What is your current level of confidence in Brendan Rodgers?
Pretty low - 2 or 3/10
Using fatigue as an excuse when he used one of five substitutes available sums him up. At least he made the sub count: taking Dewsbury-Hall off changed the game.
Whether or not the solitary substitution was a message to the board, the only thing that matters to Brendan Rodgers is Brendan Rodgers. He is the master of self-preservation and deflecting blame.
While I appreciate the job he did in his first two full years in charge, I've grown tired of the way he acts as if he isn't responsible for our defending from set pieces or the way we fold under any sort of pressure.
Dante Clarke
As Sophie Ellis-Bextor-fronted 90s indie outfit Theaudience once told us, in a song written by Brentford fan and matchday commentator Billy Reeves, a pessimist is never disappointed.
So I wasn't as outraged as some at the squandered opportunity on Sunday, because it was fairly predictable all along. Anyone who thought we were going to coast to victory simply because we'd bossed the first hour or so and didn't look in much danger hasn't watched Leicester City under Brendan Rodgers.
If we're in control of a game, there are few better sides to watch in the Premier League and Rodgers deserves enormous credit for the football he can get us playing at times. The problem is that once our control slips, we're not great at digging in. Suddenly it feels like panic stations and all bets are off - anything could happen. I'm getting a bit sick of that feeling.
In keeping with the Brentford game, or the course of a typical Rodgers season, my confidence level while writing this answer started off fairly high and plummeted as it went on. He does a lot of things well, but he also makes unfathomable in-game decisions and I don't think anyone's convinced by the recruitment or medical staff he's entrusted with crucial off-field work. I still have confidence in him but if we're going to stay ambitious as a club then he has to improve.
David Bevan
Given that Sunday's two points lost fall solely on the decisions Brendan made, both in removing Dewsbury-Hall and unbalancing our play, then failing to use any of four available substitutions to correct that despite complaining about fatigue, my confidence in him is middling at best. Ok, so it's the opening game of the season after a summer with little to no cash for changes. But given there was already a contingent who weren't confident in Rodgers last year, a strong start may have settled some concerns. Instead, they're all back at the forefront.
The problems of the last two seasons spilled over into this new one. While we didn't concede directly from a corner, Rodgers still doesn't seem to think leaving a man forward when defending set pieces has value so as per the norm, we soaked up more Brentford pressure and a defensive nap cost us yet again. Problems that started when he chose to substitute one of the best players in midfield to bring on a striker. If these weren't mistakes or weird choices we've seen all too often before, perhaps I wouldn't be losing so much patience.
Is it better the devil you know though? Much of my reluctance to join the Rodgers out bandwagon last time was due to the lack of viable and realistic replacements we'd have available and that doesn't seem much different now. It would be nice to see us learn a lesson at least once though. Or for him to shoulder some responsibility for his game management.
Helen Nutter
It’s so difficult not to get sucked into one-game analysis. There’s no doubt that Rodgers’ substitution of Dewsbury-Hall had a negative impact on the game, and the decision to select Amartey ahead of Söyüncü also looks like the wrong one in hindsight.
In his defence, Rodgers had prepared to play with a 4-3-3 and inverted full backs until a late injury to Barnes scuppered his plans.
Overall, I still believe Rodgers to be a very good coach. Whether he can fix our fragile mentality and defensive issues without heavy recruitment, well… the longer it goes on I’m not so sure.
Charlie Carmichael
Very low until proven otherwise at this point. It feels like each manager has about three years with a particular set of players before it all starts to go stale. At that point you’ve either got to change the team or change the coach.
Rodgers was a great manager for a couple of years but in hindsight I think the Spurs game broke everything forever. The question now is: How do you reverse a collapse in confidence and install a new mentality when the entire group is the same? I fear the answer is that you can’t.
It’s possible something drastic happens on the transfer front in the next few weeks. We’ve turned into a late-era Wenger side and I have visions of us following the path from signing no one, to losing 8-2, to panic signing Park Chu Young and Andre Santos. But if not then it’s looking pretty bleak for Brendy.
James Knight
