Half A Century Up For Rodgers...

50 league games up for the Northern Irishman, despite a difficult six months 2013 has been a good year for Liverpool Football Club heading into a gruelling month of fixtures how can or will Brendan Rodgers be perceived. From the initial airings of Being: Liverpool, Rodgers was cast as the "David Brent" of the footballing world by opposition fans and even some our own.

While that perceived image portrayed during that series, fast forward to today that image has been dispelled by not only the man himself in a recent interview with ESPN but he has let his Liverpool side on the pitch do the talking.

Even before we come to that side of things, the right signings, the actions, the team selections, the tactical changes. All of it dictate if the manager is going to get the time, patience and fortitude to ride out the teething issues which in Rodgers case he experienced in his first few months last season.The table below shows exactly how difficult it was for Rodgers, a situation not to dissimilar 30 miles down the road which is happening at Old Trafford.

POS	CLUB	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
1	Manchester City	12	8	4	0	25	10	15	28
2	Manchester United	12	9	0	3	29	17	12	27
3	Chelsea	12	7	3	2	24	13	11	24
4	West Bromwich Albion	12	7	2	3	19	13	6	23
5	Everton	12	5	5	2	22	16	6	20
6	Arsenal	12	5	4	3	23	13	10	19
7	West Ham United	12	5	4	3	15	12	3	19
8	Tottenham Hotspur	12	5	2	5	20	21	-1	17
9	Fulham	12	4	4	4	25	22	3	16
10	Swansea City	12	4	4	4	18	16	2	16
11	Liverpool	12	3	6	3	17	16	1	15

A lot of information has been documented about the possession stats, passing figures etc..during this period all down to the "Death By Football" phrase coined by Rodgers himself that was jumped upon. In those games that was the philosophy, the myriad of the changes since then not only need to be more looked into and give Rodgers his due. Clearly at the time, the Death By Football concept didn't work for a number of reasons specifically the personnel in the squad didn't have the necessary quality too play that game. Rodgers was a man learning on the job, in my personal opinion those few months in 2012 could prove to be a catalyst for the manager is on the cusp of becoming at Liverpool. 

What we have witnessed is a manager still learning but been more pragmatic in his approach to how the team plays. Yes he can unstuck sometimes, more occasionally sides who press like Arsenal, Southampton in this past year. The signings of Coutinho and Sturridge have pointed as catalysts to Rodgers ever improving side, it is the core element of the side which has improved, improved as footballers. Jordan Henderson, Luis Suarez, Glen Johnson, Jose Enrique to name a few players who have flourished under Rodgers. He has shown to be ruthless which only Martin Skrtel and Sebastian Coates know all too well, in Skrtel's case it has shown that you can show you deserve another chance despite the additions in his position during the summer. 

As we look at the table now below as of  November 2013, the improvement on last season couldn't be transparent. At the end of the day the talk of Death By Football is probably where Liverpool and Rodgers will end up given time right now he needed, needs results. The way Liverpool have dispatching sides below Spurs in the table if it continues there is no reason with surely Liverpool picking up points against the sides in and around them who knows what the limit could be for Liverpool. 

POS	CLUB	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
1	Arsenal	12	9	1	2	24	10	14	28
2	Liverpool	12	7	3	2	24	13	11	24
3	Chelsea	12	7	3	2	21	10	11	24
4	Manchester City	12	7	1	4	34	12	22	22
5	Southampton	12	6	4	2	15	7	8	22
6	Manchester United	12	6	3	3	20	15	5	21
7	Everton	12	5	6	1	17	13	4	21
8	Newcastle United	12	6	2	4	17	17	0	20
9	Tottenham Hotspur	12	6	2	4	9	12	-3	20

One game at a time is the mantra and rightly so but these 3 games could be crucial going into December with what we have coming. Points on the board puts pressure on the teams below, that is why at the moment everyone else is playing catch up to Arsenal. Who so far are the consistent side bar their blip at Old Trafford which was far from a disaster has proven by United's lack of consistency especially at Cardiff last Sunday.

In what probably is the most open League race probably since the late 70's/80's when a number of teams could win the title, 2013/14 could be landmark season in the Premier League era where any number of teams could be Champions come May which would be could be for the game in England as it badly needs it. Quietly, both LFC and Rodgers will be dreaming of something special while publicly been realistic which are both good things. 

2013 so far reads with still 7 games to play Games: 30 Won: 16 Drew: 10 Lost: 4, a decent return for a manager building from a position of weakness so far behind the sides above him this time last year. Hopefully come the final whistle is blown on his 57th league game in charge Liverpool will still be up where they are. Currently haven't been outside the top 3 all season thus far. Come New Year's Day when we kick off against Hull at Anfield and the kick off of the transfer window will tell a few things about what 2013/14 season will be. Maybe the quiet thinking could be looked upon as quiet wondering if the club invested in their midfield and left back in a position of strength, could we dare to dream?

At this moment in time the fans are enjoying the position  currently been held, proving a lot of doubters wrong so far in the process.