Topic: LFC's next manager - chat and informed speculation

[killer-heels]

If we are going to search for the next great manager taking chances on unknown guys, Im ok with that aproach but then if we finish 5th next year  then he is out and we try again. In order for that strategy to work we cant give those unproven managers 2 or 3 years, they have to be good right away.

Rodgers was out after effectively one bad season. Kenny was out after one bad season and a trophy.

[disgraced cake]

The Emery reveal is gonna be epic.

For me, if we want a 'head coach' working under this new model, he'd be the obvious choice (I know he's just signed a new deal with Villa). Won all his Europa League trophies with Sevilla under Monchi and will probably win the Conference League with him at Villa.

[jDJ]

Well I’m actually quite excited by Slot personally.

[Samie]

Actually I take it back.

You said top tier, didn't you.

  Aye, but even League 2 teams in England are being data driven these days.

[rossipersempre]

In any other industry, an unheralded, high-risk appointment in a candidate-poor market, would be given a short 12-18-month contract to quickly prove themselves commensurate with that risk, and the faith put in them to make such a huge step-up.

Even Klopp got a relatively short initial contract if I remember, 3 years I think? Will be interesting to see what Slot is given.

[killer-heels]

In any other industry, an unheralded, high-risk appointment in a candidate-poor market, would be given a short 12-18-month contract to quickly prove themselves commensurate with that risk, and the faith put in them to make such a huge step-up.

Even Klopp got a relatively short initial contract if I remember, 3 years I think?

Slot will get a three year contract as well. Its exactly what we should do.

[Butcher Knife Roberto]

For me, the worry is that the Dutch league is infamously sketchy as a barometer for PL success. It's ranked 7th by UEFA for a reason, just behind Portugal but the latter is clearly more of a heterogeneous hotbed for talent.

This is precisely where I am with this. I read a while ago on Reddit a good comment from a Feyenoord fan who thinks Slot would be good for us one day, but not yet. I would tend to agree - if he went to, say, the Bundesliga and repeated his success, I’d be all in. I really must emphasise that I am under no illusions that whoever we get in is not gonna be on Klopp’s level. But I do think any candidate should come from one of the top leagues, or at least have experience there. It does also mean I would approach Amorim with a similar degree of scepticism, however I’ve generally been impressed with players and managers who have come from Portugal in recent years. I can’t say the same about the Eredivisie, hence I’m a little surprised and underwhelmed with the links. But time will tell of course, and I’d be more than happy to see him succeed.

[disgraced cake]

Imagine being Trent sitting at home just now with one year on your contract. Got a feeling there will be some amount of movement this coming summer. Can see the likes of Virgil, Salah and Robbo all moving on. Hope Edwards knows what he’s doing here because this is some risky shit that could turn out to be our version of Moyes

I do agree, I have to say. I think the players would have wanted Alonso personally. Ultimately, the players will know what we know about them, experience/achievements etc. They'll know everyone else is a step down, but just how big is that step? With Trent, obviously being local and a red should make up his mind but he's got a lot of his best years ahead, for me there's no way Virgil/Salah can do anything better now.

The way a few of the players looked last season, honestly, if it doesn't go well under the new fella, I can see a couple throwing in the towel at some stage. With Klopp they'd never fully do it but I think you could tell last season some of them weren't fully invested in the fight when the going was tough.

[Crosby Nick]

For me, the worry is that the Dutch league is infamously sketchy as a barometer for PL success. It's ranked 7th by UEFA for a reason, just behind Portugal but the latter is clearly more of a heterogeneous hotbed for talent.

I might agree if I knew what that meant.

What previous Dutch managers have or haven’t done in England doesn’t necessarily concern me. How he starts, how the fans and the city take to him will be important. Talk is cheap and all that but from the start you could tell Houllier or Rafa would be someone you could get behind. Hodgson obviously not! Rodgers somewhere in between. We’ll find out soon enough I guess.

[Caston]

Well I’m actually quite excited by Slot personally.

Think he’ll slot right in myself.

[west_london_red]

In any other industry, an unheralded, high-risk appointment in a candidate-poor market, would be given a short 12-18-month contract to quickly prove themselves commensurate with that risk, and the faith put in them to make such a huge step-up.

Even Klopp got a relatively short initial contract if I remember, 3 years I think? Will be interesting to see what Slot is given.

It could well be a 3 year contract with conditions, ie if you don’t qualify for the CL we can get rid without a pay off for example (the Mancs did that with Moyse I think).

[rossipersempre]

Slot will get a three year contract as well. Its exactly what we should do.

Why? Because any shorter would 'undermine' him and raise 'interim' questions?

It could well be a 3 year contract with conditions, ie if you don’t qualify for the CL we can get rid without a pay off for example (the Mancs did that with Moses I think).

Like a probationary period or early termination clause based on KPIs. I'd be fine with that.

[cptrios]

I'm feeling optimistic about this appointment. He's definitely not an 'exciting' name, but there are enough positive noises about his style, personality, and of course adversity experience, that I'm very much in a "cautiously relaxed and intrigued to see how things go" mood. The only issue I see is the pressing thing. I was kind of hoping we'd start seeing our players not run quite so far into the ground.

By the way, is the Portuguese league really better than the Eredevisie? The Dutch coefficient is currently 5 points higher, if that's anything to go by.

[Samie]

This is what a decade with us has done to Kloppo.

Klopp on being a manager:

“Everyone else can only watch it and think: ‘Oh my God, it looks exciting.’ But somebody has to make the decisions. So many people always visit me around the games and say: ‘We won’t see that any more,’ and I just want to tell them – I work all the time, you just watch the games. I’m constantly in it. Even when the game is over I can’t switch off. It’s not great to be in this situation all the time. Maybe other people enjoy that more than me. But that’s something I definitely will not miss.”

[rafathegaffa83]

This isn't 2015, where every single person could see Klopp was the no-brainer candidate. There is no no-brainer candidate. Every single viable option poses a significant risk, who could definitely fail. But equally, someone out there has to be the next Klopp/Guardiola in terms of managerial ability versus their peers.

Another way of looking at this. We're operating in an era when the opportunities for managers to win trophies and advance deep into European competitions is becoming more and more difficult if you aren't part of an elite group of wealthy clubs. The current wave of elite managers are in their 50s and 60s, and the pack coming behind them have had very few opportunities to progress deep competitions. Even the likes of Nagelsmann hasn't made it to a European final. I think over the next few seasons, we're going to have a situation in which several clubs are going to make decisions without their preferred candidate necessarily having a significant list of honours outside of domestic leagues (if any). We pretty much already seen Arsenal and Man Utd do this.

[Samie]

Why? Because any shorter would 'undermine' him and raise 'interim' questions?Like a probationary period or early termination clause based on KPIs. I'd be fine with that.

Yeah but then you can spin it and say the Slotter backs himself. 

[killer-heels]

Why? Because any shorter would 'undermine' him and raise 'interim' questions?Like a probationary period or early termination clause based on KPIs. I'd be fine with that.

Yeah you give a two year contract and straight away you would have players questioning the whole set up. But i imagine there will be clauses around CL qualification.

[rossipersempre]

Yeah but then you can spin it and say the Slotter backs himself. 

Don't even try to make that a thing. Likewise "the Slot Machine". Just don't.

[rossipersempre]

Yeah you give a two year contract and straight away you would have players questioning the whole set up. But i imagine there will be clauses around CL qualification.

Think that's going to be an issue regardless.

[rossipersempre]

What's his record like in Europe?

[killer-heels]

Think that's going to be an issue regardless.

Possibly but the contract is just another reason to question him as well as how it looks to the outside world.

[disgraced cake]

What's his record like in Europe?

Every time they play Roma they go out. The problem is in all three of his seasons there they've played Roma.

[killer-heels]

What's his record like in Europe?

Not bad, Conference League final, Europa 1/4 final. Big negative, his team lost to Celtic in a CL group game albeit they had nothing to play for.

[Samie]

What's his record like in Europe?

Got them to a Conference league final when Mourinho who shithoused his way to a win. Better than that bearded fella in Lisbon though.

[Andar]

Mourinho is bitter enough to think how is a guy I done over twice in Europe getting the Liverpool job ahead of me 

[rossipersempre]

Possibly but the contract is just another reason to question him as well as how it looks to the outside world.

Kloppp had an aura, and was a draw in himself. Instant respect amongst top-tier players, a big advantage both in the dressing room and when recruiting. Alonso, as much as you hate the thought, would have the same. Amorim less so but certainly more than Slot.

Recruitment is a concern though, and I hope our scouting network and empowered nerds ensure they run the show here, so we avoid the Ten Hag methodology. In other words, post-Klopp, he needs to be much more of a coach than a manager.

[rossipersempre]

Got them to a Conference league final when Mourinho who shithoused his way to a win. Better than that bearded fella in Lisbon though.

But still a slightly lesser achievement than Moyes then. Excellent.

[rossipersempre]

Every time they play Roma they go out. The problem is in all three of his seasons there they've played Roma.

The same Roma who got pumped 6-1 by Bodø Glimt. Again, excellent.

[rafathegaffa83]

What's his record like in Europe?

2019/20 - AZ finished 2nd in a Europa League group including Man Utd, Astana and Partizan. Knocked out by LASK.
2020/21 - AZ finished 3rd in a Europa League group including Napoli, Real Sociedad and Rijeka, but Slot moved on before the final group game. Beat Napoli away and got a draw at home.
2021/22 - Feyenoord topped a Conference League Group with Union Berlin, Slavia Prague and Maccabi Haifa. Beat Partizan, Slavia Prague and Marseille on the way to the final. Lost to Roma.
2022/23 - Feyenoord topped a EL group with Lazio, Sturm Graz and Midtjylland. Thumped Shakhtar in the Round of 16. Knocked out by Roma in the QFs
2023/24 - Feyenoord finished third in a CL group with Lazio, Atletico Madrid and Celtic. Beat Celtic and Lazio at home. Knocked out by Roma in the EL

[Samie]

 

Thank fuck Slot knows Mourinho ain't coming back to England.

[rossipersempre]

2019/20 - AZ finished 2nd in a Europa League group including Man Utd, Astana and Partizan. Knocked out by LASK.
2020/21 - AZ finished 3rd in a Europa League group including Napoli, Real Sociedad and Rijeka, but Slot moved on before the final group game. Beat Napoli away and got a draw at home.
2021/22 - Feyenoord topped a Conference League Group with Union Berlin, Slavia Prague and Maccabi Haifa. Beat Partizan, Slavia Prague and Marseille on the way to the final. Lost to Roma.
2022/23 - Feyenoord topped a EL group with Lazio, Sturm Graz and Midtjylland. Thumped Shakhtar in the Round of 16. Knocked out by Roma in the QFs
2023/24 - Feyenoord finished third in a CL group with Lazio, Atletico Madrid and Celtic. Beat Celtic and Lazio at home. Knocked out by Roma in the EL

That's the sort of specific detail I like, thanks. It's ok but hardly punching is it?

I wasn't particularly enamoured by Amorim's UEFA record either.

[rossipersempre]

Thank fuck Slot knows Mourinho ain't coming back to England.

Don't tempt Todd Boehly.

[Samie]

It's Feyenoord mate. Not sure what you're expecting them to do these days. 

[rossipersempre]

It's Feyenoord mate. Not sure what you're expecting them to do these days. 

Their rivals Ajax got within a whisker of a CL final, and would have given us a much bigger scare than an impotent Spurs.

[filopastry]

It's Feyenoord mate. Not sure what you're expecting them to do these days. 

I mean yeah its a squad that didn't cost much to put it kindly, and ongoing business seems to largely be funded by sales

[Andar]

One thing I hope is that he has the belief that he is good enough to be at Liverpool. A strong inner belief and arrogance is needed to manage a club like us. Naturally he must have been shocked to receive that first call. He can't go in with an attitude of being thankful to be the Liverpool manager.

Moyes carried that attitude all throughout his time at Utd. A sense that he couldn't believe he was there. The players will sense it from the off.

Slot can't have that attitude. Otherwise he'll be on his way to failing right away. 

[Samie]

Their rivals Ajax got within a whisker of a CL final, and would have given us a much bigger scare than an impotent Spurs.

Aye but that Ajax team their fans said was the most talented group since the 00's when the likes of Sneijder, Huntelaar, Van der Vaart etc were coming through.

[Mighty_Red]

The personality of the new manager is going to be massive. Like it or not, the only way you can win trophies is if you can motivate the players to a) carry out your strategy and b) not give up when the going gets tough.

Make no mistake, they new guy will need it all. ETH has the tactical knowhow but he can't handle the players so now nothing he does works.

Does Slot have the personality to handle big players? At the moment the difference in the two squads is massive and it will be a huge question mark. The media is another thing, the scrutiny will be 1000x.

One plus is that many of our seniors have left or will leave in the next 13months leaving a younger core.

[Avens]

Their rivals Ajax got within a whisker of a CL final, and would have given us a much bigger scare than an impotent Spurs.

Maybe that's the manager we should be after then. What's he up to?

[rossipersempre]

One thing I hope is that he has the belief that he is good enough to be at Liverpool. A strong inner belief and arrogance is needed to manage a club like us. [Naturally he must have been shocked to receive that first call. He can't go in with an attitude of being thankful to be the Liverpool manager.

Moyes carried that attitude all throughout his time at Utd. A sense that he couldn't believe he was there. The players will sense it from the off.

Slot can't have that attitude. Otherwise he'll be on his way to failing right away. 

He's Dutch. Arrogance is a given, practically a genetic trait. Doesn't mean he'll be a success though, look at the fraud at United.