02 Jun 2026 04:00:07
Apparently Xabi wanted more control / influence, which seems to be reflected in being appointed manager at Chelsea. Was our affection for Xabi over-stated?
Similar to when we moved Rodgers on for Klopp. This situation has a similar feel to it.
Xabi has been available for ages and there was never really any noise about us moving for him
Ok it's not mid-season, but Iraola only became available now so the idea that FSG has moved on quickly to get their man certinly fits imo
Given his working style at Bournemouth and Vallecano, that ed1 has said he only wants to focus on coaching - has FSG found the Yes man they've craved? Even more of a Yes man than Slot?
haha now, take a breath and keep that knee settled :)
Moving forward in that management / coaching space, I just hope they are on the same page and Iraola is given players that a) suit how he wants to play and then b) are mouldable into that style. Otherwise what is the point in getting these players.
If it is Iraola I'll be excited by the potential of the team.
In equal measure I am curious as to how Iraola will adapt to the increased expectations, scrutiny and pressure that will come with this step up.
I am also so intrigued to see how he will adapt his football style to us, because we don't play with 40-50% possession.
We won't typically get the advantage of 10 day rest before playing the FA Cup Champions on 3 days rest.
One thing i can guarantee for sure - I'll be here backing the journey through the inevitable ups and downs. hopefully more ups than downs :)
02 Jun 2026 07:28:31
You have to understand Xabi rejected us for Madrid. I think he was our first choice to replace Klopp.
Now, his team may have asked us and were sent back. As multiple sources have pointed out, we never reached out to Xabi.
Also, it wasn't really about control. I think they felt that club fans and players only want heavy metal beautiful attacking football, and both Slot and Xabi are not exponents of that.
{Ed001's Note - no he didn't. You have to understand that Madrid didn't come in for him until a year afterwards. Utter nonsense.}
02 Jun 2026 07:50:44
The only thing I know for certain is that he voluntarily chose to sign for a club whose fans sing songs mocking Hillsborough, whose fans were singing those songs, jeering and catcalling during a minutes silence for Hillsborough. As far as I'm concerned that choice makes him persona non grata permanently, he is acquiescing that behaviour by default by voluntarily taking a the job in the full knowledge of those facts.
He can get in the bin with those other cretins Michael Owen, Raheem Sterling and Diouf.
02 Jun 2026 08:17:41
What did Raheem Sterling do wrong?
02 Jun 2026 08:06:38
Surely that doesn't account for the majority of Chelsea fans, Viktor, a bunch of Chelsea fans doing that surely doesn't make it alright for us to brand them all as subhumans. Liverpool fans sang the rent boys song at Chelsea games and Jurgen and Kop Outs had to come out and say something about it.
Does that mean Chelsea fans would be justified in thinking all LFC fans are homophobic imbeciles?
02 Jun 2026 08:37:35
It's not a "bunch" Patrick, its a stadium full when it's at Stamford bridge and an away end full when it's Anfield, in this case it's entirely fair to paint them all as S*n reading knuckle dragging troglodytes.
As for Raheem Sterling, the way he and his cretin of an agent forced his exit was a disgrace and then him being one of the ring leaders of a song which mocked Sean Cox being beaten up just showed him up for what he is.
02 Jun 2026 09:09:57
Tinfoil hat time - I believe we reached out to Xabi's people and were given a brief outline of terms, including the level of control over transfers. I think this was important to Xabi, especially after coming from the circus in Madrid; he's at a critical point in his career, he's not going to be too keen to leave it in the hands of others after the way he was treated at Real, (and after seeing the detrimental effect the lack of cohesion between Slot and the suits had on us). I think this is pretty clear, especially when you look at the fact that he was granted that power at Chelsea and it was a key talking point when it was announced he was being brought in. I think Edwards probably 'left Xabi on read', because he had no interest in getting into another power struggle like he did with Klopp, especially not with a fan favourite like Alonso, that's a nightmare situation he's never going to win, and he knows it.
I don't think Mick & Dick had immediate plans to sack Arne and appoint Iraola, because if that were the case, and FSG were happy with it, why was Gordon brought in? To me, having to bring in Gordon suggests the owners were seriously unhappy about something; my guess, the fact that Edwards let Xabi go to Chelsea when it seemed the 'stars were aligned' for him to come to us.
A lot of speculation, yes, but it fits much of the ITK narrative and the timeline. Not claiming it's true. Just my best guess. We likely won't find out until Xabi retires and writes a book.
02 Jun 2026 10:13:12
Rafa Benitez joined Chelsea as manager, Victor. He loves and speaks glowingly of the City and the club. Rafa and his wife have done an immense amount for the families of victims and charities in Liverpool.
Honestly, Victor, reading between the lines, I think you just really wanted Xabi Alonso and are looking for a coping mechanism. If you can convince yourself he was clearly a bad person all along, you can feel better about him not coming to Liverpool. That's my opinion on your opinion, because it's the only way I can make sense of your very sensitive views.
Chelsea are not some evil entity. They've had bad people at the club, and some of their fans are nasty. But we are a club who publicly backed and defended a racist cannibal more than once, and our fans are no strangers to abusive chants or hooliganism down the years. Does that make us all bad people and any player who signs for us guilty by association? Do you also dislike Sturridge, Meireles, Benayoun, Moses, Torres, Cole, Salah etc for choosing to play for Chelsea?
All football fans live in glass houses, in my opinion.
No club is inherently more or less despicable than any other, we just have been conditioned to believe our club is special and immune from bad behaviour. All clubs have done things on the pitch, in the stands or at board level which are distasteful. Liverpool don't have a monopoly on being a respectable club. There are many neutrals who think the Federico Chiesa chant is very distasteful given the Juventus fans who died in the Heysel disaster. It's all swings and roundabouts, mate. Alonso is still always going to be welcome back at Anfield, no matter how much you push your agenda against him.
02 Jun 2026 09:44:29
Ed01, I was watching your last pod on Sun and you explained the Xabi situation as since he rejected us the first time in the summer of 2024, he had to go to the back of the queue and take a number because he missed his chance hence, other candidates would be looked at before we get to him again.
Personally, I think that is a perfect way to explain things. Now to @Faith's comment, I do believe that he wanted some input in signings and all that and were his chance to come again (which probably came in Oct./Nov.), I do not think the two bozos would have wanted that, in addition to backing Slot at his absolute worst back then.
02 Jun 2026 11:40:55
I think the simple explanation of why Alonso didn't join us is simply because we didn't approach him for the job. And we didn't do that because the chuckle brothers had absolutely no intention of getting rid of Slot. They were backing him all the way up until the end, even briefing journalists that he had their backing.
Gordon had to step in before he was sacked. If they had the intention to sack Slot earlier, then I think Alonso would have been our manager now. It all works out though, since we are getting Iraola and I am very happy with that appointment.
02 Jun 2026 13:51:23
Personal opinion - I don't think Alonso was our first choice this time. Last time (pre-Slot) he didn't "reject us" per se, he publicly rejected the idea of any move before a move was mooted.
I think the Madrid experience was a big red flag and something he will have to work hard to erase. When you have a manager who can't motivate and control a dressing room, it's a bad sign.
I think this is ultimately what did for Slot too. Neither had "terrible results".
Iraola had 2 other big advantages over Alonso: 1) Premier League experience and relative success; 2) Previously recruited by Richard Hughes.
I do think losing the dressing room within 8 months at Madrid was a disaster for Alonso's managerial reputation.
02 Jun 2026 18:00:50
Alonso was still at Madrid in October/November.
03 Jun 2026 12:34:36
Dacred, if Edwards and Hughes were backing the manager, why when we desperately needed a wide forward and CB in January did they just not bother? The lack of ambition in the January market was the biggest sign that they weren't as on board with him as they were 6 months earlier.
They were saving face and making the balance sheet look better by waiting until the end of the season.
They really have to pull some rabbits out of the hat this summer or they'll be remembered as fondly as Commoli was.