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For a good portion of the fall and winter, there were very valid concerns about whether or not Brendan Rodgers would remain Liverpool manager. After a bright start prior to the September international break, it all fell apart for the third-year boss, whose side ran out of ideas and couldn't cope with competition domestically or on the continent. As good as they were last season, Liverpool were painful to watch 2014 wound down, and Rodgers' status as manager was anything but secure due to poor results and a string of confusing decisions.
Three months later his employment at Liverpool is again in question, but now it's apparently a matter of doing too well rather than failing abjectly. The club's turnaround has been remarkable, with a spot in the top four now an actual possibility and silverware via the FA Cup only three wins away. Liverpool's improvements--and the struggles of Manchester City, who sit comfortably in second place in the Premier League after winning the title last season and are in the round of 16 in the Champions League--have given way to discussion that Rodgers could be making a switch to the blue half of Manchester at season's end.
That chatter is, according to the man himself, nothing but fiction, as he's hopeful of forging a future full of success and silverware on Merseyside:
"If I'm here after this year, and touch wood I go into the fourth year, this will be the longest period in any role I've been in football. After three years I've always moved a role or a job, from youth football right the way through. But I've always seen Liverpool as a club that, all being well, was going to be a destination for me not somewhere that was part of the journey.
"I really wanted to be here, to follow some incredible managers with a support that is unrivalled, and to have success knowing that I was young enough to create and build something. That is why I came here. I know I need to justify that by working well and winning trophies and hopefully that is the next step. For me there is great excitement at Liverpool with the young players coming through, with the development of the stadium, more supporters coming in because of that, and travelling the world promoting the club."
That excitement is shared by a good portion of Liverpool supporters, particularly in the midst of another impressive run through the second half of a season. They haven't reached last season's heights, but Rodgers' squad have positioned themselves well, and most of those involved, including the manager, have provided plenty of reason for optimism regardless of what happens over the next month and a half.
