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View from the Kop

Thanks Didier, and your point was…?

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There’s seems to be a growing trend lately of managers and players announcing to the world press (all no doubt, holding its collective breath) that they have recently turned down a move to Liverpool.  It’s a trend I can’t quite get my head around.  What is the point?  Why do they do it?  And who benefits from these ‘revelations’?

Just a couple of days ago, we awoke to reports that Didier Deschamps – the former Monaco and Juventus manager, now at Marseilles – had apparently turned down an approach from Liverpool prior to the signing of Roy Hodgson as manager.  The former World Cup winner is quoted in the press as saying:

“I was very proud a club like Liverpool were interested in me.  But the timing was not good.  I was engaged with Marseille, the players and the fans, and I could not leave them two days before the restart for pre-season.”

All well and good, but what was the purpose of releasing this to the press almost 3 months after the offer was made?  Apparently, the ‘timing was not good’ for Didier and his fans and players but it would appear that he didn’t stop for a second to consider that the timing was hardly perfect for a club in such disarray as Liverpool are at the moment, and that we can gain nothing from these kind of quotes.  Especially with the present manager (who, it now seems, was actually only our 3rd or 4th choice) under so much pressure after an awful start to the current season.

Deschamps isn’t the only manager or player to make such a claim though.  If we go back a few years to 2008 we could find Jurgen Klinsmann making claims on signing up as the new Bayern Munich coach, that he had held meetings with representatives of Liverpool’s loveable owners near his California home, behind then coach Rafa Benitez’s back.  All this proved to do was destabilise a situation that was, at that time, on the verge of meltdown.   Hicks and Gillett were later forced to admit to these ‘secret’ (there are no genuine secrets were the British press are concerned) talks with the former Germany manager, and claimed that

“We attempted to negotiate an option as an insurance policy to have him (Klinsmann) become manager if Rafael left for Real Madrid.”

Against all odds, Benitez managed to retain his job and even went as far as negotiating a new contract with more control over his club.

Continue Reading on Page 2 . . .

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I'm a 32 year old Liverpool fan, living in the heart of the City Centre. I've supported the club since the day I was born and have been writing articles for L4L for over 3 years, writing close over 350 articles in that time. My favorite player of the past generation is Sami Hyypia.

I am the current editor for L4L, with my day job being in R&D for the NHS.

7 comments

  • ryan01 says:

    I believe it was to a response to a question before Chelsea’s champions league game against Marseilles.

  • Joe says:

    Didier Deschamps is a little goblin.

  • Jim Lynch says:

    I like that – a little goblin. comments on another article says Roy is a whopper and the team are sandboys. Any more anyone?

  • Bryan says:

    talking about players linked to LFC – Roy says he knows nothing about Wolfswinkel – where did that rumour come from then?

  • John says:

    Yeah, bit of a pointless article really, it was just a response to a question and then it gets reported as if he’s ‘announced’ it! Press making a fuss over nothing as usual, no need to jump on board. Came out that we approached him a fair while ago also so hyped up and old news!

  • Greg says:

    Anyone who looks at Newsnow will have been aware that Deschamps was approached in the summer and Monaco would not consider releasing him. Not only is this old news but it is also a total non-story. Just seems like the press have goldfish memories and will pounce on the slightest thing to ridicule LFC at the moment, as if the owners, the current performances and managerial tactics arent doing a good enough job of that already… So depressing being a Red at the moment…. YNWA

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