07 Jun 2026 10:54:22
Listened to The Anfield Wrap chat with Melissa Reddy. Some interesting points were raised. Both Iraola and Alonso share the same agency. Checked it on Transfermarkt and it's true.
She mentioned the succession planning and says that in April the club were thinking of moving Slot on and that the results and awful performances in May just confirmed it.
That Edwards was watching Rayo Vallecano when Iraola was there. Must of been before Edwards left. The club were always going to stick with Slot this season. Can be found on YouTube.
07 Jun 2026 11:19:41
Great watch.
07 Jun 2026 11:19:54
So they were always sticking with Slot until April?
07 Jun 2026 11:40:17
It's a great podcast, and would recommend to a lot of readers to understand how things are planned behind the scenes by owners and why AI was chosen over XA and a lot more.
07 Jun 2026 11:57:35
It's pretty much like I was saying. He was told during the season that they would be seeking a replacement, and that it would happen when his contract turns over to 1 year remaining. This is because we spent so much money in the summer.
I figured this was obvious, but everyone was screaming for him to be sacked immediately after every match.
{Ed001's Note - his contract runs until the end of this month, so why did they not wait until then? That would be 1 year remaining.}
07 Jun 2026 12:03:11
Interesting that a lot of accounts on the Iraola appointment suggest that we weren't speaking to Xabi about the job and that it was always going to be Iraola if Slot got sacked, I can't remember which podcast it was that a journalist stated Edwards has been watching Iraola since Vallecano, and Hughes obviously hired him previously, so they would have been in accord on bringing him in.
The Anfield Index talk with Jon McKenzie on Iraola is also a great listen, basically, he said that Iraola defies the tendency for 'elite' managers to be fixated with micromanaging tiny details to achieve the greatest degree of control and drain the chaos out of football games, and that this is the bravest appointment Liverpool could have made to try and swing the tactical pendulum in the opposite direction, to give football fans something to shout about in the face of dull football.
That talk also goes into great detail as to how fair a comparison to Klopp and Bielsa might be.
Would have been easy to go with Xabi and a safer brand of football that tries to edge the margins at the highest level of elite competition. I'm sure, structurally, we would have been better than Slot this year. One guarantee is that we will be good to watch next year, and the team will bust a gut every game, wherever we finish in the table. Let's hope we can become one of the neutrals' favourite clubs to watch again.
{Ed001's Note - so the retcon has started again on how Edwards is the genius behind it all? This man's PR is insane. It is like listening to Trump, always knew everything but funnily enough only ever afterwards.}
07 Jun 2026 12:38:14
I listened to that interview, and as soon as Melissa Reddy started talking, I switched it off. Think I'd rather have my mum's opinion and rumours about Liverpool.
{Ed001's Note - why?}
07 Jun 2026 12:50:24
These interviews seem to be done in a way as to make the interviewee (if that is even a word ?) seem like the good guy....
I don't pay attention to these types of things...They all seem pre-planned to make someone look better than someone else.
It's just a PR stunt after an awful season...like they are trying to justify their decisions.
07 Jun 2026 12:53:42
Having listened to it also last night, it was interesting hearing about the talks with Klopp prior to his signing whilst Rodgers was still in post, including the virtual walk round of Melwood.
07 Jun 2026 12:55:10
Hardly suggesting that it was Edwards behind it all, ed, just repeating what I'd heard on said podcast. Whoever it was behind it, though, it's a good appointment, and probably the right one.
{Ed001's Note - I wasn't meaning you, I was meaning the podcast. Edwards got where he is through PR, not talent.}
07 Jun 2026 13:05:07
It is pretty bizarre that people widely refer to him as the best in the business when it comes to sporting directors. Not sure what he did to earn that title. I'm sure he played his part in Liverpool's success, but surely Ian Graham and his team surely deserve their fair share of the credit?
{Ed001's Note - exactly. He is a blagger taking credit for others.}
07 Jun 2026 13:17:17
Have you noticed how she's picked up the same patter as the Sky guys, Kaveh and Dharmesh for her long monologues? Are they trained to do that or just copying each other?
Amazing how the journos are all now waxing lyrical about the suits again.
07 Jun 2026 13:45:38
Would bother with any of these things like TAW or Red Men s***. All b*******
07 Jun 2026 13:48:26
Kaveh speaks like he's imparting the most insightful information, when all he's doing is stating the bleeding obvious, or telling you something you already know. Dharmesh is no better. I prefer to listen to people like Henry Winter.
07 Jun 2026 13:58:53
Henry Winter? Good grief.
07 Jun 2026 14:02:56
Reddy is FSG's true mouthpiece. She does get the exclusives, behind which there is always spin and an agenda.
We'll know by this time next year, when Eddie and Hughes leave just how great they are.
07 Jun 2026 14:08:05
I think the whole Slot being sacked saga proved that these reporters know nothing unless it is fed by the club. Ed2 used to tell us that Melissa Reddy knew nothing (or he at least suggested the same).
They also try to explain why it was always obvious after it happens but reported the opposite before that. Odd but keeps them in a job and off the streets
07 Jun 2026 14:58:58
FPF, Sir Kenny also likes him, so that's good enough for me. What's not to like?
07 Jun 2026 15:16:02
Henry Winter and James Richardson are the only two journalists with any integrity.
07 Jun 2026 20:17:38
Ed001, he was appointed on 1st June 2024 and sacked on the 30th May 2026.
I'm not trying to be smart, or whatever with this. Perhaps I'm missing something?
{Ed001's Note - you are, football contracts run for seasons, not normal years. In England they end on 30th June. It doesn't matter when he was appointed, his contract ran until 30th June 2027.}
07 Jun 2026 22:33:31
Is the only reason Edwards gets credit is because Klopp wanted Goetze whilst Edwards opted for Salah?
08 Jun 2026 06:36:32
It was Julian Brandt that Klopp was keen on, but he wasn't overruled by Edwards. He just decided to trust the recruitment team, as Salah was always the number 1 choice on the list of winger targets. Jurgen said this in the interview when Salah announced he was leaving.