What we know about him is that he does not instinctively turn to the market to solve problems, he shows incredible loyalty to his players, and he prefers to work with a small squad. When he does buy, he want to spend what it takes to buy the best. He has never been a fan of the Rafa style ājust get bodies inā approach.
When fans complain about FSG and cite the lack of spending in particular windows I think we have to acknowledge that Klopp is very much part of that and onboard with that. This is not manager v owner, and it never has been under Klopp.
I appreciate that youāre fairly animated by this but itās pretty pointless pinning your flag so certainly to any particular mast. Nobody knows the discussions that have taken place behind the scenes nor even what this seasonās finances are going to look like. We donāt even have last yearās accounts yet, although should be any moment now.
What purpose is there in insisting we had money to spend but those looking after the club chose not to spend it? The things you have to believe to be true for that to be the case are quite staggering given the track record of those involved.
I havenāt read through the recent series of posts and given that I can almost guarantee the exact content, Iām not going to bother. My thoughts:
This team has come off the back of two superb PL seasons and making 2 CL in recent years. The ability to focus the energy and desire to improve year after year is something only Fergie could accomplish. This was my obvious worry before the season started - that we didnāt have the hunger to back it up. You only need to dial down the desire a fraction and you give the opposition a sniff.
On top of that, the lack of a crowd means the players can get away with not being accountable. If you arenāt winning games, the least a fan expects is the players showing a bit of pride and showing themselves and their fans that they care enough to at least put in an effort. When you are playing in front of no-one, probably undertaking a media blackout, and due to lockdown not seeing anyone on the streets to remind you who you are playing for, you are practically playing just for yourself. The players get paid regardless. I think its a bit of human nature. But its a shit time to try and back up a PL title with another one when no-one will hold you accountable whether you do or not.
Iāve said a couple of post-match game threads ago that I just donāt give a shit about this season any more and would like us to hit the reset button at the start of the next season and go again. Iām going to be honest that I am a little worried even for next season. I donāt think we need changes to personnel, but I also donāt believe you can turn around form just by starting afresh in a new season. Form is 90% about self-confidence and belief. We need to right the ship before seasons end. We know with COVID that there is no chance crowds will be back before the season ends so its important we get things back on track, particularly at home. Home form is a two-player game. You take confidence in knowing that you have the home advantage, especially if recent results prove it, and the other team doesnāt have the belief they can get anything from it. Right now, Anfield is a 100% neutral venue, we could just as well be playing at Kirkby, or at the local park, or on Mars. It makes little difference. We take no advantage from playing there right now. And the opposition donāt fear it. It will be something difficult to overcome but I think its a must that we turn our fortunes around at Anfield before seasons end or next season could even look pretty bleak IMO
On Anfield, because we are practically playing at a neutral venue, the breaking home loss records is also irrelevant. I couldnāt give a shit about the actual record, but just want things to change before the end of the season
Iām not a big fan of talking about injuries as if they are the crucial factor. They havenāt helped, but weāve also coped, and I donāt remember too many games where any position other than CB was a big problem. CB playing in midfield? Yeah but weāve had the necessary cover from other midfielders to make do. Has it helped? Absolutely not. But I think the hunger issue is a bigger factor.
I could list some other things, and maybe, just maybe, owner spending would make a bullet point somewhere way down the list. Frankly its ludicrous that spending is being used as a reasoning for our current predicament. You may just as well go and support Manchester United who use that excuse every year and still get nowhere (I donāt care if its not an ideal time to bring this up. City has it in the bag). I donāt think we could physically squeeze more players into this team. People want 5 players for every position? Thatās fucking insane. Many were calling for a CB at the start of the year but only as a 4th/5th choice or whatever, as literally no-one could have predicted Fab, Virg and Gomez would all be out for extended periods/the season (Iāll give you Matip). You got your player in Jan and he hasnāt set the world on fire (not his fault).
Probably the wrong thread for much of this contentā¦
I think thereās been a lifting of the curtain that maintained the illusion that Klopp has been perfectly fine with the lack of investment into the playing squad over the last few years. These journalists are getting the same messages from someone!
They make it up. The media have to write something. A quick look on any social media/forums shows that FSG are being blamed by some quarters. Great, lets throw fuel on that fire and write up that FSG and have let the club down - forget the pandemics impact (economic, no fans etc), forget the injuries, forget all the investment (Kirkby, Main Stand, proposals for ARE). Oh while weāre at it, lets mention the price hike the yanks tried to pull, or furloughing.
Iād usually agree but the journalists who have traditionally been close to the club, and very supportive of Klopp and FSG, were the first to change their tune. Someone at the club is definitely seeming to be putting it out there that things arenāt as rosey as we were lead to believe.
āKlopp can continue to count on the unequivocal backing of FSG, which harbours no doubts that he will oversee a revival in the championsā fortunes.ā
Yes, we could have spent more, but only if we had permitted net debt to increase accordingly.
Furthermore, the club had to find another Ā£25 million to complete the payment for the new training facility in the next financial period (2019/20), so the bulk of the cash you proposed to spend was already spoken for.
The last thing the club needs right now is to go through the turmoil of an ownership transition. And the idea that they would automatically be better than FSG is fanciful at best.
The journalists are going with the flow. If the team was flying like last season, they would have been singing the praises of FSG and Klopp. Furthemore, when did one summer of relative inactivity turn into years of lack of investment into the squad?
See I guess this is where me and you differentiate. To me when we are paying to build stadium expansions, improve the academy, improve the training facilities (sets of costs that donāt get included for FFP) I donāt see a problem in having debt owed to the owners. Or no cash reserves when the owners can effectively act as that with lines of credit if needed. I donāt think when a team achieves the top of the pyramid is the time to go āright so letās pay off the debts, stabilise the books, pay those additional costs, be careful with our money and run at a profitā! That cautious attitude isnāt going to keep us there.
