Brendan Rodgers had just returned to Melwood, Liverpool’s training base and his place of work since June 2012, when the life-changing phone call arrived.
Having overseen a 1-1 draw at Everton, Rodgers, in normal circumstances, would have expected to have a discussion with Mike Gordon, the president of Fenway Sports Group, about how the game had unfolded and what his thoughts were for the team going forward.
On this occasion, however, there was nothing convivial about Gordon’s tone. FSG, Liverpool’s Boston-based owners, had made the decision to end Rodgers’ reign and the call was to tell Rodgers they were going in a new direction.
Nothing that happened against Everton would have made a difference to whether Rodgers survived. FSG decided last week that change was needed, but they didn’t want to disrupt preparations for the derby.
However, once the final whistle had been blown and Rodgers had completed his media duties — in which he launched a fierce defence of his record — it was time for Gordon to make the fateful call. It is understood Rodgers took the news with dignity.
The writing had been on the wall for weeks. A succession of poor home performances — which began with a woeful 3-0 defeat by West Ham on August 29 — had seen backing for Rodgers on the Kop evaporate and the appetite for change gather momentum.
Rodgers, too, has looked beaten at times, failing to emerge from his seat in the dugout when things have been going wrong — most notably in the League Cup tie against Carlisle that went to penalties — and there was also a homily after Aston Villa had been beaten 3-2 on September 26.
That day, Rodgers spoke about the ‘frenzy’ and ‘hysteria’ that surrounded his position and he threw a grenade out when claiming there was ‘a group who wanted to get him out of the club’, so this development was not completely out of leftfield.
Yet there was still some surprise. Liverpool’s players boarded the coach that took them on the 15-minute, four-mile drive back to Melwood unaware that Rodgers’ fate had been decided and many of them did not know he had been axed until the announcement was made on the club website.
Published on behalf of Gordon, chairman Tom Werner and principal owner John W Henry, it read: ‘Although this has been a difficult decision, we believe it provides us with the best opportunity for success on the pitch. Ambition and winning are at the heart of what we want to bring to Liverpool and we believe this change gives us the best opportunity to deliver it.
‘The search for a new manager is underway and we hope to make an appointment in a decisive and timely manner.’
Speed is the key. When they chose Rodgers to take over from Kenny Dalglish in 2012, FSG embarked on a near month-long search, whittling down a 12-man long list that included Frank de Boer, Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Martinez, whom Henry was pictured drinking a coffee with in Miami Beach.
Jurgen Klopp was also on that list but he issued a statement to say he had no wish to consider a move to England. Fast forward to now and there will be no repeat of that. Former Borussia Dortmund boss Klopp wants the job and he and Carlo Ancelotti, who was in London last night, appear to be the only runners in this race.
FSG will not be dithering now. The aim is to have the new man in charge for the trip to Tottenham on October 17 and they have spoken to both Klopp and Ancelotti, who it is understood saw them in Boston and Vancouver.
It remains to be seen, though, whether Ancelotti would want the job. The former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss tends to go into clubs that are already established and applies the finishing touches. In contrast, it is an open secret that Klopp, whose presence and charisma would be loved by Anfield regulars, wants the challenge. Many will wonder why FSG bankrolled an £80million spend in the summer only to axe Rodgers after eight Premier League matches, particularly when potentially his best front three — Christian Benteke, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho — only played 45 minutes together.
Furthermore, Werner gave an interview to the Liverpool Echo on August 8 when he explained that Rodgers ‘was the right man for the job’ and how they had faith in him. Seven weeks on, the faith had evaporated. So what kind of club is he leaving behind?
‘If we are to replicate what we did two years ago, we will have to build something,’ said Rodgers, before leaving Goodison Park. ‘That will take time, unfortunately. That is frustrating for supporters but there are new players to come in. That will take time, whether that is me or someone else.
‘While it is me, I will continue to devote every ounce to the club. People will want to put pressure on for different reasons.
‘In all my time, it (reaching the top four) has been an internal ambition but it has never been said by the club. We did that against the odds a couple of years ago. We lost quality and will have to rebuild. I’ve never been asked or told to deliver that by anyone at the club since I came in.’
If that was the case, Rodgers would still be in a job. That FSG have opted to change, you can rest assured the new man almost certainly will need to deliver.
Daily Mail