The big picture: A breakdown of Liverpool's transfer-strategy and (dis)similarities to us

[MackRobinson]

You sort of answered your own question.

One got told, we tried, sorry but we'll do better the next time.

The other got told told you're not getting who you want and you never will.

Consequently the respective reactions were quite different.

You completely made this up.

 

[MackRobinson]

The policy for the past 2 years has been a very strong commitment to exactly the right player when it comes to the first team.

It was Alisson or no one (shudder). Van Dijk or no one. Keita or no one. And, as we saw on the flip side, Fekir or no one.

When Klopp first came in, he had more of a "there are plenty of fish in the sea" approach, so it wasn't always like this.

I actually think it's much more simplistic than that. After the 2016-17 season it was clear Klopp was building a good side who played attractive football. It's much easier to target better players when you can attract them.

 

[elnorte]

You completely made this up.

Maybe very slightly exaggerated in terms of tone and the precise words used.

But for all intents and purposes it's true since Mourinho was in fact refused the players he asked for by Woodward during the summer.

 

[MackRobinson]

Maybe very slightly exaggerated in terms of tone and the precise words used.

But for all intents and purposes it's true since Mourinho was in fact refused the players he asked for by Woodward during the summer.

Because of the cost. That's very different than what you are suggesting. Mourinho was a terrible, terrible manager. His failures have very little to do with Woodward.

 

[elnorte]

Because of the cost. That's very different than what you are suggesting. Mourinho was a terrible, terrible manager. His failures have very little to do with Woodward.

I'm actually not suggesting anything.

 

[Carolina Red]

Thoughts

I'll say this about FSG... I am a Red Sox baseball fan, have been since before I knew what Manchester United even was. Those guys at FSG have completely turned around the fortunes of the franchise and taken us from perennial also-rans behind the Yankees to World Series champs 3 times in the last 15 years... all during their ownership of the team. They get it and know how to turn a team into a winning one.

Here's some insight into what they do with the Red Sox organization...

Former Red Sox pitcher, 2004 World Series champion and local television analyst Lenny DiNardo:

"Prior to playing with the Red Sox, I was in a New York Mets minor league organisation. It was kind of a culture shock when I arrived at Boston. When you're in the low minor leagues, it's all about development, but when you get to the big leagues, there's no emphasis on instruction, it's all: 'Go out there and perform.'

"That's everywhere in the big leagues, especially with the Red Sox. Not necessarily because of the Red Sox management or organisation, but the fans -- Red Sox Nation -- expect you to win. If you don't, they're going to tear your heart out. They're going to find someone that will win.

"The organisation does things a certain way to help you to win. It's putting you in a position to succeed. In the Red Sox organisation, everyone has top-notch facilities, even in the minor leagues, to help get them where they need to be. It's different in other organisations.

"We would see John Henry, Tom Werner and all of those guys all the time. They wouldn't really hold clubhouse meetings or anything like that, but they were around the ball park all the time.

"It was noticeable what kind of management they were, because they would bring back some of the old-time, successful players. All these guys would be with us in the clubhouse prior to the games. I don't think every organisation does that. It's just them going out of their way and keeping a line of communication between the older crowd and the newer guys.

"There is so much history in Boston when it comes to the Red Sox. I really feel that winning is contagious and playing ball the right way is really invaluable when it comes to having success."

http://www.espn.com/soccer/club/liv...to-win-under-fsg-ownership-but-successes-vary

 

[Lynty]

Well jinxed. Do some witchcraft on Liverpool please.

Liverpool have 100% got the league and Champions League in the bag.

 

[fastwalker]

This is a terrific and instructive post. My view is that if you cannot learn from those who are better than you, then you are too stupid to improve. With that in mind, I think that there are a number of really valuable learning points for Manchester United, which I have listed below:

1. It is important to buy the right plyers, not the best players - United have to ditch this addiction to trying to buy the 'best players' (ie: those with big names, great talent and high price tags). This obsession with marquee names has seen United bring in a procession of players (Di Maria, Falcao, De Puy, Lukaku and Sanchez that have clearly not been right for the club.

The best player on paper is not necessarily the right player in practice and in recent years United have proved that better than anyone. United does not need players who are ready to come, it needs those who are ready to play. ​

Decisions on player recruitment should also be completely devoid of revenue generating considerations, such as possible shirt sales and other commercial factors.

2. You must be prepared to wait - in business a medium term strategy is about 3 to 5 years. However, in football if a manager survives five years it is generally regarded as long term. The fact is that Ole is likely to be given more money to spend than he is time. That said, new ideas take time to be understood, a philosophy needs time to be embraced and a culture takes time to be embedded. Of all the resources at Ole's disposal: transfer budget, players, advice etc, the one thing Ole needs above all is time. I think if United are really serious, the club must be prepared to give Ole three years. During that period, the club must be willing if necessary to see the club go backwards a little in order to go forward. A short term approach, at Liverpool, would probably have seen Klopp sacked by now.

3. Never get emotional in business - I for one was actually surprised when Liverpool sacked Kenny Dalglish, but that decision proved to me that whilst emotion should be expressed in abundance on the terraces, on the pitch and in the dressing room, it has absolutely no place in a boardroom. Therefore, if it is not working and seems unlikely that it will, then you have to let the manager go. Clearly, results are all important for any club, but considering the rebuilding job required at United, so should the performances.

4. Don't lower the bar - much as Klopp is often described as some latter day ubermensch, I have heard him say some fairly daft things like "trophies are not the most important thing". Ok I get it, he is only trying to take the pressure of his players and himself, but really? For the avoidance of doubt, for a side competing at the elite level, trophies are all that matters. Ole should absolutely never be seduced into saying otherwise because that is not how Manchester United managers talk. Winning is a mentality, it can be coached into you and it can be coached out of you. Failure must never be a measure of value for any United team.

5. Put your stamp on the place - any manager arriving at a club, will find themselves faced with a defining moment. It could be one that arises from a challenge to their authority, it could be a tussle with the board over a player they want to buy or sell or bit could be a performance on the pitch ala Barcelona. For Klopp, I see Virgil Van Dijk's arrival as the defining moment. Prior to his arrival, Van Dijk had done and proved nothing much. But somehow Klopp was able to convince the Liverpool board to part with a world record transfer fee for a player who was probably better known for his surliness than his skills. Given all that has transpired since, that decision, probably more than any other, has defined Klopp's astuteness. Ole needs a similar defining moment to put his stamp on the United dressing room.

 

[dangler]

What I see from you analysis make me smile cause I have forgotten about half the morons they had.

I can also see that they bought a lot of average players but instead of rewarding them with long term contracts they loaned or shipped them out.

How they managed to get their hands on Hannibal and Torres is beyond me. They were top tier talent at that time. Also Chelsea put a spell on Torres, was fun times.

Anyone remembers the name of the very tall and pathetic guy they had in attack? He was fun to watch.

 

[Borussin]

Liverpool has had a recruitment/transfer committee even before Klopp. So what was the difference? Better coherence?

Simple really, a lack of ego is the big difference.

As I recall when Rogers was there, he refused to work under a sporting director, as he wanted to feel in charge, which is why Liverpool ended up with that ridiculous transfer committee. It's telling that everyone knew about it - because it was a source of constant hilarity in the press to everyone outside the club.

Klopp WANTS to work with a sporting director. So immediately they could bin the the ridiculous committee, and work with a director and his network of scouts. The one thing Klopp wanted was the final say, which is fair enough. He isn't so self absorbed and arrogant that he feels he has to have total control. He wants to work as a collective, as he always did before going to Liverpool.

 

[sglowrider]

Simple really, a lack of ego is the big difference.

As I recall when Rogers was there, he refused to work under a sporting director, as he wanted to feel in charge, which is why Liverpool ended up with that ridiculous transfer committee. It's telling that everyone knew about it - because it was a source of constant hilarity in the press to everyone outside the club.

Klopp WANTS to work with a sporting director. So immediately they could bin the the ridiculous committee, and work with a director and his network of scouts. The one thing Klopp wanted was the final say, which is fair enough. He isn't so self absorbed and arrogant that he feels he has to have total control. He wants to work as a collective, as he always did before going to Liverpool.

Klopps almost night & day to Branda other than their luminous set of gnashers -- which must be an LFC club discount thing from their official teeth partners.