[quote=“Appendage, post: 588098”]
I think we need a good debate about what constitutes a big club. .[/quote]
Five European cups.
Any club that has won four or more European Cups in the last 40 years.
A club who is an athletic wing for a militant organisation.
Any club which has won at least eight major European trophies in the last 40 years.
Criteria would surely include winning their own domestic league in the last 20 years.
It looks like David Fein is favourite for the Dof role, and will make up the 4 man panel that will control all football matters outside the first team- Owner, Dein,Segues and coach.
Whoever the new guy is, he will only have sole control of first team matters. This may rule Rafa out as just before he left, he was demanding full control of all matters, particularly transfers and the academy.
Dein is a chief executive type figure. From the outside he appears very good at that role but he’s certainly not a Director of Football in the conventional sense.
It’s becoming progressively apparent that FSG are the type of meddling owners who are under the mistaken impression that they know something about the game.
How’s their new manager working out with the Red Sox?
They gave the fans and the club their head for a full season and it obviously didnt work, now its their way, seems fair enough, its their ball, its their game. They aim to make the club into a profitable venture, doing so would mean getting into the top 4, and further success, surely this is ok with fans you’d imagine. Or maybe they just want to win carling cups.
Decent article by Dion Fanning on the current situation. Interestingly, he mentions Frank de Boer, I hadn’t heard him mentioned before.
Kenny Dalglish was appointed Liverpool manager because he represented permanence and he was sacked last week because he couldn’t change. Dalglish waited 20 years to return to the club and when he did, he swiftly united it. Yet everything unravelled last season. Liverpool were unlucky too often and even an FA Cup final victory wouldn’t have saved Dalglish. Dalglish’s persona remained unaltered over those 20 years. He retained the devotion of the supporters but as Liverpool continued to lose, he was unable to project a sense of control. It was not about being media-friendly. Alex Ferguson, after all, is whatever the opposite of media-friendly is. Hate, Christopher Hitchens said, got him out of bed in the morning and the same could be said of Ferguson. He has dominated through this emotion, while Dalglish seemed only to be ruled by suspicion. He may have been right to be suspicious but as Liverpool’s season evolved in ways they couldn’t have imagined, as the Suarez case created the false but powerful impression that this was a club soft on racism, Dalglish looked wary and powerless. If you’re going to take on the world, as Alex Ferguson has always understood, you have to be sure you’re going to win. The Suarez case created the peripheral damage even as it struck at the heart, but Liverpool were undone by their league form, even if Dalglish is believed to have felt that victories in the cups would be enough this season. Damien Comolli had already paid for the combination of the two. Comolli struck the deals for Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll but they were players Dalglish wanted. The policy of buying British may have been popular with some and ensured the players ended up in the England squad last week, but that only underlined the principle that form is temporary, crushing mediocrity is permanent. Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, have promised that this summer it will be different. There will be no more Stewart Downings at £20m and they have embarked on an ambitious plan to transform the club, even if the plan so far has only been ridiculed. FSG are right to make an appointment based on their own judgement, rather than be swayed by populist opinion. Any choice they make represents a gamble. FSG have worked out a structure they want to implement and it will only work if they appoint the manager they think is best suited to that role. They can’t be swayed by the views of Liverpool fans, in either direction. Once again, there are parallels with Newcastle United, who, despite being led by a man downing a pint in a replica jersey, soared like Superman while Liverpool, so proud of their ascetic sabermetrics credentials, suffered in their Bizarro world. Mike Ashley is very different to John Henry, but things changed for him when he stopped listening to old-fashioned conventional football wisdom and worked in sport as he had in business. Ashley, too, had brought back a messiah, albeit one who had achieved a lot less in management than Dalglish. Later, when he sacked Chris Hughton and appointed Alan Pardew, Ashley had to withstand more abuse from the supporters. FSG spent the first 18 months doubting themselves and their own decisions. They are, informed sources suggest, more comfortable with those who advise them now than those who had influence in the past. English football is a complex world and John Henry and Tom Werner have taken some time to discover that. They may wonder how they blew the Fernando Torres money on Downing and Carroll, but they are confident now that when it comes to player recruitment they can do what they had always wished. The manager, too, will be appointed in consultation with the new men taking Comolli’s role. Txiki Begiristain, the former Barcelona sporting director, is believed to be interested, but he hasn’t been approached. Pep Segura, the technical manager at Liverpool’s Academy, is also expected to be promoted. These positions will be filled before the new manager is confirmed. Comolli’s duties will be split between administrative tasks and the key job of finding players. He failed at that and the same mistakes won’t be made this summer. Comolli “interviewed well” when he got the job as director of football and this may underline the problem they face in finding a new manager. Candidates might be discounted if they reveal themselves to be arrogant in the interview process, it was suggested, but arrogance and knowing your own mind are assets in a football manager. On Friday, they were considering talking to Rafael Benitez, having previously ruled him out. He still hadn’t been approached by yesterday and there was some reluctance from club sources to suggest he was on the shortlist. If Benitez was appointed they would fear losing control again, but they can’t shirk from strong personalities. There is no point employing somebody agreeable, somebody who can fit into a management structure if they can’t accommodate the creative brilliance of a man who knows what he wants. Liverpool need to be prepared to be troubled by their manager. After all, there is no more intense and driven manager than Guardiola. In some ways, it would be a self-destructive thankless job for Benitez. He would suffer from the high expectations from the fans who adore him and the bitter enmity from those who don’t. Liverpool is not a club which observes moderation. Benitez might be better off at another club where he can remind the world of his excellence as a coach. But he loves Liverpool and, given the nature of his departure two years ago and all that has happened since, he understandably craves a return. He would be no more of a gamble than most of the names mentioned and the gamble comes with the baggage rather than his coaching ability. On that criteria, he is the outstanding candidate, once Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have been dismissed as fanciful. FSG have heard from many sources that he is a difficult man and having had to dismiss two managers in their first 18 months, they would understandably hesitate if they are influenced by those views. Nobody would claim he is easy but there is a long list of players who want to work with him again and when even Benitez’s nemesis, Christian Purslow, says he is a strong candidate, FSG are risking further alienation from supporters by refusing to talk to him. If he is suggested by the men advising FSG, Benitez will be approached. There is, however, a reluctance to interview him if he isn’t going to get the job. Politically, it is hard to understand how they could refuse to meet him. FSG would need to be convinced he could work within the model they propose and Benitez might be happy with a one-year rolling contract which would leave both sides with an exit strategy. Andre Villas-Boas will be approached this week. AVB’s man-management skills make Benitez look like Ron Atkinson. He is no Mr Bojangles and if anything he came out of the Chelsea debacle less tarnished than he should have been. The seductive notion of the mutinous Stamford Bridge dressing room has masked how spectacularly badly he handled the job. There were strong personalities, but beyond the usual suspects it was routine to hear in his final weeks how he had alienated most players in the squad. More importantly, he made a mess of his remit and was fired. Survival is the starting point for a manager and he undermined himself with his sensitivity and inability to bring key players with him. He might have learned from that but it would be a risky appointment for a dressing room that needs managing. Before the FA Cup final, Pepe Reina offered an insight into Fernando Torres’ problems which countered the idea that it was only the old hands at Chelsea that struggled with AVB. “It is much easier to get over mistakes when you know you have the confidence of your manager and your team-mates. With Villas-Boas, especially, I don’t think Fernando felt that,” he said. AVB is somebody who will interview well, in fact he will probably ace an interview, which underlines the risks in their strategy. A manager like Frank de Boer, who has already been approached and expressed an interest, would offer more authority and may fit within the framework. He would also allow Liverpool to make a fresh start. Alan Pardew and Marcelo Bielsa are not in contention. Despite his statement on Friday, Brendan Rodgers has not been discounted yet, while Roberto Martinez is a gamble, but a manager who fits into their model. Liverpool shouldn’t shirk from strong personalities. A club built on everyone getting on is doomed. So is a club where nobody gets on. The managing director Ian Ayre has signed a new contract. He found it hard to stand up to Dalglish, it is said, which led to problems in the Suarez-Evra case. FSG expect those they appoint to do the work they were employed to do. “Do people want them to be hands-on like Abramovich, interfering in everything?” a source close to them asked last week. Even an exceptional case like the Suarez-Evra incident was expected to be handled by Ayre, Comolli and Dalglish. None of them managed it in the most spectacular PR disaster for the club. Ayre remains at the club, rolling out his vision ‘going forward’. The new man, an FSG source insisted, wouldn’t be fired if Liverpool finished fifth or sixth. “They aren’t Chelsea,” he added. Dalglish is believed to have felt the demands were altered as the season progressed. He was said to be devastated last week, despite the typical public statements backing the club. Liverpool’s stature as a great football club stands most profoundly now in its ability to provide psychodrama. Dalglish left Anfield 21 years ago at the peak of his powers but worn down by Hillsborough. He watched people die supporting the club he loved and then felt it was his duty to let the tragedy consume him. He left last week as a potent symbol of what Liverpool once stood for. He is an exiled king now, another tragic figure wandering the heath. FSG took possession of the club last week. Exorcising the ghosts will be much more difficult.
I’ve had a few quid on Capello to be the next manager at 15.5 on Betfair. Some rumours around that he’s being brought to Boston for talks.
Frank De Boer was approached for the job and turned down the opportunity to speak with them.
Is this the guy who played for the huns? :lol:
Ah here.
Liverpool has chosen sports marketing executive Billy Hogan to become the 18-time English soccer champion’s new commercial director, according to two executives connected with the team. Hogan is managing director of Fenway Sports Management, the marketing arm of John Henry’s Fenway Sports Group that owns Liverpool, the Boston Red Sox and Roush Fenway Racing. He will move to Liverpool from Boston, said the people, who were granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Liverpool representatives didn’t respond to an e-mail seeking comment. Hogan didn’t immediately reply to a voicemail. The new hire continues a shake-up after the Reds finished eighth in England’s Premier League, the worst finish for the club in 14 years. The club fired manager Kenny Dalglish after ending the season 37 points behind champion Manchester City. Since Henry’s investment group bought the club 18 months ago, Liverpool has also ousted Director of Football Damien Comolli, Chief Medical Officer Peter Bruckner, Communications Director Ian Cotton and Commercial Manager Graham Bartlett. Hogan will assume the role of Bartlett, a former Nike Inc. executive who lasted less than a year in his post. Managing Director Ian Ayre will get greater responsibility over negotiating player trades and contracts, a role previously done by Comolli, one of the people said. An official announcement confirming the arrival of Hogan will be made later this month, the people said. Next Manager Ayre is in charge of bringing a list of candidates for the vacant manager post to principal owner Henry and Chairman Tom Werner, added the person. The Boston-based duo has yet to start talks with any potential coach. Former England coach Fabio Capello and Tottenham’s Harry Redknapp do not fit the criteria for a coach Liverpool is looking for, two of the people said. U.K. media today linked the pair with the Reds. Hogan has worked on Liverpool projects as well as FSG’s other properties. He helped secure a record 25 million pounds per year agreement to have Boston-based New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc.’s Warrior Sports supply jerseys, replacing Adidas AG. He has also been part of a team putting together Liverpool’s off-season tour in the U.S.
Luis Van Gaal ??
Villas Boas out of the running say the Echo:
LVG > AVB
Sounds like we’re picking between two computer anti-virus programmes
They seem to have targeted Van Gaal for a ‘Sporting Director’ role and they want a ‘Head Coach’ to work with the first team. Would Van Gaal not possess the kind of forceful personality that a coach would find difficult? He’d strike me as the type to interfere.
I was reading someone more interesting than me making the point that while Van Gaal always ends up falling out with a club, he’d be a great appointment for a couple of years because he’d get them back to a CL level before the falling out. He’s an excellent manager but I’d share your sentiment on his qualities as a Director of Football. He has a very particular style of play that he wants players to execute. It’s successful, mostly, but it’s hardly what you’d want a Director of Football doing.
Having said that David Dein was also linked with that Sporting Director role was he not? So one of those rumours must be completely wrong because they’re not even remotely comparable in terms of what they’d bring to the role.