Topic: Pep Lijnders

[exiledintheUSA]

BOOM

[exiledintheUSA]

Need a thread rename:  Pep Lijnders rejoins Liverpool with immediate effect

[PhaseOfPlay]

Did absolutely woeful at NEC but suppose he's well-suited to this job if Klopp wants him back!

Did he?

Seems he had them in the top three for most of his time there, hitting the top spot 5 times during that period, and spending most of it in second place. It's only the last few weeks of the season that they dropped to third. Were they expected to be automatic division winners, and he fell short? Or is it that they absolutely had to be promoted?

[Clint Eastwood]

No lean?

Seriously though, glad he's back. Seems a good presence as well as a good coach.

[Dim Glas]

very cool Glad Pep is back.

[Giono]

I wonder if his role will be different?

[Tobelius]

Welcome Pep,again!

[CraigDS]

Always seemed highly respected by Klopp so glad he's back as part of his backroom staff.

Interesting to know if this relates to Buvac's future too.

[Giono]

Always seemed highly respected by Klopp so glad he's back as part of his backroom staff.

Interesting to know if this relates to Buvac's future too.

I am afraid it may. He left us to grow, and I’m not sure if he would come back to the same role.

[SerbianScouser]

What this tells me is that Jurgen rates him highly as there were tons of high quality coaches out there willing to fill this position. I think if he does a good job as no.2 we'll have our Jurgen succesor sorted out.

[Nessy76]

Did he?

Seems he had them in the top three for most of his time there, hitting the top spot 5 times during that period, and spending most of it in second place. It's only the last few weeks of the season that they dropped to third. Were they expected to be automatic division winners, and he fell short? Or is it that they absolutely had to be promoted?

There was an article posted a little while ago, seems like he was expected to win the division comfortably, and when things started to go badly the fans showed no patience. From the looks of it, he was basically asking second division Dutch players to perform to the levels he expected of Liverpool players, and obviously that doesn't happen overnight!

Great to see him back where he belongs, with a senior first team role, no less.

[sms1986]

What this tells me is that Jurgen rates him highly as there were tons of high quality coaches out there willing to fill this position. I think if he does a good job as no.2 we'll have our Jurgen succesor sorted out.

His number 2 is still Buvac unless something changes.

[Barefoot Doctor]

I wonder if his role will be different?

Thought it was notable that the piece on the website didn't say what his specific role/title would be. I would guess he's going to be assistant manager, but we don't want to officially say that until an announcement is made on Buvac.

[Dim Glas]

Thought it was notable that the piece on the website didn't say what his specific role/title would be. I would guess he's going to be assistant manager, but we don't want to officially say that until an announcement is made on Buvac.

Indeed. I guess they will wait before making everything public. Although I'd have thought Peter Krawietz would get a more senior role if / when that happens.

[DutchRed]

Did he?

Seems he had them in the top three for most of his time there, hitting the top spot 5 times during that period, and spending most of it in second place. It's only the last few weeks of the season that they dropped to third. Were they expected to be automatic division winners, and he fell short? Or is it that they absolutely had to be promoted?

The football was nothing short of atrocious, many of the players had turned against him. And yeah, anything except promotion was unacceptable - losing out on the top spot to the Ajax reserves wasn't the issue. Yet managing to somehow not finish in front of a Fortuna Sittard team that had completely combusted, going through a rotten spell and a hilarious saga around their manager's supposed sacking was well below par. Then to go into the play-offs and get hammered 4-0 by a side inferior to them just showed the level of disarray in his squad.  I know a few people around their club and it's safe to say he was hounded out by the end of his spell. Whether this was just a tough baptism of fire on the way to a succesful management career or a one-off experiment, time will tell..

[PhaseOfPlay]

There was an article posted a little while ago, seems like he was expected to win the division comfortably, and when things started to go badly the fans showed no patience. From the looks of it, he was basically asking second division Dutch players to perform to the levels he expected of Liverpool players, and obviously that doesn't happen overnight!

Great to see him back where he belongs, with a senior first team role, no less.

It's weird, though, because he had a 50% win record which is excellent. Their previous manager had them in first. Am I missing something or are NEC fans just incredibly demanding?

I can't agree with DutchRed that he did woeful at NEC. Looks like he was a victim of impatience more than anything else.

[PhaseOfPlay]

The football was nothing short of atrocious, many of the players had turned against him. And yeah, anything except promotion was unacceptable - losing out on the top spot to the Ajax reserves wasn't the issue. Yet managing to somehow not finish in front of a Fortuna Sittard team that had completely combusted, going through a rotten spell and a hilarious saga around their manager's supposed sacking was well below par. Then to go into the play-offs and get hammered 4-0 by a side inferior to them just showed the level of disarray in his squad.  I know a few people around their club and it's safe to say he was hounded out by the end of his spell. Whether this was just a tough baptism of fire on the way to a succesful management career or a one-off experiment, time will tell..

But why did the previous manager leave? They were in top spot at the time were they not? If there were behind-the-scenes problems, then surely they existed regardless of who was manager?

I'm genuinely interested, as it seems strange to call a 50% win rate "Woeful" unless it's a top club in a one-team league (ahem, Celtic)

[SerbianScouser]

I wouldn't worry about his supposedly bad first managerial stint, some coaches are only good as assistants like Pako, Meulensteen etc, hopefully it's the case with Pep as well.

[rafathegaffa83]

Great news

[Chakan]

Update the thread title!

[newterp]

Progressive young coach - players like him - Klopp likes him. Glad to hear it.

[Nessy76]

It's weird, though, because he had a 50% win record which is excellent. Their previous manager had them in first. Am I missing something or are NEC fans just incredibly demanding?

I can't agree with DutchRed that he did woeful at NEC. Looks like he was a victim of impatience more than anything else.

Hmmm, NEC, unrealistic fan expectations, sacking multiple managers, this is ringing a bell...

[Suareznumber7]

His number 2 is still Buvac unless something changes.

According to Neil Jones article it’s unlikely he’s coming back.

https://t.co/c3Cdc51XQQ

[sms1986]

According to Neil Jones article it’s unlikely he’s coming back.

https://t.co/c3Cdc51XQQ

Yeah, we'll just have to see.

[Art of Lies]

It's weird, though, because he had a 50% win record which is excellent. Their previous manager had them in first. Am I missing something or are NEC fans just incredibly demanding?

I can't agree with DutchRed that he did woeful at NEC. Looks like he was a victim of impatience more than anything else.

He was expected to have instant success and completely revolutionise the way NEC played and trained, I don't think I have to explain to you why that is impossible.

NEC has been a bit of a basket case in Dutch football, they have dropped from the highest division a number of times in the last decade and it is only 2 years ago since they were under supervision of the Dutch FA because of their financial situation. Every expense over €50,000 had to be cleared by the Dutch FA.

[HardworkDedication]

David Maddock @MaddockMirror 43m
With the return of Pep Lijnders to Anfield, @LFC have made clear that Zeljko Buvac remains an employee of the club, and his position is unaffected by this coaching appointment. Jurgen Klopp still hoping Buvac will return following his absence for 'personal reasons'

[The Istvan Kozma Fan Club]

The prodigal son returns!

[Eeyore]

Great News. If Klopp rates him highly then it is a no brainer.

[DutchRed]

But why did the previous manager leave? They were in top spot at the time were they not? If there were behind-the-scenes problems, then surely they existed regardless of who was manager?

I'm genuinely interested, as it seems strange to call a 50% win rate "Woeful" unless it's a top club in a one-team league (ahem, Celtic)

Their previous manager was Adrie Bogers, the club's assistant. He was put in place reluctantly as the club did not succeed in finding somebody for the job last summer. He agreed to take the helm until whenver the club found a new man. The club enjoyed a decent enough first half of the season and were well placed to win the division when Lijnders came in. Performance levels dropped, the team's two key players struggled for form. Off the pitch, Lijnders apparently fell out with his asisstant and various first-team players(he even sent the goalkeeper on holiday and turned to someone who hadn't played professional football in two years). As spells go they hardly come more disastrous.

They had the chance to take charge of the league at Oss and lost 3-0 in the game they had in hand. They had the chance to really wrap things up when their rivals went through a spell of picking up one point in five, but never quite seemed to get the decisive advantage. They then got offered a rematch at the Ajax reserves because the Dutch FA had glossed over the fact that one of the Ajax players was ineligible. They lost again. On the final day, they could not even beat a 10-man Dordrecht who had both eyes on their play-off games to keep the pressure on. Then when they had to try and gain promotion through the play-offs, their first game was a 4-0 trashing by Emmen, a team they really should have beaten.

NEC are notorious for being poorly-run(hence they are second tier) and having a tough fan base to win over, but being Dutch Lijnders should have known that. This was not the time to try all sorts of new tactics, it was just a matter of contiuning on the right track that was laid out when he first arrived. All of this is definitely not me saying that he is not fit to do the job he does at Liverpool, but he was quite culpable of some serious errors(who knows, we might one day consider them to be 'tuition fees') in his first job as a manager.

[DutchRed]

He was expected to have instant success and completely revolutionise the way NEC played and trained, I don't think I have to explain to you why that is impossible.

NEC has been a bit of a basket case in Dutch football, they have dropped from the highest division a number of times in the last decade and it is only 2 years ago since they were under supervision of the Dutch FA because of their financial situation. Every expense over €50,000 had to be cleared by the Dutch FA.

Their finances are now sound, it's the technical side of things they struggle with most these days. They offered very good wages(€350k a year) to a certain player but he renewed his deal at his Eredivisie club instead.

[the_red_pill]

Wasn't Pep heavily involved with the technical coaching in the Academy?
I'm sure I read somewhere that he was responsible for the increased technical skill at the Academy and consequently, the Reserves-and we've maintained a steady stream of technically astute youngsters since his appointment.
I'm jumping the gun here, but if that's the case, I can see him working on our passing and ball retention especially.
I think we're looking at a midfield overhaul and the consequences of that will be a bit more work in terms of passing and ball retention. Brendan valued him highly in that regard as well.

Who knows- maybe it's not that, but to facilitate easing in the youngsters..

[Lone Star Red]

But why did the previous manager leave? They were in top spot at the time were they not? If there were behind-the-scenes problems, then surely they existed regardless of who was manager?

I'm genuinely interested, as it seems strange to call a 50% win rate "Woeful" unless it's a top club in a one-team league (ahem, Celtic)

I certainly won’t claim to know as much as DutchRed about the NEC situation, but I did peruse an NEC forum right after Pep was sacked and there were several instances of fans implying the behind the scenes of the club are a mess and Pep was just the tip of the iceberg as far as who they’d like to see fired.

[Dougle]

Another good signing.

[ThePoolMan]

Many successful coaches started with their first managerial engagement ending less than spectacularly. At worst, there are many excellent coaches who do not make good managers, and the only way to find out one's limitations is to go out on a limb and give it one's all.

[Carra-ton]

Being a successful manager and getting success at a football club is a hard task, that is why the top managers are paid so much. Being a coach is still a skillful job but needs less foresight, man-management and nous.
Hopefully this alleviates some of the burdens on Klopp.
If Buvac doesn't return then having Pep, Kraweitz, Kornmayer and his coaches is still a good support team to Klopp.
Ofcourse we still have Achterberg and he can help with passing messages to the fourth referee.

[killer-heels]

Would we likely see another addition if Buvac doesnt return?

[PhaseOfPlay]

Being a successful manager and getting success at a football club is a hard task, that is why the top managers are paid so much. Being a coach is still a skillful job but needs less foresight, man-management and nous.
Hopefully this alleviates some of the burdens on Klopp.
If Buvac doesn't return then having Pep, Kraweitz, Kornmayer and his coaches is still a good support team to Klopp.
Ofcourse we still have Achterberg and he can help with passing messages to the fourth referee.

I'm not sure "less" is the right word. "Different" is more accurate.

[Carra-ton]

I'm not sure "less" is the right word. "Different" is more accurate.

I stand corrected. True, coaching will need a different nous and foresight in how to plan sessions and how to get the best in training.

[Dim Glas]

Would we likely see another addition if Buvac doesnt return?

I would guess not. It says Pep would have a senior role in their set up. And a senior role suggests that he's going to be very much a first team coach now.  Although I guess they maybe could bring in another coach, cos they didn't replace Pep the first time, although his role was specially made for him, but did prove a good link between Melwood and the youth / U23 squads, maybe they'd do something like that again.

[Nessy76]

I would guess not. It says Pep would have a senior role in their set up. And a senior role suggests that he's going to be very much a first team coach now.  Although I guess they maybe could bring in another coach, cos they didn't replace Pep the first time, although his role was specially made for him, but did prove a good link between Melwood and the youth / U23 squads, maybe they'd do something like that again.

There is going to have to be a significant overhaul of the Academy with Gerrard and Beale both off anyway.