Liverpool FC Forum

[devaney]

Kazza and Reg. I totally agree with almost everything you both have to say. What concerns me the most is the clubs inability to make sensible financial decisions in the transfer market. The number of players over the years that had been allowed to leave on a free is totally unacceptable and very unbusinesslike. Was blowing over £200m on Izak and Wirtz in the clubs best interest. Hindsight is an exact science and it goes without saying that my comments are largely as a result of what they have achieved this season. Obviously injuries haven’t helped. Wirtz however looks a completely different player than the one we will see performing in the World Cup for Germany. I just don’t think he has come to terms with the premiership. Hopefully it has been a learning period and next season we will see a return on the clubs investment, Izak on the few occasions that he has played hasn’t impressed. I was certainly hoping for another Torres or Suarez and not another Caroll, Bentike or Nunez. I have maintained for a very long time that simply throwing huge amounts of money at the transfer market is not a guarantee of success. Chelsea and Manchester United have proved that point to the max. For example Manchester City go out and buy Cherki for less than £40m !! Now to be honest, examples of this nature are endless.

Let’s just hope that whatever the club does during the summer it is going to be a recipe for success rather than the abject disaster we witnessed during season 25/26

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

To be fair to Arne when Jurgen left if someone would have offered us a title win followed by a finish in the CL places most fans would have bitten their hand off.
It's not quite as simple as that though, in the 2 years since Jurgen's departure despite spending an absolute fortune we have clearly gone backwards, we were actually showing relegation form for long periods of the season and broke all sorts of the wrong records in terms of goals conceded and games lost and being outran etc. There were times as well, like City away, where it looked like the players had just given up.
He clearly wasn't helped by injuries and it looks he had a player revolt on his hands as well so he had a lot on his plate but results and performances had been poor for 14 months, he had over a calender year to sort things out and couldnt. Say whatever you want about his sacking but one thing it wasnt was knee-jerk.

[damjan193]

I’m not really excited about any manager except Enrique as he plays that front foot heavy metal football we came to love under Klopp, it’s hard not to like watching them play. You need the right players for that style though and do we have them? Also this notion that he would want a new project seems fanciful, why would he leave that team?

If it is player revolt that cost Slot his job then I think that is worrying and mirrors what has been happening at ManUre and Chelsea. Players play well, then down tools because they don’t like the manager for whatever reason, new manager comes in and they start playing well again then they don’t like him for whatever reason and down tools again. Last thing in the world is to give players power as players have their own agendas and don’t  prioritize the team first. Players become entitled and toxic if you listen to them. Managers are like parents and players are like 12-14 year old kids, some are reasonable but most are brats and the last people you want to listen to as basically they are idiots.

Ultimately I think Slot deserved another year as he won us a title his first year and had a lot of bad luck his second year but still managed a CL place, listening to many on here we would get relegated had he stayed all season. I didn’t like the brand of football this year but it was the players that underperformed, I couldn’t really blame Slot for the fact our leaders had disappeared, they had a responsibility to the team whether they were happy with the manager or not. If it turns out it was a player revolt and they underplayed this year I’d have a hard time forgetting it.

This new world of social media and algorithms means managers will get turned on much quicker now, I’m not sure that is a good thing. Instagram was an awash with negative memes, if you see it enough it changes your opinion and many times it’s baseless. We would hear that Slot kept traveling back to Holland to see his family as they didn’t join him and the team only trained 3-4 times a week. A rumor that some fans started spreading which if true would have been shocking. I had to research this to know if it was true and it wasn’t. It was his family mostly that travelled to see him. It makes me feel bad for him as he was sacrificing more than most to be a Liverpool manager and the fans turned on him.Whether we liked his football or not, the man was decent and we are Liverpool supporters, what happened to the “Liverpool” supporter? We used to stand for something bigger than football and what differentiated us from other supporters.

The whole club under performed this year but it was only the manager that got sacked, ultimately he is responsible but it leaves me with a lot of lingering doubts about the player’s motivation. Salah talking about being thrown under the bus while he’s on 400k per week and he was stinking the place up and not even showing desire to get balls he had lost back, what bus is that Mo? Some fans turned on Slot because he kept playing you and should have dropped you sooner. Then he has the balls to talk about going back to heavy metal football. My ultimate fear after Klopp left was losing continuity and so far it looks like it’ll be realized unless we can pull a rabbit out of a hat this time, seems unlikely.

Bottom line is fans wanted Slot gone since maybe before Christmas and he didn't show any signs of improvement from then until now for people to change their opinions. Once the fans lose faith in you it's usually only a matter of time before you're gone. We're in a mess that is maybe not entirely his fault but it's a mess that he can't fix, definitely not without fan support.

However I must agree with everyithg else you said. The boos and general abuse Slot got was something probably never seen before from Liverpool fans, definitely not something that has ever been directed towards a title winning manager. And this may be the first time in the last 60-70 years we've sacked a league winning manager. I mean I agree with sacking him but people behaving like he's the devil incarnate while he's not even the only one at fault. IMO Richard Hughes is as much if not more at fault for everything, spent a ton of money on players that are incompatible together and now he's about to sign an unproven buddy of his to be our next manager. The mess is bigger than just the manager but people refuse to see it.

[red till i die!!]

There is two things here, what happens on the pitch and what is happening off it. The latter has a habit of affecting what happens on the pitch. They control all signings, who goes and who stays and its all geared around budgets. Things like not getting any players in transfer windows, not addressing weaknesses or having a smaller squad. After the year Slot had im sure he was happy Konate was leaving with possibly no replacement coming in..getting stuck with other players because the board says it is cheaper to do this or financially this is the better option are all excuses given. Not knowing who they will or won't give a contract to is also tough to plan around. There is several entering the final year as well. They operate like a bunch of wheeler dealers with a bit of ducking and diving thrown in. Rodgers, Klopp and Slot all suffered from similar issues as its how we operate. Next lad will have to deal with it as well.

Slot won the league and will always get the credit and respect for that season. This year it's been his philosophy and its taking us nowhere. It would be different if we got stronger and better over the season and not worse. The players look unfit, badly coached and the team disjointed. There is nothing in our play or performances to suggest any improvement either as the players look to have given up on his methods. We ended up getting CL only because of how other clubs performed and we where slowly dropping down the table. If that season was 2 matches longer we might not have got it. Thats the harsh reality of it. The players liking that Salah tweet imo was what forced the board to sack him,  The fans being peed off with the season and Slot wouldn't have mattered much to them.  I hate the thought of player power myself but he had to go.

[Reg]

Sources indicate Virgil van Dijk was forced to shoulder significant leadership responsibilities off the pitch, with Slot leaning heavily on the club’s senior player group.

Liverpool insiders felt several academy prospects had become frustrated under Slot. One source claims the handling of Tyler Morton played a part in the club accepting a significantly reduced fee, while Trey Nyoni was also considering his future.

Slot initially wanted Rio Ngumoha sent out on loan and did not see him as part of his immediate first-team plans. Concerns over Slot’s approach to young players were raised internally during the season and ultimately helped seal his fate.

FSG began sounding out potential managerial replacements months before the final decision. Initial contact was made with Cesc Fàbregas in December, followed by first conversations with Andoni Iraola’s team in February.

Alonso was ruled out in March due to demands for greater control over football operations than Liverpool were prepared to grant.

Internal planning for a managerial change is believed to have accelerated at ownership level during the March international break, with poor results against Manchester City and PSG strengthening the case for action.

The fans will never really know what happened as usual.

[leeroy74]

Thank the lord for that!
Let's hope the next man ditches playing side to side crab football and actually pushes us on. Lets also pray he disbands the Dutch ties, kicks Gakpo into the Mersey and bins any backroom clog makers we have lingering about.
Lets hope the next man gives us identity again, fast free flowing progressive football we can turn up to watch and be entertained for our hard earned coin.
I'm not bothered if we win nothing 2026/2027, but progression needs to be the priority.

As for Slot, I thank him for nothing
Off ya pop

[red till i die!!]

Some stuff doing the rounds today on why we turned away from Alonso. Apparently we sounded him out in March but decided against it because he was looking for too much control over certain matters that the club didn't want to give!! Mostly around transfers.

This is what your up against and proof they dont always do what's best for the football side of things.

[damjan193]

Why are we insisting on this "coach" role with limited power? What famous and successful manager in football history has been just a coach? Because those CEOs have done such an amazing job so far am I right? Their best work so far was when they did nothing two summers ago and let Klopp's team win the league.

I'm afraid that firing Slot may not change a lot. The problem is bigger than the manager IMO.

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

I watched a couple of video's  of Ireola taking training sessions at Bournemouth. First up his English is poor, personality wise he's more of a cold fish type like Rafa than a gregarious, larger than life character like Jurgen. What i would say though is he doesnt like players holding onto the ball, he wants it moved quick, he likes players to take one touch, two at most and then get on their bikes [yes the old pass and move philosophy of Bill and Bob etc].
He likes players to hunt the ball down in packs too.
Style wise i think he'd suit us perfectly, we'd be going back to our pass and move roots, personality wise i'm not sure but we all loved Rafa [still do] so if we are not getting Jurgen back may as well give this fella a go. How big name players take to him god knows, only one way to find out i guess.

[red till i die!!]

Why are we insisting on this "coach" role with limited power? What famous and successful manager in football history has been just a coach? Because those CEOs have done such an amazing job so far am I right? Their best work so far was when they did nothing two summers ago and let Klopp's team win the league.

I'm afraid that firing Slot may not change a lot. The problem is bigger than the manager IMO.

It's just how they want to operate Mate and your right. Changing manager might make no difference at all.

I wanted Slot out and the main reason was the football was just awful. I could barely see us winning games never mind silverware. Had he got us playing more entertaining stuff that you could see improvement in id be fully behind him. It was far from that though and instead of knuckling down he was falling out with players.

Whoever gets the role will still have to contend with strange decisions like the rest.

[red till i die!!]

I watched a couple of video's  of Ireola taking training sessions at Bournemouth. First up his English is poor, personality wise he's more of a cold fish type like Rafa than a gregarious, larger than life character like Jurgen. What i would say though is he doesnt like players holding onto the ball, he wants it moved quick, he likes players to take one touch, two at most and then get on their bikes [yes the old pass and move philosophy of Bill and Bob etc].
He likes players to hunt the ball down in packs too.
Style wise i think he'd suit us perfectly, we'd be going back to our pass and move roots, personality wise i'm not sure but we all loved Rafa [still do] so if we are not getting Jurgen back may as well give this fella a go. How big name players take to him god knows, only one way to find out i guess.

Hes hard on the squad though Yakka. Apparently it's 7 days a week for months on end without a day off. I do like his style but we dont have the squad for it and its debatable whether our existing players would buy into it. Gakpo Isak and Etitike will struggle for a start. Injury prone lads like Gomez need to be sold this summer if they are giving it to him.

[redshade]

As long as there is progression you don't mind it taking some time, just like Klopp did. He may need to get rid of the players that don't fit his system first. If it is that high intensity training then as you guys said many are not suitable.

[kazza]

And here is the problem with changing managers after a couple of years, especially after a big spend last summer. Now we will have a new philosophy and temperament, some players buy in and some don’t, manager will have his favorites. In a couple of windows they’ll get rid of the “unhappy players” or the players he doesn’t like and the cycle continues. I’d say Ireola is a bigger risk than giving Slot another year. I understand that we were awful to watch and we had a sh1t defense of our title but I think it’s risky when a club makes the manager as interchangeable as the players. Klopp was lucky in the sense that he had a team that grew up with him, they evolved with him so they all had emotional bonds and therefore chemistry, that is how he got a team of good players to become world class, we had no egos and everyone seemed on the same page, a family of sorts. That needs continuity. It happened with Fergie, it happened with Wenger, it happened with Klopp. They all came in as relative unknowns with a clear way to play and a young team to do it…. But it needed continuity for it to come good.

Manager wins the PL first season then gets sacked next season after only qualifying for CL, tell me that’s not going to put serious pressure on the next manager   

[red till i die!!]

I see Marco Silva is leaving Fulham. Would anyone prefer him to Iraola.

[Doeboy]

I see Marco Silva is leaving Fulham. Would anyone prefer him to Iraola.

No way, pragmatic mid block kind of football.

Iraola is more in line with a Bielsa. In terms of style, he played under him so we'll be looking to get the ball up the pitch quickly.

We'll enjoy the style of play imo...its more about whether he can make the jump up in terms of the pressure to compete on all fronts and deliver silverware.