Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed that Sir Alex ferguson wrote to him after he was sacked at Reading 5 years ago. Rodgers managed Reading for just 5 months before being sacked and replaced by Brian McDermott.
Rodgers told Spanish newspaper AS, “Yes, he wrote to me there (at Reading). He’s done that with a lot of managers that were either out of work or sacked.
“He was a symbol of, I suppose, the managers’ union,” he added.
Rodgers was manager of Reading for just 23 games before being sacked. He then moved to Swansea in the post 2009 season and that is where he was recognised for his tremendous work. The Welsh side were promoted an year later and in the process, they played some brilliant eye catching football.
Rodgers also revealed his admiration for the retired Manchester United manager, “I obviously highly respect Alex in what he has done in transforming Manchester United as a club, but there are many people and managers I have a big admiration for.
“I look at David Moyes and the incredible job he did at Everton although he didn’t win a trophy.
“People might look at me in the next number of years and if I win some trophies they might say that’s a success, but I believe my success was the 15 years before that, leading up to that, my success and my journey as a manager and working with young players.
“That’s what I deem as my success.”
Under Rodgers, Liverpool were close to winning the League title last season but could not keep up with Manchester City till the end. After a difficult start in his 1st season, the Ulsterman has definitely won over the vast majority of Liverpool fans.
This season, the 41-year old faces a different challenge of recreating the form of last year without the European golden boot winner Luis Suarez. Rodgers’ summer signings have come under some criticism, but it is still too early to judge them.
Liverpool take on Real Madrid on Wednesday in what will be Rodgers’ biggest match as a manager in his career. If he manages to outfox Carlo Ancelotti, then it’ll be a big feather in his relatively young managerial career.