Arne Slot is ‘utter fraud’ but where are Liverpool geniuses Edwards and Hughes? | OneFootball

There are growing calls for Arne Slot to be sacked by Liverpool, but his should not be the last head to roll.

Liverpool dominate this Mailbox; if you want Arsenal v Tottenham thoughts then click here. And send your views on all subjects to theeditor@football365.com

Where are the geniuses of Edwards and Hughes?

While Slot does seem to be at sea right now trying to work out how to get the best out of a completely unbalanced squad, and taking all the flack, it does bear questioning how much he was involved in selecting the new players.

A lot was said about the genius of Michael Edwards, and getting Richard Hughes on board. Notably the one story about how it was Edwards that ‘discovered’ Salah and had to overrule or at least get Salah on board over Klopp’s objections.

You see it all the time in sport – and business – were someone is lauded for their one time excellence, forgetting that others will copy or find newer ways to succeed and exceed them.

Sure, Slot, Edwards and Hughes inherited squad challenges with contracts running down and a need to refresh. But it did look more like a smorgasbord of expensive players, each of whom may have played well in the past and have incredible potential but it wasn’t clear how they would all fit together.

Point being, was Slot calling the shots, saying how he could fit them all together and now finding it isn’t working? Or is he simply the recipient of the Director of Football calling all the shots and telling him to get on with it?

Regardless of how much skill and potential and player or team has, it requires 100% effort and focus as table stakes to create a platform to succeed. While the EPL may or may not be the bestest league in the world, one thing is clear and that is that dropping intensity even a small amount is going to end badly. Liverpool’s intensity has dropped alarmingly. Losing every second ball. Not creating space for team mates to find you.

Confidence is hard to quantify. The flick on the ball ‘knowing’ someone will be in space to take it, creating the chance, pulling the opposition defence into disarray, versus a weak one across the defence ending in a breakaway for your opponents is all confidence. Last year Liverpool had it in spades.

Right now the team are spiralling badly. No confidence, lack of effort, no coordination. Slot should get some slack for sticking all the newbies into the team at one time rather than gently introducing them, and still seems to be doing it by sticking Kerkez, Wirtz and Isak into the team whenever he can. But still wondering why we are hearing crickets from Edwards or Hughes or anyone in fact other than Slot or Van Dyke. Paul McDevitt

The Arne Slot mistakes list

First things first – let’s kill all the revisionist nonsense about Slot winning the league because it was Klopp’s team.

Klopp didn’t know what to do with Gravenberch. Slot did, and made him arguably the best 6 in the country. Klopp couldn’t get a tune out of Gakpo. Slot did, and made him post career-best numbers. Klopp fell out with Salah about defending, Slot sat down with him, reached a compromise and Salah delivered the GOAT individual PL season. Slot also kept Konate fit for two games a week, something Klopp couldn’t do. It was a triumph of canny, clever management. Attempts to smear it are unfounded.

Unfortunately, and it is hard to pinpoint why, Slot has been as bad this season as he was brilliant last year.

– He has allowed bad habits to fester. The dramatic drop off in duels won this season proves this. It was happening even when they won the first 5 games but he chose not to fix the roof when the sun was shining.

– He has stubbornly continued to play Konate, Kerkez and Salah all season long, despite them stinking the place out pretty much every game. (Last season, he blacklisted Quansah for a bad 45 mins on the opening day. The contrast in their treatment has been stark)

– Only three players have consistently turned up all season: Szobozslai, Ekitike and Chiesa. The first of those he’s mostly been playing out of position at RB, often when he hasn’t even needed to, weakening his midfield. The latter two he has kept dropping for players in worse form. What does this say for a meritocracy? Ekitike has been sensational, but as soon as he gets going he gets benched again for a player who isn’t as fit and has hardly had a kick in a Liverpool shirt when he has played. Chiesa must look at Salah and think f*** this for a game of soldiers, get me out of here.

– The utterly kamikaze, panicky way he has taken to chasing games. Which basically involves ending the match with 6 or 7 forwards on the pitch in no discernible formation, leaving gaping chasms at the back. Throwing shit at a wall and hoping some of it sticks. It worked during the first few games, but over a 50 game season it is completely unsustainable and utterly ridiculous. And quite out of character as well, for a coach who is usually tactically switched on and pragmatic. It just screams to me of sheer panic; someone who is sinking and doesn’t know where the life jacket is.

His failure to get on top of all of this – mostly basic stuff – means he has now arrived at a point where his job is under serious threat. Which is such a shame after the serene presence he was last season. It didn’t have to be this way, but here we are, sadly. Andy H, Swansea

Now is the time for the Liverpool panic button

Last season league triumph was unexpected for Liverpool fans and rivals, it make me appreciated Klopp football more because that 7 years plus was rock and roll, but last season with our dominant display, there are selective of matches that matched the standard that Klopp has set. To win the league with a little tactical adjustment from our new manager without disrupt the foundation, was a credit to the Slot and a sensible move to make for him. And it gave him some pass for substandard performances we witnessed last season and we believed with Slot full tactical footprint on the team plus his own signings the team will be unstoppable.

What we are witnessing now is the opposite with won 6 and lost 6 matches and no any sign of improvement from the manager and players. I don’t have any power to make the decision on Slot future but when the Liverpool authority concluded that is time to sack him, I believed Richard Hughes must not be spared too, because he has smoke something they are smoking at Man Utd and Chelsea, the bottom line is many people involved in our summer transfer window has a lot of questions to answer because I can’t see any improvement this now signings add to this team at all. Mudashiru LFC, Ibadan (which day Kerkez will finish a league match without being substituted and Slot has to start trusting the squad players plus stop overthinking his tactics and putting players out of position)

A visual depiction

Slot Klopp AI from Mailbox

I saw a very similar picture about six months ago and thought it was superb but can’t find it now so I had AI make me another one. It doesn’t show Slot shitting all over the ‘treasure’ in a second frame as the AI refused to generate that but please do try to imagine it . Slot is, as my mate tells me repeatedly, an utter fraud, riding on the coattails of a man who invested many years crafting a very good squad. He’s destroyed it in just one window, it seems. No statue. No dynasty. No genius. No future. Monsieur Monkey, happy in the sand

E-mail from an old and proper Liverpool fan

Calling all Reds fans (All other fans can look away now. Please. We don’t need you for this).

In facts let’s also take out (respectfully, sorry) the c10-20% global pool fans who support us cos we won a few trophies in our recent history and have had some recent charismatic managers. No need for you to read on, nothing to see for you here.

So we’re left with proper Reds fans now, who understand the club, from here on in. Good.

Listen here.

What we are going through now is tough I know. But is nothing compared with the adversity we’ve come through in our glorious history.

The entire fabric of our amazing club is based upon coming through adversity. We are a club based on over-achievement. The club is built upon over-achieving humble expectations. Humble expectations! is where it starts!

When our backs are against the wall is when we are at our best. On and off the football pitch! Given the fans I’m left with reading this, I’m sure you all know the examples without me telling you (if you can’t think of at least 5 immediately, you should have stopped reading when I politely asked you in my opening sentences)

Our famous stand is named after coming through adversity. Our bloody song is about walking through a storm to get to that golden sky.

It doesn’t say a golden sky which is then followed by 5 more golden skies back to back whilst spunking £450m on shiny new toys!!!

We don’t want to be the next Chelskov or man (shh)-city who buy their success. Where the hell is the glory in that?? (Even if you can convince yourself it’s a sky, it’s certainly not golden!)

I’m tired of seeing the posters who look at short term. Or the “i usually support our manager but….” Or “I resisted putting the boot in til now but…” crowd. Supporting LFC is not something you choose depending on your mood or the day of the week.

We don’t walk out on our club. We don’t leave early. We don’t stop singing. And we certainly don’t desert managers when they need us. Let’s let Manure continue to be the ones to sack managers early cos it’s not constantly sweetness and light! We don’t do that.

My first game was a little over 60 years ago when me dad took me (a miserable away match fa cup replay against Stockport county that we scraped through, thanks for asking) so I promise you, I’ve seen it all in my time. And I’m still there every week.

I fell in love that day, and the days that followed. And have been ever since. Not with the players, or the managers, or the latest kit, or the colours. But the culture, spirit and humility of our wonderful club.

Stay strong reds. It will get a bit worse this year before it gets better.

BUT. It will be ok.

We WILL come through this. Cos we always do.

Support our club. Hold your head up high. Others build new fancy stadiums every few years. We have a home. Others have songs. We have an anthem. Others have managers. We have a guardian.

Stay strong reds. There’s a reason that this means more. There’s a reason we are envied worldwide. Paul, The Kop

Ps sorry if you disagree with this, put it down to the ramblings of a very old fckr if it makes you feel better. I started this email 3 hours ago as a “quick thought” look at it now ha!

Liverpool could still win double; we will buy them

Can everyone calm down.

Some bad results and manager making terrible decisions, but this is a team with Isak, Wirtz, Salah, Virg, Allison, Ekitike, Szobozlai and Gravenberch. All elite. Plus Macca, Gakpo and the rest.

Probably going to add a 70 million winger in Semenyo and Marc Guehi in January.

Probably going to win the Champions League and provided we are within 8 points off top spot in PL come January, the league.

If not, will add a 100 million player in Wharton/Elliott Anderson/Dec Rice or any other outstanding midfielder from the smaller teams and win everything the season after. It’s what our finances and status allow us to do. Sid, LFC

How old and entrenched is this supposed “No C**ts” policy at Liverpool? Was it in place when they signed the player with a firm reputation for diving, who served a 7 game ban for biting? Was it in place when he bit a few more players and was banned for racist abuse? Kev, Dublin

…David from Shrews seems to think the Liverpool decline is due to neglecting their ‘No cxxts’ policy and signing Isaak.

Um. What was Suarez? Brilliant player, but was he not Chief Cxxt amongst all? The Trinidaddy

VAR from a fuss

I’d just like a moment to give thanks that the VAR decisions at the Newcastle/City game weren’t against Arsenal or, God forbid, Liverpool.

Can you imagine the hysteria in this very Mailbox, the press and Twitter? The rolling 24/7 coverage on Sky Sports News as Ray Parlour and Neil Mellor invent laws that hadn’t previously existed. That and every other premier league manager looking bemused as they’re asked about it in their own press conferences.

Small mercies. Gav, Edinburgh

On Newcastle v Manchester City…

Can it really ‘mean more’ to This Means More FC when the stadium was half empty with 10 minutes to go. Mind I can’t argue with the sentiment behind YNWA, as there was thousands of them all walking out together.

Anyway, onto my team’s performance. Pretty predictable stuff really, it was at home against a very good team so they put a performance in.

I did notice that Tonali only started rolling around on the floor, after his shoulder barge on Doku caused the winger to roll around on the floor holding his shin. Tonali seemed genuinely dissatisfied with that. Mind we are well known for buying fouls, time wasting etc. so I’m certainly not complaining about other teams doing it.

On the penalty calls, I would have been disappointed if they gave a penalty for the Foden incident. He had a chance, which he missed and then was caught. I think in the middle of the pitch it would be a free kick, but would have been a harsh penalty. Funny one really.

On the offside incident, they need to speed up that semi automated process, it looked off to me for what that’s worth.

Tidy finishing from Barnes on his toughest chances.

Finally, I’d love to know what Pep was saying to Bruno at the end, in between his little spits. I recall him confronting Nathan Redmond after a game, but he told the press that he just said he was a great player. Ratt Mitchie NUFC (listening to the best of Blue, man Lee Ryan can really belt out those classics… when you walk through a storm….)

But Morgan Rogers is black too

Perhaps Ian Wright ought to check his eyesight and realise that Morgan Rogers is black and that he’s actually Bellingham’s competition for the attacking central midfield position. The guy just demolished Leeds and took care of the late qualification stage matches for England.

That being said, one significant reason though not the main one (see Empire) that England is disliked in modern football by racists is the pioneering selection of black players for the national squad in the 1980s and 1990s. Graeme Taylor at Watford progressed with what he had with Jamaican born John Barnes for example and by 1990 England regularly players 2-3 black players.

Given the relatively small black population in England then and now the management have clearly been progressive. The international success of Brazil in the 1950s with their embrace of hundreds and thousands of black players in a country with its own extraordinary history of domestic slavery was appreciated by Football people in England, a country with its own sordid history of exploiting slavery in the tropics. Barnes, Ince, Campbell, Wright were looked at with envy and possibly hatred by many foreign teams by the mid 1990s.

More recently Southgate positively sought to make everyone welcome and probably expected that Rashford, Sancho and Saka were nailed on penalty maestros, his list was supposed to be the coronation of England as European champions at Wembley. A plan which notoriously backfired. So here we are. England football “not ready for a Black superstar”? Rogers is black. He’s a star.

Rogers isn’t a walking red card though. A hot headed Bellingham did smash up an ice cooler after losing the match against Spain in the final. If I’m a Spanish or Argentinian defender I’m thinking that Bellingham is easily provoked. Repulsive as Tuchel’s “mum” put it. The referees are often looking for a way to dump England out and Bellingham 2024 acts an awful lot like Beckham 1998. Bellingham should be reminded not to give match officials and bent FIFA suits an excuse. Dan McG LFC