Brendan Rodgers
Supporters have “every right” to express their frustration and call for Brendan Rodgers’ head, the Leicester City boss said as he accepted responsibility for the club’s underwhelming start. City head to Chelsea on Saturday sat 19th in the Premier League table, with just one point from three matches. As a result, fans are becoming restless and that angst boiled over at Stockport in midweek. When the final whistle was blown on the 0-0 draw, there were loud boos from the 1,100 travelling supporters at Edgeley Park. When Stockport fans started singing ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ in Rodgers’ direction, some City supporters joined in. But the City boss did not take umbrage with those in the crowd who chanted.
Brendan Rodgers said: “I understand it’s a real frustrating time. I understand the position we’re in, so I can only imagine for the supporters that the club feels like a ball of frustration at the moment. If there’s anyone to take it out on, it’s normally the manager. I respect that. I’m responsible for results and performances and if they’re not right, the responsibility is mine. If that leads to supporters to say that, that’s unfortunate, but it’s how they feel and they have every right to express how they feel.”
Rodgers is the bookmakers’ favourite to be the first manager sacked in the Premier League this season, but he insists he is not losing sleep over that fact, and that pressure is a regular part of the job. Ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge, he set out what he had achieved during his reign at City.
Brendan Rodgers said: “I’m feeling the want to get the result. I’m not feeling the pressure as such in terms of it’s a pressurised job. I look back over my time here, over three-and-a-half years, and we’ve spent, on net, about £25m per season, and that’s got us to where we’ve got to in terms of challenging at the top end of the table, winning a couple of trophies and getting to a European semi-final. What I hope as a manager is to continue with that ambition. If I’m unable to do that and the club decide it needs to go in a different direction, that’s the way it is. That’s football and that’s management. I don’t lose sleep over it. My energy is with the players and the people here. I’m in here early in the morning until late at night, trying to find solutions and the best way forward. For a lot of the time, we have managed to do that well for a club of this size. But I think what’s definitely happened is that the expectation is not aligned with our finances in terms of where we should be competing. It doesn’t make us any less ambitious. We’re always fighting. I’m experienced now to know that if you don’t get the results, you can come under pressure. That’s normal. I will continue to push and fight to get the best results we can.”
Wesley Fofana is reportedly set to undergo a medical at Chelsea today (Sunday) ahead of his big-money move from Leicester City. Asked about Fofana after the Chelsea game,
Brendan Rodgers said: “I don’t have anything in all honesty. If there is anything, the club will announce that. The club always has options (for replacements). At this late stage, it can be difficult, but for any players that move on, there are always options there to come in. It’s the same with any player. For me, if they decide they want to move, and if they see their future elsewhere, it’s always better to have it done as quickly as you can because you have to prepare a group of players and maybe have to replace that player. It’s only normal. Every coach would tell you the same. It doesn’t benefit anyone if it drags on. We’ll see what happens over the weekend. There’s no doubt that when the window shuts, everything calms down. It’s been a challenging window for us, there’s no doubt. We’ve been unable to add and there’s been speculation around a number of our top players. There’s no doubt that’s been difficult. It will shut on Thursday and we can all move on. Everything will become calm again.”
