October 8th, 2015 was the date when Jurgen Klopp signed a three-year contract with Liverpool FC and agreed to become the manager of the club. Suddenly, all the footballing eyes were on the red side of Mersyside and there was excitement around the club.

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[ Figure 1: Jurgen Klopp with Ian Ayre signing his first contract at LFC, www.google.com ]

WHY Suddenly ?

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[ Figure 2 : Fans lost their trust in Klopp’s predecessor , Brendan Rodgers , www.google.com ]
Brendan Rodgers, the previous manager was running out of time to provide results with performances starting to decline. Fans lost their faith in him ; resulting in his sacking. The Liverpool fans wanted to see victories at a consistent basis and wanted more out of the team.

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[ Figure 3 : Jurgen Klopp at his first press conference as an LFC manager, www.google.com ]
In comes ‘The Normal One‘, and immediately gets involved with the Anfield folklore. The fans really connected to him and were thrilled by this decision made by the owners who did face their fair share of criticism.

Klopp managed to get some authoritative victories laying the foundation of how he wanted Liverpool to play. But with losses coming a bit too early for the fans to cherish the good form, playing consistently was a glaring weakness. Although, finishing 8th in the league was a bit too low but deserving, but losing 2 cup finals was really disheartening.

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[ Figure 4: Klopp and his team suffered 2 defeats in 2 cup finals, www.google.com ]
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[ Figure 5: Sadio Mane cost Liverpool £30 mn this season , www.google.com ]
In the transfer window, many arrivals were expected and so were some key departures. But Klopp shrewdly spent the money and the club earned a net profit with 7 arrivals with £59 million spent on 2 players only.

Klopp knew where and in whom he wanted to invest and did it perfectly.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - JULY 22: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Georginio Wijnaldum of Liverpool after signing his contract at Melwood Training Ground on July 22, 2016 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
[ Figure 6: Liverpool spent £25 mn on Georginio Wijnaldum , www.google.com ]
How is this BUSINESS?

This is a classic example of how customers, in this case the fans, regained their faith in the club ( the product/service) with a change in the managerial position. The ability of the manager to be able to connect with the fans and keep them involved in the game makes them feel wanted and realize their importance.

 

There might be some off-days but almost every fan believes in their style of play and most importantly, the manager. They craved for dynamism, some swagger in their play and the fear of their name in the opponents which Klopp is providing at an increasing rate with the start of the new season.

 

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 01: Liverpool fans during the UEFA Europa League group B match between Liverpool FC and FC Sion at Anfield on October 1, 2015 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
[ Figure 7: Klopp at Anfield , the home stadium of LFC, www.google.com ]
Fans have appreciated the job done by the manager and the team and have responded to them by staying till the final whistle which was another thing that Klopp wanted to inculcate. There has been positive actions and reactions by both the firm and the customers i.e the fans and the club.

If the last season is anything to go by, then there are some exciting years around the corner.

Klopp signed a bumper 6-year contract this June and said ” My signing this is like a penalty being awarded, and time will tell whether we scored it or missed it”.

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[ Figure 8: Good Signs for Liverpool, www.google.com ]
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Bibliography:

  1. www.liverpoolfc.com
  2. Google Images