Brendan Rodgers: "It's an Absolutely Incredible Club"

Brendan Rodgers may no longer be Liverpool manager but still proves to be a somewhat divisive figure among the fanbase. From early in his tenure, there were quite a few fans who never seemed to accept the former Swansea City manager's personality or what he was offering to the club. Rodgers addressed Liverpool's striking struggles on Sunday before they were exposed later in the day against Manchester United and opened up on his pride at managing England's most decorated club.

"I'm very proud to have had the opportunity to manage such a great club," Rodgers told Sky Sports. "Liverpool is one of the great institutions of the world. You understand when you see that from the outside but you only really see that when you're on the inside as a manager; the support. The opportunity to walk out there as the manager for three years was a real privilege for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

"As Liverpool manager, every word you speak is around the world within seconds. You're under scrutiny like you've never been before and that takes a lot of getting used to. But it's an absolutely incredible club - the history is unique - and for me coming from Swansea, which is a brilliant club, to Liverpool was a huge honour.

"The history certainly inspired me. I was in no hurry to leave but when a club like Liverpool comes in for you, it's very difficult to say no. The influence of the ex-players was very positive; I always embraced (the history); they're a big part of why I went there. So for me it was really inspiring. We nearly won the league."

Although Liverpool have a clearly superior manager in Jürgen Klopp, Rodgers still seems to attract ad hominem attacks from some Liverpool supporters. Klopp's predecessor has always spoken of the honour in managing a club like Liverpool, and it's good to see from his comments that very little has changed. There are far more juicier parts of Rodgers' appearance on Sky Sports, but it's important to acknowledge that this is someone who generally represented the club impeccably.

Liverpool nearly won the league in a thrilling season, and those involved—both players and coaching staff—can take heart at what can be done in the right circumstances. All is surely not lost. So, what next for a manager who undoubtedly possesses grand designs and ambitions?

"I've been spending time with the family and travelling," Rodgers said on his future. "I had a brilliant experience at Liverpool - it's an incredible football club but I've come away from it, taken a bit of time out and I'll look forward to the next challenge. Hopefully, come the summertime, I can get back into it."

Liverpool will still have to deal with many of the mistakes made by the club and Rodgers himself during his tenure, but hopefully both parties can move on to have success in the coming years. If anything, there should be a feeling of slight regret not viscous bitterness.