Brendan Rodgers has condemned the short-termism of modern football and says there has been genuine progress at Liverpool despite the team going backwards in the Premier League this season. On
Saturday a plane carrying a banner that read “Rodgers Out Rafa In” was flown above Anfield before the 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers. Rodgers laughed off the stunt, claiming the pilot must have been the agent of the former Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez. AirAds, the company which hired out the plane, said on Twitter that it was funded by Liverpool season-ticket holders.
Irrespective of the aerial protest, Rodgers has been forced to defend his tenure several times this season, with Liverpool having fallen from last term's title challenge to fifth in the Premier League and their manager's prospects of a first trophy at Anfield ended by Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final. Rodgers claimed that "football had short memories" after the QPR win, a result that kept alive Liverpool's outside chances of qualifying for the Champions League for a second successive season, given it was only 12 months ago he was behind the club's unexpected tilt at a first league title since 1990.
He insists Liverpool will benefit from the current stability under the owner, Fenway Sports Group, and that he, plus the players, will be better for this season’s trying experiences.
“Modern football now is very harsh and is very much short-termism,” said Rodgers. “But it has shown that over the years the majority of the teams that have that stability, and if the owners and players have that belief, then it will come good.
“What we have seen here over the last couple of years is that we are definitely on the right path. This year it’s been pretty clear that it has been disappointing but I think the opportunity arises for us again next season. There is some exciting talents coming in. The players that have come in, it’s been a difficult year for them but they will be better for it. All the new players are gaining experience about the pressures of Liverpool and, again, myself will be a better manager because of it.”
Summer spending
Liverpool are four points behind fourth-placed Manchester United with three matches remaining and travel to Chelsea next Sunday where they will form a guard of honour for the new Premier League champions. FSG sanctioned a £117m transfer outlay last summer in an attempt to offset the damaging loss of Luis Suárez with young talent that can be developed and Rodgers insists that project remains on course.
He added: “Because of the club that Liverpool is, there will always be an expectancy because of the great history. But you always have to have a sense of perspective and the reality of where we are at. We are in fifth position, having got to two cup semi-finals in which we were disappointed not to have reached the finals in but, hopefully, we can use that and those disappointments to make us manage better in the future.”
Rodgers is understood to be still hopeful of signing the Brazilian goalkeeper Neto when his contract at Fiorentina expires in the summer.
Guardian Services
