Stevie said the other day he’s probably not ready right now on that podcast thing with Neville, Keane and Wright. It’s only a few weeks to the end of the season, I think we have Slot until at least the summer. Gerrard would only be an interim.
Anything Joyce says is what Edwards wants to be known.
I am not in favor of Stevie as a permanent manager, at all. The only conversation I’m engaging in about him is the possibility of an interim until the end of the season, on the proviso that we get whacked by PSG and the arse falls out of it. If Slot is then jettisoned, and the new permanent manager isn’t available until the summer, we would need an interim. Stevie comes into view at that point, but it is not without issues.
Nobody in their right mind would think he’s a good manager, surely. He’s been terrible for the most part, bar Rangers.
Has the job really changed for Slot??
I understand football is a complicated business but the KPIs are largely the same.
The most important KPI would be to get automatic UCL qualification every season. Winning the title or the UCL will trigger additional bonuses. For the fans, we would definitely want the team to retain the title or go into a double/treble run. However, businesses will always look at the CBA of doing that…
Getting the LFC job (after slightly fucking up his previous job) and winning the title in his debut season is probably the best things that happened in his life. His immediate family is probably set for life with all that money if they don’t waste it all away and invest in it wisely.
Even if Arne Slot departs in the summer of 26’, he still gets the compensation he is entitled to. If he somehow manages to get UCL qualification, he gets that bonus. What is important for him is that he has that title-winning medal on his neck. That alone in his CV will separate him from folks like Brendan Rodgers in getting a really good paying job in the top 3 leagues in the world.
His next job will still see him get millions in remuneration.
He has literally nothing to lose by staying by hook or by crook except for a slightly dented reputation which a lot of clubs are willing to overlook it.
Last season, his old number 2 wasn’t around and yet, his team won the title at the canter.
Gravenberch was literally the standout player of last season in that double pivot and now, he is not?
The only thing that makes sense is an overconfident coaching team that failed to do the basics required to condition the playing staff.
He has that EPL medal on his neck. A lot of clubs in the top 5 leagues in the world will be willing to overlook that…and we haven’t got to the saudi clubs who can pay the big money…
For all of his shortcomings, he doesn’t strike me as a coach who will go around chasing money. He’ll want to get his career back on track - after all, just a year and few weeks ago, he couldn’t do anything wrong for us. That coach is probably still there, though he’ll have to do it at a different club, perhaps even a different league.
Sure, i dont think it a major factor but one i am curious about because relatively few changes were needed last season…although performances did drop significantly at the end.
He certainly impressed last season but what was needed from him last season was slightly different from what is needed this season.
Teams adjusted to how we were playing, we havent found a way to overcome that. Some of our strengths have been negated through the loss of Diaz and Trent, and the decline of Mo. Macalister lacks mobility, Gravenberch isnt great at passing and is being exposed defensively as opposing teams overload our defence.
Its probably a key factor but it isnt the only one .
I just hope that it isn’t ego that will motivate FSG to keep Slot.
For years, Klopp justifiably earned a lot of plaudits for the club’s success. Everything was about him, to the point that Klopp basically brushed away Edwards and Ward and anyone in the sporting department. FSG’s representative - Mike Gordon - basically deferred to Klopp, for better and worse. The power balance was tilted heavily towards Klopp.
Having Klopp leave and bringing in an actual management structure on the sporting side - from Edwards/Hughes back in to hiring Slot as a “head coach” - shifted the power balance away from the manager and, instead, back towards FSG.
Having the club win a title in the first year post-Klopp was, I’m sure, quite vindicating for them. It supported the structure they put in place. And I’m sure that motivated them to back Slot - backing Slot was effectively backing themselves.
And now that we’re a year removed, and standards and performances have cratered, and supporters are fuming, and the club looks like it’s on the precipice of a trophyless campaign without even a UCL place to fall back on - FSG is reckoning with the fact that Klopp’s influence was far greater than even they understood. They picked a middle manager as a “head coach” instead of picking a charismatic alpha who had the ability to galvanize his team and the supporters.
It’ll be interesting to see if they’re willing to reconsider their priors and pivot.
He’s essentially only had two jobs. Rangers, where he did well. Villa, where he did not.
He needs a lot more experience but not many managers immediately find themselves thriving.
True. I don’t think he covered himself in glory in Saudi either. I hope he gets it together though, even if he doesn’t end up here one day.
We aren’t hiring Gerrard as manager, interim or otherwise. And nor should we.
Right now we need a thought out, cohesive plan. From what Edwards role is, to whether Hughes is sticking around, rectifying what’s happened to our transfer acumen, who the manager is going to be and all the down to the academy and why we seem to increasingly be reliant on bought young talent instead of cultivating local talent.
You expect some upheaval after a figure like Klopp leaves. Not to mention Edwards, being on our third or fourth DoF since he left and a bunch of the number bods too. We sort of avoided that last season but it’s hit hard this time around. A Gerrard shaped plaster to see out the season would be just another thing to fix in the summer.
The job has changed. He came into a team that was in win now mode. Whomever is in charge next year has a significant rebuild on their hands. Not necessarily in the typical sense of having to buy x number of new players, although this is starting to get toxic enough that such a move might actually be needed. But even if we can keep this group together more or less there is a comprehensive rebuild required about a everything that is needed for this side to be competitive. The trust and relationships within the group, the fitness, relationships with the fans. Even an identity as a team. That is a very different job.
Whoever (hopefully) comes in to replace Slot in the summer - we shouldn’t underestimate the size of the re-build they need to do. I hope we don’t turn into Manure, but my biggest worry is that Alonso or whoever come in and with Van Dijk/Alisson not getting any younger and the potential for others not performing, we might end up no further forward this time next year.
It feels like we are in a bit of a mess with our squad balance. How the fuck have we come to this point after being champions last season??
What helps me to believe we will not turn into Manure is we have better owners.
The biggest mistake FSG have made is to assume you can swap out an ethos, and right now I reckon theyre finding out, that you can for some clubs, but not others. And strictly not LFC. Thyeve done themselves their worst whoopsie these last 12months.
I am confident that someone like Alonso would have us challenging for the title next season. He is more flexible in switching between a four and a three at the back so would probably find it easier to work out a way for our players to fit together. Second, he has already had coached wirtz successfully. And lets not forget that despite an absolute collapse where we’re struggling to score goals, or provide a proper defensive structure and not concede goals we’re still in 5th place!
I also wonder whether there is a bit of the Paul Sturrocks about this - went to Southampton with a good reputation from his work in Scotland and English lower leagues but never won the trust of his players.
Good points that you make. But on being in 5th…that has more to do with other teams fucking up than us being good. We have been mostly shite all season.
Alonso has the advantage of playing under several top coaches and for clubs that expect to win and have to be adaptable to succeed over a long season and competing in numerous competitions.