06 May 2023 22:08:59
Telegraph reporting we are set to appoint Jörg Schmadtke from Wolfsburg as new DoF.

Never heard of him so can't comment on whether he's a good appointment or not!

1.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 09:49:19
Sounds like he’s more than qualified.

When it comes to football administrators, Jörg Schmadtke is about as good as it gets. Another productive window saw him trim his roster, and thereby his payroll, down to a manageable size. Germany's green company team stand lean and mean with a 25-man-roster; the smallest of all Bundesliga clubs currently contesting the 2020/ 21 campaign. As tempting as it is to dock Schmadtke somewhat for not parking the likes of Jeffery Bruma and Daniel Ginczek on loans, one simply has to admit that he did an outstanding job.

Roster size remains a hugely important factor in all of football, sometimes overlooked amid the scenes of "sugar daddy" supported clubs who can pay an exorbitant wage bill without so much as a second thought. It's also immensely important to get idle players off to a destination where they can continue to play, develop, and improve. Schmadtke consistently demonstrates a the right sense of urgency in keeping players either on the pitch or off the payroll and on the move. This is why Wolfsburg paid so much to Köln to negate off his non-compete clause.

2.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 10:09:08
Great post that rushy

In this modern era of inflated everything I’m sure every club in the world would love to reduce the wage bill as does every company/ business atm

Football is a business and as fans we forget that it has to be run responsibly and not just play champ man and say we want this 1 and that 1 to play for us

Maybe this is a major reason schmadektde is the man to take the reigns . Maybe lower wages allows us to take the odd risk in the market also.

3.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 10:09:41
You know anything about him Ed1? Personally don't know who he is before his name came up yesterday.

{Ed001's Note - very little, looks to have done good work at Wolfsburg, but that is all I know.}

4.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 10:27:57
Dhfc, The hardest part to accept is that there are 2 sets of rules. One for those who don't adhere to FFP, and one for those that do.
It looks like FSG are banking on that rule being implemented sooner rather than later, although I would not hold my breath. Why would a government limit foriegn money coming into the country via sport when it helps keep an economy afloat?

If this guy can ensure the wage bill is not inflated, as it has become lately, and that there are no players kicking around and not playing, surely it can only be a good thing.

5.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 10:31:58
Is this done and dusted Ed1? Or we still interviewing peoples for Dof post?

{Ed001's Note - it won't be done and dusted until he is appointed.}

6.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 09:34:44
I’ve never heard of him but I have to heard of too many SD. So I would like to ask the font of knowledge that is ed002 on his thoughts on him.

{Ed002's Note - I was surprised to hear Liverpool were considering Jorg Schmadtke who is a second rate option for the role of DoF. He would be at least fifth choice.}

7.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 14:02:13
If the echo's article is right that list his eight best signings it's not looking good scraping the barrel comes to mind.

8.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 13:44:37
Ed2. Two questions. Out of the available sporting directors we have been looking at who would be your choice? Out of the sporting directors in general not just the ones we have looked at who would be your choice?

{Ed002's Note - Of the ones looked at Paul Mitchell from Monaco would have been a great option, and of others Christopher Vivell who did exceptionally well at RBS and RBL would have been a great option but he moved elsewhere at the turn of the year and Liverpool made no approach.}

9.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 14:28:22
Ed2. You think Klopp has a major hand in picking the sporting director? It is rumoured that they are friends or ‘allies’ as the media have put it. I will reserve judgement as he could turn out to be a very good appointment. Been researching and the Wolfsburg fans seem to love him and are grateful for the work he has done at their club. So if it turns out to be him will wait to see what he can do at Liverpool.

{Ed002's Note - He may well have been consulted - I really don't know if they are friends or not. I am sure Klopp's preference would have been for one of the others approached.}

10.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 15:19:03
Cheap is the fsg way why get the best when big john and co can save a few quid. Klopp has saved them for a long time now and when he is gone only see us back to mid table unless they sell for a realistic price.

11.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 15:45:34
Second rate is concerning, Ed.

12.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 15:44:17
Ed002 do you think it would be the case that all the options preferred to Schmadtke all turned us down / were unavailable, or that Schmadtke came across very well in our talks with him which has bumped him up the queue?

{Ed002's Note - Yes, but when unable to sign preferred options most clubs would rethink their list and look elsewhere.}

13.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 17:52:49
If this appointment takes place then I'm baffled. He was not on our list of potential DoFs.

14.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 19:14:51
Sounds like the chap fits the bill then.

15.) 08 May 2023
08 May 2023 08:36:35
This guy was retired or retiring so perhaps this is a short term appointment in order to streamline the squad and to sort out the bloated wage bill, which will become a problem, if it's not already.

It would be good to have a squad where all 25 players are getting games, with more spaces for young players.
FSG will stick by their principles and want the club running as best as possible, sale or no sale.
For those reasons this guy looks like he could do a job.

16.) 08 May 2023
08 May 2023 08:40:12
I’ll wait to reserve judgement on when/ if he is appointed.

I can’t pretend to know anything about him (or most sporting directors) . By nature their roles are behind the scenes and not visible to fans in the same way a manager or player is.

First order of business will be clearing the decks of players ( especially those who aren't playing roles befitting their salary) and lowering the wage bill so that we have more room to bring the right players in.

Based on the replies above I am at least optimistic of him being able to do that.

17.) 08 May 2023
08 May 2023 08:46:55
So nobody knows anything about what sporting directors do, who they are or anything specific about this particular candidate for the job but 90% have already decided he probably won’t be any good.

@Reynard, who was on the original list and where is the list published?

18.) 08 May 2023
08 May 2023 09:45:10
WDW2 - For your benefit:

1] I never said he would fail, that's your assumption.
2] He was not considered in the immediate aftermath of when Julian Ward announced he would not be continuing in the role next season according to press outlets - of course you can say they didn't know but I trust that Ed002 did know.
3] The original list of candidates is a presumption made by multiple outlets containing Paul Mitchell, Christoph Freund, Dave Fallows, and Barry Hunter. The unlikely list contained Michael Zorc. This may be right or wrong but it is likely correct. I know that Ed002 thought Vivell would be good but he went to Chelsea late last year.

Jorg Schmadtke was not in the frame at any early point so it strikes ME as desperation. That said Salah and Allison were not our top or original choices and they have worked out. I also originally thought Michael Edwards would be atrocious but was proved wrong.

19.) 08 May 2023
08 May 2023 10:07:55
But Reynard, Edwards is not that good. don't know why most Liv fans adore him so much.

20.) 08 May 2023
08 May 2023 18:30:43
The SD appointment rumors are concerning. The leading clubs operate with a lot of sophistication, and this seems to be a hire fit for more antiquated times. The SD is the leader that best understands the strengths and weaknesses of all the information resources (tech based and traditional) within the club and applies their best judgment to that information to assess how players/ managers/ coaches fit into the club's overall football strategy, all the while doing it within a financial model that makes sense within the transfer marketplace and the squad's payroll structure. You need to be sharp and at the very least up to date on tech, and ideally a visionary who is also constantly challenging that what that information is telling them, looking for the next opportunity that rivals have yet to uncover.

Michael Edwards, Ian Graham, etc, were a special group that built something new that helped dominate at times over the last decade. I appreciate that they built something that someone can step into and run their own way, I just hope we've found the right person to do that. There is a lot on the surface that makes me skeptical of that.

21.) 08 May 2023
08 May 2023 23:24:00
@Reynard, show me again where I said that you had said he would fail.

Thanks for clearing up where you got the first list of candidates from.

22.) 09 May 2023
08 May 2023 23:53:57
It seems like its only going to be a temporary appointment in a consultancy role.

23.) 09 May 2023
09 May 2023 05:51:06
Jörg Schmadtke is actually in talks with Liverpool first about a post as "external consultant for transfers" for temporary support.

24.) 09 May 2023
09 May 2023 06:28:40
If it's temporary, it doesn't make much sense to me. I don't see any reason why we won't just go for a more permanent solution. Smells like the media coming up with a story just for the sake of doing so.

25.) 09 May 2023
09 May 2023 08:25:35
I find it difficult to suppress a big grin when I read of people being "concerned" or "worried" over a rumour.
It would appear that many subconsciously believe just about anything they read.

26.) 10 May 2023
09 May 2023 23:46:54
Your mission Jörg, should you chose to accept, is to sign £250m worth of players with a £50m budget.

27.) 10 May 2023
10 May 2023 09:23:53
Guess it depends what the FSG’s ambitions are when they make an appointment. The only thing I can take from this is that they want us to be a low spending mid table club who rarely break into the top four and even less rarely trouble the league leaders, which is what Wolfsburg are. That or he’s the only guy who agreed to work with a budget of £50 and the balance on JWH’s nectar card.

28.) 12 May 2023
12 May 2023 02:17:47
Most people loved what Edwards did for the club. Yet he built one of the Premier League's most expensive, bloated and often-injured squad whilst overseeing multiple instances of the club being warned for acting inappropriately in the market.
So yeah, go figure.
can we just admit we all really have no idea lol.