To the Levein haters: Is there anything he could do to change your mind?

[annushorribilis III]

1 hour ago, Enzo Chiefo said:

We just squeaked through against Hibs, in case you hadn't noticed.....in the only game we have won all season.

That'll be the current Hibs team which is utter shyte, according to many posters on here. 

 

Anyways, Craig takes us to another cup semi final, he beats Hibs & all is good - and  it's still September.  ABs business plan is already totally vindicated and CL stands down at the end of the season.Works for me. 

 

[johnthomas]

5 hours ago, FruitJuice said:

There is no hating him involved at all.  It's the posters accusing others if hating him who are getting confused with hating how the team are doing and not liking levein the person.  Why is that difficult to understand?  There is a big difference.  So you dont see the difference between the two? What I do hate is someone having as much power as he does.  Name another manager in Scottish/british football that is also on the board?  He should resign from the board so he can concentrate on managing.  

There is no hating him involved at all !

Try reading some of the poisonous bile posted about CL , and AB while you are at it .

Nobody is saying all CLs critics are being hateful but it's pretty dumb to say none are

[FruitJuice]

1 minute ago, johnthomas said:

There is no hating him involved at all !

Try reading some of the poisonous bile posted about CL , and AB while you are at it .

Nobody is saying all CLs critics are being hateful but it's pretty dumb to say none are

You're right on that one.  But i think Its also true that the majority who are criticising him are doing it for football reasons.  

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

10 minutes ago, FruitJuice said:

You're right on that one.  But i think Its also true that the majority who are criticising him are doing it for football reasons.  

Correct. The way people ignore nuance these days is scary, i.e. someone hates Craig Levein or Ann Budge on social media and want them out. You want Craig Levein out. Therefore, you hate Craig Levein. Logic fails everywhere!

[sandylejambo]

I hate how we play football most weeks, and the fact he has his favourites no matter how bad they're playing. Hate Levein? Possibly, I get angry when I think of him in charge of my team.

[Kiwidoug]

C'mon Craig. .  Put all the doubters including me back in their place.  4 in a row will be a great start.

[rmreido]

On 27/09/2019 at 07:50, kingantti1874 said:

I don’t hate levein. I defended him massively until March.   What do we need to do?  we do need to win the games we should be winning 9 time’s out of 10.. we need to put up a fight in every game against the old firm and nick the odd result.

 

just as importantly - we need to play in a way that makes me want to go to the football rather than scoop my eyes out with a spoon. I’m not necessarily talking about flair! But we need high energy, high excitement.. chances , movement  goals.!! 

Exactly this, all day long!👏

[davie1980]

On 27/09/2019 at 16:37, JamboAl said:

I get the impression you are contradicting yourself.

You say no team in the league can lose players of that quality and not suffer but acknowledge perhaps it is a reasonable reason.

You say this season is not as bad as last season for injuries but complain about the dismal run.  Surely it must have been a more reasonable reason last season.

I may add that players coming back from injury may be physically fit but not match fit after a long spell out and the only way they'll get that is by playing games.  Berra hasn't quite achieved that while Uche looks as though he's just about there now.

 

Aye, I see what you mean mate.

 

Now you put it like that I'm delighted with our recent form. All seems perfectly reasonable now

[davie1980]

19 hours ago, ToqueJambo said:

 

It's amazing how many Hearts fans are unwilling to acknowledge that, labelling it an "excuse".

 

Aberdeen have a bad injury list this season, although still not anywhere near as bad as ours was last season or maybe even this season. I've heard Aberdeen fans bemoaning it. It'll be interesting to see if McInnes gets more sympathy than Levein did both from fans and the media, and it'll also be interesting to see how McInnes copes with it. It's the same with Clarke and Scotland. As Clarke was their man, the media have been eager to point out that key players missing for Scotland (including Naismith ironically) makes it hard to judge Clarke so far. And Clarke has a much bigger pool to pick from so it should be less of an excuse at international level.

 

The early form really set us up for a fall last season as well. We were playing better than anyone could have expected and we were probably due a blip.

That probably came and it coincided with that injury trouble.

The fact it wasn't just 5 or 6 players, it was focussed in 2 key areas of the parks.

In saying that our form was honking mid season last year but even with that I was able to over look it as those early points kept us in a respectable position and there were legit excuses.

 

It was when we started to get players back and the form never returned I started to worry.

 

The start to this season has been rotten. In isolation you maybe look at it as a bad spell but when you bolt on the last 2 thirds of last season, you have good reason to be worried.

 

This term we have had injuries and there have been some quality players injured but we've never struggled to fill a position and I think we should have more strength in depth than to be as poor as we've been.

 

 

[The Real Maroonblood]

On 27/09/2019 at 07:39, Jambos_1874 said:

As the title says. Is there no way back for him in your mind or could he yet redeem himself. I'm talking about realistically i.e. a Scottish Cup win and a European position, not winning the Champions League.

 

I'm still on the fence on whether he can turn it around but given recent results I'd give him until Christmas. Glad to see our owner isn't in the habit of hiring and firing.

Haters.

 

[DA55AD]

Meh fk Aberdeen tbh don’t tend to actually watch videos of us repeatedly pumping them but the game against Hibs bought him enough time will be revised if we ever lose to them at all 

[mitch41]

Does anyone know what input Levein has in the coaching side for instance how he works on tactics, systems, players interactions, movement, closing down space. Does he leave all that to McPhee, Daly & Fox and he wonders into Riccarton on a Thursday and pats a few backs, talks to everyone then sits down with his Boot Room and picks the team. Is he more of a manager who says that player will play wide right but if he's crap there we'll sub him and the next game we'll try him centre midfield. 

I say this because during a game he looks lost at times standing in the technical area.

[The Treasurer]

30 minutes ago, mitch41 said:

Does anyone know what input Levein has in the coaching side for instance how he works on tactics, systems, players interactions, movement, closing down space. Does he leave all that to McPhee, Daly & Fox and he wonders into Riccarton on a Thursday and pats a few backs, talks to everyone then sits down with his Boot Room and picks the team. Is he more of a manager who says that player will play wide right but if he's crap there we'll sub him and the next game we'll try him centre midfield. 

I say this because during a game he looks lost at times standing in the technical area.

You'll believe what you want to believe regarding our manager.

No facts or other points of view will change that

[Coco]

30 minutes ago, mitch41 said:

Does anyone know what input Levein has in the coaching side for instance how he works on tactics, systems, players interactions, movement, closing down space. Does he leave all that to McPhee, Daly & Fox and he wonders into Riccarton on a Thursday and pats a few backs, talks to everyone then sits down with his Boot Room and picks the team. Is he more of a manager who says that player will play wide right but if he's crap there we'll sub him and the next game we'll try him centre midfield. 

I say this because during a game he looks lost at times standing in the technical area.

It was interesting that prior to the penalties last week other than a high 5 to Pereira Levein didn't even attempt to speak to or gee up any of the penalty takers.  He left MacPhee to it.

 

Don't think I've ever seen that from a manager before.

[Tasavallan]

1 hour ago, The Treasurer said:

You'll believe what you want to believe regarding our manager.

No facts or other points of view will change that

 

The hatred is ingrained now. 

[mitch41]

28 minutes ago, Tasavallan said:

 

The hatred is ingrained now. 

Not hatred or anger it has turned into pity. The man who couldn't see the wood for the trees. A good squad controlled by people who just aren't good enough. Sure the players like them but that's not what management is all about.

[shed1874]

Hate is a bit much

 

More dissapointed seeing Craig struggle to put a winning side on the park. Hearts have been playing for safety to get through to next game it is more difficult than playing naturally to your strengths. We have near a starting side of injured players making his job many times harder. It's soul destroying I voted for him to leave on a poll I want him to be successfull I lost faith in him

[Seymour M Hersh]

Maybe if he morphed into this guy but even then some would find fault! 

 

I have to start with a slightly embarrassing story. Because sometimes I am afraid that the outside world looks at footballers and managers like we’re Gods or something. As a Christian, I believe in only one God, and I can assure you that God has nothing to do with football. The truth is that we all fail, constantly. And when I was a young manager I failed a lot. 

This is one of those stories.

We have to go back to 2011. My Borussia Dortmund team were playing Bayern Munich. It was a huge match in the league. We hadn’t won in Munich in something like 20 years. I take a lot of inspiration from movies, so whenever I needed to motivate the boys I would always think of Rocky Balboa. In my opinion, they should show Rocky 1, 2, 3 and 4 in public schools all across the world. It should be like learning the alphabet. If you watch these movies and you don’t want to climb to the top of a mountain, then I think something is wrong with you. 

So the night before we played Bayern, I gathered all my players at the hotel for our team talk. The boys were all sitting down. All the lights were off. I told them the truth of the situation: “The last time Dortmund won in Munich, most of you were still in your Pampers.

Then I started playing some scenes from Rocky IV on the video screen. The one with Ivan Drago. A classic, in my opinion.

Drago is running on the treadmill, and he’s hooked up to the big computer monitors and the scientists are studying him. Remember that? I told the boys, “You see? Bayern Munich is Ivan Drago. The best of everything! The best technology! The best machines! He’s unstoppable!” 

Then you see Rocky training in Siberia in his little log cabin. He’s chopping down pine trees and carrying logs through the snow and running up to the top of the mountain. 

And I told the boys, “You see? That’s us. We are Rocky. We are smaller, yes. But we have the passion! We have the heart of a champion! We can do the impossible!!!!!” 

I was going on and on, and then at some point, I look out to all my boys to see their reaction. I was expecting them to be standing up on their chairs, ready to go run up a mountain in Siberia, going absolutely crazy.

But everyone is just sitting there, staring at me with dead eyes. 

Completely blank. 

Crickets, as you say. 

They’re looking at me like, What in the world is this crazy man talking about? 

So then I realised, Wait, when did Rocky IV come out, 1980-something? When were these boys born? 

Finally, I said, “Wait a minute, boys. Please raise your hand if you know who is Rocky Balboa?” 

Only two hands went up. Sebastian Kehl and Patrick Owomoyela. 

Everyone else, “Nope, sorry, boss.”

My entire speech — nonsense! This is the most important match of the season. Maybe the most important match of some of the players’ lives. And the manager has been screaming about Soviet technology and Siberia for the last 10 minutes! Hahahaha! Can you believe this?

I had to start my whole speech over from scratch. 

You see, this is the real story. This is what actually happens in life. We are human beings. Sometimes, we embarrass ourselves. That’s how it is. We think we’re giving the greatest speech in the history of football, and we’re actually talking complete nonsense. But we get up the next morning and we go again. 

Do you know what is the strangest part of that story? 

I honestly cannot be sure if we won or lost the match. I am pretty sure that I gave this speech in 2011 before we won 3–1, and that certainly makes for a much better story! But I can’t be 100% sure

This is one thing about football that people don’t always understand. 

The results, you forget. You get them all mixed up. 

But those boys, and that time in my life, and those little stories … I will never forget them. 

I am honored to have won the FIFA award for best men’s coach last night, but I really don’t like to stand on a stage with a trophy all by myself. Everything I have accomplished in this game is only possible because of everyone around me. Not just my players, but my family and my sons and everyone who has been with me since the beginning, when I was a very, very average person. 

Honestly, when I was 20 years old, if someone came from the future to tell me everything that was going to happen in my life, I would not have believed it. If Michael J. Fox himself had come flying in on his hoverboard to tell me what would happen, I would have said it was impossible. 

When I was 20, I experienced the moment that completely changed my life. I was still a kid myself, but I had also just become a father. It was not perfect timing, let’s be honest. I was playing amateur football and going to university during the day. To pay for school, I was working in a warehouse where they stored movies for the cinema. And for the young people out there, we are not talking about DVDs. This was the late ’80s, when everything was still on film. The trucks would come at 6 a.m. to pick up the new movies, and we would load and unload those huge metal canisters. They were quite heavy, honestly. You would be praying that they weren’t showing something with four reels, like Ben-Hur or something. That was going to be a bad day for you. 

I would sleep for five hours every night, go to the warehouse in the morning, and then go to class during the day. At night I would go to training, and then I’d come home and try to spend some time with my son. It was a very difficult time. But it taught me about real life. 

I had to become a very serious person at a young age. All my friends would be calling me to go to the pub at night, and every bone in my body wanted to say, “Yes! Yes! I want to go!” But, of course, I couldn’t go, because I was not living just for myself anymore. Babies don’t care that you are tired and want to sleep until noon. 

When you are worried about the future of another little person who you brought into the world, this is real worry. This is real difficulty. Whatever happens on a football pitch is nothing compared to this. 

Sometimes people ask me why I am always smiling. Even after we lose a match, sometimes I’m still smiling. It’s because when my son was born, I realised that football is not life or death. We’re not saving lives. Football is not something that should spread misery and hatred. Football should be about inspiration and joy, especially for children. 

I have seen what a little round ball can do for the lives of so many of my players. The personal journeys of players like Mo Salah, Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, and so many of my boys are absolutely incredible. The difficulties I faced as a young man in Germany were nothing compared to what they had to overcome. There were so many moments when they could’ve easily given up, but they refused to quit.

They’re not gods. They just simply never gave up on their dream.

I think 98% of football is about dealing with failure and still being able to smile and find joy in the game the next day. 

I’ve been learning from my mistakes since the very beginning. I’ll never forget the first one. I had taken over the job in 2001 at Mainz, where I had been a player for 10 years. The problem was that all the boys were still my friends. Overnight, I was their boss. They were still calling me “Kloppo.”

When I had to announce the squad for the first match, I thought it was only right that I go and tell each player to his face. 

Well, this was a very bad plan, because we had twin hotel rooms. 

So you can imagine it. I get to the first room, and I sit the two players down on the bed, and I turn to one and say, “You are starting tomorrow.” 

I turn to the other and say, “Unfortunately, you are not starting tomorrow.” 

I realised how dumb my plan was when the second player looked me in the eyes and asked, “But … Kloppo … why?” 

Most of the time, there is no answer. The only real answer is, “We can only start 11 players.” 

Unfortunately, I had to do this eight more times — 18 players in nine twin rooms. Two guys sitting on the bed. “You’re starting, you’re not.” 

Every time, “But … Kloppo … why?” 

Hahahah! It was excruciating! 

This was the first of many, many, times that I stepped in the s*** as a manager. What can you do? You just grab a tissue and clean it off and try to learn from it. 

If you still don’t believe me, think about this: Even my greatest triumph as a manager was born from a disaster. 

Losing 3–0 at Barcelona in the Champions League last season was the worst result imaginable. When we were preparing for the second leg, my team talk was very straightforward. There was no Rocky this time. Mostly, I talked about tactics. But I also told them the truth. I said, “We have to play without two of the best strikers in the world. The world outside is saying it is not possible. And let’s be honest, it’s probably impossible. But because it’s you? Because it’s you, we have a chance.” 

I really believed that. It wasn’t about their technical ability as footballers. It was about who they were as human beings, and everything they had overcome in life. 

The only thing that I added was, “If we fail, then let’s fail in the most beautiful way.” 

Of course, it is easy for me to say those words. I am just the guy yelling from the touchline. It is much harder for the players to actually do it. But because of those boys, and because of the 54,000 people at Anfield, we did the impossible. 

The beautiful thing about football is that you can’t do anything alone. Anything, believe me. 

Unfortunately, the most incredible moment in the history of the Champions League … I didn’t actually see it. Maybe this is a good metaphor for the life of a football manager, I don’t know. But I completely missed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s moment of pure genius. 

I saw the ball go out for a corner. 

I saw Trent walking over to take it. I saw Shaqiri following him. 

But then I turned my back because we were preparing to make a substitution. I was talking to my assistant, and … you know, I have goose bumps every time I think about it … I just heard the noise. 

I turned to the pitch and I saw the ball flying into the goal. 

I turned back to our bench and looked at Ben Woodburn, and he said, “What just happened?!” 

And I said, “I have no idea!” 

Anfield was going — boof — absolutely crazy. I could barely hear my assistant, and he was yelling, “So … do we still make the substitute?” 

Hahahaha! I will never forget him saying that! That will always be with me. 

Can you imagine? Eighteen years as a manager, millions of hours watching this game, and I missed the cheekiest thing that has ever happened on a football pitch. Since that night, I have probably watched the video of Divock’s goal 500,000 times. But in person, I only saw the ball hit the net. 

When I got to my little boot room after the match, I didn’t even have a sip of beer. I didn’t need it. I sat there with a bottle of water in silence, just smiling. It was a feeling that I cannot describe in words. When I got back home, my family and friends were all staying over at our house, and everyone was in a big party mood. But I was so emotionally exhausted that I went up to bed by myself. My body and mind were completely empty. 

I had the best sleep of my life. 

The best moment was waking up the next morning and realizing, “It’s still true. It really happened.” 

For me, football is the only thing more inspiring than the cinema. You wake up in the morning, and the magic was all real. You actually knocked down Drago. It really happened. 

I have been thinking about this since June, when we took the Champions League trophy around the streets of Liverpool. I have no words that can describe the emotions of that day. We were riding in the bus, and every time we thought the parade had to be over — that there could not possibly be any more people in the city of Liverpool — we would turn a corner and the parade would go on. Absolutely unreal. If you could’ve put all the emotions, all the excitement, all the love in the air that day and bottled it up, the world would be a better place.

I have not been able to get the emotion of that day out of my head. Football has given me everything in my life. But I really want to do more to give back to the world. Easy for me to say, O.K. sure. But how do you actually make a difference? 

Over the past year, I’ve been really inspired by seeing Juan Mata, Mats Hummels, Megan Rapinoe, and so many other footballers join the Common Goal movement. If you don’t know about the work they’re doing, it’s incredible. More than 120 players have pledged 1% of their earnings to empower football NGOs around the world. They’ve already helped support youth football programs in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, India, Colombia, the U.K., Germany and many other countries. 

This isn’t just something for the richest footballers in the world. An entire starting 11 from the Canadian women’s national team has joined the cause. Footballers have joined from Japan, Australia, Scotland, Kenya, Portugal, England, Ghana…. How can you not feel inspired by this? This is what football is all about. 

I just want to be a part of this. So I’m pledging 1% of my yearly salary to Common Goal, and I hope that many, many more people in the football world will join me. 

Let’s be honest, guys. We are extremely fortunate. It is our responsibility as privileged people to give something back to children all over the world who just need a chance in life. 

We should not forget what it was like when we had real problems. This bubble we live in is not the real world. I am sorry, but anything that happens on a football pitch is not a real problem. There should be a bigger purpose to this game than revenue and trophies, no? 

Just think what we could accomplish if we all came together and gave 1% of what we earn to make a positive difference in the world. Maybe I am naive. Maybe I am a crazy old dreamer. 

But who is this game for? 

We all know damn well that this game is for dreamers.

[annushorribilis III]

1 hour ago, Tasavallan said:

 

The hatred is ingrained now. 

No it isn't. No one wanted him to fail. Some of us just didn't want him in the role in the first place.  I don't hate him, I'm looking forward to a change at the end of the season - right across the coaching set up. 

[JamboAl]

2 hours ago, The Treasurer said:

You'll believe what you want to believe regarding our manager.

No facts or other points of view will change that

Apart from that, the OP's question is

Is there anything he could do to change your mind?

but the mere mention of Levein sends Mitch on another rant repeating the same old tripe he has covered on many many other threads.

[annushorribilis III]

3 hours ago, mitch41 said:

Does anyone know what input Levein has in the coaching side for instance how he works on tactics, systems, players interactions, movement, closing down space. Does he leave all that to McPhee, Daly & Fox and he wonders into Riccarton on a Thursday and pats a few backs, talks to everyone then sits down with his Boot Room and picks the team. Is he more of a manager who says that player will play wide right but if he's crap there we'll sub him and the next game we'll try him centre midfield. 

I say this because during a game he looks lost at times standing in the technical area.

Who knows ? I still think of the match v Sheep when there was a close up of the bench and not one of them was saying/doing anything positive, just  collective shrug of the shoulders a "WTF should we do" look. My perception is CL is in total control and the rest of the team don't have the balls to say anything. I don't see any warmth or team spirit in our coaching "team". 

[Boab]

10 minutes ago, annushorribilis III said:

No it isn't. No one wanted him to fail. Some of us just didn't want him in the role in the first place.  I don't hate him, I'm looking forward to a change at the end of the season - right across the coaching set up. 

 

Agree. Hate is a word that shouldn’t be used in any post but some are just glad that this is his last year in the dug out.

Problem is, is someone already in the dug out taking over ? 

I hope not.

[WageThief]

4 hours ago, mitch41 said:

Does anyone know what input Levein has in the coaching side for instance how he works on tactics, systems, players interactions, movement, closing down space. Does he leave all that to McPhee, Daly & Fox and he wonders into Riccarton on a Thursday and pats a few backs, talks to everyone then sits down with his Boot Room and picks the team. Is he more of a manager who says that player will play wide right but if he's crap there we'll sub him and the next game we'll try him centre midfield. 

I say this because during a game he looks lost at times standing in the technical area.

 

 He leaves all coaching to McPhee, Daly & Fox and he wonders (sic) into Riccarton on a Thursday and pats a few backs, talks to everyone then sits down with his Boot Room and picks the team. He is more of a manager who says "that player will play wide right but if he's crap there we'll sub him and the next game we'll try him centre midfield".

[mitch41]

23 hours ago, Boab said:

 

Agree. Hate is a word that shouldn’t be used in any post but some are just glad that this is his last year in the dug out.

Problem is, is someone already in the dug out taking over ? 

I hope not.

If it was a Levein man taking over from him there would be hardly any people renewing their Season Tickets because Levein would be sticking us up. A stand would have to be made with the message No More We’ve Had Enough.

[Pasquale for King]

On 01/10/2019 at 16:44, Seymour M Hersh said:

Maybe if he morphed into this guy but even then some would find fault! 

 

I have to start with a slightly embarrassing story. Because sometimes I am afraid that the outside world looks at footballers and managers like we’re Gods or something. As a Christian, I believe in only one God, and I can assure you that God has nothing to do with football. The truth is that we all fail, constantly. And when I was a young manager I failed a lot. 

This is one of those stories.

We have to go back to 2011. My Borussia Dortmund team were playing Bayern Munich. It was a huge match in the league. We hadn’t won in Munich in something like 20 years. I take a lot of inspiration from movies, so whenever I needed to motivate the boys I would always think of Rocky Balboa. In my opinion, they should show Rocky 1, 2, 3 and 4 in public schools all across the world. It should be like learning the alphabet. If you watch these movies and you don’t want to climb to the top of a mountain, then I think something is wrong with you. 

So the night before we played Bayern, I gathered all my players at the hotel for our team talk. The boys were all sitting down. All the lights were off. I told them the truth of the situation: “The last time Dortmund won in Munich, most of you were still in your Pampers.

Then I started playing some scenes from Rocky IV on the video screen. The one with Ivan Drago. A classic, in my opinion.

Drago is running on the treadmill, and he’s hooked up to the big computer monitors and the scientists are studying him. Remember that? I told the boys, “You see? Bayern Munich is Ivan Drago. The best of everything! The best technology! The best machines! He’s unstoppable!” 

Then you see Rocky training in Siberia in his little log cabin. He’s chopping down pine trees and carrying logs through the snow and running up to the top of the mountain. 

And I told the boys, “You see? That’s us. We are Rocky. We are smaller, yes. But we have the passion! We have the heart of a champion! We can do the impossible!!!!!” 

I was going on and on, and then at some point, I look out to all my boys to see their reaction. I was expecting them to be standing up on their chairs, ready to go run up a mountain in Siberia, going absolutely crazy.

But everyone is just sitting there, staring at me with dead eyes. 

Completely blank. 

Crickets, as you say. 

They’re looking at me like, What in the world is this crazy man talking about? 

So then I realised, Wait, when did Rocky IV come out, 1980-something? When were these boys born? 

Finally, I said, “Wait a minute, boys. Please raise your hand if you know who is Rocky Balboa?” 

Only two hands went up. Sebastian Kehl and Patrick Owomoyela. 

Everyone else, “Nope, sorry, boss.”

My entire speech — nonsense! This is the most important match of the season. Maybe the most important match of some of the players’ lives. And the manager has been screaming about Soviet technology and Siberia for the last 10 minutes! Hahahaha! Can you believe this?

I had to start my whole speech over from scratch. 

You see, this is the real story. This is what actually happens in life. We are human beings. Sometimes, we embarrass ourselves. That’s how it is. We think we’re giving the greatest speech in the history of football, and we’re actually talking complete nonsense. But we get up the next morning and we go again. 

Do you know what is the strangest part of that story? 

I honestly cannot be sure if we won or lost the match. I am pretty sure that I gave this speech in 2011 before we won 3–1, and that certainly makes for a much better story! But I can’t be 100% sure

This is one thing about football that people don’t always understand. 

The results, you forget. You get them all mixed up. 

But those boys, and that time in my life, and those little stories … I will never forget them. 

I am honored to have won the FIFA award for best men’s coach last night, but I really don’t like to stand on a stage with a trophy all by myself. Everything I have accomplished in this game is only possible because of everyone around me. Not just my players, but my family and my sons and everyone who has been with me since the beginning, when I was a very, very average person. 

Honestly, when I was 20 years old, if someone came from the future to tell me everything that was going to happen in my life, I would not have believed it. If Michael J. Fox himself had come flying in on his hoverboard to tell me what would happen, I would have said it was impossible. 

When I was 20, I experienced the moment that completely changed my life. I was still a kid myself, but I had also just become a father. It was not perfect timing, let’s be honest. I was playing amateur football and going to university during the day. To pay for school, I was working in a warehouse where they stored movies for the cinema. And for the young people out there, we are not talking about DVDs. This was the late ’80s, when everything was still on film. The trucks would come at 6 a.m. to pick up the new movies, and we would load and unload those huge metal canisters. They were quite heavy, honestly. You would be praying that they weren’t showing something with four reels, like Ben-Hur or something. That was going to be a bad day for you. 

I would sleep for five hours every night, go to the warehouse in the morning, and then go to class during the day. At night I would go to training, and then I’d come home and try to spend some time with my son. It was a very difficult time. But it taught me about real life. 

I had to become a very serious person at a young age. All my friends would be calling me to go to the pub at night, and every bone in my body wanted to say, “Yes! Yes! I want to go!” But, of course, I couldn’t go, because I was not living just for myself anymore. Babies don’t care that you are tired and want to sleep until noon. 

When you are worried about the future of another little person who you brought into the world, this is real worry. This is real difficulty. Whatever happens on a football pitch is nothing compared to this. 

Sometimes people ask me why I am always smiling. Even after we lose a match, sometimes I’m still smiling. It’s because when my son was born, I realised that football is not life or death. We’re not saving lives. Football is not something that should spread misery and hatred. Football should be about inspiration and joy, especially for children. 

I have seen what a little round ball can do for the lives of so many of my players. The personal journeys of players like Mo Salah, Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, and so many of my boys are absolutely incredible. The difficulties I faced as a young man in Germany were nothing compared to what they had to overcome. There were so many moments when they could’ve easily given up, but they refused to quit.

They’re not gods. They just simply never gave up on their dream.

I think 98% of football is about dealing with failure and still being able to smile and find joy in the game the next day. 

I’ve been learning from my mistakes since the very beginning. I’ll never forget the first one. I had taken over the job in 2001 at Mainz, where I had been a player for 10 years. The problem was that all the boys were still my friends. Overnight, I was their boss. They were still calling me “Kloppo.”

When I had to announce the squad for the first match, I thought it was only right that I go and tell each player to his face. 

Well, this was a very bad plan, because we had twin hotel rooms. 

So you can imagine it. I get to the first room, and I sit the two players down on the bed, and I turn to one and say, “You are starting tomorrow.” 

I turn to the other and say, “Unfortunately, you are not starting tomorrow.” 

I realised how dumb my plan was when the second player looked me in the eyes and asked, “But … Kloppo … why?” 

Most of the time, there is no answer. The only real answer is, “We can only start 11 players.” 

Unfortunately, I had to do this eight more times — 18 players in nine twin rooms. Two guys sitting on the bed. “You’re starting, you’re not.” 

Every time, “But … Kloppo … why?” 

Hahahah! It was excruciating! 

This was the first of many, many, times that I stepped in the s*** as a manager. What can you do? You just grab a tissue and clean it off and try to learn from it. 

If you still don’t believe me, think about this: Even my greatest triumph as a manager was born from a disaster. 

Losing 3–0 at Barcelona in the Champions League last season was the worst result imaginable. When we were preparing for the second leg, my team talk was very straightforward. There was no Rocky this time. Mostly, I talked about tactics. But I also told them the truth. I said, “We have to play without two of the best strikers in the world. The world outside is saying it is not possible. And let’s be honest, it’s probably impossible. But because it’s you? Because it’s you, we have a chance.” 

I really believed that. It wasn’t about their technical ability as footballers. It was about who they were as human beings, and everything they had overcome in life. 

The only thing that I added was, “If we fail, then let’s fail in the most beautiful way.” 

Of course, it is easy for me to say those words. I am just the guy yelling from the touchline. It is much harder for the players to actually do it. But because of those boys, and because of the 54,000 people at Anfield, we did the impossible. 

The beautiful thing about football is that you can’t do anything alone. Anything, believe me. 

Unfortunately, the most incredible moment in the history of the Champions League … I didn’t actually see it. Maybe this is a good metaphor for the life of a football manager, I don’t know. But I completely missed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s moment of pure genius. 

I saw the ball go out for a corner. 

I saw Trent walking over to take it. I saw Shaqiri following him. 

But then I turned my back because we were preparing to make a substitution. I was talking to my assistant, and … you know, I have goose bumps every time I think about it … I just heard the noise. 

I turned to the pitch and I saw the ball flying into the goal. 

I turned back to our bench and looked at Ben Woodburn, and he said, “What just happened?!” 

And I said, “I have no idea!” 

Anfield was going — boof — absolutely crazy. I could barely hear my assistant, and he was yelling, “So … do we still make the substitute?” 

Hahahaha! I will never forget him saying that! That will always be with me. 

Can you imagine? Eighteen years as a manager, millions of hours watching this game, and I missed the cheekiest thing that has ever happened on a football pitch. Since that night, I have probably watched the video of Divock’s goal 500,000 times. But in person, I only saw the ball hit the net. 

When I got to my little boot room after the match, I didn’t even have a sip of beer. I didn’t need it. I sat there with a bottle of water in silence, just smiling. It was a feeling that I cannot describe in words. When I got back home, my family and friends were all staying over at our house, and everyone was in a big party mood. But I was so emotionally exhausted that I went up to bed by myself. My body and mind were completely empty. 

I had the best sleep of my life. 

The best moment was waking up the next morning and realizing, “It’s still true. It really happened.” 

For me, football is the only thing more inspiring than the cinema. You wake up in the morning, and the magic was all real. You actually knocked down Drago. It really happened. 

I have been thinking about this since June, when we took the Champions League trophy around the streets of Liverpool. I have no words that can describe the emotions of that day. We were riding in the bus, and every time we thought the parade had to be over — that there could not possibly be any more people in the city of Liverpool — we would turn a corner and the parade would go on. Absolutely unreal. If you could’ve put all the emotions, all the excitement, all the love in the air that day and bottled it up, the world would be a better place.

I have not been able to get the emotion of that day out of my head. Football has given me everything in my life. But I really want to do more to give back to the world. Easy for me to say, O.K. sure. But how do you actually make a difference? 

Over the past year, I’ve been really inspired by seeing Juan Mata, Mats Hummels, Megan Rapinoe, and so many other footballers join the Common Goal movement. If you don’t know about the work they’re doing, it’s incredible. More than 120 players have pledged 1% of their earnings to empower football NGOs around the world. They’ve already helped support youth football programs in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, India, Colombia, the U.K., Germany and many other countries. 

This isn’t just something for the richest footballers in the world. An entire starting 11 from the Canadian women’s national team has joined the cause. Footballers have joined from Japan, Australia, Scotland, Kenya, Portugal, England, Ghana…. How can you not feel inspired by this? This is what football is all about. 

I just want to be a part of this. So I’m pledging 1% of my yearly salary to Common Goal, and I hope that many, many more people in the football world will join me. 

Let’s be honest, guys. We are extremely fortunate. It is our responsibility as privileged people to give something back to children all over the world who just need a chance in life. 

We should not forget what it was like when we had real problems. This bubble we live in is not the real world. I am sorry, but anything that happens on a football pitch is not a real problem. There should be a bigger purpose to this game than revenue and trophies, no? 

Just think what we could accomplish if we all came together and gave 1% of what we earn to make a positive difference in the world. Maybe I am naive. Maybe I am a crazy old dreamer. 

But who is this game for? 

We all know damn well that this game is for dreamers.

Fantastic post. He was doing an interview with Sky, fans had emailed questions for them to ask. They got to the end and he said he thought someone would ask about his teeth, they told him they had but they didn’t want to ask. He had belly laugh, then told them that his teeth after years of football were all broken and he got the new ones, no big deal and nowhere near as white as Firminos 😃. A great manager and more importantly a great man whom his players have the utmost faith and trust in. His only problem is the other top coach in the world plying his trade along the road. Both City and Liverpool play in the mould of their manager, most teams do.

Edited October 2, 2019 by Pasquale for King

[Jason Dufner]

There is nothing he can realistically achieve.

 

He’s holding us back significantly and should have done the right thing and quit in the summer.

[mitch41]

Seymour M Herch's post is just too long to comment on. Did I try to read it ? No.

[shed1874]

37 minutes ago, mitch41 said:

Seymour M Herch's post is just too long to comment on. Did I try to read it ? No.

 

Read it

[Nookie Bear]

1 hour ago, Pasquale for King said:

Fantastic post. He was doing an interview with Sky, fans had emailed questions for them to ask. They got to the end and he said he thought someone would ask about his teeth, they told him they had but they didn’t want to ask. He had belly laugh, then told them that his teeth after years of football were all broken and he got the new ones, no big deal and nowhere near as white as Firminos 😃. A great manager and more importantly a great man whom his players have the utmost faith and trust in. His only problem is the other top coach in the world plying his trade along the road. Both City and Liverpool play in the mould of their manager, most teams do.

 

Rather than quoting Seymour’s post I will quote this instead. 

 

I started reading Klopp’s words thinking it would be a bit lame but ended up with goosebumps. He is a brilliant manager and a brilliant man. 

[Nookie Bear]

38 minutes ago, mitch41 said:

Seymour M Herch's post is just too long to comment on. Did I try to read it ? No.

 

I though the same but it’s totally worth it. 

[shed1874]

1 hour ago, Jason Dufner said:

There is nothing he can realistically achieve.

 

He’s holding us back significantly and should have done the right thing and quit in the summer.

 

That's not a fact

[shed1874]

9 minutes ago, Nookie Bear said:

 

Rather than quoting Seymour’s post I will quote this instead. 

 

I started reading Klopp’s words thinking it would be a bit lame but ended up with goosebumps. He is a brilliant manager and a brilliant man. 

 

When listening or reading Klopps words its fantastic, even as a vouyer you feel his power fills the mind with creativity. At the time inspiration bubbles life is easier more alive in yourself. Imagine how a player feels.

Edited October 2, 2019 by shed1874

[Pasquale for King]

12 minutes ago, Nookie Bear said:

 

Rather than quoting Seymour’s post I will quote this instead. 

 

I started reading Klopp’s words thinking it would be a bit lame but ended up with goosebumps. He is a brilliant manager and a brilliant man. 

Absolutely.

[shed1874]

1 hour ago, Pasquale for King said:

Fantastic post. He was doing an interview with Sky, fans had emailed questions for them to ask. They got to the end and he said he thought someone would ask about his teeth, they told him they had but they didn’t want to ask. He had belly laugh, then told them that his teeth after years of football were all broken and he got the new ones, no big deal and nowhere near as white as Firminos 😃. A great manager and more importantly a great man whom his players have the utmost faith and trust in. His only problem is the other top coach in the world plying his trade along the road. Both City and Liverpool play in the mould of their manager, most teams do.

 

Both have a lot still to deliver 

Rival respect potential formidable partnership when their dueling days are over.

 

Mouth watering

[Guest ToqueJambo]

On 01/10/2019 at 08:44, Seymour M Hersh said:

 

Just think what we could accomplish if we all came together

 

 

Word. But was it Jurgen or Craig who was first with the baseball cap and glasses combo?

[Seymour M Hersh]

57 minutes ago, ToqueJambo said:

 

 

Word. But was it Jurgen or Craig who was first with the baseball cap and glasses combo?

 

One of the great questions of our age. 

 

You never know it might replace the chicken and egg conundrum. 🤷‍♂️

[mitch41]

2 hours ago, shed1874 said:

 

Read it

Life is too short.

[shed1874]

1 minute ago, mitch41 said:

Life is too short.

 

Yes you are correct

[Seymour M Hersh]

13 hours ago, mitch41 said:

Life is too short.

 

Too many big words to understand Mitch?

[innerjambo]

Not sure people really hate him, dislike would probably be a more appropriate word. Apart from that he's just a really shit football manager.....simples!  🤷‍♂️

[Sagan]

7 minutes ago, innerjambo said:

Not sure people really hate him, dislike would probably be a more appropriate word. Apart from that he's just a really shit football manager.....simples!  🤷‍♂️

 

I'm actually quite fond of the guy.. 

Not as a manager,  as a Hearts man and as a person. 

The fact that he didn't even get involved in training for months says it all though.

He doesn't know if hes' a DOF or a Manager

He relies on the people he's brought in to do part of the job for him (they're also not good enough)

But i suppose we're just going round in circles here, Nothing that hasn't already been said. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 3, 2019 by Sagan

[Rods]

I was an ardent defender of CL at first.

 

I am now of the belief he cant take us forward so would be happy to see him go.

 

He should go and we need a manger we can all get behind.

[innerjambo]

1 hour ago, Sagan said:

 

I'm actually quite fond of the guy.. 

Not as a manager,  as a Hearts man and as a person. 

The fact that he didn't even get involved in training for months says it all though.

He doesn't know if hes' a DOF or a Manager

He relies on the people he's brought in to do part of the job for him (they're also not good enough)

But i suppose we're just going round in circles here, Nothing that hasn't already been said. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing significant in our performances will change until he leaves. 

[Vlad Magic]

24 minutes ago, innerjambo said:

 

Nothing significant in our performances will change until he leaves. 

 

Not whilst the injury list stays as long as it is as well.

[Forever Hearts]

1 minute ago, Vlad Magic said:

 

Not whilst the injury list stays as long as it is as well.

We were utter shite before the injuries. 

[Vlad Magic]

1 minute ago, Forever Hearts said:

We were utter shite before the injuries. 

 

And worse since. So the injuries have made the problem worse.

 

Glad we got that sorted.

[innerjambo]

At least being shite, is better than being utter shite.

[Forever Hearts]

1 hour ago, Vlad Magic said:

 

And worse since. So the injuries have made the problem worse.

 

Glad we got that sorted.

Yes, I long for the days when we were shite with a fully fit squad. 

[Guest ToqueJambo]

7 minutes ago, Forever Hearts said:

Yes, I long for the days when we were shite with a fully fit squad. 

 

We were top of the league with a fully fit squad.

[Forever Hearts]

5 minutes ago, ToqueJambo said:

 

We were top of the league with a fully fit squad.

And 6th the year before. And walloped 5-0 from Livi.