Michael Edwards Return Confirmed

[Ne Moe Imya]

You are correct to say that Virgil is back to his best. Or he's close, at least (his best was RIDICULOUSLY good, perhaps the best in league history), but the numbers strongly suggest that he will drop off significantly over the next two years.

 

He could be playing at a high level still 3-4 years from now, but it will not be as high as his level is right now. The question will be whether he will accept that and be OK with a pay cut, or whether he will think that he deserves to be one of the highest wage earners in the squad out until he's 36 or so.

 

I agree with you that we will definitely offer him a new deal, even under Edwards, probably heavily incentive-based and with a reduced base wage. The question is whether he will be inclined to accept it when he can likely earn more from another club elsewhere. 

[Saintslfc13]

14 minutes ago, Simbo said:

Edward’s is a numbers man. Henderson was clearly on the wane whereas Virg is somewhat back to his best and the stats will back that up.

 

Not a chance we don’t offer him a new deal.

Agreed, I don't think it's as cut and dry as "only one year deals for players over 30". Henderson's attitude was his biggest asset really, he was never a world beater of a player but he was very reliable at the job he was asked to do when his legs were there. The writing was on the wall, and once told he was no longer going to be a regular starter he decided to chase the money in Arabia rather than step into the vacant Milner role. It worked out better for us than anyone could've imagined considering we got a fee for him, and signed Endo who I don't think would've been brought in if either Henderson or Fabinho had stayed.

VVD on the other hand is back to his best or just about, and also plays a position where there is precedent for players being effective well into their late 30's and a I think a few made it to 40 in a top team in a top league at the time. I'm not saying VVD will finish his career here if he wants to play until he's 40 but a 3-5 yr contract offer, the latter putting him at 37 when it finishes, wouldn't surprise me. Salah is a bit different as he's a wide forward/winger who's historically relied on pace which can fall off a cliff with age but as of now he's got 19 goals and 10 assists across 30 games in all competitions this season and that's with AFCON and the subsequent injury causing him to miss a lot of time. So as you say, the numbers appear to still be there. For me just from the "eye test" he seems to be a much more willing passer this season than he has ever been before.

In any case though I think the new sporting director (looks like it's probably going to be Richard Hughes, who I know nothing about) and the new manager (favorites being Xabi and Amorim as far as I'm aware) will have a more decisive say in contract offers than Michael Edwards in this new role.

[TD_LFC]

1 hour ago, Ne Moe Imya said:

 

This won't be popular but I think one of the things that will infuriate our fans is going to be the fact that this is the exact kind of deal Edwards will NOT sanction.

 

I actually think one of the main falling out points with Klopp that led to him leaving was re-signing Henderson, wasn't it? It would have been hugely unpopular to let him walk that summer, but Edwards was ready to do so and then Klopp insisted on giving him an extension.

 

I would contend that history has borne out Edwards' instincts to be correct, but it's arguable. At any rate, I think we'll see VVD and Salah let go (not necessarily this summer) earlier than we would have under Klopp. "Let their legs go on someone else's pitch" and all that.

Don't think the extension was the issue, the length of it was the issue.

[Bobby Hundreds]

Henderson was good in his first year of his extension, shit in his second and sold for cashhhh money so it wasn't too bad in the end,only for his own standing

[El Rojo]

27 minutes ago, Saintslfc13 said:

Agreed, I don't think it's as cut and dry as "only one year deals for players over 30". Henderson's attitude was his biggest asset really, he was never a world beater of a player but he was very reliable at the job he was asked to do when his legs were there. The writing was on the wall, and once told he was no longer going to be a regular starter he decided to chase the money in Arabia rather than step into the vacant Milner role. It worked out better for us than anyone could've imagined considering we got a fee for him, and signed Endo who I don't think would've been brought in if either Henderson or Fabinho had stayed.

VVD on the other hand is back to his best or just about, and also plays a position where there is precedent for players being effective well into their late 30's and a I think a few made it to 40 in a top team in a top league at the time. I'm not saying VVD will finish his career here if he wants to play until he's 40 but a 3-5 yr contract offer, the latter putting him at 37 when it finishes, wouldn't surprise me. Salah is a bit different as he's a wide forward/winger who's historically relied on pace which can fall off a cliff with age but as of now he's got 19 goals and 10 assists across 30 games in all competitions this season and that's with AFCON and the subsequent injury causing him to miss a lot of time. So as you say, the numbers appear to still be there. For me just from the "eye test" he seems to be a much more willing passer this season than he has ever been before.

In any case though I think the new sporting director (looks like it's probably going to be Richard Hughes, who I know nothing about) and the new manager (favorites being Xabi and Amorim as far as I'm aware) will have a more decisive say in contract offers than Michael Edwards in this new role.

Crazy to think Endo’s fee was largely covered by Henderson’s. Another for the various daylight robberies of the Klopp era. 

[Fowlers God]

17 hours ago, Mook said:

The multi club thing needs to fuck right off.

 

Another reason to find something else to do with your weekends.

 

I know that we are all disillusioned with the game in some ways but its like a drug. I cant stop.  

[Manny]

Totally agree that it won't be as cut and dried as "he's over 30 so he gets a year tops" for VVD. Him and Henderson play in different positions - the data will likely suggest that midfielders who rely on athleticism in a high pressing system can quickly tip from monster to passenger so that'll factor into renewal decisions in that area, but VVD doesn't press so he doesn't need that same athleticism, which means he'll have a slower taper through his 30s.

 

Another factor will be competition. I'm willing to bet that Edwards will have contacts throughout the league and Europe, and would probably have known that serious competition for Henderson's signature was lukewarm: there was an opportunity to call his bluff and wait until a point where we could have offered less money or an incentivised deal with less playing time, rather then jumping straight in with a "first team key player" contract. VVD on the other hand will attract serious interest from other top league sides which will have a different effect on negotiations.

[Red74]

16 hours ago, Chris said:

 

In his book, Aldo describes a tiff with Marina and her saying "you won't be here for much longer anyway" and that coming to pass. I don't think he necessarily think she was behind him leaving, just that she had insight into Aldo not being in the plans with Rushy coming back. 

Wasn’t he bladdered in a club and she told him to behave himself. He called her a slag and then fell down the stairs. John and alcohol weren’t best friends. The lampposts at the bottom of the valley can testify to that. 
 

edit: sure I read this in his autobiography 

[aws]

My bet would be we offer Virgil a really good deal but only for three years.  Salah is far more likely to leave.  

[Captain Turdseye]

16 hours ago, Dapower said:

mmm whatever I know it different and John would have outscored Rush if he stayed still everyone has an opinion 

 

Good morning Aldo, lad. I’m too young to have watched you play but I loved your commentary in the Barca 4-0. 

[gkmacca]

The coverage of the likely partnership of Edwards and Hughes has been very entertaining, in the sense of watching some hacks (and fans) straining to retain the 'Edwards was a genius for selling shite players to Hughes for inflated sums' idea, whilst adding the new notion that 'Hughes was a genius for buying players from Edwards who eventually came good, even if we only mean one of them'. It's a dream ticket, no doubt about it.

[TD_LFC]

20 minutes ago, gkmacca said:

The coverage of the likely partnership of Edwards and Hughes has been very entertaining, in the sense of watching some hacks (and fans) straining to retain the 'Edwards was a genius for selling shite players to Hughes for inflated sums' idea, whilst adding the new notion that 'Hughes was a genius for buying players from Edwards who eventually came good, even if we only mean one of them'. It's a dream ticket, no doubt about it.

 

Do you have an insight into how transfers at Bournemouth work?

 

Was Hughes solely responsible for identifying and signing players, does he identify them, and pass that on for others to do the negotiations, does the manager have the ultimate say over who they sign?

 

How does level and reputation of club (as well as budget etc) make the job easier/more difficult?

 

Whats his philosophy on how the role should be carried out and how much input into it a manager should have?

 

Is what he does scalable, or already similar, to the structure here?

 

 

[Dapower]

47 minutes ago, Captain Turdseye said:

 

Good morning Aldo, lad. I’m too young to have watched you play but I loved your commentary in the Barca 4-0. 

Hiya lad go on YouTube and watch my goals then 

[Pidge]

49 minutes ago, gkmacca said:

The coverage of the likely partnership of Edwards and Hughes has been very entertaining, in the sense of watching some hacks (and fans) straining to retain the 'Edwards was a genius for selling shite players to Hughes for inflated sums' idea, whilst adding the new notion that 'Hughes was a genius for buying players from Edwards who eventually came good, even if we only mean one of them'. It's a dream ticket, no doubt about it.

 

Not sure if the general view of either party's success or quality is based, or reliant, on those particular things, to be honest.

[Jose Jones]

Pretty mad that Aldo went from being top scorer in one of the best forward lines in the history of football, then two seasons of scoring 1 in 2 in La Liga to signing for Tranmere in the second division.

We should get whoever Tranmere’s director of football was.

[TD_LFC]

This might be useful.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kyVer285wo

 

Cut down version here

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKFtkegI71Y

 

both videos have a stupid character/emoji that prevents embedding.

[Chris]

4 hours ago, Red74 said:

Wasn’t he bladdered in a club and she told him to behave himself. He called her a slag and then fell down the stairs. John and alcohol weren’t best friends. The lampposts at the bottom of the valley can testify to that. 
 

edit: sure I read this in his autobiography 

He was having an argument with his Mrs after the Celtic friendly post Hillsborough and Marina stepped in. He told her to fuck off and mind her own business. Then the next day he apologised before getting on the coach back home after Kenny had mentioned he’d upset her. That’s the story from his autobiography anyway. 

[polymerpunkah]

6 hours ago, Ne Moe Imya said:

 

This won't be popular but I think one of the things that will infuriate our fans is going to be the fact that this is the exact kind of deal Edwards will NOT sanction.

 

I actually think one of the main falling out points with Klopp that led to him leaving was re-signing Henderson, wasn't it? It would have been hugely unpopular to let him walk that summer, but Edwards was ready to do so and then Klopp insisted on giving him an extension.

 

I would contend that history has borne out Edwards' instincts to be correct, but it's arguable. At any rate, I think we'll see VVD and Salah let go (not necessarily this summer) earlier than we would have under Klopp. "Let their legs go on someone else's pitch" and all that.

 

I agree that that might not be the type of deal he'd sanction in general, but in VVD's specific case I think it makes sense.

 

He's still one of the best CBs in the world, and the fact that he's got himself back to that position after the injury indicates that he's capable of adjusting to the limits getting older is going to place on him.

 

He's also the captain of a team that's still in transition, and about to undergo an even bigger transtion in the summer.

 

I'm not saying blank cheque, but the best possible offer they can make.

[kemskem]

I reminded of when he came back from Spain and somebody told me that apparently he’d said “I may be at Tranmere but at least I got me bevvy back!”

[3 Stacks]

Can't see both Salah and van Dijk getting extended. Probably just one and it depends if they want to stay obviously.

[Code]

12 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

Can't see both Salah and van Dijk getting extended. Probably just one and it depends if they want to stay obviously.

Both will be extended.

 

 

[joe_fishfish]

Code is Richard Hughes confirmed

[Babb'sBurstNad]

4 minutes ago, Code said:

Both will be extended.

 

 

 

The oracle has spoken.

[3 Stacks]

18 minutes ago, Code said:

Both will be extended.

 

 

Thanks, mate.

[Code]

You dont let your best defending player and best attacking player leave, just because they have turned 30, when not only are they your best players, but they also are the players who play the most minutes and almost never are injured.