Brendan Rodgers has been under an incredible amount of scrutiny this season, with his Liverpool team currently running at the lowest point tally since 1964. At times, the form has been dire and the team has looked out of sorts. This is a far cry from the Liverpool that was the most exciting team in the EPL in the 2013/2014 season. Many have blamed this fall from grace on Liverpool’s loss of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge’s subsequent injury problems (any team would struggle when losing two of the best strikers in the league for such a long stretch).
Recently, Andre Villas-Boas was made the bookkeepers’ favorite to replace the beleaguered Rodgers should Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), pull the trigger and sack Rodgers. This comes on the back of claims by some that FSG have been sounding out possible replacements for Rodgers should Liverpool continue to disappoint.
A new front runner could be in the mix as of this morning, however, with comments made by Ronald De Boer, the twin brother of Ajax manager Frank De Boer, commenting with Fox Sports in the Netherlands on Frank’s interest in the position.
“It’s a nice club… If Liverpool come now he would certainly think about it. He would certainly not close the door immediately, like he did two years ago.”
As intimated in the quotes, Frank De Boer was approached by FSG before they eventually hired Brendan Rodgers back in 2012. After being turned down by the former Ajax and Barcelona defender, FSG eventually hired Brendan Rodgers, who lead his team to a brilliant and heart-breaking 2nd place finish last season.
De Boer has managed Ajax since 2010, winning the Eredivisie all four years, a record for the league. His win percentage currently stands at an impressive 65.67% in the league.
I’m not on the #RodgersOut brigade yet. Firing him, especially midseason, would be a mistake and would be completely ignoring the progress that was made last season. That said, however, if the team doesn’t improve, I would not be able to blame the owners if they sought to go a different direction at the end of the season. If that were to happen, Frank De Boer would be one of my top picks to replace him. Regardless, Rodgers should have until the end of the season to either improve the team and prove himself to the fans or earn just enough rope to hang himself, metaphorically speaking of course.
(Metro)
