Ruben Amorim is favourite to take over from Jurgen Klopp as manager of Liverpool. — AFP Photo
Paul Kennedy
Just about every football fan on the planet is a complete know-it-all. It’s par for the course. Many even believe they are far more knowledgeable than the team manager, owner and even the players.
It’s a pretty common sight to see and overweight, middle-aged bloke screaming from the stands while tucking into a meat pie telling a particular player he’s not tracking back quick enough.
And it won’t take you long to scan social media pages and find supporters mouthing off about how they could manage the team better than whoever is currently at the helm.
It looks like Liverpool are close to agreeing a deal with Portuguese Ruben Amorim to be their manager next season.
Now cards on the table, I know absolutely nothing about him other than what I’ve read since he was linked to the job.
And if any football fan tries to claim they are experts on the trials and tribulations of Liga Portugal, they are lying.
I’ve even spoken to an incredibly knowledgeable and experienced football journalist in the UK who admitted Amorim wasn’t even on his radar before he was named as a potential successor to Jurgen Klopp.
And that’s where the problem lies.
Now I’ve no doubt that the powers that be at Liverpool have done their due diligence and scrutinised Amorim in great detail, but bringing him to Anfield is still one hell of a risk.
He’s just 39 for starters. He’s only been managing for six years, and no disrespect to his current club Sporting Lisbon or Liga Portugal, it’s a million miles from Liverpool and the standards of the Premier League.
On paper, a safer bet for Liverpool would have been the likes of Antonio Conte or Thomas Tuchel, both proven winners at the highest level.
But it seems that’s not the direction Liverpool are heading in.
Great things were expected of Andre Villa Boas when he took over at Chelsea but that appointment massively backfired and he was shown the door before the end of his first season.
One thing that can be said for supporters of my team, is they will give managers a chance. OK, Roy Hodgson, not so much, but if Amorim is given the job, the fans will back him to the hilt.
I guess in modern day football, especially at a top team like Liverpool, there is always an element of risk when making such a big appointment.
And if he does get the Liverpool job, I hope those that made the decision know more about football than me, which I’m sure they do. — VNS
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