"Put, 'David Brent is refreshingly laid back for a man with such responsibility.'"
Brendan Rodgers is becoming a parody of himself.
The Liverpool boss is in danger of being better remembered for his buzzwords rather than his actual career and it's getting worse.
Last year's scintillating end-of-year form, whilst enthralling, only served to kick the Northern Ireland man's autopilot management spiel into overdrive as words like intensity, technical and philosophy were almost banned from the English language owing to overuse. And he isn't letting up.
In the build-up to Saturday's Merseyside derby clash with Everton, Rodgers offered an admittedly more tame version of his buzzword bonanza and yet we're still amazed at how little he can say by saying so much.
So we took a tally of his pre-game press conference for this weekend, all 11 minutes and 28 seconds of it, and made a list of some of the bullshit the 'Pool manager was saying without really saying anything. It's a skill in its own right. But we're worried that he thinks it makes him sound like one of the game's most profound thinkers when, really, it makes him sound more and more like David Brent.
Here are a few examples of his press conference before the big derby and some of the boxes the manager checked this time round.
In fairness, we've heard worse and not even one mention of technician, pattern or triangulation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BzOkKzzLD8
In contrast to his Monday Night Football interview before Liverpool got their campaign underway at City at the start of the season, there was no mention of transition or penetrate but there was room to hit the maturity, quality and style buzz again.
Go back even further to March last year when they had really hit their stride. Intensity and control is probably said more times than 'the', and we even get a mention for methodology. Perhaps it's better that they aren't at those same heights at the moment.
But they're still, 'in a great moment' as the manager would tell you. Twice.
Here he is on the verge of their next good run.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW20AQJ6Iig
