Rodgers must 'prove he is still the man to lead Liverpool'

Liverpool's end of season slump and yet another summer of looming transfer chaos may have undermined the position of manager Brendan Rodgers, who may now have to persuade the club's American owners Fenway Sports Group that he is still the man for the job.

He faces an end-of-season review at which he "will have to prove he is the right man to take Liverpool forward", reports Tony Barrett of The Times. Although Rodgers has lost the support of many fans this season his job is not in immediate danger, says the paper, but the talks are aimed at establishing "common ground" between owners and manager.

"High on the agenda will be the need to address the disconnect between transfer strategy and team selection, with FSG hoping Rodgers is ready to convince them of his willingness to persevere with several signings who have yet to make the desired impact," says the Times.

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That news will not go down well with fans hoping to see the back of players like Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert, who have failed badly this term.

Despite their hope that last summer's signings will come good, Liverpool's American bosses are said to be sympathetic to the problems Rodgers has faced this season, after the sale of Luis Suarez and the absence of Daniel Sturridge.

Yet "there is also a recognition that the overall standards of performance should have been better", says Chis Bascombe of the Daily Telegraph.

He points out that Liverpool have failed in "high-profile games" this season, not just against their Premier League rivals but also in the Champions League and notably against Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final.

Recent displays have been "abject", says Bascombe, and defeat to Hull last month was "especially disturbing" as the race for the top four was still open. "It is these latter performances that Rodgers may find most difficult to explain," he warns.

Commenting during a webchat for The Times, chief football correspondent Oliver Kay said the start of next season could prove critical for Rodgers, but agreed that he would survive the summer.

"I don't think Rodgers is on the safest of ground at Liverpool, but neither do I think they're about to sack him. Nor should they be. If you were going to make a list of Liverpool's problems, Rodgers wouldn't or shouldn't be high on the list," he said.