Liverpool fall guys mounting up as Rodgers appears to escape
Published:
Brendan Rodgers must have been dreading the end of season review conducted by Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group, but as the casualties continue to mount around him it looks increasingly clear the manager will live to fight another day.
Club chairman Tom Werner has played the part of executioner after flying in from America at the beginning of June to flush out those responsible for what turned out to be a dismal season for the Reds.
Being the man at the helm, speculation was rife that Rodgers would be first in the firing line.
Overseeing a third full campaign without any silverware could be viewed as excusable, but the perceived regression since earning runner-up spot in the Premier League last season, to end up languishing in sixth, looked to be the death knell.
However, news filtering out of Anfield suggests Rodgers’ number two, Colin Pascoe, will be the next to feel the pinch after first-team coach Mike Marsh was told his future lay elsewhere earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Pascoe, who was brought by Rodgers from Swansea and still had a year left to run on his deal, looks like being the highest profile name to fall in this cull of backroom stuff at Anfield.
Werner and FSG president Mike Gordon have labelled the departures as part of a “comprehensive plan for improvement” heading into a fresh season.
To the outsider, it looks as if this purge has been initiated mainly because the owners do not have a viable option to replace Rodgers in the top job.
Two managers with hefty reputations in Carlo Ancelotti and Jurgen Klopp were both in the frame before declaring they would be taking sabbaticals.
There is no doubt Rodgers’ remit will involve a return to the top four – rated at 5/2 by Ladbrokes – at all costs next season and possibly silverware as well, as the level of scrutiny will be cranked up even further.
At least the summer’s player recruitment has begun on a positive note with James Milner opting to join Liverpool on a free rather than sign a new lucrative deal with Manchester City.
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