Liverpool FC announced this afternoon that manager Brendan Rodgers, who has seemingly been on the hot seat for the better part of two years, has been fired. Here’s how they, rather Britishly, phrased it.
Earlier this morning, Liverpool played the Merseyside Derby with Everton to a 1-1 draw. Just after the game, Rodgers told reporters he felt secure in his job status, despite the team only winning one of their last nine.
The Northern Irishman brought Swansea up to the EPL in 2011, then departed for Liverpool. They finished second in the league in 2014, but since then, things have soured. The Reds bounced from the group stages of the Champions League two seasons ago, failed to replicate Luis Suarez’s production, then were made to look like a cut rate club as Raheem Sterling demanded a bigger stage.
The club effectively chose Rodgers over Sterling this summer, which makes today’s move all the more surprising. Liverpool are sitting in sixth, well within range of the Champions League. You’d think they would give him more time to turn it around, but this is the EPL, where managerial churn is at an all time high.
Of course, the sacking comes on the back of a fresh wave of ‘Jurgen Klopp To Liverpool’ rumors, so there could be some fire to that smoke. Meantime, Rodgers shouldn’t have trouble finding another job in a big league.
Update (2:02 p.m.): Good lord, Thierry Henry’s reaction to the news is perfect.
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