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Brendan Rodgers has not one but two major hurdles to negotiate if he’s going to come back from the brink at Liverpool FC.

First, there is that showdown with Fenway Sports Group’s Mike Gordon as part of the club’s end of season review into a desperate campaign.

Rodgers must convince the owners that he can put right what’s gone horribly wrong over the past nine months.

If the Northern Irishman achieves that then his Anfield reign will enter a fourth season but he still won’t be in the clear.

Far from it.

The second hurdle facing him is more daunting.

If he gets the green light from Boston over the next fortnight then Rodgers will have to set about trying to win back the faith and trust of a fanbase left disillusioned by Liverpool’s fall from grace.

Last Sunday’s humiliation at the hands of Stoke City was a tipping point for many supporters.

Those calling for change aren’t just keyboard warriors in Timbuktu but many devoted Kopites who spend their hard earned cash travelling home and away.

It’s too easy to dismiss what happened at the Britannia Stadium as a meaningless end of season game. It wasn’t.

For a start, defeat cost Liverpool £1.2million in prize money as they slipped from fifth to sixth, and could have resulted in them having to start next season in the Europa League qualifiers on July 2.

It was also Steven Gerrard’s send-off. Such a spineless capitulation was the final insult for fans after what they had witnessed since the home defeat to Manchester United in March. The hurt and anger in the away end at Stoke even boiled over into a number of skirmishes over what the club should do next.

Unrest and division rule.

Even among those who believe Rodgers was dealt a bad hand by Luis Suarez’s exit, Daniel Sturridge’s injuries and the restrictions placed on him by the transfer committee, patience has been stretched to the limit.

Added to the mix is the availability of two such high-profile managers as Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti – both out of work this summer and looking for a new challenge.

Liverpool find themselves at a crossroads.

The owners must decide whether to stick with their long-term plan, cut Rodgers some slack and write this season off as a costly blip or pay up the three years remaining on his contract and start all over again.

If it’s the former then either Gordon, Tom Werner or John W Henry need to go public and explain their reasons for doing so.

Is it because FSG believe that Rodgers was severely hampered by events beyond his control?

Is it because FSG acknowledge that their transfer policy of prioritising young potential over proven talent is flawed?

Stay silent and the owners will stand accused of merely accepting the status quo – sixth place and mediocrity. That won’t do the manager any favours.

If Rodgers stays, the only way he can start to build bridges with disaffected supporters is if they can see a proper plan to take the club forward.

Ride for the 96 appeal for cyclists

Organisers are looking for more cyclists to sign up for the 2015 Ride For The 96.

The 96km event in memory of those who died at Hillsborough takes place on Sunday, June 7.

It starts and finishes at Sutton Leisure Centre in St Helens and will raise money for Alder Hey children’s charity and Jamie Carragher’s 23 Foundation,

Entry has been reduced to just £24 online with riders having to pay £32 if they sign up on the day.

It’s the brainchild of lifelong Liverpool fan Ben Williams, who embarked on a 280-mile ride in 2012 to raise funds for the Hillsborough Family Support Group and the Hillsborough Justice Campaign.

The following year – with the help of British Cycling – he launched the mass participation event ride and it has gone from strength to strength.

Williams said: “Since 2012 when I did the first ride, we’ve raised £29,000 for charities.

“We’ve currently got 100 people signed up but we’d like to get that number up to 200 for next Sunday.”

For further details go to the website www.rideforthe96.co.uk

Reds glad to be back with friends

Some 65 Liverpool fans took part in the ninth annual supporters’ friendship visit to Moenchengladbach last weekend.

The friendship which is unique in world football dates back to the showpiece European finals between the clubs back in the 1970s.

The Kopites who travelled to Germany attended the Bundesliga match against Augsburg at Borussia Park with You’ll Never Walk Alone played in the stadium to mark the occasion.

They also attended a fan party with Moenchengladbach supporters with Wallasey musicians Terry and Rick Craven entertaining the locals.

Organiser Graham Agg said: “Everyone who came on the friendship visit was a credit to the club and the city and for that I would like to thank them all.

“We also had members of the ALSIN Holland LFC supporters club at the friendship weekend too and one LFC fan, Jan Hansen, came all the way from Denmark.”

The next LFC supporters’ friendship visit to Moenchengladbach will be in spring 2016 and anyone interested in finding out more should email grahamlfc@aol.com for further information.

Raven has bided time for Cup glory

Former Liverpool full-back David Raven is eyeing Scottish Cup final glory – nearly a decade after leaving Anfield.

The 30-year-old from West Kirby, who made four appearances under Rafa Benitez, will line up for Inverness Caledonian Thistle against Falkirk this afternoon.

Raven was Caley’s semi-final hero when he got the winner against Celtic, and he’s relishing the first showpiece final of his career.

Looking back on his time at Liverpool, Raven said: “Initially, for six months when I was in and around the first team and Europe, I thought: ‘Here we go, this is me. I’ll be playing in big finals’. But I quickly came to realise that I wasn’t good enough for that level.

“I knew I had to go and grind out a career elsewhere and leaving Liverpool was the best thing I could have done, the only thing. Being at Liverpool was a great experience, but it has taken me until 30 for this to come round and being in the final is such a big buzz.

“Scoring against Celtic is also something to look back on, but it will be emptier if in years to come I am telling my kids about it and they ask, ‘Did you win the cup, dad?’ and I have to tell them we didn’t.

“Winning it would be the best achievement of my career.”