After many highs and lows in his managerial career to date, just how good is Celtic manager, and former Liverpool boss, Brendan Rodgers?
As reported in the Mirror, Brendan Rodgers has admitted that being a manager means that: “You’re either God and can walk on water on Saturday or Sunday. Or you are the Devil on Monday. That’s how football is.”
Glasgow Celtic fans may well instantly place Rodgers in the category of ‘God’ – after a highly successful domestic campaign in which the Hoops are yet to experience a league defeat all season, currently sit a massive 25 points ahead of second placed Aberdeen and look more than likely to secure the title when they face Dundee this weekend.
However, would the wider footballing world regard Rodgers as a managerial God or Devil? We take a look at some of the Ulsterman’s highs and lows.
Rodgers’ time as Reading manager was a disaster. Having saved Watford from Championship relegation in his first foray into management, Rodgers was appointed boss of the Royals in the summer of 2009 – but only lasted a matter of months before being sacked in December of the same year with Reading one point above the relegation zone. Certainly a devil period for Rodgers.
In his first season in charge of Swansea City, Rodgers achieved promotion to the Premier League as the 2011 Championship play-off winners by playing a progressive, possession based game. It was whilst at the Liberty Stadium that Rodgers began to develop a reputation as a forward-thinking coach with modern ideas. However, after only one top-flight campaign with the Swans – an admirable 11th place finish – Rodgers was appointed Liverpool manager in the summer of 2012.
Rodgers took his time to settle at Anfield and, following a relatively poor start, began to implement his philosophy and authority on the club by selling the likes of Andy Carroll and Charlie Adam – whilst nurturing the young talents of Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson. Rodgers got the very best out of his goal machine Luis Suarez – and supplemented the side with the outstanding acquisitions of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho.
Rodgers was also responsible for giving Steven Gerrard a new lease of life in the Autumn of his career – by deploying his captain in a deeper midfield role as a playmaker for the pacey, mobile and energetic trio of Suarez, Sturridge and Sterling. Indeed, Rodgers’ time at Liverpool will be defined by the 2013-14 season, in which the club came tantalisingly close to their first Premier League title with the aforementioned players shining under their manager’s tutelage.
However, after failing to secure a title that looked destined for Anfield, Rodgers lost the talismanic Suarez to Barcelona. Despite spending more than £100 million on signings such as Dejan Lovren, Mario Balotelli, Lazar Markovic, Adam Lallana and Divock Origi, Liverpool’s attempt at replacing Suarez with an aggregate solution across the team failed miserably and Rodgers was sacked by the club in 2015.
Another perceived ‘Devil moment’ for Rodgers is his lack of impression on the European scene – with Liverpool crashing out of the Champions League in 2014-15 and Celtic doing likewise this season.
Reading fans may well see Rodgers as a managerial devil, Swansea and Celtic followers will no doubt consider him a managerial God – but the opinion on Rodgers’ Liverpool tenure is most probably a subjective one.
Do you think Brendan Rodgers is a managerial God or Devil? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
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