RETURN OF THE MICK
Michael Edwards played a crucial role in Liverpool’s successful comeback in the past ten years. Despite this, he could casually walk by Anfield on game day without being recognized. During his previous time at the club, he was a quiet but highly influential figure. He has a similar vibe to the technical expert in heist movies – a man of few words with the ability to quickly crack a casino vault. He left the team in 2022, but now he’s returned for one final task. In an effort to bring positivity to the team after Jürgen Klopp’s departure, Fenway Sports Group has brought back Liverpool’s former sporting director for a larger, more senior role this summer. It’s a familiar face to lead the team in this new, unfamiliar era on Merseyside.
Mike Gordon, the president of FSG, has described the 44-year-old, known for his time under Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth and Tottenham and his 10-year tenure at Liverpool, as one of the most skilled executives in the football world. Upon his return in May, Gordon will present Edwards with a heap of tasks, including a note labeled XABI ALONSO, which sits on top of the pile. Edwards plans to appoint Richard Hughes, who previously played under Redknapp at Portsmouth and worked as a successful technical director at Bournemouth, as the new sporting director. Additionally, Edwards hopes to expand into the multi-club market. “One of the key reasons for my decision is the opportunity to oversee and acquire another club, expanding this aspect of their organization,” he expressed after announcing his return.
Edwards, who spent 10 years at Anfield, identified and hired Klopp as manager. He also played a crucial role in assembling the current roster of players, who have achieved great success for the team. When Edwards joined, Liverpool had finished eighth in the previous season, trailing Everton by four points. His presence helped the club move past their disappointing 2012 season. Meanwhile, Manchester United is attempting to recreate the glory days of Team Sky, the London Olympics, and title contention from 12 years ago. The club’s new minority owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has brought in a fresh group of leaders, including Dave Brailsford and Seb Coe, to rebuild the team at Old Trafford. This process makes Liverpool’s summer restructuring seem relatively minor. While Liverpool fans are worried about a potential decline similar to the post-Ferguson years at United, their “less is more” approach may be a more practical choice compared to Ratcliffe’s ambitious and uncertain plans. Questions remain, such as who will get the main office and what will be done about the manager.
After Sunday’s important FA Cup quarter-final, where Klopp will aim to prevent Erik ten Hag’s only chance at winning a trophy this season, there may be more clarity on Liverpool and United’s future rivalry. As financial concerns have slowed down the transfer market this year and more Premier League clubs are keeping their managers, the focus has shifted to the boardroom as the new hub of innovation. Instead of spending millions on players, why not hire someone to rebuild the club using data analysis? And instead of firing the manager, why not bring in a skilled executive team to either support or undermine them as desired? For club owners, the potential advantages are endless.
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Join Niall McVeigh from 8pm GMT for hot Big Cup minute-by-minute coverage of Arsenal 2-1 Porto (agg: 3-3 aet, 4-5 on penalties), while Will Unwin will be on deck for Barcelona 2-1 Napoli (agg: 3-2).
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
Today’s quote is “Don’t be afraid to be yourself, because everyone else is already taken.”
Steve Clarke, the manager of Scotland, has chosen to include 79-year-old Craig Gordon in the upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and Northern Ireland. This will give the team a chance to observe Craig closely, as he has only played three competitive games recently. However, these games were not against tough opponents, so Craig might not have been fully tested. It will be good to have Craig join the other goalkeepers in training, as only three of them will be chosen for the Euros and one will have to be left out. This is the situation according to Clarke.
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FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
Morton may have suffered defeat in the Scottish Cup against Hearts on Monday evening, but they can take pride in their performance, especially in their starting lineup which included the memorable combination of ‘French Blues Power’ – according to Peter Oh.
In your criticism of Tin Pot (yesterday’s episode of Football Daily), I observed that you did not employ any playful or disparaging aliases for it. I must confess, I have struggled to determine if this tournament is referred to as Big Cup, Big Vase, or something else linked to Fairs. Would it not be possible for us to unify our language and simply call all of the Uefa revenue generators “freshly-dropped [Snip – Football Daily Editor]”? – Mike Wilner.
Can you remind me about the humor in The Fiver Football Daily from 2010 (from yesterday’s Football Daily letters)? I vaguely remember a few comedic moments over the years, but I wouldn’t confidently state in court that the quickly put together, haphazardly written, and uninspired emails were actually funny. These were the thoughts of Che Matthews (and others).
Please email [email protected] to submit letters. The recipient of today’s award for best letter is Peter Oh (once again).
Source: theguardian.com
