20 Mar 2017 18:13:35
Hey ed002 if you are around could you please help me out?
I once read a reply of you when you where asked about what you would do to make lfc a top or the best club again, i still remember there were some 6 points in it. But i cannot find that post and i even tried the search engine. So could you please just answer that once again? It would be much helpful
Cheers.!

{Ed002's Note - A simple six point plan to get the entire club back on a good footing:
1. Corporate Business: Liverpool have done well financially out of the sponsorship and partnership agreements but in some cases have sold their soul to the devil and in others the deal is not as good as it could be for a club of the profile of Liverpool. Look to move away from Standard Chartered and bring in a higher profile and better paying sponsor as soon as is practical. The deal with New Balance/Warrior was a major mistake and the club need to exit it as soon as possible – sadly the boat to get a deal with Adidas after Chelsea dumped them has probably sailed. Any deals with organisations that are socially questionable (e.g. Bet Victor), socially bankrupt or have caused the club embarrassment (e.g. Dunkin’ Donuts), nonsense (Nivea and the club’s official coconut water supplier TCC), are from a country with controversial human rights (flag carrier Malaysian Airlines – who replaced just as bad Indonesia’s Garuda) should be cancelled or run down as soon as possible. Being on morally better ground will make a club with Liverpool’s profile to get better profile sponsors.
2. Football Business: Liverpool has revamped in the past three years from top to bottom but yet Klopp is still getting an easy ride and the transfer windows are far from successful. Two things to do (a) get a Director of Football in (not taking the advice of anyone who suggests Damien Comolli would be a good idea), and (b) explain to Klopp that his inability to adapt is a large part of the problem and that he needs to do it (perhaps with help) or look to apply for the Barcelona job or take some time and wait for the job he really wants at Bayern Munich. There are better coaches out there and the likeable clown act is wearing thin.
3. Fan Considerations: Establish a point of liaison with fan representatives (Ed001 perhaps and the sad fat guy who runs the other site - I don't recall his name) but do not involve the Spirit of Shankly in any way – a bunch of morons in a pub who want the club handed over to them and are planning already to give the owners a hard time starting again this summer need to be brushed aside. If they are interested in buying the club they need to be told to have their bankers call when they have a $1B Banker’s Draft in hand and the club will be sold to them. If they want to act responsibly and represent supporters they need to lose the aggressive and controntational approach.
4. Wrest Power Back from the Players: Players at high profile teams (in particular in the Premier League and a few other individual players dotted around Europe) are not fully focussed on doing what they are employed to do, and in many cases are paid well to do. I would get someone in (a really knowledgeable football guy who can advise the club) and have them speak to each of the players to really understand where their focus is and where they want to be. I would also have a suitable advisor go right through all of the coaching staff and look at the methods of coaching. I would then get the players together and tell them that the club will be making addendums to their contracts requiring such things as responsible behaviour, not wearing flimsy designer football boots that offer little protection, wearing black boots only in games, responsible usage of social media, banning all at club visits by hairdressers and car salesmen, banning the use of all hair care products etc.. The players need to be controlled in any interviews and interviews, and any endorsements, should all be arranged through the club. Any players to which the club is making payments to third parties for such nonsense as image rights need to be moved on or the contracts amended at no penalty to the club. Then they need to be asked if they buy in to the club and these changes – if they don’t their agents can be told that the club is happy for them to find new employers for their charges.
5. Reserves and Loans: Firstly get some structure and planning for a career path and look to establish relationships with a couple of sides such that the loan system can work for the club. The liaison structure is critical as whilst managers may occasionally see players it is generally something undertaken by others dedicated to the task. As an example, each loan player from Chelsea has a liaison officer assigned (some are ex-players) who regularly see them, deal with any issues and report progress back to the club. For instance there was a problem with a couple of players in the Netherlands and that resulted in the club having them get involved with spending some time with the local community (schools and charities). Chelsea has also helped clubs they have and are building relationships with - this may include providing training facilities, loaning coaching staff, having ex-players works with them in some capacity etc.. They have a structure in the Netherlands and Belgium in addition to relationships with South American and old Eastern Bloc countries. They are currently working a deal with a Champions League side as well. Similarly in Italy I know that the clubs with a significant number of players on loan have regular contact and bring them back as a group for training on a couple of occasions mid-season. I am sure there will be someone at Liverpool keeping contact with the younger players on loan where there are legal responsibilities as some are still technically children but others on loan from Liverpool reported the occasional text message only – simply not good enough. Many clubs in Spain and Portugal have built relationships with other sides and it helps with brining in players from South America.
6. On Field: Whilst the fans want significant changes every year the club needs to get in to the position of making small changes to improve the team each season, not simply discarding the work done and starting again. It has not worked with the recent managers at the club and Damien Comolli was a massive mistake (which I did explain here the day he joined). Right now the side ids not too far away but like other managers it is a task Klopp struggles with – so the club need a good footballing guy as Director of Football to help out. Financially the club need to be self-sufficient or making a profit – particularly given the additional media income. Give Klopp the marquee buy of Julian Brandt this summer and then fix the problem areas though sales.}

1.) 20 Mar 2017
20 Mar 2017 18:31:39
Thanks a lot ed for the quick response. Cheers!

{Ed002's Note - You are welcome.}

2.) 20 Mar 2017
20 Mar 2017 19:09:58
A very good interesting read!

3.) 20 Mar 2017
20 Mar 2017 22:32:09
Thanks Ed, would it be safet to assume that you think Liverpools current sponsors are a bunch of glifnards?

{Ed002's Note - Not the sponsors, just those that thought having Dunkin' Donuts and the like would make good partners for a sporting side. Just waiting for the sign behind Klipperty at the pre-match interview "Liverpool's Saturated Fat Sponsor".

4.) 21 Mar 2017
21 Mar 2017 01:03:22
Another great post ed, i agree with most of it obviously as it all makes perfect sense.

5.) 21 Mar 2017
21 Mar 2017 05:36:59
Agree and likewise on the sports betting - I know they pay and that's tempting, but is it really worth aligning yourself with that predatory life-wrecking vulture of an industry? What's the opportunity cost in terms of turning away other potential suitors?

6.) 21 Mar 2017
21 Mar 2017 19:51:58
Agree on the DOF tip, the Loan system and Klopp's need to adapt his tactics for a league without a winter break. We are not far behind from where we need to be. We just need to stop looking at what other teams are doing and focus on the right changes to make and subtle tweaks here and there.