Slot Gone

[Crimson Dynasty]

After PSG win, maybe Enrique will want a new challenge. I doubt he will give up easy gig in France. Whoever we get, they will have to learn how to spin plates with a squad with no depth.

Reports out of France are that he wants to go for 3 (CL titles) and match the likes of Ancelotti and Zidane.

So it's not likely he's leavingPSG any time soon, and why would he?

He's getting better paid there and gets anything he needs (in terms of players he needs in the transfer market) from the PSG board.
Additionally, the only place I reckon he'd ever leave PSG for now would probably be a return to Barcelona, but that's not on the cards for a long long while.

[retired]

Bournemouth brought in some very good player's, I just hope Irpola can do the same with us. Be nice to go back to 70-80-90's
where we purchased players, Scotland, Wales and Ireland ,and some from lower div. they then went on to be world beaters.

[RedMagic]

Good points and I agree. I think it was a good window too, none of us could foresee the drop off. Anybody who said they did is lying. Absolutely nobody expected an unprecedented drop in level and the poorest title defence anyone can remember.
Definitely work to do on the squad but with what's looking like Iraola coming in hopefully he can transfer that type of work ethic he had at Bournemouth. With a few good additions we can get going again.

Atleast we can go into the season with optimism, something I was personally dreading had Slot remained.

I certainly thought there could be issues, and I'm sure a fair few others also thought the same. I can't vouch for them, but I'm certainly not lying. I and I'm sure a fair few others started having genuine concerns when we had that terrible end to our 24/25 campaign, if not actually a bit sooner. Even before that happened some people were voicing the opinion that our results and eventual title win was less down to Slot himself, and more as a result of Slot inheriting Klopp's team which had been infused with his ethos, and that just as with the season just gone the quality of the other big teams wasn't great. I tried to convince myself that our title win was more down to Slot than anything else, but the more the 24/25 season progressed, the more likely it seemed to me that Slot wasn't as key to our positive results for most of the season and our title win as it first appeared.

In the summer we needed and still do need to a certain extent a top quality DM, CB, LB, RB and ST. We didn't buy a top quality DM or CB, we bought a hybrid RB/RW who isn't good enough to adequately fill either role, a LB who looked like he didn't know what he was supposed to do under Slot, and we bought two very expensive strikers when one would have been enough especially given that we could have spent the extra money on more pressing areas. We also bought a very expensive player that wasn't essential, one whose suitability and role in our team is still up for debate.

With the above being the case, I wasn't as convinced as others that we were going to blow other teams away, and that still remained the case even after the run of highly unconvincing wins that we had at the start of the season. Did I think we'd drop off as much as we did? No. But I did have serious concerns that at the very least we'd pay for not having a coherent and well implemented transfer strategy in the summer.

Hiring a good quality manager or one that is showing a lot of potential will definitely bring some much needed optimism back to the club, namely to us the fans and the players. However that can only be used as the foundations on which to build upon. Whoever comes in will need better tools to work with. If Hedwards continue to have their grubby mitts all over our player comings and goings, whoever comes is going to be somewhat fighting against the wind. Klopp was brilliant enough to somewhat be able to cope with the restraints placed upon him. Most other managers won't be able to do the same. Let's hope that whoever becomes our new manager is able to cope and that Hedwards bugger off or are sacked sooner rather than later.

[justme]

I feel sorry for Arne Slot, in a way if most of the signings were done by Edwards and Hughes, If these players weren't good enough (and the jury is out), Slot is being blamed for their decisions. Obviously should have had better results.
But Edwards and Hughes did sell Diaz, and allowed several others to leave and left us with a very thin squad

[Steveo]

Yep - something I have said many many times this season. Whatever anyone thinks of Slot - he didn’t have much input into signings - from what I know at least - and he wanted to give Diaz the contract - the clowns didn’t. The army of media and PR managed to cover that one up for the minions to swallow and the shills to push.

Here’s Alex with more on the real goings on behind the “decision” to part with Slot…outside of the media bollox which so many gullible folks STILL seem to fall for.

[teesred]

I certainly thought there could be issues, and I'm sure a fair few others also thought the same. I can't vouch for them, but I'm certainly not lying. I and I'm sure a fair few others started having genuine concerns when we had that terrible end to our 24/25 campaign, if not actually a bit sooner. Even before that happened some people were voicing the opinion that our results and eventual title win was less down to Slot himself, and more as a result of Slot inheriting Klopp's team which had been infused with his ethos, and that just as with the season just gone the quality of the other big teams wasn't great. I tried to convince myself that our title win was more down to Slot than anything else, but the more the 24/25 season progressed, the more likely it seemed to me that Slot wasn't as key to our positive results for most of the season and our title win as it first appeared.

In the summer we needed and still do need to a certain extent a top quality DM, CB, LB, RB and ST. We didn't buy a top quality DM or CB, we bought a hybrid RB/RW who isn't good enough to adequately fill either role, a LB who looked like he didn't know what he was supposed to do under Slot, and we bought two very expensive strikers when one would have been enough especially given that we could have spent the extra money on more pressing areas. We also bought a very expensive player that wasn't essential, one whose suitability and role in our team is still up for debate.

With the above being the case, I wasn't as convinced as others that we were going to blow other teams away, and that still remained the case even after the run of highly unconvincing wins that we had at the start of the season. Did I think we'd drop off as much as we did? No. But I did have serious concerns that at the very least we'd pay for not having a coherent and well implemented transfer strategy in the summer.

Hiring a good quality manager or one that is showing a lot of potential will definitely bring some much needed optimism back to the club, namely to us the fans and the players. However that can only be used as the foundations on which to build upon. Whoever comes in will need better tools to work with. If Hedwards continue to have their grubby mitts all over our player comings and goings, whoever comes is going to be somewhat fighting against the wind. Klopp was brilliant enough to somewhat be able to cope with the restraints placed upon him. Most other managers won't be able to do the same. Let's hope that whoever becomes our new manager is able to cope and that Hedwards bugger off or are sacked sooner rather than later.

Agree fully.
When I say drop off I meant the extent. I should have clarified that. I think we all expected a drop bit not to the point of what it was. 12 defeats,porous defence,porous midfield and the sheer plummeting of our athleticism.

I do think Iraola has done great things at Bournemouth but I do share concerns. We are an elite club and should have an elite manager. Maybe he might end up that but he's not considered as that right now. It all points to the cheaper option again with someone who clearly wants to move up and will accept whatever the situation in the belief he can do do a good job.
That's something that is a big worry but obviously not in any way a shock.