Have you changed your mind on Brendan Rodgers yet?
No, there's still a long way to go for Brendan yet. My opinion was based on the previous 18 months so a few positive results in games which, let's face it, we should really be winning, aren't going to make me u-turn too quickly. Particularly because a lot of what frustrated me about Brendan was his mentality about us.
I've openly said I would love him to turn it around and prove me wrong, so if he continues as it has been recently, my mind is likely to be changed and I'll be happy about it, but I'll stand by the fact I wanted him gone many times along the way.
I've stopped watching/listening to his comments pre and post match, so it's either that or he's actually not saying so many ridiculous and frustrating things in the media now, which will improve opinions about him around the fanbase too.
I'm sceptical about his choice to play Cags Vs Man City, I think it was the correct decision, but his omission from the squad vs Everton says to me Rodgers needed to play 3 at the back, threw Soyuncu in at the deep-end ready to say 'I told you so' if he wasn't very good.
Everton is one of the best performances I've seen from us in a long time, if he's helped get that fight back into the squad and we continue to see that effort and fluidity back in our play I'll happily eat humble pie, just not yet.
Becky Taylor
Not yet.
I have to give him huge credit for the upturn in both performances and results, though. I honestly thought he was completely dead and buried here and had no desire to turn it around, nor any idea of how to do so.
The last few weeks we have looked so, so much better and ultimately, the World Cup is now coming at a bad time for us. We need to keep these levels up and hopefully we can then start looking up the table.
Chloe Dexter
It would be hypocritical of me to sit here and wax lyrical about Rodgers, having called for him to be sacked each week since Southampton at home. However I can only doff my cap to him for how the team have turned itself around in the last 6 weeks. The results and performances in that time are both supremely impressive. Rodgers, the coaching staff and the players deserve credit for the upturn in form. It has surprised many of us, and they deserve the plaudits coming their way.
That being said, I don’t regret calling for Rodgers to go. One win from the first seven games, six defeats in a row, 22 goals conceded, so many points thrown away from losing positions, the manager behaving like he did not want to be here, blaming the club, players and the fans rather than admit his own mistakes. For all that, I still feel justified in saying Brendan should have gone, and arguably the club would have been justified sacking him. He is still in place due to a rare moment of loyalty in football, and is fortunate to still have a job given that record mentioned.
However he is still here, and the form is impressive. For that he should be applauded. It could be said that he is only cleaning up his own mess, however that would be churlish. I’m delighted we are back winning, and I’m delighted that we are climbing the table and we look a decent football team again. However we’re only reverting back to the point we were before the season began. Let’s see what we do over 38 games before we reclaim Brendan to be a football genius again.
Elliott Butlin
Yes, but also slightly not? Crucially, I'm not sure it matters if my mind has been entirely changed about Rodgers because the team on the pitch are doing all the talking and the performing right now. He deserves his credit for that, he had critics and doubters from almost every camp and while he struggled to convincingly answer that in press conferences, the turnaround on the pitch has been more than sufficient.
He has kept the faith for the most part but also shown a willingness to address some of the incredibly frustrating things that hurt us earlier in the season. I do wonder how much credit we should be paying Rodgers versus the scouts and club officials who got the Wout Faes deal done and to our set piece coach, Lars Knudsen.
I'd be lying if I said I'd made my peace with some of his comments or earlier season substitutions but you can't fault Rodgers or his team in the last month, so it doesn't matter what we think, ultimately. Recent games have shown us this squad still believes in him and will perform for him and that's the main thing. Flowing football, plenty of goals and clean sheets are what we all want and right now, we're getting it.
Helen Thompson
There have been a few occasions (stretching back as far as the FA Cup defeat at the City Ground) when anger got the better of me and I wanted him out, but I haven't been vociferously Rodgers Out.
For me, it's been more a case of bemusement that he's survived the team looking so physically and mentally weak last season, the laughable set piece issues, the ridiculous interviews and the defensive record for the first seven games of this season.
But he has. And right now, it's looking like the correct decision.
There's clearly still plenty of work to do, despite the upturn in form. We're only a couple of points better off than teams who are sacking managers left, right and centre, while the next few games either side of the World Cup do look tricky. Rodgers deserves a lot of credit for the recent run though and the players look like they're enjoying themselves again. It's a huge relief because a few weeks ago I couldn't see where the next win was coming from.
David Bevan
I was probably in the minority that was in the Brendan in camp, although admittedly after the hammerings at Brighton and Spurs I did think it was the end for him. However, since the arrival of Wout Faes and set-piece coach Lars Knudsen we have looked like the Leicester of old.
I think a lot of credit has to go to Rodgers. Not many managers can come back from just one point in the first seven games and conceding 22 goals, to getting 13 points from the next seven games and conceding just three goals with five clean sheets.
Other than the blip at Bournemouth, I think we've looked comfortable in each game, including against Man City, and Everton was probably out best performance of the season. We're still not out of the woods yet, but we're only seven points off sixth which is nothing at this stage of the season.
If you look at the dropped points against Brentford, Southampton and Bournemouth then we could easily have 6/7 more points on the board and we should have taken something from Chelsea.
A lot of credit also has to go to Top. Regardless of whether the board were torn on whether sacking Rodgers was the right decision, it looks like they have got it right so far and it's nice to see some patience in football for once.
Jordan Halford
The truth is, I didn't think we'd get to this point. The Stockport/Brighton/Spurs trilogy would have done for most managers. When combined with the other games in the first two months, it's astonishing Brendan survived. But he did. Just as Vichai gave Nigel Pearson a bit more time in 2015, Top has done the same here.
My argument for Brendan's dismissal was only partly due to the actual results. He gave the impression that he'd fallen out of love with the club and (as unlikely as this sounds) given up trying. I felt he wanted a pay off which was almost like punishing the club financially for not getting the signings he wanted.
I had sympathy for his situation with the squad where he'd not got players he wanted and was now managing people the club had said they wanted to leave. Bit the lack of due care and attention to matches was as baffling as it was maddening.
However, we've picked up points and moved up a (tight) table. You could say we've beaten 3 teams likely to be relegated plus Everton, who are not much better (if you were in double-down Twitter mode!) or you could say there are significant signs of life which incorporates a solid defence, lively attack and most importantly a discernable game plan.
The reality is that we've got a manager who's now 'back at work' and doing the job he's paid for. I said last week I'd be happy to simply stay up and that's still where I am this week. There has been a fragility about this team and I'd like to see a few 'comeback wins' and tight 1-0's before I'll be fully convinced we're out of the woods.
But a month ago it looked like we'd spend the World Cup planning for the Championship. We're back in the mix and had some feel-good results. It's been nice to enjoy a weekend again so thank you to Brendan and the lads! When all's said and done, he's earned the right to be here into 2023. All we can do is support the team and hope for the upturn to continue.
Iain Wright
