01 Jun 2015 12:59:17
Liverpool have learned some lessons from last summer and are trying to conclude all their business very early in the window. Danny Ings should be the first to arrive followed by James Milner and Nathaniel Clyne. Christian Benteke is the top target however his transfer may drag out for a number of weeks. David Marshall is a rumoured target to replace Brad Jones but I have heard the clubs prime target for back up goalkeeper was Matt Ryan, interest in him may have ended due to financial reasons. Liverpool are hoping to sign Luke Garbutt to replace Jose Enrique while they are also still tracking Will Hughes and Patrick Roberts but deals for these two are not priorities. Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson and Brad Jones have already left Liverpool, the club are also looking to get rid of Fabio Borini, Jose Enrique, Rickie Lambert, Luis Alberto, Iago Aspas, Sebastian Coates and of course Mario Balotelli. Liverpool are still saying they will not sell Raheem Sterling but if the price is right he will leave, Carlos Vela could be a potential replacement but let's hope Sterling stays. I had hoped if we got into the CL we could target a higher calibre of player, the likes of Lacazette, Schneidirlin etc. but its not to be. Hopefully Milner and Benteke can help us push on.
01 Jun 2015 13:28:14
I like the sound of all that apart from benteke. I really hope it's just poor journalism and/or paper talk.
Also hope if sterling leaves, that we get Walcott.
The biggest news from Liverpool will hopefully be Rodgers out and klopp in.
01 Jun 2015 14:08:26
The only one of those who would improve us would be Clyne. Benteke is completely the wrong type of striker for us
01 Jun 2015 14:25:24
Rodgers would be preferable to Klopp, what we really need is someone of Ancelotti's stature. Rodgers has shown he can produce good football, but it seems to me that the owners are not affording him the players he needs to press on. Whether he or the committee chose poorly is debatable, but rather than spreading the money over 3 or 4 quality signings it appears that the remit was to spread the budget further and still bring in goal scorers. I can't believe Rodgers alone selected all these signings. Balotelli & Lambert have not turned out well. I wonder if these were even Rodgers' choices as he has mostly elected not to play them.
I feel we need a manager like Ancelotti, hopefully whom would attract a better calibre of player - if the owners sanction the spend & wages.
{Ed001's Note - you think Rodgers would be better than Klopp? Do you know anything about Klopp?}
01 Jun 2015 14:26:07
& Clyne?
Eds, haven't you been saying we haven't approached for Clyne?
01 Jun 2015 14:46:18
Agree on most of it, however I am really of the opinion that we should NOT hope Sterling stays.
All this contract BS, and on top of that all the rumours of him getting picked up late in the night after crazy tours in the nightclubs - don't know if it's just rumours.
All together it just paints a picture of Sterling as a young player with a completely wrong attitude. I think we would do best to cash in while we can, and use the money on more stable guys.
01 Jun 2015 14:57:10
I would like to see the back of Rodgers but obviously it won´t be Klopp.Problem is whoever has the job next season has a mountain to climb. At the end of the season the players did not want to pereform and we looked more like a relegation team than a CL one. Players with character are needed and a manager with a winning mentality.
01 Jun 2015 16:41:30
I admit I know only a bit about Klopp, - 2 titles, & his world manager award - but having looked at his stats next to Rodgers', and given his last season at Dortmand has hardly been any different to Rodgers' at Liverpool, I'm not convinced he is what the club needs. Are you?
Whether he is better or not is a moot point.
Who do you think the club needs Eds?
Do you think the current owner's "moneyball" model is going to work?
Would genuinely be glad to hear the thoughts of Ed's 1 & 2 on these subjects.
Thanks in advance.
{Ed001's Note - Klopp is what is needed in my opinion. You have just said yourself why he is so much better than Rodgers, who has won nothing.}
01 Jun 2015 19:13:58
Where I come from we have a saying:
"You are only as good as your next game".
Do you think Klopp has it in him to succeed within the paradigm FSG have chosen, with the resources and players available? I would not have thought it likely that there are funds to rebuild the squad again?
Why Klopp? What does he bring? If it just because he is a "winner" - has he not gone from hero to zero, just like Rodgers?
I'm not saying I'm massively in favour of Rodgers staying, but I'm not convinced of Klopp either.
{Ed001's Note - that is exactly what he did at Dortmund, succeeded at a club in turmoil. Klopp is still beloved by Dortmund fans who never wanted him to leave. Klopp is one of the best managers in the game. He brings charisma, a will to win, and players want to play for him. I am sorry, but you should educate yourself on the man rather than asking me to convince you.}
01 Jun 2015 23:58:45
I hope this site is here in order that we may respectfully exchange views, and ask questions of the Eds as this is their area of expertise, and that we as fans can draw on their insight and access to the facts that are not available in the mainstream. My sincere apologies if my questions have caused any affront, I am merely enquiring as to your views on a variety of subjects - on which I defer to your greater knowledge. All these things about the man go without saying, it is evident.
I will just respectfully point out though that at the end of last season Rodgers too was touted as "one of the best managers in the game". So much so he garnered awards, the respect of his piers, command of his dressing room, and the confidence of his employers who tied him down to what looked like was going to be a long term future at the club.
I know you don't agree, but I believe Rodgers has equally admirable qualities as Klopp - albeit not like for like, and I am happy to agree to disagree about that. And I genuinely respect your view that Klopp is the way forward - amongst other things I am asking for your insight as to where he may succeed that others have not.
Sometimes a manager loses the way, loses support - not just in football - I have seen in it corporate situations where a very good individual cannot work in the circumstances surrounding him and has to go in order the rest may flourish. I - and many fans - believe Rodgers to be a good manager, or at least one that will develop in years to come. There are some that believe had he been given the right tools, would have challenged for the title again this season, but has had to spend it instead trying to fit square pegs in round holes. I accept though, that it may very well be time for him to go now, it is difficult to see a way back.
My questions over Klopp were as I say; how will he cope with the constraints that a LFC manager has to work within, under the current ownership? Do these constraints exist as I/we perceive, and if so what sets him apart in your considered view?
Furthermore do you think the club will progress with this moneyball policy.
I hope you will accept my apology if I have caused any upset, I think these are reasonable questions to ask? Again, my apologies if not.
{Ed001's Note - the difference is Rodgers did it one year, just once, and yes he is a good coach. Klopp did it year after year and is a good manager, not a coach out of his depth in management. Sorry but what admirable qualities does Rodgers have? Tell me one that he has because I can see nothing to admire about him and lots to laugh at, and I don't want to laugh at the man running the football club I love. I want to admire and respect him, but the man makes it impossible. Rodgers has shown nothing to suggest he is a good manager, I really have no idea why people keep saying this nonsense. What has he shown to suggest that? Has he managed anything well? As for keep asking about Klopp, this is silly now, if you can't be bothered to find out that Dortmund were in severe difficulties when he took over, then why am I spending my time telling you things that anyone can read online in a thousand places? I am not here to tell you obvious things that you can find out for yourself, this is just wasting my valuable time that I could be spending chasing up information you couldn't find out. So all you are doing is wasting the time that could be spent to benefit everyone's time because you are too lazy to find out information for yourself. There is no moneyball policy. What they are doing is something that has been done a million times before and is nothing to do with moneyball.}
02 Jun 2015 09:31:53
I'm sure most on here would be keen to hear your views on Klopp. Yes, there's much to read online and I have done ever since his name became mentioned weeks ago but it's your views people want to hear, that's why we ask, that's the point of the site. There is much online that is not necessarily true, after all. I just thought that being in your position you would have some deeper understanding and knowledge that you could share, as you do on most subjects on this forum which keeps us all coming back.
If you read back, my questions on Klopp centre around how he will cope with the widely reported spending constraints the owners have imposed, "moneyballing" being part of that. You are suggesting that there is no such policy, yet we read online that this is the case all the time and has even been suggested in posts on this very forum, so forgive me for thinking this is the case.
I am sorry if this seems stroppy but if you are going to attack me whilst I have been nothing but respectful then allow me to respond; I still find it difficult to see how we are going to compete for top places in the league with a fraction of the spend of our direct competitors - which is evident. Has it been done a million times before? I am sure many of us would be grateful of the Eds' insight on this matter, from behind the scenes, which is why I ask.
I have also asked questions about the workings of the transfer committee, which I am sure many of us would like to hear your views on. If it's not too much of a waste of your time?
With regards Rodgers, he has produced 7th, 2nd, 6th. Klopp by his 3rd season had produced 6th, 5th, and 1st. I understand that trophies are important (and Klopp had won 2 by this time), but these are not massively differing performances and their winning percentages are not hugely different either. Trophies should not be the only measure of success especially given the club has reportedly taken a long term view over their "project" at LFC. Wenger didn't win a trophy for 10 years, wasn't competitive in CL at all but was still regarded as a successful manager. There's nothing to say that Rodgers wouldn't recover the situation and have a great season next term and beyond, as you say he is a good coach.
Rodgers' style has been to play things down, and talk things up when performances have not been good. He has criticised players, but it's the sign of a good man manger to try and cast things in a positive light. A workforce can respond well to this approach. Klopp is charismatic but has made silly jokes and comments in the media too, and charisma doesn't win football games. Like Rodgers, he has not been able to hang on to his big name players, which leads me to wonder how he will hang on to players at LFC & this, together with a poor last season, leads me to doubt his suitability. Really, both have good bits in the middle of their times at their clubs, bookended with mediocrity.
Rodgers has been accused of arrogance - vis his comments over Spurs spending - but if arrogance is the crime, then sack Mourhino, Sherwood, Carver, & Pearson first. I just thought it was a badly carried off attempt at mind games, but that's hardly a career ending gaff, and overall I don't see the arrogance as much as some do. Rodgers remains smart and understated in his appearance and in the way he carries himself, because of his deference for the club's stature. He never criticizes the club, nor the owners, in fact he shows his respect and affection for our club more than most managers do for theirs. These are all admirable qualities of a manager, but ultimately it's what manifests on the pitch that counts, which is why Ancelotti is my pick and so far there has been nothing to convince me that Klopp would be any better.
I can agree to disagree on Rodgers and Klopp, but there's no need to attack me and get derogatory.
02 Jun 2015 14:10:56
Klopp is a better manager than BR and the facts, trophies and numbers prove that. Making excuses for BR is pointless and doesn`t pass the laugh test. I can make excuses for Klopp as well but I won`t because he as has a CV that can stand the test of time and no amount of moral dishonesty can change that. Making suppositions and inuendos as to how maybe BR is getting a raw deal is just ludicrous and desperate. Use your eyes and see the diff because it is huge. Klopp worked under more difficult conditions than BR and won things while all BR does is talk, talk and more talk with NO trophy to his name after over 200m spent in 3 years. Not sure if Klopp spent that in his SEVEN years for the results we now know. The moneyball thing is a farce and a pointless ploy to blame the owners for his failures because as Ed said, cliubs like Seville, Leverkusen, even BVB and many others all do that. So do FSG own them too? Support who you like BUT to diminish Klopp`s great acheivements in a bid to make BR look not so bad is just intellectual bankrupcy and moral dishonesty.
02 Jun 2015 16:21:55
Moral dishonesty. Wow.
Inuendos? Did I miss something here?
As LFC supporters we all get enough grief from rival fans, do we really need to pull eachother apart as well?
It's a bit premature to compare Rodgers and Klopp at this point in their careers. In the fullness of time, we will be able to see, but I think it's difficult to compare 7 seasons to 3.
What is ludicrous is to think that Rodgers is deciding on the transfers by himself, and therefore it is all down to him. Clearly, this cannot be the case. All the evidence points to the contrary.
I have been a supporter of Rodgers, and he has produced some good football at times. I'm not here to defend him, & I do think that it's time for a change, for the reasons I've given. I don't see Klopp as the way forward, for the reasons I have given. After spending E50 million last summer, Dortmund have had an appalling season. The worst I've said about Klopp is that his tenure at Dortmund began and ended with mediocre results, with some success in the middle. For reasons I have already given, and the fact that (despite spending big last summer) the club has fallen away further each season suggests to me that he is no better equipped to turn Liverpool around than Rodgers, unless the club starts spending. Is Klopp a good manager? Of course he is - no one denies it. Is Ancelotti better? I would say so, and that's why he should be the signature we are chasing - in my view.
Clubs like Sevilla, & Leverkusen are not challenging for their league's title. Dortmund have done, but that is now historic, and since they last won the league everyone knows that they and every other team in that league are competing for second place, such is Bayern's dominance.
Maybe it's all down to Rodgers, maybe it's not. If you want to talk about intellectual naivety, then believe the latter and discount the former. Bury your head in the sand, it's too easy to just blame the manager. There is no logic in suggesting FSG have the monopoly on spending constraints. However, it should be no secret that part of FSG's attraction towards Liverpool was because they thought they could compete with bigger spending clubs once FFP came into effect, without having to match the spending. John Henry has openly discussed this. The owners have no intention of flashing the cash that other clubs do and, as we can see, all the evidence suggests that the clubs the spend the most (as deplorable as that sentiment is) are the clubs that routinely achieve the greater success.
FSG themselves have acknowledged this with their ownership of The Red Sox, in the end they coughed up big and the trophies started flowing.
So far no one has given clearer evidence than I to support their point of view. Attacking me serves to solve little, it's just childish.
Viva Carlos.
Viva LFC.
02 Jun 2015 18:19:09
A good manager will do the best job with tools he has to work with. BR has left RL on the bench all season while the team struggled for goals with a midfielder up top. A top manager/coach would have been able to set up a side to get the best from the strike force available. Pochetino managed to get 15 goals from RL at Southampton with arguably an inferior team around him as I believe any decent manager would.
02 Jun 2015 20:41:37
I feel desperately sorry for him, being a fan of the club since boyhood. He's been poor when he has played, missed an open goal in the early season and never looked confident when he had the chance. You say the manager should have gotten more out of him, which perhaps he should, but with the money these players are on they need to be getting to turn up to a game.