Well, Scott is similar to Hendo in the sense that both are box-to-box pressing machine that can drop back to No.6 as well (Gravenberch is not exactly a pressing machine). In other words, he can be a very compliment to Wharton, who will do all the line-breaking long-passing.
As for Jones, Iraolaâs playing style will again expose his perennial problem of holding on the ball for too long.
Does anyone know how to fugazi paywall articles?
In this video, they also discuss various articles that have appeared in the last few hours.
Unfortunately, the website I used for this is currently not working.
Some of the stuff in that article is so cringey.
Such as? Iâm assuming I canât read it because of the paywallâŚ
You arenât even comparing similar players, Gravenberch hasnât been used to press this season.
Also Ryan has better ball recovery, interception and tackling stats.
I actually do like Scott but do like for like when comparing players for the position they are playing.
Fucking hell, are you saying Hitlerâs alive?
Heâs chilling with Tupac and Michael Jackson in a bunker in Argentina.
Sorry mate read it on another site. Can I post a paywalled article? Mascot? Anyone?
Yes.
FROM BACKED TO SACKED: WHY FSG MADE ARNE SLOT DECISION
Cold, hard holistic analysis by Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes convinced Liverpool that more aggressive managerial approach was needed
As always, the first thing Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes did was write it all down.
It was about a fortnight ago that the men at the top of Liverpoolâs football think tank began the unenviable task of sifting through a season that most at the club were more inclined to simply forget.
Initially, the intention throughout a hugely challenging campaign had been to keep Arne Slot as head coach given the mitigating factors that partially explained the slide from Premier League champions in 2024-25 to scrambling for Champions League qualification, via fifth place, the following season.
Yet it was also agreed that the end of term necessitated a final evaluation, one in which cold, hard facts would override any emotion.
The holistic analysis by Hughes, the sporting director, and Edwards, the chief executive of football for Fenway Sports Group (FSG), which owns Liverpool, was ongoing throughout the season and went far beyond wins, draws and losses â even if there were too few of the former and too many of the latter.
This included a data-led examination, looking at the usual metrics, of how Liverpool were playing, the direction of certain performance trends and the evolution of the team.
In addition, consideration would have been given to how Slot managed, reacted to situations, and how the coaching team led a squad unable to find consistency and struggling to cope with on-field setbacks.
What certain players thought at various times during the season was not hard to gauge. Before his departure Mohamed Salah had been outspoken about the Dutchman on three separate occasions, criticising Slot personally and then his style of football, while, as far back as November, Curtis Jones had bluntly addressed the collective failures in various displays.
However, Liverpoolâs squad was not directly consulted over whether a change in the dugout should be made. It would be a bad sign if it had been. Serious football clubs do not act upon what some in the dressing room might advocate.
There followed extensive internal discussions with FSG and it is understood that the situation coalesced around the final game of the season, against Brentford, when Liverpool drew 1-1 and staggered over the finishing line. Only two points had been taken from their last four games, they finished the season with three wins from ten across all competitions, and were aided in their pursuit of a Champions League place because rivals faltered.
Many of the markers relating to performance, coupled with the plain old eye test, had prompted the scrutiny to become more intense and, by the middle of last week, the conclusion was reached that Slot was no longer seen as fitting the style that Liverpool wanted, and needed, to play. A replacement should be targeted.
The slow, stodgy football that had brought increasing scorn from supporters had to be updated with a more aggressive approach. Fan discontent was another area the review alighted upon, and that was clearly an important factor, but not deemed decisive.
It was left to Mike Gordon, the FSG president who has a day-to-day involvement at Liverpool, to give the final sign-off. When he did so, the clubâs position shifted. Slot was yesterdayâs man. What worked in footballâs landscape in 2024-25 did not represent a magic formula any more.
There remained a sense at Liverpool that Slot was more responsible for the Premier League title success in his first season than he was for the difficulties encountered in his sophomore campaign.
The hierarchy also believe he will prove himself to be a successful elite coach elsewhere in the future. It was simply that the walls closed in and no one â other than perhaps the head coach himself â could see a way out.
Discontent in the stands was coupled with players underperforming on the pitch and results flatlining. With another summer of change looming, one inconsistent spell at the start of next term would plunge everyone back to square one. Looking forward to next season and beyond, it was decided that the 47-year-old was simply no longer the best person to lead the club.
While Slot has paid the price for overseeing a team that slumped to 19 losses (20 including the Community Shield defeat by Crystal Palace), the standing of both Edwards and Hughes with FSG does not appear to be diminished.
The duo oversaw the ÂŁ450million spending spree last summer that was designed to build on the title success and the internal view remains that Liverpool recruited very good players.
Slot would agree with that before quickly pointing out results were hampered by the fact that Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz spent only 119 minutes on the pitch together due to various fitness problems. It was clearly not a persuasive-enough argument for the powers that be.
In many respects it could be said that the overhaul did not go far enough and all season there has been a debate about whether it would have been better to spread the money further and target more areas of the team.
For example, Liverpool were left short at right back after Trent Alexander-Arnoldâs departure and a solution to what became a problem position was never really found when Conor Bradley suffered a season-ending knee injury in January.
Still, the ownership clearly does not feel there is any reason to doubt the acumen of Edwards and Hughes as the football experts in the here and now. The pair will oversee the appointment of Slotâs replacement and everything points towards Andoni Iraola being the chosen one.
Edwards observed the Basque at work during his time at Rayo Vallecano and Hughes then appointed him at Bournemouth. Whether the new man in charge takes the title of head coach or manager remains to be seen.
Liverpool believe Luis Enrique will remain at Paris Saint-Germain, having guided the French club to a second successive Champions League title with Saturdayâs penalty shoot-out victory over Arsenal.
At the same time Edwards and Hughes have already been working on transfer targets in an attempt to bolster the squad. Signing probably two wingers/attackers was a requirement for Liverpool, not just Slot, given the exit of Salah and the achilles injury suffered by Ekitike.
Nor is the commitment of Hughes and Edwards, who both have 12 months remaining on their contracts, being questioned by FSG. Hughes has been repeatedly linked with a move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli and Edwardsâs frustration at the reluctance of the American ownership to purchase a second club thus far has been well documented.
That was one of the reasons he agreed to return to work for FSG in 2024, two years after stepping down from his previous role as Liverpoolâs sporting director.
One of Edwardsâs strengths has always been perceived to be his willingness to make decisions and, together with Hughes, the axing of Slot was ultimately viewed as best for the future of the club. There remains respect for Slot and what he achieved, but Edwards, Hughes and Gordon have always prided themselves on recognising the direction of travel. Ultimately, nothing told them to stick and they felt they had an obligation to act.
There was a point when the recruitment of Slot from Feyenoord as JĂźrgen Kloppâs successor looked like defining the Hughes-Edwards regime given the Dutchmanâs initial impact.
Now their tenure will be shaped not by his exit but rather by whether his replacement can make the team they have bought, and are building, work better.
Reference- ChatGPT
yeah, I only mentioned Grav because from what little I have seen/ read of Scott, they both seem pretty good when being pressed.
I can imagine the small talk would be a bit awkward. Infact it would make great reality TV 
.
Tupac: âWhen they say N**** they give me strengthâ
Jackson: âit doesnât matter if your Black or Whiteâ
Hitler: âI take it you two still havenât read my bookâ
Some interesting tidbits here:
The stuff about wanting Rio to be loaned out is wild, and also driving kids like Nyoni to consider their futures.
With bringing in talented kids being such a core part of our strategy, you have to think that Slotâs disinterest in bringing them through was as much a factor in him being let go as anything else. Just a huge disconnect between the football strategy and first team head coach.
Yeah there were bits written a while back about Ward being frustrated because thatâs a big part of his remit. But as I said in the other thread there are wild contradictions in the stories being told by supposedly reputable people right now.
One angle has Hughes and co with reservations in the summer and concern emerging by October leading to downlow chats with a series of managers through the winter. Others are reporting that it was full steam ahead in the slot train until literally Friday.
Really difficult to know what to make of any of it
I think this would make sense given he won the league and there was no new contract waiting for him once the season started. There was also the âoddâ contract clauses in Quansahâs contract.
Also, we saw with Brendanâs last days the club had shown a willingness to be patient while continuing to support the manager.
My first reaction would be to wonder whether this is simply a split according to who the source of the story is - is it Arneâs camp, getting their story out ahead of the eventual stories saying how badly everything functioned under Arne?
However, the Guardian had an article from a liverpool fan and blogger (content creator?) say that Hughes and Edwards wanted to keep Arne but it was Henry and/ or Gordon basically who told them to drop him so there are wildly different theories floating around out there.