Klopp needs to Kop owners better value for money
GO GOOD luck to Jurgen Klopp in his fir first game as Liverpool manager at White Hart Lane today.
But as Kloppmania reaches f fever pitch, here’s a sobering t thought.
Nobody could accuse owner Jo John W Henry and the Fenway Spo Sports Group of failing to put their han hands in their pockets to make Live Liverpool a success. Since taking
There should be no rush to bury a young English manager who saved Villa from relegation and led them to the FA Cup Final last season.
Clearly one point from seven games since the opening day of the season is a worry, but it’s a poor reflection on the people who appointed Sherwood if the club are going to press the panic button.
I like the manager’s honesty and passion. He understands Villa’s place in English football’s food chain, and he is not stuck in the 1980s pretending he’s got Peter Withe, Tony Morley and Gary Shaw to unleash every week.
The days when Villa could win the title and the European Cup are gone, so let’s get real.
A club of such tradition, heritage and a huge fanbase should not be fighting relegation every year, but where do they belong?
In my opinion, Aston Villa should be competing with the likes of Tottenham and Everton for a top-six finish and a place in Europe.
But that’s easier said than done when you lose four of your best players at a stroke.
Sherwood brought the best out of Christian Benteke towards the end of last season, when the goals had completely dried up for the Belgium striker, but he’s gone.
Sherwood brought the best out of Fabian Delph, and turned him into a over from less popular American owners, FSG have backed their managers to the tune of £410million in the transfer market on 43 new players.
And what have they got to show for their investment? One trophy – the Capital One Cup.
Of those 43 players, I would argue that only eight have been value for money so far: Luis matchwinner in midfield, but he’s gone, too.
Sherwood brought Tom Cleverley out of his shell, and it was a pity they could not hold on to him for more than one season.
And it’s not easy to replace a leader of Ron Vlaar’s experience and influence.
I don’t think Villa’s recruitment over the summer was too flash, but you won’t replace forwards of Benteke’s quality if you only spend buttons.
When I watched them in the Capital One Cup derby against Birmingham, I saw the Villans’ two faces. For 45 minutes they were scared to get on the ball, settled for lumping it forward for Rudy Gestede and it kept coming back. Then Sherwood made an important tactical switch at half- time by introducing Jack Grealish from the bench and Villa won because their manager had the insight, and the intuition, to change the game by demanding more width and improving the service to Gestede.
If they are losing patience with Sherwood already, I trust the people who brought him in are considering their positions as well.
Villa have been dragged into a relegation battle for the last five years, so the challenge facing them now is nothing new.
But I cannot believe a fantastic club with their pedigree belongs in the quicksand at the wrong end of the Premier League. Surely their natural habitat is higher up the table.
And would they solve the problem by getting rid of Sherwood? There should be no rush to bury a man who took them to Wembley Suarez, Jordan Henderson, Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho, Nathaniel Clyne, James Milner and Craig Bellamy – and the last two were free transfers.
I also felt Danny Ings was shaping up to be an excellent free transfer before he was cut down by a serious knee injury this week.
But in other words, for every good signing, Liverpool have signed five duds. And for every pound FSG have given their managers to spend, they have wasted a fiver.
Whatever else changes about Liverpool’s culture under Klopp (left), I trust their recruitment improves because the last five years have been very hit-and-miss – about 20 per cent hits and 80 per cent misfits.