing?
It doesn't always pay to act sensibly, though. Sense said Kenny Dalglish was a good fit for the job after reinvigorating the team in the latter half of the 2010/11 season. Sense wasn't the reason you bunked off work when the weather was brilliant on Monday. And nor did it play a part in crossing the two-pint threshold that left you dazed and confused in a hedge at 7am Tuesday morning. Sense isn't why I had my face painted like a tiger on the way to the office today.
As much as there are reasons to be cautious about Rodgers' credentials, there is also something that says he's a perfect fit. For a start, his intentions are right, with the aim of playing expansive football that's easy on the eye. And there won't be a bigger ego at the club than his, so any worries that he won't be able to handle the dressing room - as was claimed to be the case with Roy Hodgson - should immediately dissipate.
After Swansea lost 2-0 to Sunderland in January, Rodgers said: "It is great for the public here at Sunderland to see us. They must have been wondering what this team everyone is talking about are all about and now they have seen. We were wonderful." The hubris should stand him in good stead for when Jordan Henderson comes back from the Euros all billy big boots after leading England to glory.
Kicking sense to the curb can have its downsides too. It's hard to argue logic prevailed in Liverpool's signings of Henderson, Andy Carroll or Stewart Downing and the new manager faces a difficult test to instil his methods in minds that didn't always appear to be active last season. There were signs under Dalglish, however, such as the 4-1 victory over Chelsea in his penultimate game in charge, that Liverpool can pass and move, and play with a purpose that was often lacking during the King's reign.
So there is hope, and sense, and also a lack of it. Rodgers will need time, of course, and the fans' backing to impress his ideas on the club, but if he's given these vital ingredients this could be the start of a beautiful relationship. And if it all goes horribly wrong, he can always be sacked and replaced with Rafa. And the dance will begin again.

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