Brendan Rodgers says he wants the fans to remember him as someone who did their best for Swansea City
Rodgers this week quit the club to join Liverpool on a three year deal – a move expected to be sealed with a 10am press conference this morning at Anfield.
But before he left the club, he told the Evening Post how we wanted his time as Swansea manager to be remembered.
“I suppose,” he said “as someone who did their best for Swansea City.
“As someone who tried their best to retain the values of the team and the club, and as someone who represented the city as best as he could.
“But obviously, time will tell on how I am remembered.
“For me, the only way I was going to leave Swansea was for a big club, and I mean a big club,” Rodgers adds.
“It was an extremely, extremely difficult decision because my plan was always to stay here at Swansea for a number of years.
“I have always been up front and honest. I have always said that I wouldn’t be here forever and that one day I would go, but I honestly never thought the opportunity would come round now.
“In my life and in my football, I have been very happy in Swansea.
“But when an opportunity to work at a club which is more than a club comes round, it’s a professional challenge which is too good to turn down.
“Liverpool are one of the dynasties of the game. They have won five European Cups and their status is up there with AC Milan, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
“That professional challenge is what my journey in coaching has been all about,” he continues.
“In any journey, whether you are a journalist or a football manager, you want to be the very, very best that you can.
“My journey has taken me to an area and to a people that will be in my heart for the rest of my life, so the decision to leave that behind was not easy.
“I honestly didn’t expect it to come around so quickly but, when it comes, you have a choice to make.
“The footballing choice is to go to a club that everyone knows about — it doesn’t need explaining.
“But the hardest part is having to leave a group of players and a people who have given me such a wonderful life here.
“I have had three previous opportunities to move on but I never had to consider them for very long,” he adds.
“But when a club of Liverpool’s status comes in (you have to pay attention). I turned them down once out of respect, because I didn’t want to go into a process and disrespect anything about Swansea.
“When they come in a second time and make you their No. 1 target, then you have to think.
“We have seen over a number of years that the number of British coaches who get a chance at the big clubs is very few.
“When those opportunities come, and they may come only once, you have got to make a decision.”
And will he return?
“I still hope I can do that when I’m retired,” he adds, half a smile breaking out beneath teary eyes.
“It’s always sad when you leave somewhere you love, but hopefully I have left a decent legacy here.
“Hopefully I can return. We will have to see what the reaction is.”
