Topic: Our most important signings this Summer.

[Carlos: Very Kickable]

............are not the players.

A pound spent behind the scenes investing in our team infrastructure is worth huge amounts more on the pitch. Makes much more sense than attempting to outspend our rivals on players.

So i would like to see:

1. Tactics. Andre Villas Boas.

This is the level of detailed tactical acumen you need to succeed in the modern game (dammit can't embed)
http://youtu.be/4WDdM-jrgAY

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Kenny relies on Steve Clarke to bounce his ideas off and formulate a tactical plan. I think he took a look at the likely personnel for this season and decided to use Mourinho / Clarke's Chelsea blueprint of low block, light pressing counterattack play with a target man to get to 4th - just substituting Terry for Carragher, Makalele for Lucas, Lampard for Gerrard and Drogba for Carroll.

After summer I fully expect us to return to a high-pressing 4231 and we could definitely do with a fresh input to the bootroom to develop those ideas further and help with tactical switches during the match. So lets get in (someone like) Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas as assistant manager with a view towards promoting from within once Kenny eventually moves on.


2. Goalkeeping. Xavi Valero.

Pepe was twice the keeper when Valero was our goalkeeping coach. Buying out his contract with Inter would surely be cheaper in earning us an extra 6 points a season compared to spending millions more on a slightly better defender than we already have? Plus it was well documented that he used to help Torres by advising him how to play against certain golkeepers. Another addition who would pay for himself.


3. Striking. Alan Shearer.

Previously successfully managed by Kenny. Andy Carroll's hero. How much would it cost to employ him as a Striking coach? Even if he knows jack**** about football, having him guide Andy on how to be a model pro could pay off for us multiple times over. Again, a 35 million pound asset who restores even 1% of his lost value would pay for that many times over.


4. Support. ?unknown.

Why not spend a million pounds on a programme designed to get the fans singing and supporting the team? Someone to coordinate the singing sections, arrange lyrics of popular songs to be texted or tweeted to phones etc. Hell, why not have a pound discount on your ticket if youre prepared to sing for it? Getting the crowd behind the team turns losses into draws, and, at Anfield, draws into wins. Much better value than spending millions on a player who might not bring you those points over the season.


Thoughts?

[DutchRed]

The third point is unheard of. Gary Neville would have more chance of an Anfield job than a S*n employee.

[AndrewLFC_1971]

The third point is unheard of. Gary Neville would have more chance of an Anfield job than a S*n employee.

And would probably have a better input than Shearer.

[-HH-]

You're not wrong that new personnel aren't the only ways to turn our fortunes around but the good points you make get lost in a myriad of nonsense.

[FlashingBlade]

Ive said it before , but I will say it again...the first sign of Spring used to be the sound of the Cuckoo...but in recent years its been replaced by the first 'Who must sign in the summer posts' or the more spectacular " Our most important summer ever!" thread

[Thomas]

more importantly who are we going to off load

[Tomaldinho]

1. You are on another planet if you think Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas would go back to being assistant. Maybe we should have a management team of Rafa and Kenny, Capello and Mourinho assistants with Ancellotti Youth team coach and Hiddink kit man? Just a thought.

3. Players like Shearer can't teach how they play, they just do it instinctively. Similarly he was never a "model pro", just a boring git and that came naturally too.

4. Can we have plastic flags too?

[bleedsred1978]

Keeper coach yes, maybe.

The rest. No.

[GIPPO77]

Cods wallop.

[El_Pistolero]

[Ziggy09]

I think you make some interesting points - and I agree that changes to backroom staff are needed too esp a new GK coach.

But also have to agree that its not going to be Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas - yes he's young, but hes not going to be someones assistant now he's a high profile manager! Besides, I bet Steve Clarke wont be too happy with another assistant! A new first team coach or 2 may be beneficial though!

And instead of Shearer - if we go down that route, then why not get Fowler or Rush instead? Just as good, if not better finishers and also know Kenny and the club and importantly, are part of us from the beginning!

My own gut feeling is that the signings we made last summer will be better next season - I wouldnt just thrown them out as its a year wasted. Definitely need some more quality to go with them though and hopefully get that this summer!!

[Geezer08]

nonsense, how is signing a new goalkeeping coach going to bring us extra six points?.

Our problems is on the pitch, and no new coaches can polish the shit we currently have into gold

[Il Capitano]

Interesting angle, but there's no fucking way Andre Villas-Boas is going to jump at the chance of becoming assistant manager - and if he would, it would still take millions of pounds a year to land him, which puts your initial money-saving premise out.

Xavi Valero is a good point, that's gotta happen soon. If Reina still wants to be at the club come the Summer, obviously - he's gotta be sick of putting up with shite season after shite season by now.

As for Shearer - I don't think it's worth spending more money trying to get the best out of Carroll, after we already spent a lot in the Summer buying players to accommodate him better. He has to start believing in his own ability, and putting the effort in on the training ground and on the pitch if he wants to become what he is physically capable of. Getting Shearer in instead of Fowler or Rush would indicate that this would be particularly set-up for Carroll to motivate him, and I think the club's already spent a lot of money, time and effort on trying to get him to fit. If he wants to succeed, he has to step up.

Any action on the atmosphere at the ground should really come from the fanbase, and there's already a RTK-style programme happening to try to turn it round and get the crowd singing again. The most the club should do is seat mates together so that singing is encouraged - anything more and you're straying into plastic flag territory.

[DanA]

Ridiculous suggestion of people to go after but I love us to try an poach some staff members.

Perhaps if we could entice the key coach for the attacks of one of Osasuna, Napoli, Borussia Mönchengladbach or Montpellier.

I'd be all for Reina getting his GK coach back.

[GODS LEFT BOOT]

'After summer I fully expect us to return to a high-pressing 4231 and we could definitely do with a fresh input to the bootroom to develop those ideas further and help with tactical switches during the match. So lets get in (someone like) Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas as assistant manager with a view towards promoting from within once Kenny eventually moves on.'


Just out of interest what makes you so sure?

[Dash Snow]

Is this thread a joke?

[fosspowered]

 

[rocco]

Would like to see Paco Ayestaran back helping Kenny and Clarke

[smicer07]

Villas Boas? Yeah he was great at Chelsea. Good one.

[Carlos: Very Kickable]

'After summer I fully expect us to return to a high-pressing 4231 and we could definitely do with a fresh input to the bootroom to develop those ideas further and help with tactical switches during the match. So lets get in (someone like) Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas as assistant manager with a view towards promoting from within once Kenny eventually moves on.'


Just out of interest what makes you so sure?

The entire club is set up that way including Academy / reserves. Think we will return to that once we make the right additions in Summer. Looking at the way we are playing at the moment I think Kenny took a pragmatic decision to use Clarke's experience with those tactics to make the best of our personnel in order to get 4th.

Is this thread a joke?

No, but thanks for your input. Looking forward to your next oligosyllabic post.

[CharlieAdamsLeftFoot]

I agree in principal with some of the points raised.

1. Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas as assistant, can't see it myself. Reckon he will end up at Inter. Which links to another point, if Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas was to go there, he would probably bring his own staff in and in turn, release Valero.

2. Valero is an excellent GK coach, its no coincidence that Pepe's best seasons have been under his tutorage. And his slight decline in form has coincided with Valero leaving. Didn't really understand the signing of Achterberg, he came with no reputation of coaching, i only remember him playing for Tranmere.

3. Shearer?? Can't see him moving from the comforts of a TV studio to a training field, for probably less than half the wage. We have our very own goalscorers we could draft in the be striking coach, Rush or Fowler. I know Rush already has a role at the club with foreign academies etc, maybe his role could be massaged to include coaching the first team. I believe Fowler would jump at the chance to come back to the club in any capacity. Maybe start him off coaching the academy strikers. Now although they say you can't teach someone how to finish, its just a natural instinct, they would definitely help in the coaching of runs to make and positions to take up in the box.

[El Denzel Pepito]

Villas Boas as assistant? There's no fucking way.

[AJL]

Thoughts?

I skipped straight to this at the end as the rest was a load of shite.

[the_red_pill]

Would like to see Paco Ayestaran back helping Kenny and Clarke

As good as Pako was, I wouldn't be able to stand anymore heaps of injuries. He did fantastic, but we had so many injuries and recurring injuries that it was not funny after 3 seasons. And you all know how merciless Pako was. "Pako's Hill" is a reminder of that.

Starting each season with incredibly fatigued players- leading to sterile displays, endless draws, disjointed displays and the injury-prone players, getting even worse(Agger, Kewell, Aurelio etc..) was a feature of Pako's time here. Of course, we had a incredibly fit players towards the end of the season, but that was frequently too late.

The season after Rafa and Pako split, we started the season well, had Alonso, Agger and Aurelio fit for almost the whole season and we came 2nd.

No thanks- one of the positives for me now- and I've mentioned this in the "positives" thread- is the fact that we don't have those problems anymore.