Time for Liverpool to Either Talk Less or Do More

The past four years at Liverpool have seen a wonderful transition in terms of managerial orators. Rafa Benitez had a relationship with the media that could be described as prickly at best, Roy Hodgson turned in some of the most wonderfully defeatist quotes in his illustrious and wildly successful 30+ year history, and Kenny Dalglish went from endearingly standoffish to worryingly aggressive. There was seemingly no middle ground prior to the start of this season, which saw Brendan Rodgers take the mantle as Liverpool's fourth manager in four seasons.

And all of a sudden everything changed, with the Northern Irishman charming the media and supporters alike with his articulate, intelligent discussions of the club's history, his role as manager, and how he'd approach his job. It wasn't completely surprising, of course--when it became clear that Rodgers was in for the job, a clip from MOTD3 did the rounds, with the then-Swansea City manager shining alongside Alan Shearer and Robbie Savage (which, I mean, seriously) with a breakdown of his philosophy and reasons for it.

The love-in continued throughout the preseason and into the early days of the 2012-2013 campaign, and two separate fan interviews dazzled us further. The former inspired a bit more confidence than the latter given the timing, but both again furthered the belief that the man in charge not only knew what he was doing, but he knew how to communicate it better than any Liverpool manager in recent memory.

As with everything good associated with Liverpool of late, that positive sentiment has all but disappeared, and yesterday it apparently boiled over when he was somewhat critical of the decision of Luis Suarez to disclose his purposeful dive at Stoke City. Still articulate, but questionable in the eyes of many supporters, and something that galvanized frustrations over inconsistent results and no quick-fixes on the immediate horizon.

It's not necessarily a problem with Brendan Rodgers per se--damn him for being well-spoken and intelligent sounding--but rather the club as a whole. If it's not Rodgers it's Suarez, or Stewart Downing, or Ian Ayre, or someone mentioning a charge for the top four, or someone else talking about how terrifically Spanish Brendan Rodgers is. It's constant, and given the platform, it's not going away. Which is fine if you're Barcelona, but not so much when you're a mostly mediocre Liverpool side.

And the only way it changes is if Liverpool start to follow through. There can be explanations and promises and should have beens, but until success arrives the talk remains just that and will continue to be frustrating. It's not all bad, obviously, and there are some very, very encouraging things happening at the club. But all involved simply need to do more, and do it much better on a far more consistent basis.

Until that happens, the incessant chatter and infighting and endless controversies aren't going away, and without improvement, there's destined to be many more days like yesterday.