- Jul 3, 2020
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Fair points; having read about the infrastructure at Liverpool, it would appear there is an issue we need to address beyond the managerial appointment
What infrastructure of Liverpool??
Fair points; having read about the infrastructure at Liverpool, it would appear there is an issue we need to address beyond the managerial appointment
We have fallen away quite badly, we now look exactly what we are which is a mid table side, shocking levels of ambition, investment and leadership.This is true. But as the original poster said, it was 12 games into the season and lots of flux still happening in the table. Unfortunate draw at everton when yer man had an ugly ankle break and Son wrongfully sent off. Poor draw against Sheff Utd at home. Poch sacked. Things had dropped, but only from the great heights he was pivotal in creating. two wins later in the Mourinho bounce and we were 5th.
I reckon had Poch stayed we'd not be tearing it up, and there would possibly be similar levels of discontent as now. But a mitigating factor would be that we'd be well on the way with an evolution of a first eleven from the previous cycle that was ending. We spent club record money on Ndombele, LoCelso, Sess. We gave the guy who signed them 12 games to create the new first 11. Then we binned him. Abandoning not only him but his front foot blueprint.
We look like we're back in the pre-Jol days. That's certainly a danger now if we keep regressing while other sides improve.
This is pretty astounding considering the majority of our fanbase decided it was time for Poch to go because "he had lost the dressing room" for Jose to now question their desire.
I feel the same now as I felt under Poch which is that the players attitudes were the issue. Not to say they were bad apples but that we needed a personnel overhaul as the players no longer had the fight in them to continue the journey.
I worry for this route that Jose is going though. Feels like we're going to be heading for a toxic environment.
without a solid philosophy or plan
That’s an ultimatum to the players. It’s a big gamble, they’ll either respond with a committed, aggressive end of season or they’ll down tools. Jose’s basically gone into ‘nothing to lose’ territory 18 months prematurely.
Not confident it’ll work, but fuck it he’s only saying what most of this site are too.
I agree with lots, but the team itself is probably comparable to wolves, and Leicester in terms of quality and more like Arsenal where we have 2/3 elite players but most of the rest wouldn't get into the top for.I think people are starting to fall into the trap of thinking our players are shit because of recent performances.
Our team isn't shit - there's tons of talent. On paper we're better than all but 3 or 4 teams in the league. We have some glaring holes in the squad (CDM, RB, ST) but I suspect most managers would still prefer our squad over that of Wolves, Leicester, Arsenal and certainly Everton, Sheffield Utd etc. Before the season started most would've also picked our squad over those of Man Utd and Chelsea.
The problem is the way we're setting up. We look like far less than the sum of our parts and that has to be the fault of the manager.
Personally I think we dropped a bollock bringing in Mourihno. Yes he's a winner, but he's also on a downward trajectory and with Liverpool and City being this good I struggle to see him winning us a trophy (which is the main reason you bring him in).
We won't be moving him on anytime soon, so we've basically got to hold on tight, hope that he can turns things around somehow. We're gonna have to grin and bear it for a while, and maybe, just maybe, he'll hit upon a system that works.
I still maintain, though, that our squad is largely quite decent and under the right manager we'd be up there fighting for 3rd.
That’s an ultimatum to the players. It’s a big gamble, they’ll either respond with a committed, aggressive end of season or they’ll down tools. Jose’s basically gone into ‘nothing to lose’ territory 18 months prematurely.
Not confident it’ll work, but fuck it he’s only saying what most of this site are too.
Maybe it would have been easier to drop Serge if the greatest managerial mastermind in the history of football hadn't loaned out our only other right-back for no apparent reason?If you watch how Aurier defended the Sheffield United second goal and then listen to Jose in regards to his players desire then Aurier never plays for the club again
I actually 'like’ Serge but he has serious form on the desire front...
Will Jose put his money where his mouth is and start sorting shit out?
PS I’ll say it again I like Aurier and this has nothing to do with scapegoating but if you want to sort out a teams desire and mentality then it’s goodbye
Absolutely, which was what I meant by our mentality being wrong.Taking away the set up I felt that their players were hungrier and had a greater desire than ours collectively.
Sounds totally spot on. Levy treats transfer deals as battles, screwing down the selling club so hard it leaves a bitter taste in their mouths. All to save a few quid here and there. Whenever we try to deal again, his conduct is remembered and it counts against us.I’d agree if I had confidence in the club applying logic in the way you do. A rebuild is absolutely preferable but we’ve been hearing noises that there isn’t much money available. That means a rebuild on a modest budget, which is okay if you’ve got a good scouting and recruiting structure in place but I don’t think we do. I’ve got little faith in us acting effectively, decisively or timely when it comes to recruitment. We tend to faff about for ages, miss out on targets or alienate selling clubs. My only bit of ITK ever comes from my brother in law who used to be a very high flying PR executive and one of his clients was Shakhtar Donetsk and he told me this story that Levy was trying to buy one of their players some time ago, it might even have been Willian, and he was told he’d need to double his offer before the club would even consider talking. Anyway, Levy kept coming back with derisory offers that were about half a million better than the original offer. In the end the chairman wouldn’t even take his calls. I’ve no reason to doubt my brother in law, who had a close professional relationship with the SD chairman and this story certainly tallies with others that have done the rounds for years about Levy. In short, if we’re going to be characteristically difficult at recruitment again, we need someone who can reshape the bulk of the current squad because I’m not convinced we’ll sell that many of our ‘deadwood’. Because of this, I just can’t see Mourinho being successful in this context
He said the same thing at United and we're on the road to the same ending now. This is just not how you reach players these days. This squad has run it's heart out for years by and large. It got tired, mentally and physically, saw it's rivals strengthen while we got weaker. Of course they have lost heart and motivation. That's what Poch saw coming and he didn't know how to fix short of letting go of a lot of players.Or, he is saying it how it is. The lack of desire disturbed all of us. Maybe it's the players who have to listen to this and get their heads right. If this comment loses the dressing room, then we have a real problem with the mentality of our squad.
That’s an ultimatum to the players. It’s a big gamble, they’ll either respond with a committed, aggressive end of season or they’ll down tools. Jose’s basically gone into ‘nothing to lose’ territory 18 months prematurely.
Not confident it’ll work, but fuck it he’s only saying what most of this site are too.
He has some big decisions to make for Monday - does he drop people like Son for example who normally walk into the team but showed no effort in the SU game (sorry to pick on Son as I love him but he’s a good example in this case). Interesting to see who makes the cut for the everton game.Or, he is saying it how it is. The lack of desire disturbed all of us. Maybe it's the players who have to listen to this and get their heads right. If this comment loses the dressing room, then we have a real problem with the mentality of our squad.
Maybe it would have been easier to drop Serge if the greatest managerial mastermind in the history of football hadn't loaned out our only other right-back for no apparent reason?
Mourinho is poison. Please abort.