Ayre: These are exciting times
Liverpool's managing director Ian Ayre took time out from unveiling Brendan Rodgers as the new Liverpool manager to talk to Liverpoolfc.tv about the Northern Irishman's appointment.
Brendan Rodgers is the new manager of Liverpool Football Club. When was it decided that Brendan was the right man for this job?
Brendan always featured in our thinking. We went through a process where we had the criteria and we had a profile that we wanted to establish and find the right person to fit that profile. And from the outset, he was part of that thinking, as was evident in the fact that we asked permission from Swansea very early on. And then we worked through that process, interviewed a lot of candidates and looked at the different profiles of the different candidates. And then in the last few days we've been given permission, brought that together and concluded with Brendan in the last 24 hours.
Did you or any other people who made that decision consult with people from outside the club in order to make the right decision?
Yes, absolutely. We mentioned that publicly early on. It's always important to garner the views of people that you respect in the game and it would be right to thank them for their important support in that process. But, yes, we took it from people who I would say have been very well respected in football and that was the right thing to do because it was important that we had input from the sort of people who can help shape these decisions.
What gives you the confidence that Brendan is the right man for Liverpool?
The important thing for us was that we needed a step forward and I think Brendan fitted the profile that we were looking for - exciting football, attacking football, his philosophy fitted very much with the style and the way forward that the ownership and the board see for Liverpool Football Club. We set a profile and we set an objective to find somebody that fitted that and Brendan very much is that person.
What particular aspect of Brendan's CV impressed you?
I think it's a combination of things, particularly his style and philosophy of play. I think people will have seen what he's done at Swansea; keeping the ball, playing attractive football, these are things that we wanted to see. But also a bunch of other things make up the man that is Brendan. He fits the style that is Liverpool Football Club.
Did he offer qualities to the club that other candidates didn't?
Yes. As I said, you set off, like you do with an interview to hire any candidate for any position, with a criteria of things that are important, and he was there at the forefront of that because we knew he very much fitted the style and skill-set that we were looking for and it's been a fantastic achievement to get him.
Do you think that Brendan's footballing philosophy matches that of Liverpool's going forward?
Absolutely. The decision wouldn't have been made if that wasn't the case; it was paramount that we found somebody who fitted directly with the direction that we want to head in.
People may label Brendan's relative inexperience as an area of concern. What would you say to that?
Myself and our chairman Tom Werner were at the Premier League annual conference yesterday and part of that was a dinner to celebrate the last 20 years of the Premier League and this football club's foundations were built on winning league championships. And yet there we were, after 20 years of the Premier League, and we don't have one in our trophy cabinet. We need to have one at Liverpool Football Club. That's what this football club's about; winning that and winning European Cups. And we need a big change; we need a big step forward to achieve that. And that's a big part of what today is about.
It's been widely reported in the media that this club has made an extensive search for a new manager. Roberto Martinez was one of the potential candidates for the job...
We're not going to talk about the process in any detail. I don't want to talk about individual candidates. It's widely known that we met with Roberto and discussed things with him because that was done in the right and proper way by asking permission from his club. One thing I would say is that Brendan was at the forefront of our decision making and our target. He was the only person to whom we offered the job and I'm pleased to say we got the outcome that we wanted from the start.
Has Brendan been given specific targets by yourself and the owners of the football club?
He will have targets but they're not targets we'll discuss publicly. I think that's important. What's important is those targets are set for everybody and not just for Brendan. They are the targets of the club - everybody is working to the same objectives, everybody will be supportive of each other to achieve those objectives. He'll get our full support and we're bringing him in for the long-term for Liverpool Football Club. We'll work with him in the long term and he'll be successful I'm sure.
Liverpool have had quite a high turnover of managers in recent times. Can you re-assure people that Brendan will be given the right amount of time to get the job right here at Liverpool?
Absolutely, I think that's important and I think that whilst there has been more changes than perhaps we're used to having or would want there to be, there's also been some other mitigating circumstances around some changes. Like changes in ownership, structure and I think we feel very much today that we're making a big step forward. Kenny came back at a very, very important time. We asked him to come back at an important time and he did a fantastic job in that period. We step forward now into the future, we step forward into a new philosophy, we step forward with some new objectives and we step forward with Brendan Rodgers.
But for Brendan, is it about instant success for him? Some people may argue that Kenny delivered a trophy but still left the club. Does this mean Brendan will need to win something straight away?
It's about sustained success I think. What our owners have said and what we're all working towards is bringing Liverpool back to the top of English and European football. That won't happen today, that will happen over a period of time. And he needs our support for that, he'll need time for that and as I said, we'll have objectives and we'll have targets but they will be ones that we will all work towards. In our own minds we'll know what they are but he'll get our support and it's about making progress and achieving the targets that we will all work together for.
Just finally, the new season is still months away but how excited are you for the new season with Brendan at the helm of Liverpool?
It's brilliant. Hopefully today will fill our fans with a lot of optimism. We'll have a busy summer preparing and getting ready for the season ahead. He's going to get stuck into it good and proper I'm sure over the next few weeks. Obviously a lot of the players aren't here, the staff aren't here but it will be nice to see everyone come back together. It will be nice to see that dynamic start to come together and it will be nice to kick-off our first game here at Anfield next season with a new manager and a new vision.