Mails: A United fan worried about Klopp…

Daniel Storey

Plus why Bosman is to blame for England selections, and the Welsh response…

If you have anything to say on any subject, mail us at theeditor@football365.com

 

Bosman is to blame for England’s rut
John Lawless’ mocking of the Whoscored England Player XI for 2015 got me wondering why the team shown doesn’t have a stronger correlation to the actual England team that plays.

A look back on last year’s average ratings for all players in the Premier League gave a pretty fair guide to how well the players performed. The top 5 players being Hazard, Sanchez, Aguero, Fabregas and Cazorla. On the whole, the better performing players, the players you would expect to be highly ranked were highly ranked. Now, of course, some of the highest paid players at the biggest clubs weren’t in the Top 10, 20 or even 50 but that’s because some of the highest paid players at the biggest clubs didn’t perform as well as their wages suggested that they should have.

Overall the best performing English player in their position should be picked to play for the national team. The problem of modern football and why this generally doesn’t happen is that players are being paid for their performances in the years leading up to signing their current contract and not for their performances that we’re seeing from them today.

In an ideal world I think every football club owner in the Premier League would happily give a player 300k a week for a season if that player came with a guarantee of scoring 30 goals.

Clubs now though are being forced to keep players that aren’t doing the job they’re being paid to do. A club will not look to buy a new right-back if their current right-back is not performing and has 4 years left on a lucrative contract. They’d probably love to sell but with no likely buyers, they’d stick with him and hope his form improves. They are basically playing someone that they don’t really want and this ultimately leads to falling standards across the board.

The Bosman ruling is wholly to blame for this. Can you imagine if clubs today were allowed to receive a transfer fee for out of contract players and two-year contracts not five-year contracts immediately became the norm. Players would, justifiably, be expected to earn their wages and this would massively improve performances and standards throughout football.

To be fair and to protect players, wages being offered would be directly correlated to a transfer fee that would allow them to move clubs if they so wished.

So if a player wanted 100k a week but the club he was at only wanted to offer 80k, he could be made available for whatever the market value was at the time for an 80k a week player. A new club could offer that value and the player could move on. The selling club could have no complaints because they had the chance to offer him what he wanted and have received a fair market value for him on what they valued him to be. This market value could easily be set at the beginning of each new window eg a 100k a week player is valued at 20m. Clubs would then also be more inclined to offer exceptional wages to exceptionally performing players because if their form massively nosedived they would only have to carry that wage burden for a short period of time.

So as it should be the better performing players should be paid the better wages and I’m sure in this scenario John Lawless wouldn’t be mocking the Whoscored England players XI because it would be much better correlated to the actual England XI.
Ray, Manila

 

Klopp’s best quotes
Earlier this week you published a tremendous list of Brendan Rogers’ finest quotes during his time at Liverpool. I’m not sure if this is general knowledge, but Rodgers’ likely successor Jurgen Klopp is quite a lot handier with a good quote. Here are a few examples:

After losing the Champions League final: “Everything was pretty great, really. London’s a beautiful city, the weather was fine… It was only the result that was sh*t.”

Upon Mario Gotze’s departure to Bayern: “He wanted to work with Pep Guardiola. I can’t shrink myself 15 centimeters and start speaking Spanish, so he had to leave for that.”

On the difference between Dortmund and Bayern: “We have a bow and arrow and if we aim well, we can hit our target. Only problem is-Bayern have a bazooka.”

To a Guardian hack asking why players wanted to leave BVB: “Look, you work at the Guardian. But wouldn’t you like to work at the sun? More money, less work. More pictures, fewer words…Easy, isn’t it”

After a bad first half: “We went to the dressing room and I told the players “Well, if we’re here anyway, we might as well try to play some football””

On being asked by a fan of Schalke (Germany’s perennial underachievers) how to win the Bundesliga: “I couldn’t tell you that…That would be like trying to explain colour to a blind person.”
Joe (Klopp-crush reaching alarming levels) FFC

 

A United fan worried about Klopp
I actually find it quite amazing that Liverpool find themselves in a position where two world-renowned managers are seemingly open to idea of taking the Liverpool job. I have to say, as a rival supporter, that the managerial appointment that would most worry me at Liverpool is Carlo Ancelotti; The man simply gets results with minimal fuss.

However, should they appoint Jurgen Klopp – which seems very likely now – it would also worry me a little because he will surely effect a positive change at Anfield, being an actual talented coach and tactician and all. It will also make me a little bit sad, because he’s a very affable guy and will surely bring some excitement to Liverpool and indeed the league; I like him a lot, but I will be forced to wish him ill will at the helm of Liverpool. Furthermore it probably rules him out of ever taking the position at United.

One other thing to say. Shayo Smith; 4th spot for Liverpool “would be par for the season”? With respect, that would be a bloody albatross mate.
Chris, SAF Stand

 

Surely Rodgers should move abroad
I’m surprised that we haven’t yet seen any suggestions about this (or I may have missed them), but let me put it forward anyway – Brendan should try moving abroad for a bit.

The supremely self-confident chap that he is, I’m sure he’d back himself in any league. He’s clearly a manager always wanting to try something different, so why not try it in a different environment? There are very few clubs in the PL currently that would be looking to replace their incumbents, and possibly none that could match his ambitions. A stint in the Italian/German league might be a great change for a manager who’s still young and who clearly still has a lot to learn.

More than anything, he can effectively start over, with his reputation intact. He’s been painted repeatedly as a bit of a buffoon by the English media, so why not get away from that? He’s unlikely to get picked up by any of the big PL clubs for some time, and his ego wouldn’t allow a step down. Even David Moyes, after the disaster with United, managed to land a job at Real Sociedad, which is a perfectly respectable and well thought of club. No reason why Rodgers can’t do about as well.
DJ, MUFC (don’t like the guy, but I don’t hate him either) India

 

Wales must have made it!
Thanks Jae, Tunbridge Wells, for proving Chris Coleman’s point more effectively than any Wales fan could!

Fans of Wales and the other home nations get accused of small time jealousy etc. if we ever go off on a pointless ramble about how, in our opinion, England aren’t as good as they sometimes think. How lovely for the boot to be on the other foot for a change.
Gareth Dix, CCFC

 

The Welsh response
Jae – in the words of the chuckle brothers, oh dear, oh dear oh dear…

Wales were 4th possibly 5th seeds for the euro 16 draw, playing 2nd and 3rd ‘tiered’ teams unfortunately isn’t Chris Coleman’s fault. He didn’t walk in and demand those particular fixtures, hence the fact we have a draw for qualifying, it’s random.

Wales (and Coleman) have done fantastically well regardless of what you think, picking up results in Israel and Belgium, even Cyprus (judging by Belgiums 87th minute winner there) is quite a feat.

You mention our ‘once in a generation captain’, would that be Ashley Williams who plays for Swansea who has carried us to the brink of qualifying?! Or do you mean Bale, who isn’t Wales’ captain, but our most influential player? Let’s not forget about the other nine lads other than those two, who have worked their balls off to get us to where we are.

You talk about Montenegro and Slovenia, is this the same Montenegro that England struggled to knock off the top of their World Cup qualifying group for a prolonged period of time? I’m sure I remember a 1-1 draw but I may be mistaken.

In future ‘Jae’ leave the Welsh alone, or if you are going to have a rant, try and get some good factual stuff in there, instead of talking complete nonsense!
Rob, Wales (unsurprisingly)

I have never written to Football365 before today as I’m quite happy to sit and read everyone else’s opinions. However after reading Jae’s mail on Wednesday I feel like I should stand up for Wales.

For starters, Bale (who I assume is the “once-in-a-generation captain” Jae speaks of even though Ashley Williams leads Wales out of the tunnel)is overrated.  For club and country he fails to stand out like an £80 million player should. Okay, he shouldn’t have been signed for that money but Florentino Pérez is mental which forces the Welshman to play with that price tag. He does score some goals for his national side however you’re blind if you honestly believe he is carrying that team.

It has to be said Bale is performing at a higher standard than the other “star” in the Wales squad. Aaron Ramsey consistently looks out of his depth in every game he plays. With no goals or assists for Arsenal this season and only one of each in his last six games for Wales, it is enjoyable as a Chelsea fan to watch him play week in week out for his club. Even with all these woeful performances he is still rated highly at Arsenal which makes me scared to think how absolutely amazing he would be if he were English.

So with the two big names from Wales underachieving it has been, quite blatantly, down to Chris Coleman (who Jae slated in his mail) and Ashley Williams. Coleman has realised something that most managers never do; if you don’t concede, you don’t lose. Each game Coleman has a game plan built on the intentions of getting a clean sheet (one goal conceded in Wales’ last seven games). It’s a bonus for him that he has someone with the natural leadership qualities and the class to carry out these plans in Ashley Williams. The Swansea player really is a once-in-a-generation captain making him and his manager the reason for their FIFA world ranking.

If Wales were to go to a major tournament and finish bottom of their group, which I doubt would happen, it would still be a great achievement for the team because of their defensive discipline and tactics. Not even Jae can take that away from them.
Ronan, Edinburgh

 

Exciting Ireland permutations
I know it’s unfashionable to like the international break, but as an Irish fan this is a stonker.

In decreasing order of likelihood, tomorrow may bring:

-Germany Stuff Ireland, Scotland and Poland Draw. (most likely imho) I weep.

-Germany Stuff Ireland, Scotland beaten by Poland. Whoohoo! playoffs here we come!

-Germany Stuff Ireland, Scotland beat Poland. I didn’t care about the stupid thing anyway.

-Germany Draw with Ireland, Scotland and Poland Draw. Whoohoo! playoffs here we come!

-Germany Draw with Ireland, Scotland beaten by Poland. Whoohoo! playoffs here we come!

-Germany Draw with Ireland,  Scotland beat Poland. F**k you Scotland. Polish game becomes a playoff for the playoff. (This is what will actually happen because it is the most painful for Ireland)

-Ireland beat Germany. Scotland and Poland Draw. Hard luck Scotland, we’re coming for you Poland.

-Ireland beat Germany. Scotland beaten by Poland. Didn’t we do well playoffs here we come!

-Ireland beat Germany. Scotland beat Poland. First Group E AND THEN THE WORLD!

You may not like it, but I’m quivering.
Liam

 

Lambert: Benjamin Button
Your comparison
of Paul (the world’s dourest voice) Lambert was highly unfair to Tactics Tim.

I watched him on that programme with Shearer and ‘Chappers’ and genuinely didn’t realise it was him for 15 minutes until he opened his mouth. He looks AT LEAST 10 years younger and I suspect that’s not all down to no longer being in management.
Silvio (Fergie reminds me of a lonely old granddad who keeps turning up unannounced) Dante

 

Shay-Oh dear
After reading the recent mailbox which featured a mail from Shayo Smith, I was amazed at the advancement of modern communication as I don’t believe anybody on our planet could have winning a European trophy and finishing in the top 4 as a “par” for the season for Liverpool FC.

Maybe the transmission waves of Chelsea’s Europa League win have only reached his planet now and he believes having a recently installed coach is the new model to go about winning a European trophy.

Just an update from Earth Shayo, after running close to winning the title, Liverpool have regressed, losing their star player, club legend midfielder, finished the 14/15 season 8 points from the top 4 and have started the 14/15 season with a record of 3 very unconvincing wins from 8 games and no semblance of a playing style.

To think that Jurgen Klopp can come into a new club, in a league he has no experience of, with one fifth of the season gone, and steer the club to a top 4 finish and win his first European trophy!?!

Either you have misunderstood the term ‘par’ or the people on your planet have their tongues firmly stuck in their cheeks. Live long and prosper Shayo.
Shane MUFC

 

…I must say I enjoyed reading Shayo Smith’s mail on Klopp’s potential appointment at Liverpool. I’m sure I’m not the only one who found it incredibly insightful.

“Me thinks it’s the perfect time for Klopp to come in.” – Absolutely! Eight games into the season, Liverpool in 10th place and the January transfer window the best part of three months away, it’s perfect! I definitely wouldn’t have wanted a new manager to come in with a full pre-season to prepare the team for his approach and pursue his own transfer targets!

“He couldn’t do any worse than Rodgers.” – Of course! There is no chance a Klopp team could finish below 7th in a league with 20 teams after finishing 7th in a league with 18 teams last season (with a better squad of players)!

“Seeing that the fourth spot could be up for grasp this season as Chelsea are currently doing a good impression of United’s 13/14 season after winning the title the season before.” – Yes! Chelsea will likely be worse than Liverpool all season! And there’s no need to worry about any of the six teams currently standing between Liverpool and 4th place!

“All he needs to do is put round pegs in round holes. Put players in their original positions.” – Genius! Why do other managers not just do this? This is literally all he needs to do!

“Maybe give a couple of players chances to impress i.e Lallana, Enrique. And perhaps rid the club of the many average players currently masquerading as defenders in the pool squad.” – Too right! Lallana only had 27 Premier League appearances last season to grab his chance to impress! And we all know Klopp has a secret technique for shifting average players on above average wages to less glamorous teams! Although he’d better check none of them are round pegs that could go in round holes first!

“If he could take the Europa League serious and win the damn thing, then he would have won over the Kop.” Exactly! Liverpool fans are famously easy to please and the Europa League is absolutely taken seriously by the majority of their fans! And focusing attention on the Europa League definitely won’t have an adverse effect on finishing in 4th place in the Premier League!

“And if he could finish in a decent position in the EPL say fourth spot, that would be par for the season.” Hallelujah! Finishing 4th would definitely be par for this Liverpool team and the least that should be expected! It’s not like most of the squad finished 6th last season, or that there are many teams better positioned to finish above Liverpool this season!
Tom, London

 

Another man-child mails in
I too enjoyed the WWE/Football comparison and I am also a closet fan. I thought I’d have a little pop at some other comparisons-

Matt Le Tissier- The Ultimate Warrior. Only good for very short bursts but amazing and loved by everyone.

Sir Alex Ferguson- The Undertaker. Remarkable career spanning decades. Multiple reinventions and prolonged success. Ominous and terrifying to his opponents.

Phil Thompson-HHH. Both have big noses.

Ronaldo – The Rock. Cocky. Adonis. Total legend of the field.

Brian Kilcline – Luke Harper. Both play/wrestle ‘stiff’. Unnerving stares. Proper beards.

Jose – Seth Rollins. We all know they are best but they good at acting like ****s.

Newcastle – The Big Show. Once contenders. Now massive jobbers. Likely to cry.

I wish Vince had have bought us…imagine a back four of The Big Show, The Undertaker, Kane and Ryback?
Paul, Newcastle
(MC – This will be the last of these)