The whiplash is what gets you. Not long ago, plenty of Reds were buzzing about the work being done behind the scenes, and now you’re seeing harsher takes aimed at Hughes like he’s been front and centre of every problem at the club. I’m not saying he’s beyond criticism, but the tone shift feels a bit strong for someone we barely hear from publicly.
Truth is, Liverpool have never been a club where the sporting side constantly sells itself with quotes and briefings. When things are done properly, you find out when the player’s basically in the building. That’s always been part of the culture. So judging Hughes on silence alone feels a bit unfair, because silence is kind of the point.
Silence doesn’t automatically mean confusion
Fans love clarity, and I get it. When there’s no clear message, people fill the gaps with whatever suits their mood that week. If results wobble or the football doesn’t look right, eyes start drifting upwards. Not just to the manager, but to the recruitment team, the board, anyone with a job title.
That’s why it’s worth separating “we don’t know what’s happening” from “nothing is happening”. Those aren’t the same thing. And with Liverpool, they rarely have been.
The Guehi frustration (and why it lingers)
If you want to pick out one thing that stuck in the memory, it’s the Guehi situation. The feeling some have is that Crystal Palace were read wrong, that it dragged, and that if it was going to happen it needed to be wrapped up earlier. That’s a fair complaint to raise, because timing matters in a window. It affects backups, alternatives, the whole chain.
But even then, one messy negotiation doesn’t automatically make the whole operation a mess. Windows are full of dead ends. Every club has them. The key is whether you learn from it and move sharper next time.
When the pitch drives the narrative
A lot of this always circles back to what we see on the pitch. If you’re watching Liverpool and feeling the “product” isn’t where it should be, it colours everything else. For some, that becomes a judgement on Arne Slot, and in your case it’s led you to thinking the club should change the manager.
That’s a big call, and it’s one fans will never agree on neatly. But it does explain the mood swings. When performances dip, people go looking for the lever that fixes it. Sometimes they pull the wrong one.
Maybe the better question is simple: are we criticising Hughes for specific decisions, or are we just annoyed and aiming at the nearest name we’ve got?
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