Duncan Oldham: Going, going, gone?

It’s been a while since I published an editorial. I think the last time you will have heard from me will have been during the summer transfer window when I will no doubt have been moaning, with justification, I am sure. I’m a typical football supporter in that you probably only get see an editorial from me when things are going wrong. I guess we find it easier to respond to negativity than positivity. When things are going right, we’re happy, we don’t need to tell everyone, but when things are going wrong, boy, we need the world to know how we feel!

So what’s been happening?

MICHAEL EDWARDS

It obviously didn’t come as a shock that Edwards followed through with his threat to quit the club in the summer. Chatter over the last few months from those within or close to the club, had suggested that Edwards was concerned about what may or may not happen over the coming years and that this had contributed to his decision.

Jürgen Klopp’s contract expires in 2024 and there have been rumours that the club’s owners may also bow out in the not too distant future. Whether those things happen or not, one of Edwards’ main duties was to sell the club to prospective targets. Could Edwards really sit down and put forward what the club was hoping to achieve over the next 5 or more years, who the manager would be and whether or not the present owners would still be in place? Probably not.

Because of this, it was claimed that Edwards felt he may not be able to deliver as convincingly as he previously has, so was this was one of the reasons why he thought it would be a good time to move on?

However, Edwards insisted in his open letter to the fans, that he always intended to leave the club after 10 years. Despite him stating this had always been his plan, the club’s senior management were still hoping that he could be convinced to extend his stay. Even The Liverpool Echo said less than 24 hours before it was announced that Edwards would definitely be leaving that ‘Liverpool have not given up in their hope to persuade Edwards to extend his stay on Merseyside.’ Edwards, however, didn’t want to know. Instead, he opted to leave the club which many would say is doing exceptionally well at the moment and some of that is certainly down to him.

His departure is certainly a blow, but Liverpool have lost more important figures over the years. Julian Ward is said to be a good guy and with the right guidance over the next few months, I’m hoping he can do a good job. It should be pointed out that it was claimed that Edwards was out of his depth when he was appointed so be prepared for similar claims over the next year or so. Let’s give the guy a chance.

Hopefully, Edwards’ open letter to the fans will ease the criticism of FSG who came under fire for overseeing his imminent departure. Obviously, those who want rid of the owners have used Edwards’ decision to leave the club as another excuse to cosh John Henry & Co. At the present time, I’m not sure whether that’s justified or not, but that won’t bother people who are vehemently ‘FSG OUT!’

One thing that did make me chuckle over Edwards’ departure was the need for the club to publish an open letter to the fans. I know it was nice and warming and all that jazz, but as a young supporter growing up I had no idea who the suits were at the club and I certainly didn’t care much for them, especially when they left. What next? When the tea-lady retires, will the club publish a leaving statement from her too? (Ooops! Should that be tea-person?!). Probably not, as it’s not important that we believe the reasons why she will have chosen to step aside.

I wish Julian Ward all the best, but let’s not forget that he can’t do his job efficiently without the backing of the owners. If he fails to broker deals in forthcoming windows, don’t jump to conclusions that it must be his fault. I would also take into consideration that Edwards will currently be working on next year’s potential business with Ward shadowing him. It may be 2023 before we see what Ward comes up with by himself.

STEVEN GERRARD

I was delighted with the news that the Liverpool legend accepted the Aston Villa job. I was told the night previously by a former Red that Gerrard had completed the paperwork on the proposed switch. I passed this claim on to our members and KopTalk.TV subscribers several hours before the official confirmation so it was good to see it all come out later yesterday morning.

I know a lot of of supporters don’t want to see Gerrard associated to another Premier League club, but for me, this move is part of his future application to boss the Reds one day. While the Scottish Premier League is nowhere near the level of the English Premier League, it would be completely unfair to play down what Gerrard achieved north of the border. Managing Rangers is no easy feat. That’s a massive club and with that comes a lot of pressure. Gerrard did good and even if he bombs at Villa, and that won’t be easy either, I just can’t see it affecting his chances of becoming a future Liverpool manager.

Many people think Gerrard is nailed on to take over from Klopp in 2024. However, to rule out Klopp’s assistant, Pep Lijnders, would be foolish. If anything, he *currently* has a greater chance of the former Liverpool skipper for the job. A lot can happen in football in 24 hours, never mind a few years, so for now let’s just enjoy having Klopp in charge.

JÜRGEN KLOPP

One final thing. No matter what Klopp says, if he wins major silverware towards the end of his existing contract, I would not rule out him extending. He was expected to leave when his last contract was expiring, but he opted to stay. However, if things aren’t too rosey in the not too distant future, then I think that will make it far easier for him to leave. Right now, the owners have not given up on persuading him to stay, but will they be staying themselves?

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Duncan Oldham
KopTalk Editor