A sensible assessment. But there’s growing discontent among the fans and some want him gone. Some even asking for Gerrard which is quite the take i must say
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The 2025-2026 Football Thread
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I doubt it. They have been happy to stick with managers for years without success previously!
Terrific victory for Arsenal (a very happy Gunner, here).
Re Liverpool, to my mind, (as with Ferguson before him), Klopp may have remained on a season or two longer than he possibly should have (and I write as an admirer of Klopp), and the team - which was excellent - stayed competitive at the top level - and some players were retained - for far longer than one might have otherwise expected.
This has now changed, and the faults and frailties are now apparent and indeed, glaringly obvious.
Moreover, I think that the fact that Liverpool won last season's Premier League title actually masked the fact that Liverpool - the team - needed radical renewal and regeneration.
Re Liverpool, to my mind, (as with Ferguson before him), Klopp may have remained on a season or two longer than he possibly should have (and I write as an admirer of Klopp), and the team - which was excellent - stayed competitive at the top level - and some players were retained - for far longer than one might have otherwise expected.
This has now changed, and the faults and frailties are now apparent and indeed, glaringly obvious.
Moreover, I think that the fact that Liverpool won last season's Premier League title actually masked the fact that Liverpool - the team - needed radical renewal and regeneration.
The exact same was said about United and Ferguson when he retired, he retained far too many players that he should have got rid of before he retired thereby handing over a title winning team that would struggle to retain the title with the new manager. Klopp handed over a fresh team more than capable of winning the title to the next manager and it worked, the team won the league. Even though Ferguson handed over the premier league 2012-2013 winning team to the next manager, many football critics said Ferguson should have freshened up the team but he didn't and with a combination of other things going on at the club, the club and the team suffered.
Gerrard may have legendary status as a player, but I have yet to see anything that leads me to believe he has the managerial capability of Xabi Alonso, let alone Klopp or even Brendan Rogers.
I still believe this is a very good squad that is in transition and underperforming. Not a ‘bad’ squad.
As for Slot, last season he consistently showed an ability to make changes in the broad tactical approach and in individual games that had positive outcomes.
Based on that, no panic is called for. At this level margins are fine and opponents are both capable and always trying to improve. Success is never guaranteed and indeed ‘failure’ is the norm… 1/20th of the league are champions each season.
In short, when it comes to Slot, let him cook. There will be time in the summer to see what happens next. I don’t expect miracles or even titles every season, nobody should.
I still believe this is a very good squad that is in transition and underperforming. Not a ‘bad’ squad.
As for Slot, last season he consistently showed an ability to make changes in the broad tactical approach and in individual games that had positive outcomes.
Based on that, no panic is called for. At this level margins are fine and opponents are both capable and always trying to improve. Success is never guaranteed and indeed ‘failure’ is the norm… 1/20th of the league are champions each season.
In short, when it comes to Slot, let him cook. There will be time in the summer to see what happens next. I don’t expect miracles or even titles every season, nobody should.
Even after spending £450 million in the summer? I do t think he has bought wisely. Sometimes a player has all the skill you want on the pitch, but isn’t the sort of player you want in the dressing room.
I wonder if Issac is that type of player? He certainly doesn’t seem like a good investment at this stage.
Time will tell. I also think Van Dijk isn’t the player he was. Every time you let in a goal he’s shouting at his team mates apportioning blame. Yet he seems to often be the one that has cost the goal.
But don’t worry you’ll do fine on Sunday against us!
Claudio Ranieri proved a club and it's team does not need to have a boardroom of superstars or a team full of superstars. What he proved when at Leicester City is that with the right group of players that all gel and work together as one anyone can win the premier league. What he also proved is that when that right group of players is tampered with, it can all fall apart. Leicester had 3 outstanding players in the winning season and come the new season the club sold two of them. This caused the team dynamic to change and no matter how hard Ranieri tried to find that right dynamic again, he could not.
Everyone was predicting that Klopp would put together a title winning squad and he did so in his last season at Liverpool. All it needed was a good manager to see it through. Slot never really messed with the team, it was still effectively Klopp's team. The test of Slot's ability as manager would be tested the following season when he starts to introduce his own changes. The question being asked was does he have what it takes to make his own title winning team. The jury is still out on that one.
Everyone was predicting that Klopp would put together a title winning squad and he did so in his last season at Liverpool. All it needed was a good manager to see it through. Slot never really messed with the team, it was still effectively Klopp's team. The test of Slot's ability as manager would be tested the following season when he starts to introduce his own changes. The question being asked was does he have what it takes to make his own title winning team. The jury is still out on that one.
Even good teams under good managers can underperform. We’ve seen it recently when Man City went through a slump. Sometimes a radical change in tactics and some new personnel can shake things up, and Klopp was capable of making that kind of change.
I have faith in Slot’s ability to evolve, with Feyenoord he won the Dutch league with a squad of many unknown players. I think evolving the squad with a bunch of superstar players like Wirtz and Isak was always going to be an expensive risk, especially for the dressing room. It is a new situation for Slot, and especially with the aging key components of the squad like Van Dijk and Mo Salah there are some challenges to overcome.
Tactically, Liverpool have to prove that they can defend as well as attack. The strategy of “we’ll score more goals than the other team” has often proved fragile in the past. I’d like to see them focus on keeping a few clean sheets.
But I think by buying top-class talent things will eventually come out right.
I have faith in Slot’s ability to evolve, with Feyenoord he won the Dutch league with a squad of many unknown players. I think evolving the squad with a bunch of superstar players like Wirtz and Isak was always going to be an expensive risk, especially for the dressing room. It is a new situation for Slot, and especially with the aging key components of the squad like Van Dijk and Mo Salah there are some challenges to overcome.
Tactically, Liverpool have to prove that they can defend as well as attack. The strategy of “we’ll score more goals than the other team” has often proved fragile in the past. I’d like to see them focus on keeping a few clean sheets.
But I think by buying top-class talent things will eventually come out right.
Agree completely re Gerrard as a possible manager.
Appointing him manager, or chief coach, would be a disastrous move.
At the moment, two key players, namely, both Virgil van Dijk (the more important player of the two, in my view - for, Liverpool's season seriously suffers when van Dijk is underwhelming or unavailable) and Mo Salah are underperforming.
While Liverpool have several extremely good players at their disposal, as is the case with every team, a few individual key players are vital to the actual success of the team, and two of those are - currently - not performing at the level that the club has been used to over recent seasons. This is bound to have an impact on the club.
Sad news. Love and best wishes to his family, friends and fan’s.
www.bbc.com
West Ham legend Billy Bonds dies aged 79
Billy Bonds, West Ham's record appearance maker who led them to two FA Cup titles, passes away peacefully on Sunday morning.
www.bbc.com
True legend. I meet him once at charity match. Really nice guy.Sad news. Love and best wishes to his family, friends and fan’s.
West Ham legend Billy Bonds dies aged 79
Billy Bonds, West Ham's record appearance maker who led them to two FA Cup titles, passes away peacefully on Sunday morning.
RIP.
Of course, once the season was underway, it is - has been - all too lamentably easy to forget about what must have been the shocking, it must have been deeply traumatic, effect of the tragic and entirely unexpected death of Diogo Jota last summer, on his teammates, the team, and on the club.
That is true, but that isn’t what is effecting the new arrivals.
That said still 0-0 at The London Stadium as approach halftime.
Sad news. Love and best wishes to his family, friends and fan’s.
West Ham legend Billy Bonds dies aged 79
Billy Bonds, West Ham's record appearance maker who led them to two FA Cup titles, passes away peacefully on Sunday morning.
I love to read about those club legends, - have always admired and respected them as people - and always hate to see them leave us.
Indeed.
Actually, broadly speaking, I'm in agreement with you.
And this is not just a matter of excessive expectations on the part of fans.
For that matter, I am not much impressed by Isak, either as a man, or as a footballer.
Yes, 0-0 at half time.
Indeed. Maybe he had a bet on for getting a red card! 2-0 down now. So all in all a bad day at the office today.
Liverpool didn’t concede. That’s pretty much the takeaway. Can they do it again next match? Isak scored but so much more is demanded of him I’m not going to be impressed till I see some consistency.
Mo being dropped is non-news. He’s in a slump, logic demands a change.
Paqueta’s red probably didn’t affect the outcome, but it will obviously be a talking point for Hammers fans. You don’t give away a card that cheaply.
Mo being dropped is non-news. He’s in a slump, logic demands a change.
Paqueta’s red probably didn’t affect the outcome, but it will obviously be a talking point for Hammers fans. You don’t give away a card that cheaply.
Agreed.
Indeed.
Neither the man nor the footballer impress me; he owes Liverpool a lot more than this single, belated, goal, and I daresay his teammates must (privately) have pondered his destructive antics, behaviour, conduct, and irresponsible tactics (which benefitted neither Liverpool nor Newcastle) last summer.
Agreed.
No, but it was an utterly irresponsible, criminally negligent, wholly unnecessary and almost illegally stupid action. Moronic, in fact.
Agreed.
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Not conceding against West Ham is hardly an achievement I'm afraid. Agree the red card didn't affect the outcome and was stupid.
Granted, it is a filthy, late November afternoon, pouring with icy, drenching rain, and almost dark already (and has been, well, for the past few hours).
That almost reconciles me to some Sunday football, but, in truth, I'm Old School on suhc matters.
I prefer my games to take place on Saturday, and am underwhelmed at the fact that Arsenal. for the second consecutive Sunday, find themselves playing a match in the late afternoon/early evening.
That almost reconciles me to some Sunday football, but, in truth, I'm Old School on suhc matters.
I prefer my games to take place on Saturday, and am underwhelmed at the fact that Arsenal. for the second consecutive Sunday, find themselves playing a match in the late afternoon/early evening.