The crux of the debate is whether the coach is getting the best from the players, those recruits are not up to scratch, or whether the problem is both. There are plenty at Anfield who believe the £124 million received for Suárez and Raheem Sterling has not been wasted and, in time, Rodgers will get the best from them. Crucially, that includes Gordon. He, after all, is not only FSG’s second biggest shareholder, he is on the aforementioned committee. If the strategy is flawed he is hardly going to hold himself accountable. Thus we see players who have hardly featured handed new five-year contracts, or sent on loan with an insistence they will return.