The Owners - FSG

[mattyhurst]

Arthur is ageing? So is Elliott and Carvalho on that basis.

[RedOpium]

Agree, none of us were as old as we are today.

[Thomas1195]

Who said that? I never said Arthur was aging? However, Arthur is another Keita.

[mattyhurst]

He is on loan for starters and secondary he has been available for two games a lot more than Keita has been this season.

[BillyBiskix]

@WeeJoe

I’m ambivalent about our owners. Not ‘FSG out’, but not overjoyed either. Lots of people blaming the preseason. There’s no way Jurgen will have wanted to flog the players after last season, just to make more money. Maybe went along with it to keep the peace.

I get we’ve had great success with our transfer model, but maybe as we now overtake United for profit, we could have pushed the boat out and slightly overspent on a midfielder to keep this season afloat?

I’m ambivalent too. I think JK has made them look good and their risk-averse approach is a risk in itself. I am prepared to accept however that there is enough circumstantial evidence to suggest we probably did go for a midfielder right at the end of the window and I’m not talking about Arthur who was obviously a panic signing when there was no one else available. It was all too late and whether that’s down to JK changing his mind about needing someone or FSG changing their mind about releasing more funds we will never know.

Obviously a quality midfielder who isn’t always injured would help but the drop off in form of some of our best players, Trent, Mo, Virgil, Fabinho is alarming so it’s not the answer to everything. Overall though yes we could spend more money but we still need to get the recruitment right. It’s looking like this summer we may have focused on the wrong areas or at least significantly under-estimated the effect of last season, both mentally and physically, on key members of the squad.

[mattyhurst]

The suggestion seems to be we’ve done that twice now, once for defence two seasons ago where we willing to buy at least two defenders but both were too late and this time out.

Maybe in the long run it’s beneficial I’m not sure I’d want to drop a top talent into the current situation.

[WeeJoe]

@Thomas1195

Arthur is another Keita.

He’s only been here for 5mins ffs

[WeeJoe]

Yeah I can see another Alisson/VVD summer ahead. Win the league or CL next year

[Walshy07]

I posted above article that said the owners havent spent a penny of their own money for 5 years.
That needs to change.
Mel Reddy said that the owners want to rely on sales of players to buy players and thats great - if people want to buy your players but no one came in for Ox, Keita and any other midfielder. We then let Mane run down his deal so we didnt get much for him either.

[Walshy07]

Lets hope it isnt say, Alisson thats sold to fund a spend up.

[WeeJoe]

Absolutely no chance, though interesting you’d select him as our most valuable asset. Probably not far wrong

[Mascot]

@BillyBiskix

It was all too late and whether that’s down to JK changing his mind about needing someone or FSG changing their mind about releasing more funds we will never know.

There is a deep, deep reluctance here to point the finger at Jurgen. That’s understandable, as he is beloved and we’d much rather the owners were the ones taking shit.

But the fact is that he dismissed the idea of signing a midfielder, he staunchly defended the lads he had, and he subsequently, with little time left in the window and the midfield in tatters, admitted he got that wrong.

I’ve seen the theory that he is shielding FSG from criticism. I find this unlikely, as a couple of days after admitting he was wrong to put his faith in lads like Keita and Ox and refuse midfield signings, he was calling them out for being too risk adverse.

Who know what is going on. But I find the way the blame for stuff like this falls deeply unfair, and as I’ve argued, a little cowardly.

You think we should be signing more players and solving our problems in the market? That’s fine, I can get with that. But the target of your frustration is, as far as I can see, Jurgen Klopp.

I’ll happily say that I’ve found some of Jurgen’s approach this summer a bit baffling. You don’t bite the head off reporters all summer for talking about midfielders, and the with days left of the window have a pop at the owners for being too risk adverse. That won’t have gone down well in Boston, I’m sure.

I think it’s starting to become a bit obvious that we’ve made serious mistakes in pre-season.

There is a lot that is on Jurgen right now. Let’s get it right. And let’s also be clear that we adore him and we wouldn’t swap him for anyone. The man is entitled to make mistakes.

[redalways]

I think in both cases it was a “break glass in case of emergency” plan that we activated, rather than because we panicked. We had a plan for the transfer windows, and when injuries piled up too much, we reacted appropriately. It won’t have been because we didn’t have something lined up, but because we could still do something about the situation when it occurred. Had all these occurred outside of transfer windows, I think it is likely we might not have made any special moves.

Worth noting also that both times the “main” solution were loans, rather than buys.

[WeeJoe]

@Mascot

But the fact is that he dismissed the idea of signing a midfielder, he staunchly defended the lads he had, and he subsequently, with little time left in the window and the midfield in tatters, admitted he got that wrong.

To the media yes. Protecting the club as he’s always done. We don’t know if he was saying something else behind closed doors, then just got exasperated by the end of the window. Even then he was putting the blame on himself more than the owners

[redalways]

@Mascot

I’ll happily say that I’ve found some of Jurgen’s approach this summer a bit baffling. You don’t bite the head off reporters all summer for talking about midfielders, and the with days left of the window have a pop at the owners for being too risk adverse. That won’t have gone down well in Boston, I’m sure.

That’s the default reading of his quotes, but some part of me is wondering (particularly because I haven’t seen the context) whether it’s the other way around, where the people around him are pushing him to bring someone in, while he would have willingly gambled on not bringing someone in and managing what he had.

Or, flipping it around, if the Keïta/Henderson injuries had happened earlier, would we still have loaned Morton out, or would Jürgen have decided that he’d rather work with Morton than bring someone in?

[Mascot]

@WeeJoe

To the media yes. Protecting the club as he’s always done. We don’t know if he was saying something else behind closed doors, then just got exasperated by the end of the window. Even then he was putting the blame on himself more than the owners

I’m starting to think that Jurgen could piss on the Shankly statue, and some posters would find a way to make that FSGs fault.

[redalways]

I suppose this is a Rorschach test. My prior belief is that Jürgen is one to take responsibility rather than blame others, and who’s not overly protective over FSG, so naturally I’m inclined to take him at face value.

Note that I’m also biased by his most recent post-match interview, where he also walked back the whole “reinventing the team” bit saying it was a reaction after the match rather than an actual thought. He tends to be rather honest in interviews instead of guarded.

Edited to separate and clarify the second paragraph.

[Quicksand]

@WeeJoe

Absolutely no chance, though interesting you’d select him as our most valuable asset. Probably not far wrong

We agree on something…
Allison is our most valuable player at the moment.

[Mascot]

@redalways

That’s the default reading of his quotes, but some part of me is wondering (particularly because I haven’t seen the context) whether it’s the other way around, where the people around him are pushing him to bring someone in, while he would have willingly gambled on not bringing someone in and managing what he had.

There has been a suggestion, from some journalists, that this is exactly the case. The lad Nunes at Wolves being one such player that had been recommend by the scouts and analysts, that Jurgen rejected.

To be honest, it would make sense if the apology from Klopp was directed not at the public, but more at the back room staff.

[Mascot]

@redalways

Note that I’m also biased by his most recent post-match interview, where he also walked back the whole “reinventing the team” bit saying it was a reaction after the match rather than an actual thought. He tends to be rather honest in interviews instead of guarded.

I find it constantly amazing that Managers can remain as guarded and calm as they do in post match interviews. Your chimps out, you’re frustrated, emotional and angry and you have to speak to the nation about how you feel.

I’d be sacked with a week.