Recent Posts

1

Liverpool FC Forum / Re: LFC's next manager - chat and informed speculation

« Last post by SamLad on Today at 10:09:08 pm »

I’m just a lad on a football forum so I don’t have a forensic knowledge of the club's strategies and I don’t have access to their emails. So if you want written proof you won’t get any from me  . My conviction lies in the belief that a club that has had CL and PL success like ours in the last few years and with a few hundred million pounds of player assets (some of who may be a right old handful) would want a *proven* manager with a successful track record either European or international level, and a record of handling big egos. This is the obvious first choice strategy as it a) binds current big names to the club, b) brings new big names who want to be coached by the top flight manager, c) helps with fan buy in which in tun helps atmosphere which in turn helps performance.

Slot, whilst good in the Dutch league, and has a good energy, has none of the pedigree that characterised the bigger names being banded around in this thread. None of us read this move, not even the deep lying data science nerds in the RAWK nether regions. Strange then that we are all pretending this was actually some kind of master stroke.

It makes sense if Slot turns out to be an untapped messiah. Brilliant if so but where is the evidence? It also makes sense if this is a transition plan whilst we wait for a more optimal time to lure the Alonsos of the management world.

That’s what’s going in between my ears. Happy to be told I’m wrong, I’d like to know why.

I'll ask again - what 2-3 big names weren't interested?

2

General Football and Sport / Re: The Snooker thread

« Last post by Boston Bosox on Today at 10:08:06 pm »

1 Frame Away

3

News and Current Affairs / Re: UK GE and Local Elections, plus polls, and policy.

« Last post by Dr. Beaker on Today at 10:07:33 pm »

Poor old Sarmer calling for an early election. Bet he hasn't had a bacon butty for months, the poor bastard.

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General Football and Sport / Re: The Snooker thread

« Last post by voodoo ray on Today at 10:07:04 pm »

He only dropped out of the top 16, a decade ago.

only because of a mini resurgance of a year or so.

his career is really quite odd.

5

Media and Arts / Re: Wrestling Thread (AEW, NJPW, WWE, etc) (*)

« Last post by Barefoot Doctor on Today at 10:05:08 pm »

Mania next year in Vegas at Allegiant Stadium. Was expected to be in Minnesota but they’ve changed tack. Also doing it later than normal, 19 and 20 April. Almost certainly headlined by Rock/Roman, surely.

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Liverpool FC Forum / Re: LFC's next manager - chat and informed speculation

« Last post by Penfold78 on Today at 10:03:57 pm »

1. Which 2-3 big names would they be?

2. On what basis are you convinced, apart from what goes on between your ears?

I’m just a lad on a football forum so I don’t have a forensic knowledge of the club's strategies and I don’t have access to their emails. So if you want written proof you won’t get any from me  . My conviction lies in the belief that a club that has had CL and PL success like ours in the last few years and with a few hundred million pounds of player assets (some of who may be a right old handful) would want a *proven* manager with a successful track record either European or international level, and a record of handling big egos. This is the obvious first choice strategy as it a) binds current big names to the club, b) brings new big names who want to be coached by the top flight manager, c) helps with fan buy in which in tun helps atmosphere which in turn helps performance.

Slot, whilst good in the Dutch league, and has a good energy, has none of the pedigree that characterised the bigger names being banded around in this thread. None of us read this move, not even the deep lying data science nerds in the RAWK nether regions. Strange then that we are all pretending this was actually some kind of master stroke.

It makes sense if Slot turns out to be an untapped messiah. Brilliant if so but where is the evidence? It also makes sense if this is a transition plan whilst we wait for a more optimal time to lure the Alonsos of the management world.

That’s what’s going in between my ears. Happy to be told I’m wrong, I’d like to know why.

7

Liverpool FC Forum / Re: LFC's next manager - chat and informed speculation

« Last post by the_red_pill on Today at 10:03:33 pm »

The more I think about this the more it looks like we are in a two step plan. I’m convinced that no high flying manager would want to take over from Klopp. There’s absolutely no repetitional benefit: it’s all risk. Klopp leaves waving 4 reputational aces in his hand. Fan loyalty, player loyalty, squeezing every drop of latent talent from the squad, etc.  I’m convinced LFC tried and found the two or three big name managers simply weren’t interested, knowing they couldn’t guarantee anything better.

Much better to give the role initially to an up and coming manager. They have less to lose and much to gain. If it doesn’t work it becomes much easier for Alonso etc to come to the job on a rescue mission.

We have a structure and a dependence on data like few other clubs.
To "be convinced" LFC looked at other big name managers, is what everyone thinks and expects. You don't need "convincing" for that. It's logical, it's what everyone would do... but we don't do what "everyone else" thinks or does.

We work according to a plan and a structure- based on data. If the data says it's Slot, then whatever the speculation in the media(and they were just speculation), we go out to get him. You know how we work. We've got a few names, and we go out and get 'em.
Our recruitment always hit everyone out of left-field and their silly opinions of "Liverpool should have done this" or "gone for that one" etc.. are usually made to look foolish.
Slot will be our Robinson, our Firmino, our Jota, our Mane, our Salah.

There are few managers who would not jump at the chance to take the helm. Big-name managers.
We're not interested. We're interested in what the data tells us.

8

General Football and Sport / Re: The Snooker thread

« Last post by Eeyore on Today at 10:03:18 pm »

his loss of form was years before that. it's been well over 15 years since he was actually any good.

He only dropped out of the top 16, a decade ago.

9

General Football and Sport / Re: Who gets flushed from the Premier League 2023/24?

« Last post by Terry de Niro on Today at 10:03:07 pm »

Probably the most predictable relegation race there has ever been. None of the promoted clubs were anywhere near good enough to stay up. Only the points deductions for Everton and Forest made it look closer than it actually was.

Agreed and amazed that only 7.7% of members voted for Luton.

10

General Football and Sport / Re: LIVERPOOL TRANSFER THREAD - 2023 (FSG posts = get muted) - No Mbappé

« Last post by Knight on Today at 10:01:39 pm »

Could top of the table Liverpool, who were without any centre backs as it hit January 1, signed CBs and given themselves a shot at winning the league (with fans in the stadium to see it), with owners who actually backed the manager the answer is bleedin obvious.

Without question the worst transfer window of any club since the inception of the window. To not have any senior CB. The only situation "more desperate" is not having any senior Goalkeepers, and in that situation it is mandatory you act (which automatically makes it less desperate).

The image that really does it for me is Andy Robertson being interviewed on LFTCV after either the boxing day game or the one after it (we were at home, cannot be arsed checking which one it was), and he responded to a question by saying how amazing the team had done in December under the circumstances with hopefully help coming in in the window.

There was no help. What they had done was in vain.

Jurgen having to tell a stunned press room that signing a CB was "unlikely" in his first press conference days after the window had opened, before letting out some frustration (exceptionally rare for Jurgen who is an employers dream) three weeks later by mentioning restrictions. This "right one" is bollocks, we played with two CB in Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips who were barely second tier league standard. Nobody on the planet would say they either were "the right one".


From the beginning of December when all our senior CB were confirmed out for the season we should have spent the next three weeks planning behind the scenes for when that window opened to have two CB be sat in a press conference with Jurgen on 1 January, like any competent football club that is serious about being successful.

What they did guaranteed we would not be successful.

This is absolutely bang on and the continual refusal to acknowledge how badly Klopp was let down by the owners will, in the long term, go down as the great, ‘what if’ of this era.