rgk_lfc

There have been plenty of managers over the last 25 years who have impressed in various shapes and forms. But only a select few have proven to have the ability to cross that final divide - win the PL, compete in the CL as they belong, win a cup playing excellent, outstanding football, leaving no doubt that their team deserved the trophy. Eddie Howe is one of them. Be very, very careful if you want to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Iraola, Glasner - all look impressive on paper, but they have not been tested in the final hurdle. I have been on record here as being an Eddie Howe fan. I believe I praised his achievements on here before he was linked to your job. In 2016, when it was time to replace Rodgers, Michael Edwards had a three-person shortlist - Ancelotti, Klopp, and Howe. Klopp won out due to his experience. When it was time to replace Klopp, Edwards again had three people - Alonso, Slot, and Howe. Howe declined to even consider the position. I am betting next time the LFC job opens up, which may be as early as May, Howe will be on Edwards' shortlist. Has he made mistakes with signings? I don't know the full details, and you all know more than I do, but it looks like he has. Maybe he does not have the best acumen for players. And based on what you all are saying, he is responsible for your club not performing to expectations this season. Having said that, Howe has that unique ability that top managers like Klopp and Guardiola have: at its peak, when everything is purring, the football is irresistible, untouchable; average players suddenly look five times better. You did not win the cup or compete in the CL by playing plucky underdog football. Your team stepped onto the pitch and competed as if they deserved to be there. Managers who can instill that come along once every decade. So why risk it? Wouldn't it be better to hire a strong CEO who can handle Howe's and a DOF's clashes and create a path forward, constantly reminding both of them that they need each other to succeed? If you end up relieving Howe of the manager's job this summer, he is not going to take over a lower-league club. There is a very good chance that he ends up at a club like Liverpool with someone like Michael Edwards pulling the strings from the background.

Does Enrique deserve a place among managerial greats now - Mourinho, Ferguson, Pep, Ancelotti? This PSG team seems not just good, but a landmark team that can influence the way football is played for generations.

Outside of leaking the 40 million amount, they didn't do anything wrong. Suarez could meet with Arsenal and have his wages negotiated. Henry refused to acknowledge the bid. LFC said we will not agree to the transfer paperwork and we are ready to meet you in court.

Suarez had a release clause of 40 million applicable to CL clubs. That amount of 40 million was supposed to be confidential. Suarez's agent leaked that amount. Arsenal bid 1 pound over 40 million. John Henry turned down that bid with a tweet "What do you think they are smoking over at the Emirates?". He told Suarez's entourage and Arsenal that he was ready to meet them in court. Few years later, in an interview, he admitted that he would have probably lost if they had gone to court. It was the last week of July that we received the bid from Arsenal. Henry was confident that if they went to court, the issue would not have been resolved in time and would have disrupted Arsenal's season. He also knew Arsenal wasn't exactly Suarez's dream move. So he took a chance. I believe that within a week, Suarez signed a new contract with that clause removed. If Arsenal had bid £ 42 or £ 45 million, I believe we would have accepted the bid. I also strongly believe Arsenal would have won the PL with Suarez. It was that extra 1 pound bid which pissed him off.

I wasn't being antagonistic towards Leffe . I am sure he tagged on LFC by mistake. Just pointing it out.

I haven't processed this event. Each time I look at the title of this post and the news, I stare in disbelief. Jota was a proper footballer. He was not the fastest, not the most skillful, and not the strongest. But he understood football. If you closely observe him play, you would get what I mean. Brilliant at roaming and finding space to receive the ball, then a couple of twists and turns to give himself half a yard of space, and then bam - a goal. Everything he did on the pitch oozed intelligence. He would have a spot in the squad for any team in any era. There would be a spot for him in Keegan's Newcastle, Robson's Newcastle, Ferguson's Man United, Wenger's Arsenal, and Mourinho's Chelsea. Understated and impactful, efficient. Not the tallest but a brilliant header of the ball. Mourinho said it best - he is not from this generation. You all know what he implied - somebody who had to fight to reach this level and appreciated every second of it. No flashy clothes, none of this bullshit sagas with transfers or demands or wages. Generous, kind to others, and always had time for the fans. Goes around helping people without advertising himself on social media.

I don't remember us (Liverpool) selling a player to Arsenal in the last fifteen years or so. John Henry famously challenged Arsenal and Suarez representatives to go to court if they wanted to after Arsenal met the release clause for Suarez.

Not trying to downplay Klopp, who was a transformational appointment for us. There are several reasons why we have been successful, but the most significant variable is FSG. They have completely transformed our club from the inside out - website, fan interaction, social media marketing, advertising revenue, stadium, and every aspect of our operation. They were the first to bring the transfer committee into the mainstream of the hiring process. They backed Edwards, Graham, and their team when the media were criticizing them for using spreadsheets to recruit players. They made mistakes, but the thing about FSG is that they are not afraid to learn and adapt. Klopp took over for us at the right moment, leveraged the tools FSG handed him, and took us to a whole new level. Don't think other managers would have had this level of impact. FSG are methodical - they take their time identifying the right people and proper strategy and back them. Andy Caroll might be the last time they rushed into anything.

The equation is pretty simple, especially for non-European players who don't have any emotional attachment to any place in England. I don't blame them. I would do the same. VVD and Salah re-signed because we offered the best wages and the chances of winning trophies in the next two years but mainly because we offered the best wages.

Joao Pedro might not care about how many high-end handbag shops he has access to, but his wife/girlfriend, who might be a model or an influencer, brother, mother, and father, all tend to care about it. We have lost several players to London clubs in the past over it. It is not just the restaurants. It is about access to a community from their home country, social media opportunities, connections to modeling agencies, and other famous personalities - London offers much more than Liverpool and I presume Newcastle. I still don't get why anyone would waste away their short career signing and becoming one among the 70 squad players at the current version of Chelsea over Newcastle or LFC, but I am biased.

Ward is quality. He is another of Edwards' proteges - very analytical and data-oriented. Like Edwards, Ward remains in the background. He does not give media interviews or make proclamations about the difficulties of his job or the great things he has done. Doesn't have a social media account or profile. He has deep connections in Portugal. He was the brains behind the Diaz and MacAllister transfer. According to rumors, he was also vehemently against Nunez and preferred Goncalo Ramos. I would be surprised if he moved, though. Edwards' proteges tend to remain loyal to Edwards, and Edwards is loyal to FSG. But if you land him, it will be one hell of a catch—better than Monchi, Berta, Mitchell, or other glamorous DOFs who can't quite keep their mouth out of the media. The one negative thing is that Ward is very process-oriented, and if he feels that he is overruled one too many times, he tends to walk away. Which is what happened at LFC, according to most insiders? But when he was overruled for the contract extensions and Nunez signing, he decided he was not needed and stepped down. There was no fight or bad mouthing in the media. More of "If you don't trust my process, I am not needed". From 2016-2021, our transfer decisions were taken as a collective between Mike Gordon (CEO), Edwards, and Klopp, who were the three pillars with much respect for each other. Gordon was the tiebreaker if there were disagreements between Klopp and Edwards. After some time, Gordon took a back seat, which led to Klopp having more influence. When it was Ward versus Klopp, there was no contest. So you will definitely need a strong CEO to act as a tiebreaker.

He is a good technical player. Not sure what his position is though. He is not physical enough to play in midfield. He does not have the pace to play upfront. His best position is a number 10. While he is creative and technical, he is not that good enough to warrant a permanent number 10 role for a club who aiming to go deep in CL. All in all, great attitude, works hard. You have been linked with him but as you grow your squad, I am betting he will end up being a squad player.

Not sure why we are not looking at Gyokeres. Honestly, I am clueless about players other than those playing for Liverpool. We are linked to Ekitike, though. That link might have some truth to it. Edwards and the data nerds are running the show now. Staveley recruited some background Liverpool data nerds and performance analysts to your club. So, the fact that you were strongly linked to Ekitike in the past means that there is a good chance our data team is looking at the same information. I know we were looking at Bottman and Guimares, but you moved faster. In general, I know that when elite talent becomes available, Edwards and his team drop everything, focus on that player, go all in, and then figure out what the team needs with the remaining money. We did that with Van Dijk. We are currently doing that with Wirtz. We need a striker more than an attacking midfielder who operates in the left and center channels, but when Wirtz became available, they went all in. That is the message in the press. I guess we will get Kerkez, Frimpong, and Wirtz over the line, look at sales, and decide what to do about the striker position.

Chelsea are leading the race for Ekitike. They have an agreement with Emegha, who will join next summer from Strasbourg. Outside of Jackson, there are two other young strikers he will have to compete with. I don't want to criticize how they do things at Chelsea as it works for them, but it would be a mental decision for any young footballer to join them in the way they do things. Can you seriously rule out them purchasing another two young strikers by the end of next summer outside of the four they will have if all of their signings go through? You will play atleast 50 games next season. Isak wont start all of them. Even if Isak remains injury free throughout the season, Delap will organically get 10-15 games to start. Then you add the injuries and niggles to Isak. There are games in which Howe may prefer adding on two strikers. There are atleast six clubs in the PL, including Everton; Delap should consider joining before Chelsea. Good luck to him. I like him as a player.

When he was at Portsmouth, Edwards had created a database of prospective players and their profiles in a CD. Harry Redknapp complained he was not able to get it to work. Turns out Harry was using the audio CD player in his car to try to get player information.