Man Like Brendan

[Danny]

Turned this Leicester side from a middling mid table side to a team that are on course for a top 4 finish despite a plethora of injuries. Consistent improvement seeing as they finished on 62 points last season and are now on 56 with 9 games to go....on course for a 70+ point season....obviously Leicester had that drop off last season but they seem to be pushing on through it this season

[Dan+]

We haven't won yet!!!

[Stan]

Not been out of the top 4 all season. After what happened last season I seriously hope we make it this time round. 

And then if we do, I trust we'll recruit better than we did last time before the CL campaign. 

[Stan]

Also, Brendan is God. 

[Dan+]

Rodgers probably gets a harsh reputation - I think he does have this tendency to fall short, but it's often from the fact he raised the levels in the first place, and I've seen some things in what he's done at times this season to suggest he might well be getting better. He's beaten plenty of managers for the first time this season.

Rodgers has raised our level to a point that nobody bats an eyelid at the fact we're in the top 4.

[Dr. Gonzo]

He’s gonna get home, walk passed the giant portrait of himself in his living room, log into the forum and see this and we’ll never be able to bring his overinflated ego back down.

[Danny]

There’s a podcast called Foxpunter where the geezer psychologically analyses managers and it was a real good look at Rodgers, how he views how his team play through his emotions and that drives the style of play. Very interesting, think he’s a manager that like @Dan said raise the bar too high and then has struggled to meet that expectation consistently but he seems like a learner and someone who’s growing into that expectation

[Stan]

14 minutes ago, Danny said:

There’s a podcast called Foxpunter where the geezer psychologically analyses managers and it was a real good look at Rodgers, how he views how his team play through his emotions and that drives the style of play. Very interesting, think he’s a manager that like @Dan said raise the bar too high and then has struggled to meet that expectation consistently but he seems like a learner and someone who’s growing into that expectation

It's been noted by some players past and present he's the best man-manager they've had. It's noticeable in some players sometimes how they've improved or just upped their game. He gives them the confidence off the pitch so they can perform on it. 

Glad to have him here. We're currently in our longest continuous stint in the PL and never been in a better position to grow as a club, let alone how much we've grown so far before Rodgers came in. 

[Pyfish+]

37 minutes ago, Dan said:

Rodgers probably gets a harsh reputation - I think he does have this tendency to fall short, but it's often from the fact he raised the levels in the first place, and I've seen some things in what he's done at times this season to suggest he might well be getting better. He's beaten plenty of managers for the first time this season.

Rodgers has raised our level to a point that nobody bats an eyelid at the fact we're in the top 4.

Yeah, it's a sign of how far the clubs come that people just accept Leicester as being top 4 now.

[Lucas]

I'd like to see him (and them) do it to eradicate the slightly harsh 'bottle job' tag they got last year.

Really sad the way they fell away and opened the door for Man U and Chelsea, but I think they are stronger for that experience mentally this time round.

And Rodgers is very likeable. I won't go into what happened at Liverpool because the thread could get derailed but for me, he did a great job and drew unfair criticism.

He deserves something to show for it.

[Dan+]

2 hours ago, Danny said:

There’s a podcast called Foxpunter where the geezer psychologically analyses managers and it was a real good look at Rodgers, how he views how his team play through his emotions and that drives the style of play. Very interesting, think he’s a manager that like @Dan said raise the bar too high and then has struggled to meet that expectation consistently but he seems like a learner and someone who’s growing into that expectation

He's got absolutely years left too, he's got another 20+ years in management. He's also a fluent Italian and Spanish speaker so if he did move on from us it doesn't necessarily have to still be in this country - but I don't see him going yet.

I think I'm guilty of it but we probably take for granted the level he's raised us to. West Ham's wage budget has been higher than ours for god knows how long yet Moyes is in manager of the season discussion (rightly so I must add) yet Rodgers isn't really - because Leicester being around there is now seen as quite normal, weirdly the biggest praise / most respect you can pay is in the lack of headlines it's making.

I think what he needs to get better at is European performance, and two legged ties in-particular. He's got a history of going out to 'lesser' sides and whilst I could understand this one, he's going to need to get a bit better at that to be considered in the top echelon.

He's quality though really. I just think it's a shame how half of his time here has been tainted by the circumstances around football, and life in general. Say he did leave this summer, there wouldn't be enough real memories under him, and I think this is a team and manager that deserve some.

[Inverted]

He's a very good manager with some rough edges, which he has years and years to polish off. 

[Dan+]

51 minutes ago, Lucas said:

I'd like to see him (and them) do it to eradicate the slightly harsh 'bottle job' tag they got last year.

Really sad the way they fell away and opened the door for Man U and Chelsea, but I think they are stronger for that experience mentally this time round.

And Rodgers is very likeable. I won't go into what happened at Liverpool because the thread could get derailed but for me, he did a great job and drew unfair criticism.

He deserves something to show for it.

It's probably too early to say this but I think we seem a bit more resilient this time around. I think it's all been in tougher circumstances. We definitely bottled it last season but this time around I'm a little more sympathetic - it's been tougher.

[Danny]

2 hours ago, Stan said:

It's been noted by some players past and present he's the best man-manager they've had. It's noticeable in some players sometimes how they've improved or just upped their game. He gives them the confidence off the pitch so they can perform on it. 

Glad to have him here. We're currently in our longest continuous stint in the PL and never been in a better position to grow as a club, let alone how much we've grown so far before Rodgers came in. 

He is apparently an option for City when Pep goes, they apparently rate how big players want to play for him which can be rare at the very highest level for managers to get out of players.

@Lucas is right in that the bottle job tag was unfair, his first full season at the club wasn’t it? Still finished higher than previous seasons and no one expected them to go on that run they did with a fairly inexperienced squad.

Also I think Leicester haven’t relied on Vardy as much this season with goals from elsewhere and it’s probably a big reason why they’re where they currently are

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 hour ago, Lucas said:

I'd like to see him (and them) do it to eradicate the slightly harsh 'bottle job' tag they got last year.

Really sad the way they fell away and opened the door for Man U and Chelsea, but I think they are stronger for that experience mentally this time round.

And Rodgers is very likeable. I won't go into what happened at Liverpool because the thread could get derailed but for me, he did a great job and drew unfair criticism.

He deserves something to show for it.

He came to us too early in my career imo.

He’s obviously a very good manager and he’s learning as he goes and doing a pretty good job of it.

Next step for him imo, other than pushing on domestically (which every manager should be wanting to do each season tbh, in an ideal world) is to improve in Europe. 

[Stan]

1 minute ago, Danny said:

He is apparently an option for City when Pep goes, they apparently rate how big players want to play for him which can be rare at the very highest level for managers to get out of players.

@Lucas is right in that the bottle job tag was unfair, his first full season at the club wasn’t it? Still finished higher than previous seasons and no one expected them to go on that run they did with a fairly inexperienced squad.

Also I think Leicester haven’t relied on Vardy as much this season with goals from elsewhere and it’s probably a big reason why they’re where they currently are

Interesting. Not heard that about City. Obviously I rate Rodgers but surely there are better options for a club like that that craves constant success in multiple competitions. I think Rodgers would have to prove himself on those fronts before he gets a job like that.

And yep, first full season. There's 2 perspectives to look at for how last season went. Before the season, any fan would have bitten your hand off for 5th. The way the season panned out, it was utterly gut-wrenching to miss out on top 4 on the final day. I looked at it glass-half-full - the fact we were so disappointed to miss out on it just shows how far we've come. It resulted in our 2nd season in Europe within 4 seasons which, for a club like us, is not to be sniffed at at all.

Our club has never had such solid foundations before with great owners and a class manager so we're in such a great position to progress slowly but surely. Regular European tournament participation for a good few seasons will serve us so well in maintaining or even growing our stature as a club even more. And of course remaining competitive in the league to keep qualifying for Europe. It's one of the reasons I can't stand - in fact, utterly hate - the plans to ring-fence top clubs in to the elite European competitions because it's just a huge slap in the face for anyone who qualifies for Europe on merit as opposed to just how much money they bring in. 

Regarding Vardy, Rodgers has found a way to get other players scoring. Barnes is the real revelation and one who stepped up his game consistently in front of goal before his injury. And of course Iheanacho has started firing in now which is perfect timing. It's not that we haven't had to rely on Vardy as much, per se, but we've found other ways for other players to flourish and yet still involve Vardy.

[Dan+]

42 minutes ago, Danny said:

He is apparently an option for City when Pep goes, they apparently rate how big players want to play for him which can be rare at the very highest level for managers to get out of players.

@Lucas is right in that the bottle job tag was unfair, his first full season at the club wasn’t it? Still finished higher than previous seasons and no one expected them to go on that run they did with a fairly inexperienced squad.

Also I think Leicester haven’t relied on Vardy as much this season with goals from elsewhere and it’s probably a big reason why they’re where they currently are

He's got one goal since before Christmas and our form has never seriously dipped. Barnes and Maddison were stepping up, now even Iheanacho is as well. To me it's a sign of good coaching. We're better than last season. We were overly reliant on Vardy's goals last season, I think our next higher scorer got 8 goals.

This season, in all competitions, we now have four players on double figures. OK there've been more games, but a more even spread is more sustainable, as proven despite the injuries.

We did bottle it last season though. We did do very well to get into that position in the first place but if you're 2nd in January, 14 clear of 5th, there is no excuse for finishing outside the top 4. Likewise losing over two legs to a Villa side we were demonstratably better than.

Inverted was right - he's very good, does have flaws, but he's got so much time to fix that and I do think he seems to learn. He's impressed me this season, more than last year in-fact.

[Spike]

 he did well with the lockerroom full of snakes that got ranieri sacked

[Dan+]

2 hours ago, Stan said:

Interesting. Not heard that about City. Obviously I rate Rodgers but surely there are better options for a club like that that craves constant success in multiple competitions. I think Rodgers would have to prove himself on those fronts before he gets a job like that.

And yep, first full season. There's 2 perspectives to look at for how last season went. Before the season, any fan would have bitten your hand off for 5th. The way the season panned out, it was utterly gut-wrenching to miss out on top 4 on the final day. I looked at it glass-half-full - the fact we were so disappointed to miss out on it just shows how far we've come. It resulted in our 2nd season in Europe within 4 seasons which, for a club like us, is not to be sniffed at at all.

Our club has never had such solid foundations before with great owners and a class manager so we're in such a great position to progress slowly but surely. Regular European tournament participation for a good few seasons will serve us so well in maintaining or even growing our stature as a club even more. And of course remaining competitive in the league to keep qualifying for Europe. It's one of the reasons I can't stand - in fact, utterly hate - the plans to ring-fence top clubs in to the elite European competitions because it's just a huge slap in the face for anyone who qualifies for Europe on merit as opposed to just how much money they bring in. 

Regarding Vardy, Rodgers has found a way to get other players scoring. Barnes is the real revelation and one who stepped up his game consistently in front of goal before his injury. And of course Iheanacho has started firing in now which is perfect timing. It's not that we haven't had to rely on Vardy as much, per se, but we've found other ways for other players to flourish and yet still involve Vardy.

I really think the fact we do this without Vardy's goals is crucial. There will obviously be moments where we say "if only we had Vardy" like we still do every now and then Mahrez, but I see comments like "Leicester are finished without Vardy" and I firmly do think that's bullshit now. I've said for a while I don't think it'll be a like for like replacement. It isn't simply sign Edouard and he becomes that main man.

I think the fans have really taken to Iheanacho now. Somebody I know has even caved in now that they like him and they could never be positive about him - despite sticking by Gray all the way. Basically I think he's winning over even his most ardent doubters, of which I was one after the first couple of years.

[Honey Honey]

Fair play to him. When he was Celtic manager and he went around Premier League grounds sitting in directors boxes asking for a job he landed the right fit for him. 

[Rab]

I'd also like to thank Brendan for ruining 10 in a row.

[Devil-Dick Willie]

15 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

He came to us too early in my career imo.

He’s obviously a very good manager and he’s learning as he goes and doing a pretty good job of it.

Next step for him imo, other than pushing on domestically (which every manager should be wanting to do each season tbh, in an ideal world) is to improve in Europe. 

To be fair to the guy, despite his shortcomings the only reason he didn't deliver you your first premier league title was because your legendarily unhelpful legend fucked it all up (again). 

[LFCMike]

35 minutes ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

To be fair to the guy, despite his shortcomings the only reason he didn't deliver you your first premier league title was because your legendarily unhelpful legend fucked it all up (again). 

Rodgers also got it wrong that day. Going all out for the win when a draw would have been fine

[Dr. Gonzo]

42 minutes ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

To be fair to the guy, despite his shortcomings the only reason he didn't deliver you your first premier league title was because your legendarily unhelpful legend fucked it all up (again). 

Nah, if he had any idea how to organise a defense back then we would have won it.

[Devil-Dick Willie]

8 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Nah, if he had any idea how to organise a defense back then we would have won it.

Yeah, keep stevie G far the fuck away from the backline. That's how you organize a back 4.