Our Harv.

[Hansern]

I've always heard of Dutch directness and never seen it. Slots the first consistent dutch person I've paid attention to.

Feels like "Dutch directness" is the same as "precocious" when it comes to describing a little kid who absolutely is a prick.

I'm not saying its a universal thing for all Dutch people, but they are know for being more direct. Just google it.
My mother in law is Dutch and she is very direct and straightforward. No bad intentions at all, but its just the way they act and how their society is built and approach to life. Virgil for instance is more relaxed and composed in general and in terms of how he address the media but that is also his personality.

Look, it was just a thought as I do think parts of what Slot says are interpreted the wrong way and given how the fanbase are towards him these days every thing comes under more scrutiny.
The weird thing is that we in general praised his way of handling most media duties last season. But I guess poor results bring out the worst from both sides. Him under pressure and we looking for blood.

Anyway its a moot point as we'll be getting a new manager this summer we can find things to moan about instead.

 

[Hansern]

Van Dijk is Dutch too and he always seems nice

33 million people have a Dutch heritage. I'm sure they are all a bit different.. But the directness is a thing..

Where Dutch directness comes from

Straightforwardness is so intrinsic in Dutch society that there’s even a Dutch word for it: 'bespreekbaarheid' (speakability) – that everything can and should be talked about.

www.bbc.com

 

[BrainFog]

I’ve unapologetically been one of those fans that wanted to will Elliot into becoming a first team player. Loved the energy he always brought when he would come on as a sub and he was perfect in those games where we were chasing a goal and needed someone to just get at the opposition like an annoying lil brat. Seems like he’s just been caught in that rock and a hard place of not being fast enough to be on the wing and not imposing enough physically to play in the centre of midfield.

Saying that, this stance we’re having at this time about the Villa loan is baffling. Emery has come out and has made it clear they’re not even going to put him on the bench in fear of triggering the buy option and Slot basically coming out saying “well that sounds like a him problem” and the silence from Hughes and Edwards indicates we got no intention of resolving it.

Even if you want to take the human aspect out of it and go cold hard business about it all, we’re not getting that £35 million lads. Your also not going to be able to get a team bidding the same amount as that next season when Elliot returns as a Palace or Brentford aren’t going to pay that amount for a player who didn’t play all last season - let’s stop pretending it’s an solution to keep him there.

On the same lines we have Slot coming out in press conferences moaning that he’s having to put academy lads on the bench due to a lack of options - surely a player we think is worth £35 million can’t be that bad a shout to have as an option to come on for the last ten/fifteen of a match? Who knows, he might even show a bit of something that might make other teams think he’s worth a punt at buying next summer if that’s still the plan. Just seems like a simple solution we’re not willing to take and instead we’re sending a message out to our younger players that we would be more willing to let you gather dust at someone else’s training ground than actually giving you the investment and respect ourselves.

 

[SaRed]

33 million people have a Dutch heritage. I'm sure they are all a bit different.. But the directness is a thing..

Where Dutch directness comes from

Straightforwardness is so intrinsic in Dutch society that there’s even a Dutch word for it: 'bespreekbaarheid' (speakability) – that everything can and should be talked about.

www.bbc.com

Maybe all the people bashing Slot on here just have Dutch heritage.

 

[dee]

options:

1. Staus Quo continues - Villa pay his wages and he returns to us in the summer
2. Villa cough - Villa pay the penalty fee and he returns to us
-a. We add him to our EPL and UCL (Problem?) squads and he does a job for us like Curtis
-b. We agree to send him on loan to a summer season club until July
3. We haggle - Hughes accepts we aren't getting the £35m and Villa aren't going to pay the fine. That means we need to cover his wages. Options are then a & b above.

I strongly suspect the two clubs are dancing round the handbags around (3). We aren't going to suggest it until Villa do and that's our club/media stance.

None of which would stop Slot speaking with Harvey privately, even just to wish him a happy New Year.

 

[rubans]

With hindsight it was a stupid deal. Villa have been flirting with failing PSR for a few years and missed out on champions league football. To have a dead dependent on appearances meant this was inevitable.

It was, I thought it was with must buy after the loan regardless. We had all summer to get it done, I assume as a desperate deal at the end as it was last day of the transfer and there wasn't many takers

 

[dee]

It was, I thought it was with must buy after the loan regardless. We had all summer to get it done, I assume as a desperate deal at the end as it was last day of the transfer and there wasn't many takers

... or Harv wanted only wanted an EPL club qualified for Europe

 

[Mystic]

In place of who?

Have you seen the recent state of our bench?

 

[Hyena]

I'm not saying its a universal thing for all Dutch people, but they are know for being more direct. Just google it.
My mother in law is Dutch and she is very direct and straightforward. No bad intentions at all, but its just the way they act and how their society is built and approach to life. Virgil for instance is more relaxed and composed in general and in terms of how he address the media but that is also his personality.

Look, it was just a thought as I do think parts of what Slot says are interpreted the wrong way and given how the fanbase are towards him these days every thing comes under more scrutiny.
The weird thing is that we in general praised his way of handling most media duties last season. But I guess poor results bring out the worst from both sides. Him under pressure and we looking for blood.

Anyway its a moot point as we'll be getting a new manager this summer we can find things to moan about instead.

Yes I figured the Dutch bit out quite early - once you speak to a Dutchman or Belgian, it's quite obvious.

That it's a cultural artifact doesn't make it irrelevant though. Since I started watching football I havent witnessed a great Dutch manager who didn't eventually fall out with his players and lose the dressing room.

 

[mark1975]

Yes I figured the Dutch bit out quite early - once you speak to a Dutchman or Belgian, it's quite obvious.

That it's a cultural artifact doesn't make it irrelevant though. Since I started watching football I havent witnessed a great Dutch manager who didn't eventually fall out with his players and lose the dressing room.

I worked with loads of Hungarian's, and while it's a cultural thing that they can be quite territorial, possession obsessed and arrogant, there are loads who are good sorts too who possess none of those traits. There's definitely a blanket trait you can associate with most nations, but it's not completely across the board. Slot does come across though as the archetypal stereotypical Dutchman.

Klopp on the other hand doesn't have any weird leatherette fetishes, despite the fair hair and 'tache. That we know of anyway.

 

[Momo]

Maybe there is a lot of inherited ‘tism with the Dutch people. Maybe Belgians too.

If autism and similar conditions can be inherited.

 

[mark1975]

Maybe there is a lot of inherited ‘tism with the Dutch people. Maybe Belgians too.

If autism and similar conditions can be inherited.

Poor bastards, luck of the draw I guess. It's a shame they didn't get off lightly, like their two-footed Argie counterparts.

 

[King Binny]

He's probably not gonna be a star player for Liverpool, but he's good enough to play in the Premier League. We are playing in the Premier League, we are struggling to beat the average sides in the Premier League. I don't accept that Elliott wouldn't be able to make a positive difference for us as things stand.

Absolutely. He is good enough to be a squad option for us, especially with the amount of games we should have if competing for trophies. He should have started more games last year when Slot was running the same 12 players ragged.

Exactly. The way some fans dismiss players who aren’t regular starting-XI calibre at bigger clubs is baffling. Football is a squad game — you can’t expect your best XI to feature in every match, and it’s neither realistic nor feasible to have a squad made up entirely of star players.

Elliott went from being a useful contributor in 22/23 and 23/24 under Klopp to being labelled “useless” in 24/25 under Slot, despite being older and more experienced.

(Without alternatives — or by simply disregarding them — we risk injuries or running players into the ground and out of form. For example. Szoboszlai has played 1703 out of a possible 1710 league mins, while Gravy has logged 1592 out of 1620.)

View: https://x.com/michael_reid11/status/1901654212934590974

 

[keniget]

Elliot doesn't really help us rest Szobo and Grav though.

But we said this in the summer didn't we? There is just zero cover in the midfield - one injury and we're down to the bare bones.

We need a more defensive minded midfielder in the summer.

 

[Modo]

Elliot doesn't really help us rest Szobo and Grav though.

But we said this in the summer didn't we? There is just zero cover in the midfield - one injury and we're down to the bare bones.

We need a more defensive minded midfielder in the summer.

I seem to recall that we had a Japanese fella' in the team who Klopp used a few times. What happened to him?

 

[Momo]

I seem to recall that we had a Japanese fella' in the team who Klopp used a few times. What happened to him?

He’s dead.

 

[mark1975]

Elliot doesn't really help us rest Szobo and Grav though.

But we said this in the summer didn't we? There is just zero cover in the midfield - one injury and we're down to the bare bones.

We need a more defensive minded midfielder in the summer.

It does help though when you consider we can rotate Macca, Jones, Szobo and Grav across two spots more and you can then rotate Szobo, Wirtz and Elliot across the other midfield spot and so on, Wirtz has covered left wing and played as a false nine, Szobo has played everywhere bar in goal. It would have allowed us to mix it up a bit.

 

[darkstarexodus]

I know that narrative won't suit the Slot bashing though, but its one thing wanting a new manager and another blaming him for all but the Maduro kidnapping.

Did you see how easily the Americans captured Maduro? That Venezuelan defence had all the hallmarks of a Slot tactical set up.

 

[737Max]

He’s dead.

RIP.

He’ll be sorely missed.

 

[dogboy]

He’s dead.

He's dead shite.

 

[SummerOnions]

I've always heard of Dutch directness and never seen it. Slots the first consistent dutch person I've paid attention to.

Feels like "Dutch directness" is the same as "precocious" when it comes to describing a little kid who absolutely is a prick.

Haha it's deffo a thing. But it's usually from drunk people in pubs with no filter and the middle aged men who enjoy mansplaining. Oh, and the autistic ones. Loads of those here. Slots defo on the spectrum and prob asks a version of ChatGPT his mate made what formations to use

 

[Hyena]

Slots defo on the spectrum and prob asks a version of ChatGPT his mate made what formations to use

The football stuff is all in his brain/ego. His conversations are probably more like

"Hi Chat, Alexis said that Cody is my son-in-law. But Isa denies knowing him. Is there another English common law rule that makes him my son?"

"Japanese guy I work with hasnt spoken or looked at me in three months. How do I make this continue? "

"Whats the name of the Greek player with us last season? The bosses asked to have a chat about him"

"Grok, what team does Harvey Elliot play for? And is it one T or two?"

 

[Frogfish]

Yes I figured the Dutch bit out quite early - once you speak to a Dutchman or Belgian, it's quite obvious.

That it's a cultural artifact doesn't make it irrelevant though. Since I started watching football I havent witnessed a great Dutch manager who didn't eventually fall out with his players and lose the dressing room.

Not quite the same. The Dutch are far more direct than Belgians (though TBF there are French and Dutch Belgians) but they are still far from similar.

My step-son is Belgian (and so we visit a lot) and I lived in Amsterdam/Harderwijk for 12-18 months. Even living with a Dutch family for 3-4 months. The Dutch find it hard to filter.

 

[Frogfish]

Klopp on the other hand doesn't have any weird leatherette fetishes, despite the fair hair and 'tache. That we know of anyway.

He's German. He almost certainly does ! Naked sunbathing by the local river too no doubt.