Topic: The Men in Suits behind the scenes

[Crosby Nick]

You have to remember these appoinments are also for the second club FSG are buying, which in return will help us down the road.

Trying not to think about that.

[Fromola]

These nerds were not up to much under the Rodgers years tbf. Remember Markovic, Ballotelli, Moreno et al?

Balotelli was an epic clusterfuck but along with Lambert both far removed from the stats approach anyway.

The issue is more the difficulty in assessing how foreign players adapt to the Premier League from other leagues. Moreno for example - he's clearly a good La Liga left back. Aspas has been one of the best strikers in La Liga for a decade but wasn't right for the PL. Same with Luis Alberto who has been one of the best midfielders in Serie A for a while but he needs the slower paced league. Similar with someone like Minamino - stats wise probably looks good, but he didn't have the physical attributes needed.

Under the Rodgers years too often we recruited players lacking the required mentality as well. That's a legacy that needs to stay from Klopp's time.

[Samie]

Trying not to think about that.

You have to though Nick. 

[Draex]

These new roles are confusing. How many suits do we need?
imagine after all of this they don't manage to get us a top defensive midfielder.

I'd imagine we aren't stopping at a second club, these are positions to manage and oversee several clubs and sporting directors.

[b_joseph]

These new roles are confusing. How many suits do we need?
imagine after all of this they don't manage to get us a top defensive midfielder.

Keeping me up nights

[Peabee]

@JamesPearceLFC

Ian Ayre to return to LFC as Apprentice Car Wash Attendant. His promise to turn his bike leathers into shammies sealed the deal. #ComebackKid

[Eeyore]

None of them were here bar Edwards who wasn't Sporting Director then. 

Ward was our head of scouting for Spain and Portugal when we signed Markovic, Moreno, Aspas, Alberto, Sahin and llori.

[Hazell]

No one has to take sides. Jurgen was such an influential figure. Eventually, I imagine, he got what he wanted. And it served us very well.

A new manager wouldn’t have that much power, it wouldn’t be sensible. So going back to this approach which served us well a few years back can hopefully be successful too.

Along the way some decisions might not have been the best, and maybe people fell out but nothing is ever perfect. It looks like we have a plan in place at the very least. If it works then it’s only upside for us. You can’t replace Jurgen with another manager, no one could do what he did. If this approach gives us a different way of keeping us challenging then it’s all good.

Sensible post.

[duvva 💅]

Sensible post.

Yep, very sensible

To say I was shocked is an understatement

[Samie]

Ward was our head of scouting for Spain and Portugal when we signed Markovic, Moreno, Aspas, Alberto, Sahin and llori.

That's not the inner sanctum though is it mate? And none of them are terrible per se as its' been proved elsewhere from LFC.   

[Kopenhagen]

So is Ward’s position a promotion or demotion after he unceremoniously left us in the lurch in the middle of a season and played solitaire for months.

[Eeyore]

You have to remember these appoinments are also for the second club FSG are buying, which in return will help us down the road.

Will it though Samie.

There is the possibility that this is all being set up to allow us to compete with the Petro-funded clubs. There is also the possibility that it is being set up to turn us into a Redbull on steroids. A talent factory that goes back to selling its best players for huge profits.

Klopp wanted to win trophies and create a project. There is a very real possibility that the suits are judged on another criterion. How much they generate from the transfer market and how profitable the club is.

FSG are unwilling to compete with their US franchises so why should Liverpool be any different? Why compete with the Petro-Dollar clubs when Brighton have shown you can generate hundreds of millions by setting up a multi-club model and selling off your players to the highest bidder.

[SerbianScouser]

Very excited about this.

Our recruitment should be top class which means we're gonna have a great time in the future.

[Eeyore]

That's not the inner sanctum though is it mate? And none of them are terrible per se as its' been proved elsewhere from LFC.   

Edwards was on the transfer committee and his mate Ward was the one responsible for scouting those players.

[Samie]

I don't know mate time will tell. Why is the sky blue today?

[Samie]

Will it though Samie.

There is the possibility that this is all being set up to allow us to compete with the Petro-funded clubs. There is also the possibility that it is being set up to turn us into a Redbull on steroids. A talent factory that goes back to selling its best players for huge profits.

Klopp wanted to win trophies and create a project. There is a very real possibility that the suits are judged on another criterion. How much they generate from the transfer market and how profitable the club is.

FSG are unwilling to compete with their US franchises so why should Liverpool be any different? Why compete with the Petro-Dollar clubs when Brighton have shown you can generate hundreds of millions by setting up a multi-club model and selling off your players to the highest bidder.

This is not necessarily a bad thing though if you don;t want to be state owned and live within our means. "Red Bull on steroids" for a club like LFC means we're sucessfull and mugs wanting to buy our players will be fleeced and we repalce them within our conveyor belt of clubs.

[Garlic Red]

Let’s hope they all don’t bail on the club again when they don’t get their way.

[Eeyore]

This is not necessarily a bad thing though if you don;t want to be state owned and live within our means. "Red Bull on steroids" for a club like LFC means we're sucessfull and mugs wanting to buy our players will be fleeced and we repalce them within our conveyor belt of clubs.

Red Bull's top club is Leipzig. Last season they finished 5 points behind Bayern and could conceivably have pushed on and challenged for the title the way Leverkusen have.

Instead, they cashed in on Gvardiol, Szobozslai and Nkunku and brought in £200m. They then invested a chunk of that in young players and around and around they go. That was what was happening with us until Klopp gained control and we kept our best players and kicked on when we signed the likes of Ali and VVD.

[CraigDS]

Is it lets make up a scenario the owners have never previously shown an intention to head towards and spend the next 50 pages discussing it time?

[Samie]

Mate, I love ya but you do my head in. I'm tagging out. Someone else handle Al. 

[TepidT2O]

Reports have raised fears for the safety and whereabouts of Ian Graham. Eyewitnesses say that he was last seen in the Southport area leaving the gamesworkshop store.  One witness a Mr Klopp (56) described seeing a Sliver Mercedes van (reg KS15 YXN) pull up outside the shop.  Two men jumped out of the van and dragged Mr Graham into the van, before restraining him with HDMI cables .  Police are asking for other witnesses to come forward, particularly if they can indentify either of the two men. Another witness a Mr Rodgers (51) visiting from Glasgow described one man as having spikey hair, glasses, narrow cut trousers and shoes with no socks. He also stated that he had a laptop under his arm and he despised him at first sight.  Enquires continue.   

[Egyptian36]

Red Bull's top club is Leipzig. Last season they finished 5 points behind Bayern and could conceivably have pushed on and challenged for the title the way Leverkusen have.

Instead, they cashed in on Gvardiol, Szobozslai and Nkunku and brought in £200m. They then invested a chunk of that in young players and around and around they go. That was what was happening with us until Klopp gained control and we kept our best players and kicked on when we signed the likes of Ali and VVD.

LFC is too big for them to do this.

[Lone Star Red]

Is it lets make up a scenario the owners have never previously shown an intention to head towards and spend the next 50 pages discussing it time?

Hell yeah it is, happy Friday everyone!!

[Tobelius]

Let's all worry about us being the future RB Leipzig of the PL then on no evidence. 

Prefer to wait and see what happens myself.

[newterp]

@JamesPearceLFC

Look for my hit job on Klopp and Lindjers around the start of the season. #Ihavenoshame

[Hazell]

Let's all worry about us being the future RB Leipzig of the PL then on no evidence. 

Prefer to wait and see what happens myself.

Nah forget that. After 14 years, FSG's master plan of turning us into RB Leipzig can finally come to fruition (after they threw a spanner in the works by hiring Klopp). Looking forward to it.

[Draex]

Moby
@Mobyhaque1
Bournemouth’s scout for Portugal and Spain was also Simon Ward, Julian Ward’s brother. He is presently without a club I believe, wouldn’t be surprised if Richard Hughes brings him in as well as both have worked together for years previously.

[IgorBobbins]

Good, sensible appointments.

But what we need now is someone, perhaps in an ambassadorial role, to oversee the entire operation.  The head of the snake.  Someone with vast experience and knowledge, who has worked in several different countries and cultures, and knows what makes the club tick.

[So… Howard Philips]

Moby
@Mobyhaque1
Bournemouth’s scout for Portugal and Spain was also Simon Ward, Julian Ward’s brother. He is presently without a club I believe, wouldn’t be surprised if Richard Hughes brings him in as well as both have worked together for years previously.

Blimey if Stephen Ward was still alive they’d appoint him as the club chiropractor.

[Tobelius]

Nah forget that. After 14 years, FSG's master plan of turning us into RB Leipzig can finally come to fruition (after they threw a spanner in the works by hiring Klopp). Looking forward to it.

  We await with fear..

[Draex]

https://theathletic.com/5397530/2024/05/10/pedro-marques-fsg-director-football-development/

I love this bit..

"Intriguingly, Marques took a call from Liverpool early on during his time at Benfica, in the summer of 2019, asking for help rather than offering him a job.

Ward, who was Liverpool’s loan pathways and football partnerships manager at the time, had previously worked with Marques at Manchester City and wondered if his friend could do him a favour by bringing a team to Marbella for a practice game before the Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur.

Marques was more than happy to oblige. He took Benfica’s B team to Spain for four days, met with Liverpool’s backroom staff before the friendly and talked through how to set up tactically like Spurs. Everything went to plan: Liverpool won 2-0, mirroring the scoreline in the final the following week, and a young Benfica squad went away with shirts as well as memories."

[Eeyore]

Let's all worry about us being the future RB Leipzig of the PL then on no evidence. 

Prefer to wait and see what happens myself.

Isn't that exactly what I said?

FSG may be setting up a multi-club model to compete with the petro-dollar clubs. There is also the possibility that they are doing it to make money from player trading.

So maybe we shouldn't make assumptions and keep an open mind. 

[No666]

FSG are setting up the system that saves them from a successful manager. It wasn't just Klopp, even with Rodgers they trashed their model to indulge him -- John Henry said as much to The Times reporters back in the day, that FSG were relaxed about indulging BR after that one good season. Look how that went. They now seem to realise that it is not worth handing too much power to any manager not named Jürgen Klopp.

[Oskar]

Think these are smart, sensible appointments.

The Athletic’s piece on Marques is an interesting one, going by that it sounds like he’ll be a really good addition to the new set-up.

[Peabee]

Moby
@Mobyhaque1
Bournemouth’s scout for Portugal and Spain was also Simon Ward, Julian Ward’s brother. He is presently without a club I believe, wouldn’t be surprised if Richard Hughes brings him in as well as both have worked together for years previously.

#Cronyism

[Hazell]

https://theathletic.com/5397530/2024/05/10/pedro-marques-fsg-director-football-development/

I love this bit..

"Intriguingly, Marques took a call from Liverpool early on during his time at Benfica, in the summer of 2019, asking for help rather than offering him a job.

Ward, who was Liverpool’s loan pathways and football partnerships manager at the time, had previously worked with Marques at Manchester City and wondered if his friend could do him a favour by bringing a team to Marbella for a practice game before the Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur.

Marques was more than happy to oblige. He took Benfica’s B team to Spain for four days, met with Liverpool’s backroom staff before the friendly and talked through how to set up tactically like Spurs. Everything went to plan: Liverpool won 2-0, mirroring the scoreline in the final the following week, and a young Benfica squad went away with shirts as well as memories."

Remember reading that at the time. Little things like that are always interesting.

[Zee_26]

Guys, you're still trying to replace Klopp. I told you we can't do it, and we can't do it. Now, what we might be able to do is re-create him. Re-create him in the aggregate.

[disgraced cake]

What is with the Ward family and their perverse fancy to Portugal

[koptommy93]

But Klopp won’t be around.

my bad, i meant to say without.

[SerbianScouser]

They now seem to realise that it is not worth handing too much power to any manager not named Jürgen Klopp.

I think any manager worth their salt will want at least a little bit of input.

The way I like to think all this is gonna work is Arne giving our recruiters a profile of players he wants, they come back with a list and Arne eventually takes a hard look and picks who he wants. I think both sides would be happy with such arrangement. Arne doesn't strike me as a guy to walk in another club with a group of people he never worked with before and let them force any player(s) on him. It's his job on the line and I can't see this kind of scenario happening.

This arrangement will only work imo if they work together and are on the same page.