After a disastrous start to the 2022/2023 season – at seven games in, has yet to bring a single positive result or performance – Brendan Rodgers is under more pressure than he ever has been at the King Power Stadium. The calls for him to stay are diminishing with the general consensus being that it is now ‘when’ not ‘if’ he stays. So what reasons may the Leicester City hierarchy give that might see the boss remain in his current employment?
A huge payout
According to the Mail Online Rodgers may be due £10million in compensation if he is relieved of his duties. Given the club posting such high losses of £119m it would be a bitter blow for it to cost so much money simply to remove the one man that is arguably more at fault than any other for the current malaise. It seems simple to say it, but the 49-year-old getting better at his job would fix a lot of the club’s problems.
There are more and more critics of Rodgers who claim he is making bizarre selection and tactical choices with a talented squad. These reasons indicate he may also be in favour of a big payday. But surely a manager wouldn’t be so unprofessional as to essentially down tools, this is only the sort of behaviour we expect from those scallywag professional footballers – surely? Either way, Rodgers runs the risk of permanently damaging his reputation and many more future paydays if he can’t pull the club away from danger.
A lack of viable replacement options
Such is football that Thomas Tuchel now enters the available list and Graham Potter is now unavailable having taken the vacant position at Stamford Bridge. Potter was a name spoken about amongst many Leicester City fans when potential replacements were being mentioned.
When talking of availability we can also add Thomas Tuchel to Mauricio Pochettino in terms of big European heavyweight names. But are these realistic to imagine they would come to Leicester, particularly as from the outside it looks like the club are struggling both on and off the pitch?
Then there are the likes of Sean Dyche (who lives locally to the club) who doesn’t appear to be the right fit for coaching styles versus playing talent.
Personally, I like Thomas Frank and Steve Cooper, but again prising them from their current ambitious clubs seems like a battle. There are hundreds of coaches out there and maybe the owner has an idea of who he’d like, but there are no outstanding candidates at this stage.
Waiting for the dream scenario
This is where Brighton & Hove Albion could solve a lot of our problems. They like managers and coaches that can develop players and are on the lookout for a new boss. A compensation package could be drafted fairly quickly and would suit all parties. Giving Leicester City the opportunity to let Brendan leave with dignity and make a bit of money. Bob’s your uncle!
Typically, Rodgers latest audition to manage this club came in a 5-2 drubbing against that very South-Coast team and would have done nothing to impress the Seagulls hierarchy. This is where Leicester City find themselves in a difficult situation, in less than 12 months Brendan has gone from being considered by the likes of Manchester United to the likes of Brighton not being entirely convinced.
Become ostriches
Perhaps there is a bit of recency bias in all of this analysis, with only six games into the season it could all change around so very quickly. But Rodgers is carrying himself with a stubborn demeanour and projecting a bias narrative that is only talking to potential future suitors.
Rodgers has criticised the club’s recruitment team for not supporting him, even though he isn’t getting nearly enough out of the talent in front of him. Therefore why would the club plunge money into more squandering of talent?
Rodgers has attacked certain players in the media like Caglar Soyuncu and left several others on the bench or out of the squad entirely with very little reason. My own personal head-scratcher, is how on earth is Luke Thomas playing ahead of the ever-reliable Timothy Castagne? Many of the players are becoming more and more disillusioned and it shows all over the pitch with body language and general disgruntlement.
Rodgers has even criticised the supporters for giving the players anxiety when they are in possession, which he could very easily have turned around when questioned recently by TalkSport’s (and devout Leicester City fan) Jason Bourne. The Northern Irishman was given an open goal to disagree with Bourne and back the supporter’s actions saying he was merely asking for more support and patience not having a go at them, but the latter wasn’t interested.
I will be more than happy if Rodgers can turn this around as it will help the club, his players and even his own reputation get back to where it has been. But ‘BR’ has no answers in interviews and lacks the basics to motivate his players and also find answers to some of the most pathetic defensive displays in the club’s recent history. He is souring his tenure and embarrassing the club with his management, either he gets his head back on and gets on with the job he is paid to do or he will find it hard to ever resurrect a once-promising career. The clock is ticking Rodgers and it may have already run out.