• Mishits

Noel Gallagher hails 'the Brodge's' powers of recovery

Former Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher marked his return to football punditry by coining a new name for Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.

The Manchester City fan, who embarked on a solo career after quitting Oasis in 2009, hailed 'the Brodge's' efforts in reviving Liverpool's fortunes after a sluggish start to the season.

Speaking on the BBC's Match of the Day Two, Gallagher said: "We thought the powers of the Brodge were waning, but he's turning it around.

"They're winning games without [Steven] Gerrard now. We need them to keep United out of the top four as City fans."

As a nickname, it's unlikely to be remembered alongside such greats as the 'Wally with the Brolly', or 'the Tinkerman', but the splicing together of first and surnames could produce some interesting managerial monikers.

Sean Dyche becomes Syche, while Garry Monk, becomes - you've guessed it - Gonk. Nonsensical, of course, but snappy all the same.

Gallagher may well have done his research, but online slang index Urban Dictionary has a rather dubious definition for the term 'brodge'. It is, apparently, "a semi-solid compound being squeezed through the cracks of its container."

Rodgers has certainly blocked some of the holes in the Liverpool defence, with his side keeping five clean sheets in their last six Premier League outings. They managed one in five prior to their 1-0 victory over Sunderland on January 10.

Gallagher was joined on the MOTD2 panel by Mark Lawrenson and Jermaine Jenas, with the famously fiery rockstar on board to give the 'fans' view', according to host Mark Chapman.

Having interviewed then-City striker Mario Balotelli for BBC Football Focus in 2012, Gallagher had his say on another Etihad star, praising David Silva as a "wizard".

"I find it incredible that he's at our club, he's just so low-key, doesn't do interviews," Gallagher said. "He's an old-school footballer. He's not fouled a lot because you can't get near him. He's a wizard, I love him."

On City's title chances, Gallagher was a little less upbeat, saying: "If we'd kept a few more clean sheets we'd be up there. I don't think Chelsea are that special, they're just consistent and we're annoyingly inconsistent.

"We've closed the gap, but I still see Chelsea getting over the line by the odd two or three points."

Noel Gallagher appeared on the BBC's Match of the Day Two, offering a 'fans' perspective' © Getty Images

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