Derailed! The Liverpool gravy train has been cancelled warns Rodgers
Shaken by the demise of Scottish giants Rangers, new boss refuses to continue Reds' habit of paying so-so players superstar wages
Andrew Powell
Brendan Rodgers is ready to introduce a new financial reality at Liverpool, after insisting: "I won't bankrupt the club".
And he has warned potential new arrivals at Anfield that simply signing for the Reds is no longer a ticket for the gravy train.
Fans have also been told to expect some budget acquisitions who will be rewarded only when they have proved themselves.
"I am very much conscious on the value and worth of players," said Rodgers. "There's no doubt there are top players who have earned every single penny they get, but you can also get certain types of players for less.
"The problem sometimes is there's a snobbery towards players at a lesser club. It's an ignorance.
"You get scouts at a big club who see a young player and think maybe he can't play. Then he will go to a big club and all of a sudden they want him. It's about making those decisions earlier.
"Look at the squad here, and there aren't too many who have dropped from heaven to play for Liverpool.
"A lot have come through lower clubs, made their way and now they are making their name at Liverpool.
"There's no doubt I want to get the best players I possibly can, and that costs money.
"When you're not in the Champions League there is a restriction in terms of what you can spend and I know that. I was fully understanding of that before I came in.
"When players come here, it should be the beginning, absolutely.
"If you look at the history of the club, it is about hungry players, coming in from the lower leagues, from clubs in Scotland and Ireland, and working their way up.
"That has been the ethos of the club - talent aligned with hard work takes you a long way.
"I just want to maintain that spirit within the club. I like to think I practice it myself in the club. I find it difficult to work with players who don't share and match that."
In a hard-hitting interview, Rodgers offered a damning insight into the parlous state of Premier League football, which he believes is heading for disaster unless clubs get their houses in order financially.
Liverpool MD Ian Ayre has admitted Liverpool were just days away from insolvency before the current owners took over.
Rodgers said: "It's incredible this club came close to bankruptcy.
"This is Liverpool Football Club.
"You may think it will never happen to your club, but who would have ever thought that could happen to a team like Glasgow Rangers?
"But listen, if football continues to pay the wages that some clubs do, then you will be asking for it. That is the way football is right now.
"Who would have thought that a club like Glasgow Rangers would fall apart?
"If you believe that it can't happen... well, it can. It might not be now but it could be later on. You can never say that it will never happen.
"Look at that club's [Rangers] history and where they have been in the game. That is a warning for everyone."
In recent years, Liverpool have been one of the clubs adding to the massive problem by paying mind-blowing wages to players such as Maxi Rodriguez, Alberto Aquilani, Joe Cole and Milan Jovanovic.
Aquilani's signing left the Reds with a liability of almost £50million in transfer fee and wages, yet he played just 28 games before being shipped out on a succession of loans.
For Rodgers, one of the biggest problems is players arriving at big clubs and immediately expecting the superstar wages and lifestyle without ever earning it.
That though, will not happen at the new Liverpool - as Rodgers' stance in talks with Gylfi Sigurdsson proved.
The Icelandic midfielder was a major target for the Reds' new manager, having starred for him at Swansea last season, but Rodgers refused to spend silly money on salary and Sigurdsson eventually chose to join Tottenham instead.
Rodgers then returned to previous employers Swansea and bought midfielder Joe Allen.
When asked if that proved players can't now come to Anfield just to earn a quick buck, Rodgers replied emphatically.
"No chance. Certainly not with me," he said. "In professional and social life, I like to get value. That is just my nature and just my upbringing.
I won't pay 'anything at all costs' - absolutely not.
"If there is a player out there who can make a difference, we will do all that we possibly can to bring him to the football club.
"What I won't be prepared to do is waste time, money and effort to bring in a player who won't add value to the club.
"There have to be certain factors to make a player want to come and play for you. Unfortunately for people, money distorts the reality.
"I prefer the hungry player - those that want to succeed. Of course they will earn good money, and they will get their value and worth if they perform. I would rather work that way."
Rodgers knows it will take time for his pragmatic philosophy to pay dividends, especially given he still has plenty of supporting-cast players at Anfield who will prove difficult to shift because they are on superstar wages.
And life in the Premier League is complicated further by the insistence of clubs such as Manchester City and Chelsea on paying huge money for even average players, massively distorting the market.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/liverpool-brendan-rodgers-refuses-to-bankrupt-1260866
