Topic: The Men in Suits behind the scenes

[Suareznumber7]

Serious question here..
In the old days you had the owner, the manager and the players.

Where does the modern day DoF fit into this and what is her/his role and responsibilities?
Is the role needed if the manager is great?

the old days are long gone.  Yes, you need a DOF, or someone taking on the responsibilities of that role, in the modern game. 

[bornandbRED]

Well.. it’s not like he’s had anything to do since 2018.

On a more serious note, it’s disruptive. His relationships with agents seemed to be key.

[Samie]

He's been here 10 years moving up to the job of Sporting Director in 2016. That's a long time in this kind of job.


Goodbye and good luck.

[newterp]

He's been here 10 years moving up to the job of Sporting Director in 2016. That's a long time in this kind of job.


Goodbye and good luck.

It's not good bye yet in any case.

[Peabee]

It's not good bye yet in any case.

Maybe he wants more responsibility. Maybe he wants a break. Maybe he wants a pay rise. We’ll find out by next summer.

He’s done a good job, but I also think the creation of the role was a massive improvement anyway. It took some of the responsibilities from the Manager and CEO, allowing them to focus on their main roles, and gave us someone who could spend more time and energy on recruitment and negotiations. It seems like Julian Ward has been lined up as a ready made replacement anyway.

[Dim Glas]

If what Neil Jones in Goal is saying is true and they are still very much negotiating and condident he’ll stay, it could be just a case of wanting a better deal with his next contract.

So we shall see!

[afc tukrish]

If what Neil Jones in Goal is saying is true and they are still very much negotiating and condident he’ll stay, it could be just a case of wanting a better deal with his next contract.

So we shall see!

Is Edwards, like, negotiating with himself over whether he will stay?

[Peabee]

If what Neil Jones in Goal is saying is true and they are still very much negotiating and condident he’ll stay, it could be just a case of wanting a better deal with his next contract.

So we shall see!

Yeah, he’ll be 5 years into this current role, so maybe he wants more responsibility and/or a better deal. In terms of a challenge, this next stage of the squad will be a challenge as the front three hit their 30s and with our captain already in his 30s. We’ll be looking to recruit high quality forwards and midfielders over the next few seasons. So I can imagine he wants to make a decision now on whether to move on or commit to the next phase.

[Oldmanmick]

Before he goes lets hope he gets £50 million off Bournemouth for Origi.

[TepidT2O]

If what Neil Jones in Goal is saying is true and they are still very much negotiating and condident he’ll stay, it could be just a case of wanting a better deal with his next contract.

So we shall see!

I wonder if they could keep him by offering him the chance to branch out into US sports franchises

Could be new and unitise his ability in their sports group still

[ScouserAtHeart]

If what Neil Jones in Goal is saying is true and they are still very much negotiating and condident he’ll stay, it could be just a case of wanting a better deal with his next contract.

So we shall see!

Or, you know, just to stir the pot a little bit, he wants to know what the transfer budget is gonna be for the next 5 years before he signs 

[Peabee]

I wonder if they could keep him by offering him the chance to branch out into US sports franchises

Could be new and unitise his ability in their sports group still

That could be a possibility. Promote him to Group Sporting Director, move Ward up to his role.

[Peabee]

Or, you know, just to stir the pot a little bit, he wants to know what the transfer budget is gonna be for the next 5 years before he signs 

I got a payrise from starting a rumour I’d been approached by another company. I was glad they didn’t just say “good bye and good luck” though! 

[TepidT2O]

That could be a possibility. Promote him to Group Sporting Director, move Ward up to his role.

Well that’s sorted.

We are both sporting geniuses

[Peabee]

Well that’s sorted.

We are both sporting geniuses

Who do we ask about our finders fees?

[TepidT2O]

Who do we ask about our finders fees?

10% of any profit on players sold.  (Wasn’t Barry fry on that?”)

[afc tukrish]

Who do we ask about our finders fees?

Samie...

[Crimson_Tank]

I got a payrise from starting a rumour I’d been approached by another company. I was glad they didn’t just say “good bye and good luck” though! 

Clearly you do not for for Samie

[Peabee]

10% of any profit on players sold.  (Wasn’t Barry fry on that?”)

If Edwards is on that, he’s probably thinking about retiring then! 

[Red Beret]

Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards is expected to step down from his position after the current season following a hugely successful period with the Anfield club.

https://theathletic.com/2796473/2021/08/30/ornstein-edwards-expected-to-leave-liverpool-kounde-chelsea-deal-unlikely-arsenal-lose-coach-garry/

[Peabee]

Clearly you do not for for Samie

Not now that Samie is a ruthless FSG shill.

[Agent99]

YOU SAYIN AGENT99S A LIAR ARE YA NICK? WELL HAVE TO WATCH HIM

Not him necessarily. More his shady contact on Reddit. But we’ll continue to monitor him until we get definitive proof either way.

Before casting aspersions I'll have you know that Shittyarse_72 on reddit has never steered me wrong.

[dutchkop]

Is Edwards, like, negotiating with himself over whether he will stay?

 

hopefully he negotiates with himself to stay

[Bobinhood]

hopefully he negotiates with himself to stay

He's finding himself a tricky customer to deal with.

[Crimson_Tank]

He's finding himself a tricky customer to deal with.

Likely has a good sell on fee in his contract.

[gazzalfc]

It's ok. He's put a 20% sell on clause in his contract. Any player he buys with any other rival club and we get 20% of it

[Tobelius]

He's finding himself a tricky customer to deal with.

That's our lack of activity explained then.

[Eeyore]

Is Edwards, like, negotiating with himself over whether he will stay?

Yes but we have a sell before we can buy policy at the moment.

So he will have to get rid of himself before he can come back.

[Morgana]

This is probably far fetched but I think Qatar's imminent purchase of Arsenal within the next 7 to 8 months and Edwards leaving Liverpool might be linked somehow. Only time will tell.

[Oskar]

This is probably far fetched but I think Qatar's imminent purchase of Arsenal within the next 7 to 8 months and Edwards leaving Liverpool might be linked somehow. Only time will tell.

Eh?

Where have you got that from?

[darragh85]

bullshit.

whats going on behind the scenes ffs.

[Samie]

He's been here 10 years and he MIGHT leave at the end of the season. A decade is a long time in football these days.

[newterp]

bullshit.

whats going on behind the scenes ffs.

 

[afc tukrish]

bullshit.

whats going on behind the scenes ffs.

Edwards staring at himself in the mirror, apparently...

[KirkVanHouten]

If he wants to leave to do something different then fair play, he's been great for us. You can't begrudge someone wanting that. I'm hoping it's just a negotiation tactic to get a contract extension with better terms, he is excellent at that remember.

[ScouserAtHeart]

The Athletic revealed on Monday that Edwards is expected to step down at the end of the season. Senior club sources insist the owners have not given up hope of persuading him to stay but accept he may wish to pursue a new challenge.

The timing is significant. Next summer has been talked up by senior club sources as the window when the process of “refreshing and regenerating” the playing squad will crank up. There is an acceptance that they can’t allow too many players to grow old together. That overhaul now looks like it won’t be overseen by Edwards.

The same goes for the process of appointing Klopp’s successor. The German’s contract runs until the summer of 2024 and he has previously spoken about taking a sabbatical when that deal expires. Those close to him expect the 54-year-old to stick to that plan. By then, Klopp’s Anfield tenure will have spanned nearly nine years.

So the new sporting director will not only have to effectively build a new team but also oversee the transition from Klopp to his successor within two years of taking over. That’s some in-tray.

https://theathletic.com/2796129/2021/08/30/losing-michael-edwards-would-be-a-big-step-into-the-unknown-for-liverpool-he-has-laid-the-blueprint-for-success/

[BarryCrocker]

Offer Edwards a 1-year 'pay-for-pay' deal. Bonuses for shifting squad players for serious coin, purchasing quality that no one else has done the stats on and of course club success.

[Redcap]

Agree that we can't begrudge a guy for leaving after 10 years.

As an organisation I cannot believe that we're so poorly run that we'd let ourselves be so exposed to key person risk. I'm certain that we would have recognised the value of Edwards and done everything we can to download his capability to his successor and to the systems we already have in place.

Obviously it would be better if he could stay, but if our whole model of operations succeeds or fails on the basis of one albeit fairly brilliant DoF, and he's in fact, irreplaceable, I'd be fairly stunned.

[paulrazor]

Eh?

Where have you got that from?

he visited Rwanda

[Lynx the saucy mynx]

I'm confident the club will be in fine hands. They were fine after Commolli, ayre. Yes they are different but they have managed things well.

I also think people are getting Michael Edwards confused with Michael Gordon. Someone I feel is more integral. That's what would scare me.