Stevie overall is too big as a figure/personality at this club to be an interim or an assistant. We don’t need that attention by media and the distraction which would come with it.
I bow to your superior knowledge Sweeting, but my assessment was based on the observation that success at the Auld Firm clubs isn’t a great barometer of talent on the larger stage. I also share GR’s concerns about his name, and possibly ego, getting in the way of a smooth working relationship with Alonso.
Anyway, all just conjecture at this point.
I think one issue with Gerrard as a first team assistant is that his legendary status at the club would make any manager look over their shoulder wary of him having an outsized voice or being a potential replacement if things go sideways. That’s why it would work best with a strong manager who is secure in his position (e.g. Klopp) or, possibly, with a former teammate like Alonso who would trust Stevie not to undercut him.
I am not saying I want him I was just pointing out that he has legitimately put the work in - badges, youth coaching, head coaching in Scotland and the Premier League - so if we did hire him as a first team coach I don’t think it would be only for his name (but certainly it would be partly for it).
I do agree there is potential for him to be a distraction. From a media perspective at least.
For what it is worth our U21 coach managed Wales in the World Cup. I think I saw he wants to stay in youth football but maybe he is the type of person who wants promotion to the first team set up eventually.
Strangely enough, quite the opposite. I’ve become inured to it over the past 12 months having sat through some of the most mind-blowingly dull football I’ve watched in over 50 years.
Any defeat now, home or away, is met with a shrug of the shoulders. An acceptance that we are shite with a massive rebuild on and off the pitch required.
So no, it didn’t spoil my weekend like it might have done in the past. If we miss out on Europe and finish below Everton I’ll feel the same because all expectation is gone.
There is an in match Everton thread called Toffeeweb which I sometimes look at for the comedy value but only when they are losing. It is incredible how similar the comments are to here. Since Moyes rejoined, they have the best away record in the Premier League but on Saturday when they went 1 down it was “get this fraud out of our club”.. “sack him now”. “Why wait till the end of the season”. “Why does he always wait to use the subs until we are chasing the game”. “Can’t wait for this fool to be gone”.
This whole forum should be better than throwing insults and hyperbole any a manager who won us the league.
Suggesting he’ll never get a job at a decent level again isn’t just thinking it’s time for a change which is fair enough. It’s putting the boot in, and he doesn’t deserve that.
TBH, the Alonso/Gerrard rumour sounds like (what would be described in Sci Fi fandom) as “fanwank”.
As mentioned elsewhere, he has done his badges and has coached and managed in various capacities. I think his time at our academy was regarded as a success.
Would Alonso and Gerrard be capable of working together? The assistant needs to support and advise the head coach, and I have no idea whether that would work aside from their personal friendship.
If I had to nail my take in one frame only, as to the why the season has unfolded the way it has… I would opt for the conclusion that Slot has failed to put in the hard yards behind the scenes since he arrived…
They say hard work pays off in the end… well judging by the way a once elite playing mentality is no longer in existence, fitness of the squad is failing on weekly basis, and tactics or specific instructions that should be ingrained by now no matter the status or playing level of each player, has failed to take hold.
Bodgers got a reputation for becoming a ‘Billy Big Bollocks’ judged by the bullshit that came out of his mouth, rather than by any trophy he had won… Been wondering for a while if Slot has let winning the PL take his own eye off the ongoing task at hand of pushing us on to a prolonged period of invincibility.
Yes we have Slot at the wheel, but has been ‘freewheeling’ for too many miles… Jurgen was visibly aging before our very eyes on a monthly basis due to hard work and stress, he knew what the club was about. Slot on the other hand, has got the appearance akin to ‘Benjamin Button’… he is looking fresher at every interview.
Still not of the opinion that the guy should be booted out just yet though. That is because I am hoping he knows himself why things are going wrong, and that he can learn from it and make adjustments to correct whatever it is…
There is a dark cloud moving over Anfield that is becoming more obvious every week… our football at the moment is dire and that will stop us winning any competition of substance.
I rarely listen to post match fan phone ins but last night I heard two local fans who had been to the game being asked who they would like to replace Slot and I was surprised to hear both say they would prefer Glasner to Alonso…think I would too.
Same for me. I can’t bring up any interest for what he has to say. Hopefully it’s different for the players though, but his lack of charisma and conviction, at least in front of the media, is blatant this season, and the up and down results seem to indicate that it’s the same in regards to how he communicates with the players. The belief and the fighting spirit we could see during a good part of last season (basically Klopp’s legacy, as it was his squad we were seeing) seems to be gone, and Slot doesn’t seem to be able to address that.
If the right manager is available next summer, he’ll be sacked. That’s the harsh law of football for head coaches. Without satisfying results and when there seems to be no progress on display, you’re gone.
I dont agree a lot with Gary Neville but hes right about that moment - it was a great footballing moment - keeper out, balls going in, players fouling each other and both end up on the floor as the ball trickles over the line then mayhem in the City end - its what football is about…but VAR have stolen a great football moment.
Just let the goal stand and Dom stay on - it was the 103rd min FFS!
His CV all points to beinga suitably qualified first team coach, but does his ego, or would he try to put himself front and center and make things about himself?
After seeing the roundtable interview I am a bit worried that the higher ups are backing Slot to lead us to next season. I understand that we can always just take educated guesses on what is happening behind the scenes with trying to put 1+1 together with one anynomous person informing the media, or a player interview or whatever, but it still looks and seems that something is not right at the club.
Considering that we have players who have criticised the man management of Slot, Jones considering leaving his boyhood club, most of our senior/title winning players playing well below their ability, Mo’s interview, and of course the big one as in the mental fragility on the pitch. This definitely is a management issue and something needs to change. All of this can’t be blamed on Diogo’s death, or the players being shit, this is a management issue.
I haven’t been a Slot out person as much as Slot out if we have a good replacement in mind. It seems that Alonso would be the person, but I don’t see another alternative to him at the moment. However I truly am concerned that all the people who have ran the sporting side of the club during Jürgens time are back at the club in management roles but still we are in a mess we never saw during the years Jürgen was here.
Does he come across as someone who craves the spotlight to you? Genuine question. He just always a bit more shy than that to me. I haven’t really ever thought of him as a prima donna or a crazy ego. Comparatively I’d say that Salah is much more of a “look at me” personality.
However I think the TV media would love to zoom in on any manager we have and then slowly pan across to Gerrard n the dugout anytime we are losing a game. That could be frustrating.