I was on the Alonso bus and driving it when Jurgen announced he was leaving.
However, there is no gurantee if he came in we would revert to swashbuckling team, Xabi’s teams have been a more of a possession based team, but I/we wouldn’t have a major issue if he sorted the defensive side of our game whilst slowly strangling teams with the ball and forcing them into submission, which is what you have to do against low block teams.
We just need to see a more penetrating style rather than the horseshoe style when we have possession,
Yeah… me thinks fans will forever support the club, it is in our DNA. As for spreading that support to the manager of the club, and Bodgers before anyone else comes to mind, note how he was losing more and more of the fanbase on a weekly quota.
Can’t ever remember anyone shedding a tear for him when he was eventually moved on, which made it easy for hierarchy to act as they did.
We only have to think back 5/6 weeks and the tsunami against Slot was beginning to swell… If we get to the end of this season, and probably most of next playing crap tactics, more and more fans will be bailing from the Slot express…
When a new player comes in we are told we need to be patient and await the player to learn what is needed to dovetail into our playing system… yet when a young manager can’t tick every box in the eyes of some supporters, because he doesn’t have the experienced managerial years on his clock, they are not given the same luxury and patience afforded to a new player.
If Slot is a quick learner and prepared to put the 200mph effort into a new job, he will survive this sticky period… If he ends up being his own worst enemy through stubbornness, or laziness, then his time will be up at the 3yr mark… and we then go again with a new face at the helm.
On principle, it’s wrong to judge a manager’s success by achievements and not the process. Football is a fluky game, a lot of things that can determinate success and often do are not within the manager’s control. Klopp, for instance, should have won more based on how good his teams were, but on an alternate universe it wouldn’t be unthinkable to end up with fewer trophies or even none. And yet no one sane would be claiming that he wasn’t doing a phenomenal job.
In any case, the club has its own internal metrics that provide far greater insight and context that we are privy to. Slot’s fate will be determined on how well he scores on them.
We’ve no crystal ball, so don’t know how things will unfold. But Slot will most probably get further time if he takes us into top four, even if we only scrape into it. There will be a season review, and all the difficult aspects of this season will be listed up, and there are quite many (massive upheaval in terms of incomings and departures, both at player and coaching level, injuries heaping up like seldom before, Jota).
Then, I think we can agree that Slot isn’t the lone culprit for last summer’s bizarre transfer dealings and failures. His bosses, who will ultimately decide whether he stays or not, know perfectly well that they have some responsibility as well. If they are honest, they’ll try to right the course with the man they chose in the first place. It would be good if they can assess how to help Slot with the aspects which have gone wrong since we won the league.
Again, no crystal ball, but my take is that Slot will stay at LFC if we don’t witness a full-size implosion again in terms of results. Getting a place in the top four should be largely enough for him to keep his job for a further season.
I think you’d have to evaluate everything else - how are the vibes are in the dressing room, what’s Slot’s relationship like with his bosses, whether our play has meaningfully detracted from our ability to recruit, and, most importantly, had Slot has identified an solution to our problems going forward that will lead to improved performances next season.
But I also think that the benefit to a top 4 finish is that Slot saves face if the club decides to move on. They can shake hands, Slot can can go find his next gig, and the club can bring in someone else without much controversy.
One issue to keep in mind this summer is the implications of the 2026 World Cup. Whoever is managing the club will have an abbreviated summer training camp. That’ll be harder on a new manager trying to implement a new vision.
I think we need to consider the impact of the identity and perspective of the manager on outgoings. I dont think there is anyway Hughes independently pursues exits for Quansah and Elliott without a manager they want to show support to who is saying he just isnt going to play them. There probably isnt much left in the squad - saleable assets the manager doesnt like but there could still be a sense of who we need to sell and thus dictating what areas of the squad we need replacements for that could be driven by whether we keep the manager
Hodgson was the closest I came to that, but it was more that it didn’t hurt anymore, it was coming that he would go. Ultimately it is with Hughes and Edwards to a certain extent. I don’t think being wrong or incorrect will play much into it.
I don’t think any of the signings we made were a bad signing or even a bad fit, even the ones with question marks are starting to perform or have done throughout.
The Guehi decision whatever the situation is to me the only possible black mark.
On spending heavily…
We spent heavily but not net… so not really. Net we spent less than Arsenal even just accounting for this summer… and Arsenal have been spending heavily for years. Same goes for Man City - maybe they didn’t exceed us in that window but in the one before. Plus this doesn’t account for a tragedy like Jota for whom there was no proper preparation or replacement for.
Spending-wise… not sure we should be considered any higher than our current position performance-wise. Yes, we raised expectations with the performance last year - but that squad has been blown up.
Integration of New Signings:
Ekitike hit the ground running
Wirtz did not hit the ground running but is coming along quite nicely
Kerkez did not hit the ground running but is coming along quite nicely
Frimpong has been injured but not doing too badly either
Isak missed pre-season and has been injured
Leoni is injured
I just don’t see the truth in this statement that there is a problem integrating new signings. It is very common, even under the best of managers, that a player can take time to settle. Under Klopp that included Robertson, Fabinho and Wijnaldum who were all big parts of our success but took half a year to a year to settle. Integration time can affect performances.
On the effect of overall squad usage as a result of spending heavily (which I explained… we did not really spend heavily)…
The new signings are used, Chiesa is not. No change here.
Which new signing was supposed to replace Diaz?
On strained internal relationships: other than Mo? I’m not aware of any but please correct me if I’m wrong.
I think Slot was right on Mo btw…, he was droppable and Slot rightfully was backed to make his decision.
Problem with “player power” also played a big part with Alonso’s firing. I would hate to be like RM in this case and Alonso would have faced the same situation benching Mo.
On financial risk: if we do not buy a senior CB this window then this risk has been accepted by Hughes, Edwards and the owners.
This is an area that needs investment and the money was available. If the decision has been made that we stick to the strict transfer policy of only buying the right person, for the right price, at the right time and thus don’t find a solution this transfer window then holding Slot accountable for defensive frailties is a little unfair given he doesn’t have options to turn to.
Having said all that, fan opinion, public opinion, owner’s opinions could all result in a firing. But wholesale changes generally causes disjointed performances. A huge number of injuries generally cause disjointed performances. An unbalanced squad generally causes disjointed performances.
So for me, the expectations we have of challenging for the title this season were perhaps a bit misplaced. I’m not saying he is doing well. I don’t think a draw with Arsenal is proof of righting the ship… but I think expectations are also a bit elevated given the reality of the situation (i.e., what I mentioned above).
Weird that for all your insistence that many of us are missing the (unstated) context you overlook the very critical context of those situations - two clubs who were allowed to become stale right the way through the footballing operation as a result of too much power being held in the hand of one ageing man. We were conscious of building a sustainable model and Klopp very creditably played his part in that, and so those situations and so the situation Slot inherited was very different than those who would try to pick up the pieces at Arsenal and United.
I was reading an analysis a few weeks back that was stats heavy so maybe a bit dubious, but basically positioned us as pretty much all season playing games where the difference between the two teams was small enough for the result to be little more than a coin flip. I think this goes back to the idea from @Redbj that we’ve won as many games as we have this season simply because we had better the players most often, not because they were put in a position to succeed. Football isnt the corporate world, but I think most of us can probably relate to that sort of situation (why the fuck am I spending my time filling out these TPS reports when I could be doing something else that is actually important?)
It is a very apt phrase. We are definitely doing better than we were a few weeks ago, but we are not where we want to be. We have some incredible talent that will always be capable of producing significant moments, and currently that’s what we are relying on, by and large.
Hopefully we take it a step further and implement a clear identity in our play that would indicate better is to come next season and beyond.
If we do that, Slot should be safe. If we stumble along, then it’s possible that even a CL finish might not save him. It would be borderline, but there would be a decision for his bosses to make after review.
I agree with this. If we change manager in the summer it’ll change our business. But if Slot is still manager we’ll conduct our business in the same way, whether he has a new contract or not. That was the point being discussed.
I’m pretty sure the original author of that particular epithet is none other than our old friend Mark Goldbridge , and unsurprisingly he was talking about Utd and not us.
In my reading of the situation I think you have to view the sales of Elliott and Quansah as big shows of faith in Slot. If we get to the beginning of next season and Slot is kept on but without a extension, I think that would have to be seen as a significant reduction in the faith we were putting in him. I think if we find ourselves in that situation then moves that are the equivalent of those I would imagine would be blocked - players who are a reasonable cost on the balance sheet, may continue to increase in value, and would be expected for any other manager to be happy to have the use of
Whether we have any players left who meet that sort of standard who Slot would want out is maybe something that makes the point moot, but I think it would likely apply to Chiesa. More so though is that if our performances go in a way that Slot finds himself in that position, then there is no way of knowing who might fall out of his good graces between now and the end of the season as things go on and fail to improve.
Stale or not, both clubs were transitioning from long term, established managers. And if anything, the fact we were transitioning from a highly successful period, made it even more challenging.
So once again, the context is totally lost on you…
I referred to us as Moments FC a few times at the back end of last year. I still feel that’s what we are unfortunately.