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| Brendan Rodgers has been given a huge opportunity at Liverpool |
It's hard to recall the last time one of England's top clubs gave a young British boss the chance to lead them forward, and make no doubt about it, Liverpool remain one of the top clubs in the country.
They may have had three seasons of relative mediocrity by their standards, but only Manchester United can rival their history on these shores.
Liverpool's American owners, led by John W Henry, have taken a gamble on Rodgers but it's good to see them taking a chance on a talented young British manager.
The last two appointments at Anfield were not successful, and Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish both brought with them a wealth of experience.
Chelsea went down the young, foreign route with Andre Villas-Boas, and that didn't work.
No top club has seemed willing to go down the young and British route, but the appointment of Rodgers at Liverpool could open the floodgates for other British managers should he succeed on Merseyside.
Rodgers has a huge job on his hands though, but may benefit from some lowered expectations at Anfield.
Last season was Liverpool's third successive finish outside the Premier League's top four, so nobody is expecting Rodgers to come in and deliver the title immediately.
In fact, realistically it may take Rodgers the entirety of his three-year contract to break into the Champions League places, with other clubs looking formidable at present.
It is difficult to see either Manchester club dropping away any time soon, Chelsea have been buoyed by their Champions League triumph, Arsenal are always there or thereabouts and look set to strengthen significantly this summer, Tottenham have established themselves as a major force in England and Newcastle have fought their way into the group with a successful transfer policy.
Rodgers' quest is to overcome each of those challenges, one by one.
He will feel confident of finishing ahead of Newcastle next season by tweaking his squad, particularly if the Magpies sell some of their prized assets, but faces a huge task in overturning the others.
Sixth place would be progress for the Reds next season, followed by fifth place the season after.
Then Rodgers could realistically shoot for the top four, when he has had the time to stamp his authority and philosophy on the club.
Of course, Liverpool could surprise and quickly finish in the top four, but as far as expectations go, Rodgers should not be under serious pressure to reach the Champions League until the third year of his contract.
Many would say Dalglish was sacked for not finishing in the Champions League places this season, so Rodgers should expect the same this time next year should he not deliver it, but the Northern Irishman has youth on his side and represents the future of the club.
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| Dalglish's Carling Cup success was not enough for Liverpool's owners |
He delivered the Carling Cup and should be praised for his work in doing that and delivering stability to the club in the first six months of his reign, but it was hard to see him turning this situation around.
Liverpool's board trusted him with a huge transfer budget and Dalglish - along with Damien Comolli - blew it on expensive flops like Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing, Andy Carroll and Charlie Adam.
That's another reason why Rodgers will struggle to deliver the success Liverpool crave immediately.
The aforementioned quartet may have a future at Anfield, but it is clear the club cannot continue to spend the types of sums they did on them.
The board clearly thought spending fortunes on players would provide them with a quick fix and a swift return to the elite, but with the Financial Fair Play rules set to be enforced imminently, Liverpool's transfer policy will have to change.
Rodgers will have money to spend but it is unlikely to be anywhere near the bounty Dalglish was afforded.
He may bring players with him from Swansea, like Joe Allen and Gylfi Sigurdsson (although there are claims Rodgers has made an agreement not to sign any Swansea players for a year), and while those names are unlikely to set Liverpool fans' pulses racing, they are the type of signings Rodgers will have to make.
In truth, he doesn't need to spend fortunes on Liverpool's squad.
Pepe Reina is a fantastic goalkeeper, Martin Skrtel had a terrific season last time out, Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique are fine full-backs, Steven Gerrard is as dependable as ever when fit and Luis Suarez is a magician when he lets his football to the talking.
Carroll and Henderson both have potential just waiting to be unlocked, while Downing was excellent for Aston Villa and Middlesbrough before joining Liverpool.
There are also youngsters like Raheem Sterling, Martin Kelly, Jack Robinson and Sebastian Coates, so the picture is not all that dark at Anfield.
Rodgers' job is to turn the potential of the squad into success, while his attractive style of football should endear him to supporters.
His teams pass their way out of defence and play fluent, possession football and Suarez, for one, should thrive.
Carroll may struggle, as his strengths are best emphasised by quick balls into the box, and that is something Rodgers doesn't generally promote.
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| Carroll is currently with the England squad preparing for the European Championships |
Carroll certainly has potential - as he proved in the latter stages of last season - but it is hard to see where he fits into Rodgers' system.
Going back to the appointment of the Northern Irishman, Liverpool's board have certainly taken a risk.
Most fans seemed to disagree with the decision to sack Dalglish, while others called for the return of Rafael Benitez.
They are sure to give Rodgers a chance, but it goes without saying he will need a fast start to next season to ensure he doesn't suffer the same fate as Hodgson.
In terms of his managerial career, these are still early days for Rodgers.
He took on his first senior management position at Watford in just late 2008, and left them - on poor terms - to join Reading after just over half a season in charge at Vicarage Road.
Rodgers had saved Watford from relegation to League One, but struggled at Reading and they looked set for relegation before he was sacked in December 2009.
His failure at Reading - with his sacking just two-and-a-half years ago - shows he still has much to prove and that his career has not all been a glittering success.
He did a tremendous job with Swansea, of course, leading them to promotion to the Premier League in his first season in charge before comfortable top-flight survival in his second, all while playing attractive football.
However, he has had just one season managing in the Premier League and that appears a very short amount of experience for someone who has just been given one of the top jobs in the country.
Rodgers clearly has something about him for Liverpool to place this much faith in him.
You don't have to look far to see well-respected football people falling over themselves to praise Rodgers.
Jose Mourinho worked with him at Chelsea when Rodgers was reserve team coach, and has already given his seal of approval to Liverpool's appointment.
In addition, seemingly every player who has played for the Northern Irishman are gushing in their praise for him, so it is clear Rodgers is highly valued by all who have worked with him.
He will need to be given time at Anfield to implement his ideas. He looks like a man for the long-term and Liverpool need to stick with him.
The aim should be for steady improvement before eventually fighting their way into the Champions League.
A title battle is still a long way off, but Rodgers could be the man to deliver it. Just don't expect it to be within his initial three-year contract.
His authority at Anfield has already been slightly undermined by the ridiculous conduct of Wigan chairman Dave Whelan, who has spent the last few weeks giving daily updates on Liverpool's managerial situation.
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| Whelan has become something of a joke figure in recent weeks |
Whelan has been disrespectful and unprofessional, with his interviews becoming more embarrassing by the day.
He has enjoyed the circus he created. He has been on a desperate quest for publicity and is sure to have made Liverpool's board unhappy with his public statements on their desire to appoint Martinez.
Rodgers was the man Liverpool wanted and they've landed him.
It will take him time to bring the success the Anfield public crave, but he has said the idea of taking on the long-term project of making Liverpool champions again was a major factor in his decision to take the job.
He leaves Swansea in a difficult situation, without their talismanic leader and faced with the almost impossible chance of replacing him, but Rodgers had little choice but to take the Liverpool job.
A chance like this may never come around for him again and he can't be blamed for making the decision to join the Reds.
Liverpool will need to be patient and have stated they don't expect Rodgers to perform miracles.
He made a very good first impression today at his unveiling, but ultimately he will need to make an impression on the pitch to keep the supporters onside.
If Rodgers can get Liverpool's players playing in the style of his Swansea team and, ultimately, heading in the right direction, it won't take him long to earn the fans' respect.
Patience will be key though. Rodgers may have worked miracles in South Wales, but he can't be expected to solve all Liverpool's problems overnight.
This is a long-term job and Rodgers needs time - and plenty of it - to get it right.
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