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Edwards finally breaks silence
New Liverpool boss Graeme Edwards finally sat down with the media today following his recent appointment to the Anfield hot seat. But firstly - how did he get to this position?
The Scottish manager vacated the managerial role at FC Barcelona 7 weeks or so ago citing various things including off the field issues, boredom with life in the EFL and some of the unsavoury characters in it and frustration with the game in general. Unquestionably Barca were experiencing an underwhelming campaign when Edwards took the decision to walk away - out of both cups and having just slipped to 5th in the table - but few could argue that in general terms the Scot enjoyed a relatively successful spell in charge of the Catalan giants with 3 x Champions League triumphs, a runaway EFL1 league victory - with a 94 point haul which stands as a record in a 38 game EFL top flight - and finally an EFL Cup final win which came at the 4th time of asking.
Despite the cup successes and the solitary league triumph, Edwards struggled to have Barca seriously challenging in the league on a regular basis with powerhouses such as Paris Saint Germain, Real Madrid and Roma almost always finishing higher, especially more recently. Emerging clubs like Juventus and Atletico Madrid were doing nothing to make the task any easier. Whilst the Barca hierarchy was rumoured to be frustrated at Edwards inability to mount credible league challenges it was said that they were happy to retain the Scot's services due to his knack of tasting cup success, the 3 Champions League victories in particular (2 against Real Madrid and the other against PSG) giving Edwards hero status to the majority of the club's passionate supporters.
However the signs were there that Edwards enjoyment of life in the Spanish sunshine was on the wane. In his final post match reaction the season before Edwards publicly expressed his desire to take on a new challenge back in English football - providing the right 'project' became available. Despite having just won another 2 trophies it was said by people close to Edwards that he took very little satisfaction from those most recent triumphs and that he longed for a change of scenery. That change did not come until past the midway point of the following season when, after a farcical 3-2 reversal at home to Real Sociedad, Edwards walked into the after match press conference and said that amongst other things he had fallen out of love with the game and that he would be leaving Barcelona with immediate effect with no suggestion that he intended to return to management.
A few weeks later it is understood that Edwards was approached by FFO head honcho Jon Banks asking whether he would be interested in taking over Liverpool at the end of the season after their current manager had confirmed that he would be leaving the club. Edwards is said to have jumped at the opportunity to be the latest person to try and resurrect the fortunes of the once mighty Reds and after the club completed their campaign in a disappointing 10th position the Scot officially took over the reigns.
So as he finally addressed the media over a week later, the first question from the gathering press to Edwards was why take so long to break his silence?
"I've just not had the time and quite frankly I make no apologies for that. I know that the supporters are the most important people at any club and they will be desperate to hear from me and my vision for the future and what have you but the absolute priority for me at the present time has been getting to work behind the scenes to try and put in place some foundations which will give the club and more specifically the first team the best chance of success as quickly as possible moving forward"
Does that mean you have been busy in the transfer market?
"I don't think busy would be an adequate description! It has been virtually non stop. From the outside looking in the club has underperformed for a considerable period of time. I don't have the exact stats or knowledge of league placings over the last 10 seasons or so but I know enough that wholesale changes are needed on the park and that is exactly what I have been addressing since the minute I walked through the door. I decided that virtually the entire squad had to go and believe me there were some tough conversations to be had with a number of players. Some of the guys that are leaving didn't want to leave and there is no question that one or two of them are of a good enough quality to stay here. But ultimately it will be my neck that's on the line and I would rather go into next season with a squad I have built than be relying on players that have had the opportunity before and haven't delivered even if, as I say, some of them are very talented laddies"
So you've sold or intend selling every single player that you inherited?!
"I think as I sit here there are two what you would call first team players remaining from last season. I've told them that my intention, at the present time anyway, is to keep them here. They are a bit shell shocked at watching all of their friends and former colleagues walking out the door but I'm confident that they'll soon get used to it. We've given them some extra time away with their families before we get everyone in to start pre season training"
Can we ask who the two players are that you haven't sold?
"Yes I've no problem with that. Onana our goalkeeper and defender Jan Paul van Hecke are the two players in question"
Wait.....so you've sold the likes of Lobotka and Silva? They are fans favourites and top class players...
"Yep they are away. Next question?..."
You're not worried about a fans backlash at this?
"Not at all. This club has to forget about the past and start looking forward and improving quickly. My job is to bring success to this club and I will do it by assembling a squad of players that I myself have identified and brought in. Guys that fit the profile of the way I like my players, whatever their position, to be able to play. We're not going to catch established teams like the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds United overnight. But we have to get things moving quickly in that direction, at the present time we aren't even worthy of being discussed in the same breath as those clubs. As a starting point we need to be playing Champions League football every season and not skittering about in the lesser European competitions. No disrespect but we're not going to be taken seriously by anyone else until we're finishing higher up the table and that's just the reality of the situation. I think the players I'm bringing in will give us a better chance of achieving that although of course it's an ever evolving landscape and there will continue to be plenty movement in and out going forward"
Any names you're prepared to throw at us in terms of who is incoming? There's strong rumours that old man Mats Hummels is signing up to see out his last couple of years in the game. Surely not?...
"Mats is signing yes. I'm not sure why anyone would question a player of his calibre coming in. Yes he's a veteran player but he is absolutely head and shoulders above some of the guys we've moved on. Our defence next season will consist of players that can not only defend but that are comfortable passing the ball out from the back. Which is something that was sadly lacking previously. We're bringing in Mbabu from Atletico Madrid and Akanji from Celtic too and we are ecstatic to have them all at the club"
What about up front? Who's going to replace Andre Silva as the main goal threat?
"We're bringing in a couple of new front players, Guirassy and Mudryk and we feel comfortable that both will score goals. Again though they both have attributes beyond their finishing. Mudryk is a player that I am looking forward to working with. We've spent a lot of money on the boy but I have a lot of belief in him. He's going to captain the club and I feel that responsibility is only going to help his game and move him onto another level"
Mudryk? Captain? Can he even speak fluent English?!
"Don't be silly. He's been watching a crash course of Brookside, Bread and the Liver Birds from back in the day since he arrived to brush up on the dialect. He's been listening to the Beatles too. I think he's even going to get a John Lennon style haircut from back in the day. He's really committing himself to becoming an adopted scouser"
Is this a wind up?...
"Listen stop questioning everything. Change is needed and change is happening"
You said when you left Barcelona that you didn't like some of the managers over there...
"I'm not going into that. I'm only focusing on Liverpool and getting this club moving in the right direction in what is a far more difficult league than one or two idiots make out"
You managed Arsenal before, albeit a long time ago. Do you look back at those times with a lot of...
"I'm not looking back, only forward thank you"
Who are the manager's in England that you respect and are looking forward to locking horns with?
"There's a lot. Obviously Nick Lovell at Manchester City is the absolute daddy and has just won the league again. Nothing but absolute respect for the guy. Same goes with Steve at Man United. I've always been pretty friendly with him and we chat away fairly regularly and not just about football. Of course I'm aware that our supporters are bitter rivals with United so maybe our friendly relationship will have to be shelved at least for the time being. Darren Humphris at Arsenal is another outstanding bloke who I've gotten to know over a long period of time and the same goes for Tim Davey at Leeds. Brilliant managers and characters - they don't need to shout from the rooftops or act like arseholes to make an impact"
What about Chelsea and there new manager?
"A high profile addition to the league - yeah very interesting! Must admit I was surprised to see Mr Talbot leaving Real Madrid and going there. I believe Chelsea were 4th last season and are a club who always feature in the Champions League. For me Chelsea don't need a lot of fixing and I'm sure they will be right up there with Steve at the helm. He's a different type of character but the game would be boring if everyone was the same wouldn't it? No question he did an outstanding job in the EFL and I'm sure he'll be looking to go on to do the same over here in England. We've had our fair share of battles over the years but I'm not really thinking about that. As I say my focus is all on Liverpool and improving us and with that I need to leave things for the time being. I'll speak further in the coming days about other new players that are coming in and what we intend to do with regards to stadium development and our academy etc. There's really not enough minutes in the day at the moment"
New Liverpool boss Graeme Edwards finally sat down with the media today following his recent appointment to the Anfield hot seat. But firstly - how did he get to this position?
The Scottish manager vacated the managerial role at FC Barcelona 7 weeks or so ago citing various things including off the field issues, boredom with life in the EFL and some of the unsavoury characters in it and frustration with the game in general. Unquestionably Barca were experiencing an underwhelming campaign when Edwards took the decision to walk away - out of both cups and having just slipped to 5th in the table - but few could argue that in general terms the Scot enjoyed a relatively successful spell in charge of the Catalan giants with 3 x Champions League triumphs, a runaway EFL1 league victory - with a 94 point haul which stands as a record in a 38 game EFL top flight - and finally an EFL Cup final win which came at the 4th time of asking.
Despite the cup successes and the solitary league triumph, Edwards struggled to have Barca seriously challenging in the league on a regular basis with powerhouses such as Paris Saint Germain, Real Madrid and Roma almost always finishing higher, especially more recently. Emerging clubs like Juventus and Atletico Madrid were doing nothing to make the task any easier. Whilst the Barca hierarchy was rumoured to be frustrated at Edwards inability to mount credible league challenges it was said that they were happy to retain the Scot's services due to his knack of tasting cup success, the 3 Champions League victories in particular (2 against Real Madrid and the other against PSG) giving Edwards hero status to the majority of the club's passionate supporters.
However the signs were there that Edwards enjoyment of life in the Spanish sunshine was on the wane. In his final post match reaction the season before Edwards publicly expressed his desire to take on a new challenge back in English football - providing the right 'project' became available. Despite having just won another 2 trophies it was said by people close to Edwards that he took very little satisfaction from those most recent triumphs and that he longed for a change of scenery. That change did not come until past the midway point of the following season when, after a farcical 3-2 reversal at home to Real Sociedad, Edwards walked into the after match press conference and said that amongst other things he had fallen out of love with the game and that he would be leaving Barcelona with immediate effect with no suggestion that he intended to return to management.
A few weeks later it is understood that Edwards was approached by FFO head honcho Jon Banks asking whether he would be interested in taking over Liverpool at the end of the season after their current manager had confirmed that he would be leaving the club. Edwards is said to have jumped at the opportunity to be the latest person to try and resurrect the fortunes of the once mighty Reds and after the club completed their campaign in a disappointing 10th position the Scot officially took over the reigns.
So as he finally addressed the media over a week later, the first question from the gathering press to Edwards was why take so long to break his silence?
"I've just not had the time and quite frankly I make no apologies for that. I know that the supporters are the most important people at any club and they will be desperate to hear from me and my vision for the future and what have you but the absolute priority for me at the present time has been getting to work behind the scenes to try and put in place some foundations which will give the club and more specifically the first team the best chance of success as quickly as possible moving forward"
Does that mean you have been busy in the transfer market?
"I don't think busy would be an adequate description! It has been virtually non stop. From the outside looking in the club has underperformed for a considerable period of time. I don't have the exact stats or knowledge of league placings over the last 10 seasons or so but I know enough that wholesale changes are needed on the park and that is exactly what I have been addressing since the minute I walked through the door. I decided that virtually the entire squad had to go and believe me there were some tough conversations to be had with a number of players. Some of the guys that are leaving didn't want to leave and there is no question that one or two of them are of a good enough quality to stay here. But ultimately it will be my neck that's on the line and I would rather go into next season with a squad I have built than be relying on players that have had the opportunity before and haven't delivered even if, as I say, some of them are very talented laddies"
So you've sold or intend selling every single player that you inherited?!
"I think as I sit here there are two what you would call first team players remaining from last season. I've told them that my intention, at the present time anyway, is to keep them here. They are a bit shell shocked at watching all of their friends and former colleagues walking out the door but I'm confident that they'll soon get used to it. We've given them some extra time away with their families before we get everyone in to start pre season training"
Can we ask who the two players are that you haven't sold?
"Yes I've no problem with that. Onana our goalkeeper and defender Jan Paul van Hecke are the two players in question"
Wait.....so you've sold the likes of Lobotka and Silva? They are fans favourites and top class players...
"Yep they are away. Next question?..."
You're not worried about a fans backlash at this?
"Not at all. This club has to forget about the past and start looking forward and improving quickly. My job is to bring success to this club and I will do it by assembling a squad of players that I myself have identified and brought in. Guys that fit the profile of the way I like my players, whatever their position, to be able to play. We're not going to catch established teams like the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds United overnight. But we have to get things moving quickly in that direction, at the present time we aren't even worthy of being discussed in the same breath as those clubs. As a starting point we need to be playing Champions League football every season and not skittering about in the lesser European competitions. No disrespect but we're not going to be taken seriously by anyone else until we're finishing higher up the table and that's just the reality of the situation. I think the players I'm bringing in will give us a better chance of achieving that although of course it's an ever evolving landscape and there will continue to be plenty movement in and out going forward"
Any names you're prepared to throw at us in terms of who is incoming? There's strong rumours that old man Mats Hummels is signing up to see out his last couple of years in the game. Surely not?...
"Mats is signing yes. I'm not sure why anyone would question a player of his calibre coming in. Yes he's a veteran player but he is absolutely head and shoulders above some of the guys we've moved on. Our defence next season will consist of players that can not only defend but that are comfortable passing the ball out from the back. Which is something that was sadly lacking previously. We're bringing in Mbabu from Atletico Madrid and Akanji from Celtic too and we are ecstatic to have them all at the club"
What about up front? Who's going to replace Andre Silva as the main goal threat?
"We're bringing in a couple of new front players, Guirassy and Mudryk and we feel comfortable that both will score goals. Again though they both have attributes beyond their finishing. Mudryk is a player that I am looking forward to working with. We've spent a lot of money on the boy but I have a lot of belief in him. He's going to captain the club and I feel that responsibility is only going to help his game and move him onto another level"
Mudryk? Captain? Can he even speak fluent English?!
"Don't be silly. He's been watching a crash course of Brookside, Bread and the Liver Birds from back in the day since he arrived to brush up on the dialect. He's been listening to the Beatles too. I think he's even going to get a John Lennon style haircut from back in the day. He's really committing himself to becoming an adopted scouser"
Is this a wind up?...
"Listen stop questioning everything. Change is needed and change is happening"
You said when you left Barcelona that you didn't like some of the managers over there...
"I'm not going into that. I'm only focusing on Liverpool and getting this club moving in the right direction in what is a far more difficult league than one or two idiots make out"
You managed Arsenal before, albeit a long time ago. Do you look back at those times with a lot of...
"I'm not looking back, only forward thank you"
Who are the manager's in England that you respect and are looking forward to locking horns with?
"There's a lot. Obviously Nick Lovell at Manchester City is the absolute daddy and has just won the league again. Nothing but absolute respect for the guy. Same goes with Steve at Man United. I've always been pretty friendly with him and we chat away fairly regularly and not just about football. Of course I'm aware that our supporters are bitter rivals with United so maybe our friendly relationship will have to be shelved at least for the time being. Darren Humphris at Arsenal is another outstanding bloke who I've gotten to know over a long period of time and the same goes for Tim Davey at Leeds. Brilliant managers and characters - they don't need to shout from the rooftops or act like arseholes to make an impact"
What about Chelsea and there new manager?
"A high profile addition to the league - yeah very interesting! Must admit I was surprised to see Mr Talbot leaving Real Madrid and going there. I believe Chelsea were 4th last season and are a club who always feature in the Champions League. For me Chelsea don't need a lot of fixing and I'm sure they will be right up there with Steve at the helm. He's a different type of character but the game would be boring if everyone was the same wouldn't it? No question he did an outstanding job in the EFL and I'm sure he'll be looking to go on to do the same over here in England. We've had our fair share of battles over the years but I'm not really thinking about that. As I say my focus is all on Liverpool and improving us and with that I need to leave things for the time being. I'll speak further in the coming days about other new players that are coming in and what we intend to do with regards to stadium development and our academy etc. There's really not enough minutes in the day at the moment"