14 Jan 2025 14:59:33
Hey edd001 do you think the club may look to replacing richard hughes? Seems to be very poor at his job cheers.
{Ed001's Note - not yet, no. Especially when you consider he was appointed by his friend, who would then be responsible for firing him. It seems highly unlikely that Hughes will be going anywhere. We just have to hope that what seems to be the case is not actually the case.}
14 Jan 2025 16:04:01
He can’t be as bad as it seems on the surface. Between the two of them they must be able to get some decent signings over the line. The biggest worry is Edward’s had to be massively persuaded to return. His interview on returning wasn’t exactly inspiring and Hughes banging on about being opportunistic.
14 Jan 2025 16:05:27
People say he hasn’t achieved anything, but turning Ornstein and Joyce into unreliable journalists is some effort
CaughtOffside are the real winners here.
14 Jan 2025 16:25:34
We’ve got the first Nepo Sporting Director in football history lmfao.
14 Jan 2025 16:50:22
I know he is not filling anybody with confidence but I think we should at least give him until the start of next season. The first widow was all change with the backroom staff so an 'opportunistic' window made sense while Slot and the new coaching team assessed the squad they had to work with.
January is notoriously difficult as teams don't want to lose players mid season but it would appear that we might make a couple of moves.
The big one for me will be the summer. Everybody will have a year under their belts, the playing squad will have been fully assessed and Slot will know exactly what he wants and needs - If Hughes can't deliver then there will be a problem.
14 Jan 2025 16:56:57
The appointment of Slot was fantastic, but the next 7 months will be very interesting. With the club still not tying up the 3 lads to contracts the pressure is growing on the clubs higher ups. And I think you will always get that stress that comes with being out in the front in the league.
We have a few positions I feel we do need to strengthen in depth so I’m fascinated as to how we do that. Macca coming in with info on Tzimas is interesting for example as that’s a player I hadn’t really seen us linked with. So I’m interested to see who else we target, especially in midfield and defence.
14 Jan 2025 17:00:24
Zubimendi to Arsenal. Hughes’ reputation is going downhill faster than Konrad Bartelski.
14 Jan 2025 17:02:55
He's got to get at least till end of the summer, as much as it's frustrating he wasn't exactly given the best hand to start with.
14 Jan 2025 17:15:05
I seen a tweet asking and I’m genuinely curious as to what his day at work consists of. He’s stealing a living.
14 Jan 2025 17:16:23
Liverpool where always tight lipped on signings - if we pull out a LB (kerkez, Diouf, etc) CB (Hincapie) and cover for Grav (Gomes or Baleba (wishful thinking) we will be saving in 3 weeks time what an amazing job he is doing - it was under Edwards we didn’t have a clue just seems we have reverted back to that approach instead of “oh we’re after this lad”… didn’t sign - we don’t know what happens so can’t judge - if we then sell Nunez for 85m bring in a young prospect with the Greek lad and replace with someone like Oishmen I would say as a club we are doing really well - plus if 2 out of 3 stay with the contracts surely we would be saying how well the club is being run, that’s even before you add in what a delight Slot has been - amazing how people can pass judgement on things we all have no clue about.
14 Jan 2025 17:33:03
Put it this way. If Richard Hughes was David Coote’s dealer he’d still have a job.
14 Jan 2025 17:55:31
My view is that if we don’t win the league, then Hughes must be given the boot. It’s would be entirely on him for not giving the manager the adequate squad to win the league. I don’t think he’s remotely competent and nothing he’s said or done fills me with any confidence that he has the skills or ability to work at a top club. He only got the job because he’s mates with Edwards and no other reason. He’d never have got a similar role at any other top four club. Like it or not.
14 Jan 2025 18:06:42
It's been ran like a circus by the looks of it.
14 Jan 2025 18:25:07
There’s some proper tosh spoken in here. There isn’t a single person here who knows what Hughes is or isn’t doing all day .
14 Jan 2025 18:26:53
No point giving him till the end of the summer if he’s not up to the job, by then it’s far too late.
14 Jan 2025 18:33:25
It's obvious what he does. Absolutely nothing.
14 Jan 2025 18:38:29
Viktor - Bournemouth are currently 7th and a point behind City with a manager Hughes brought in and predominantly with a squad he built so to say he wouldn't get a similar role at another top club is nonsense. I am glad we are being prudent in the transfer market. I remember when we had a revolving door of dross under Evans, Houllier, Benitez, Hodgson, Dalglish and Rodgers. It's much better to wait for the right player than to automatically go for the next best option.
14 Jan 2025 18:39:16
You know when the announcement comes on at the match. “Standby for operation Anfield exercise”
Well it’s actually Exorcise, and they’re tryna speak to Richard Hughes via “Ouija Board” coz he’s ghosted again.
14 Jan 2025 18:41:17
Ok jonny please do tell.
14 Jan 2025 19:06:22
What am I telling you Acered? Would you like me to make up some absolute nonsense like half the posters in this thread?
14 Jan 2025 19:18:44
@johnnyr1970: have you seen the paddy power skit of him? Think they have idea what he does?. I think he’s out of his depth. We’ve needed a lb an cb for couple of years ward left ( fart) the schmadtke came for a bit so that was 12-18 months wasted and we was lead to believe wait til Hughes arrives as we may take a different route. Yeh we have we going to play with 2 goalies . There would have been a list of potential targets for him to try for yet swerves all that knowledge to buy a croc and a keeper. Both not worth a carrot. How’s that for talking tosh?
14 Jan 2025 19:27:45
Scouse John, like I said earlier, none of us have any idea what he is or isn’t doing all day. We’ve no real idea who he did or didn’t try to buy last summer (except Zubimendi) nor do we know what conversations he might have had with Slot about the profile of players he would like in the squad or whether Slot asked for a short period of time to work out who he wanted to keep/ sell. Everything criticising him is purely speculation and nothing else. Ridiculous.
14 Jan 2025 19:35:37
StEtienneAmen, are you insinuating that Arsenal signing Zubimendi somehow affects Richard Hughes' reputation?
I remember Ed002 telling everyone a couple of months ago that Liverpool had moved on from Zubimendi. That was his response from a question regarding the possibility of signing him in Jan or the summer.
Was Ed002 ever wrong when it came to transfer interest and targets? I can't remember him being wrong.
So again, how does Arsenal signing a player that we have no interest in affect hughes' reputation?
14 Jan 2025 19:44:29
I just don’t understand some of the personal dislike for Hughes. Has he given some dodgy interview which I missed? Did an incredible job at Bournemouth (look how good their squad is), and since arriving hired Slot.
I suspect there was a directive not to spend like a drunken sailor in Slot’s first window - just in case he flopped.
Contract situation he can’t be blamed for: it’s entirely down to the vacuum when Gordon, Ward, Edwards etc all left the building - and now it’s impossible to get any contracts renewed until everyone knows what the new precedents are.
Zubi was unfortunate but it’s telling that he may be moving to a club with a Basque manager and his old midfield partner.
January transfer windows hardly the time to do lots of business, but we do need cover for Grav, and LCB/ LB.
Let’s see what happens.
14 Jan 2025 19:58:18
Nobody cares what he's done at Bournemouth . He's done absolutely nothing since he's been at liverpool. don't think he had anything to do with Slot arriving. It's obvious what luverpool need and have needed and all he's done is got another goalkeeper that we didn't need and an injury prone player we didn't need who's on huge wages and has hahardlplayed. The fans are right to berate him. He should be sacked.
14 Jan 2025 20:05:33
Telemicus - because we have needed a defensive central midfielder for over 5 transfer windows. That we were not even trying to sign Zubimendi is shambolic.
Who cares if he snubbed us once. So did Virgil and Salah. He is one of the best players in that position in the world and we are not trying to persuade him to join us. So yes, his reputation is on the line.
Gravenberch will not last all season, his crash will be spectacular when his stamina drops from playing every game, twice a week until the end of the season.
14 Jan 2025 22:15:28
If we've needed a LB and CB for a couple of years, how is that Hughes' fault? ?
Does anyone know what players Slot wants? Or is it the players, I mean positions, that you want?
Had Hughes brought in five players in the summer would we be any higher up the league?
14 Jan 2025 22:28:38
So Hughes is the new whipping boy now?
14 Jan 2025 22:32:56
Our owners basic priority each season will be champions league qualification and probably second phase of Champions League, with the CEO, Hughes and others judged on that, together with achieving certain commercial targets.
They will be working under strict guidelines, but so long as they achieve their targets I doubt fan sentiment about ins and outs will count for much unless there is something which hurts the brand.
CL Qualification is almost guaranteed, we’re they’re in CL next phase, so provided we don’t mess up commercially I’d guess their positions are safe. I would have thought decisions they’re making in this window and next will be about next season, and ensuring we stay top four.
If they can do something which helps us push higher this season, and is commercially positive, and good for the future they may force it through in Jan but I’d guess they’re all pretty happy where we are.
14 Jan 2025 22:41:33
You’ll be one of the first crying if we don’t win this league Rigsby. It’s bang obvious we need a player or two to help the squad.
14 Jan 2025 22:56:04
They shouldn't be concerned about fans' sentiments about ins and outs. Why should they?
Most of us haven't a clue about signing players and we can't agree on what players we need so which fans should they listen to?
Salah, after tonight's performance, will be a good example of the fickle nature of fans.
You watch ?.
14 Jan 2025 23:06:51
If we’d have improved at left back we’d have more points, so more likely to win the league even though we already have a great chance.
I don’t watch enough of other teams to know if those players are out there and obtainable, but that’s an obvious one even though Robbo has been the best left back we’ve had in twenty years.
If we’d strengthened at CB that also would have gained us points as at times we’ve been light and errors have cost us a few results.
It’s fine tuning. Centre mid is more about the rest of the season, as we’ve been fairly lucky with injuries so far, although Szob is always likely to miss games.
14 Jan 2025 23:14:19
The thing that’s amusing is summed up in @OneKiss’s comment - nobody knows what Hughes (or Ward or Edwards for that matter) actually does so, therefore, they are doing a really bad job.
Public interest vs interest of (some of) the public.
Underpinning the comments is a misunderstanding about accountability - employees of Liverpool FC (and ultimately FSG) are accountable to the owners. Not to fans of the club.
14 Jan 2025 23:17:53
To be honest Ed, it feels like none of the peoples being brought in post Klopp era has done anything at all. Edwards is supposedly brought in to find that second club for FSG, nothing on that front.
Ward is supposed to deal with contract, none of the big three has sign yet. And Hughes is supposed to get in players and improve our squad. He failed to convince Zubimendi to leave Sociedad's mountain, sign a GK who may or may not play for the club and an attacker who is injured most of the time.
I was a bit skeptical when Schmadtke was appointed, but he did addressed the midfield problems in just one transfer window. The only exception is Slot who has done a pretty good job with squad that everyone can see desperately need a new LB or a new CB that can cover LB position.
14 Jan 2025 23:28:29
I wasn’t thinking they should be Rigsby, just saying they’re not interested in sentiment as they’re not looking at things like fans would. Sometimes that’s good.
Salah is human so hopefully he gets a pass off the fans, or a rest.
15 Jan 2025 07:22:57
What are your opinion Ed25 as an unbiased one here? Has this Richard Hughes guy done well enough to deserve the credits for our mid season performance?
{Ed025's Note - i dont know enough about him to comment really Mfahmee..
15 Jan 2025 08:59:59
I won't cry if we don't win the League, markp08. You know about as much about me as you do Richard Hughes.
We don't have a right to win it and bringing in new players doesn't guarantee we will. Some of you think otherwise and it's largely down to your self entitlement.
Bringing in a couple of players could help and I would like it to happen. I have no idea whether that would win us the League though. And I have no idea who could win us the League and whether we could sign them anyway.
Do you? Or is it just two bodies? A LB and a CM?
If only it was so simple, eh, mate?
15 Jan 2025 10:58:03
I think it’s silly to speculate that having a new left back and a center half would instantly equate to us winning games we lost or drew, who’s to say they would have slotted in seamlessly and done better than quansah, robbo or kostas? Slot also needs a very specific kind of fullback, and with trent’s uncertainty on the other side, we have to think about whether we want a more traditional fullback on the left in the long run or somebody who can do a Trent like job on the left if Bradley becomes first choice. Maybe the club already have a specific player in mind and he isn’t available yet, maybe they’re waiting for Trent’s future to be resolved before acting. Either way it doesn’t seem like a problem that can be solved before that happens, and while kerkez and Robinson look good they are very traditional wide fullbacks who could replace robbo in the short term but might not fit in the long term tactical plan.
I would agree that the most immediate need we have that could definitely put us in a better position would be to buy a super athletic deep lying midfielder who can tackle, is press resistant and can progress the ball carrying or passing to rotate with or play alongside grav, but I have no idea who that might be that we can buy with such a specific skillset who is available and that we don’t have to pay way above the odds for. In reality I don’t think zubimendi is the right choice to play alongside gravenberch, he’s a tempo setting orchestrator who commands the tempo while we need somebody who can intuitively read the play and intercept or cover spaces in a flash.
15 Jan 2025 11:13:29
And before viktor comes in, yes ederson is a great option but Atalanta are trying to win the league and won’t let him go in January. Baleba is a great shout but how much would he cost halfway through the season and would Brighton sell with no immediate need for money?
15 Jan 2025 11:48:37
We make way too many apologies for the recruitment team. While their strike rate is admittedly excellent, probably the best in the world, it is what they don't do that has hurt us in the last 5 years. We reached the pinnacle in 2020 and decided against strengthening the squad in the positions that needed it. This has continued season after season. The fact that the team has still managed to be competitive is a credit to the players and staff over the years.
15 Jan 2025 12:30:24
Zubimendi pulled out of a Liverpool transfer at the last minute…. obviously swayed by loyalty to his home club, but probably by the fact that his team mate Mikel Merino joined Arsenal, and has persuaded him to join him in London.
But who cares?
Ryan Gravenberch had been brilliant and I wouldn’t swap him for Zubimendi.
15 Jan 2025 12:52:31
Liver_La - I don't disagree on Zubimendi. We dodged a bullet. But the fact that he was the only one we went for should be talked about more. Was he really the only midfielder in the world we could find to improve us?
15 Jan 2025 12:58:34
So many utterly ignorant and petty reactive posts in this thread.
15 Jan 2025 13:33:00
We probably initially went in for Zubimendi thinking he would play alongside someone other than Grav. We now need someone to complement Grav, so as Patrik says we need something different and also it’s probably genuine as others have said that we didn’t go after him this time around.
Where I disagree a bit with a few posters is on the entitlement bit. I don’t just expect things to fall into place or think it’s our right that they do, I think you have to work for it and employ the right people to plan and make the right decisions.
When someone’s legs or heads go they’ve got to be replaced even if that’s with reserves that you had waiting rather than buys because no matter how good they were they start making mistakes, and in the premier that means goals conceded if those players are in defence or midfield.
We don’t have a right to have those options ready, but we should plan for and facilitate them. If we have done that and those alternatives don’t make a difference when they replace Robbo or Trent or whoever that’s one thing, but at the moment we don’t seem to have planned to have them in place in certain positions.
Being opportunistic in the market is a word that’s been used, and that undermines confidence when you’ve got an ageing squad in some areas of the pitch, or contracts expiring. That’s why there’s questioning going on around our recruitment team, as well as seemingly buying some players for positions that we’re well stocked in already.
15 Jan 2025 14:01:07
Being opportunistic for squad or young players is all well and good. However, when that becomes your default strategy you never get the time to sell your project to agents and make the best players feel wanted to be part of that project. I hate this opportunistic bs.
15 Jan 2025 14:23:52
I went to watch Chelsea and Bournemoth last night.
As mentally confirmed, how Hughes' pedigree can be doubted from what I saw is laughable.
Probably the smallest budget in the league, but quality players all over the park.
Also, a manager who changed 'it' for the second half and they bossed it. He has also looked quality for some time.
I'm sure no-one on here knows Hughes near, mid or long term objectives as set out from above.
If he fails, I'm sure he will be moved on. If he succeeds, let's enjoy the ride.
{Ed001's Note - nowhere near the smallest budget in the league, they have always been funded by billionaires.}
15 Jan 2025 17:14:35
Ed how are their billionaires funding them and helping them get around PSR when other billionaires like at Newcastle seem hamstrung. And are our billionaires different to theirs, or is Henry not quite there yet!
{Ed001's Note - they used to get a lot of money for transfers from Denim, but under the new regs and with a new set of billionaires, the funds would mostly be introduced via sponsorships etc. Unlike Newcastle, who are hamstrung by being watched closely. I don't know what Henry has to do with anything, just pointing out they do not have a small budget compared to the rest of the league and never have done.}
15 Jan 2025 17:32:23
I am sorry StEtienneAmen, but its your opinion that we have needed a defensive midfielder for 5 transfer windows. 3 of which Hughes' wasn't even here for!
The fact remains that Arsenal signing a player which Liverpool have absolutely no interest in, is not in the least bit detrimental to Richard Hughes or his reputation.
15 Jan 2025 18:05:44
Thanks Ed. Is Denim Bournemouth’s billionaire or Chelsea’s, I’m losing track. Is that the American, they like that type of clothing.
There was a huge debate on our ownership last week and Elon Musk etc, and whether new owners could make any difference to transfers. The general consensus was probably not very easily because of PSR, whereas others such as Denim seem to have been able to through sleight of hand. I’m disappointed our Americans couldn’t be as cunning as theirs.
All tongue in cheek of course!
{Ed001's Note - Denim used to be Bournemouth's version of Abramovich but he sold up.}
15 Jan 2025 19:02:53
@Rigsby, absolutely spot on with your post - best post, from the point of view of a fan with common sense, on this forum in ages.
15 Jan 2025 22:41:54
WDW - Rigsby just posted a paragraph of waffle. He went to great lengths to say everyone is silly and nobody knows anything. On a rumours site too lol.
Let us have some fun here!
16 Jan 2025 02:08:38
It was more than one paragraph, I'll have you know, Pelican.
If you hate this opportunistic bs feel free to stamp your feet and scweam and scweam and scweam.
There, there.
16 Jan 2025 10:09:54
Let the rumours, edgy takes, borderline nonsense, delusion and fume fly. It’s part of the fun.