A committee can work, but can this one? by Owen Morris

A fresh start, a new chapter; and we're not starting exactly from ground zero like we did three-and-a-half seasons ago. Jurgen Klopp has the media, and to a wider extent supporters (myself included) eating out of his hand. His appointment has already united a very fractured fan base, with his passion and charisma exactly what we needed to kick-start the life back into supporters, and hopefully the players.

I have no doubt of his quality to improve most players here and bring us success. He is the perfect man to take the job on. The reality is that if the German hopes to have a title sitting in our trophy cabinet in 4 seasons, recruitment needs a major improvement. Every manager has duds, but it feels like we have an inability to scout the 'hidden gems' our hooded illuminati crave. So what changes can we make?

Well, clearly there needs to be a lot more harmony between manager and the rest of its members. Going off Klopp's press conference, this seems to be the case. He dealt with it fantastically, saying there "was no problem" that it was sorted in a jiffy. I like the fact he said he gets the first word and last, but recognised he doesn't know everything so he needs people to help. This is vital. A new man, with a proven track record of signing top players, needs full support. No more deals that a manager gets a player if the rest of the gang get theirs; no more threats to quit as the club don't want to match a player's valuation the manager is desperate for. If Klopp is getting the first and last say, then this a big step, and a big vote of confidence from FSG.

There is also the debate on the members. I feel a committee can work well; a lot of clubs have them, they just don't have daft PR members who give them a label. However, I'm sceptical if this one can work; in particular the holy trinity of Mike Edwards, Barry Hunter and Dave Fallows. Looking at some of our signings, we need to put the Football manager or whatever data system Edwards uses away. It hasn't worked.

Look at Assaidi, Borini, Alberto, Aspas, Moses, Manquillo, Balotelli, you could even argue Markovic but there may be some hope for him yet. Stats and data have a place, but they should not be the major driving force in conducting transfers. Good scouting has always been the way to go, and our experiment attempting to be evolutionary has not worked. With a focus on scouting then it may be wise to get better quality scouts, as Hunter and Fallows have not been up to scratch. In terms of Fallows; working at Blackburn, Norwich and Bolton is not the best track record, and with having Millions to spend at City in his last few seasons there it wouldn't necessarily need to do the type of scouting and analysing the likes of Michael Zorc had to do at Dortmund.

Although, you could argue that they do have an ability to scout some good players. Think back to Costa, Mkhitaryan, Willian to name a few. Add that to the fact Rodgers wanted some shockers like Joe Allen, Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana means it may not be all the committees fault.

The way I see it though is that we need an overhaul in the way we generate our transfer targets. Hopefully with Jurgen Klopp's appointment, his first and last word will account for a lot. I get the feeling the setup will keep the same personnel, but a shift in who has the majority of the power. Whether that is for best, time will tell. January will be interesting to see who we can sign, but for now let's get behind the team, and support them to the hilt come October 17th.

Owen Morris

@owenmorris_