Ian Ayre has rejected the notion that the lack of UEFA Champions League football will leave Liverpool unable to attract a quality manager.
Managing director feels owners not being in Liverpool is a strength
Ian Ayre has rejected the notion that the lack of UEFA Champions League football will leave Liverpool unable to attract a quality manager.
The club's managing director is liaising with owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) as they search for the successor to Kenny Dalglish, who was sacked on Wednesday.
The list of candidates is long and varied with Champions League winning coaches Pep Guardiola and Fabio Capello having been mentioned alongside up-and-coming managers.
Wigan's Roberto Martinez has already been given permission to enter discussions with FSG, while Swansea's Brendan Rodgers has turned down the opportunity to begin talks.
It is the interest in these low-key targets that has prompted speculation that top level coaches such as Borussia Dortmund's Jurgen Klopp are now out of Liverpool's reach.
But Ayre believes the right candidate will overlook the fact that Liverpool are set for a third season without Champions League football and instead focus on the vast potential at Anfield.
"We will find out (the effect of not being in the Champions League) during the process I guess," he said.
"The reason I don't think it will have an effect is if you lined up most managers in football and asked them if Liverpool would be a great club to manage and most people would aspire to do so I think they would say yes.
History
"The history of this club, the reach of this club around the world , its fanbase and everything we have achieved and want to achieve is more than enough to keep any manager we would want to go after hungry for the opportunity."
With the club's interest in Rodgers and Martinez already in the public domain, the appointment is already threatening to become a messy process.
The fact that FSG are looking to replace a club icon in Dalglish will also add to the feeling that the US owners are eroding some of the goodwill they had built up over the past two seasons.
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan even went so far as to claim to
ESPN that Liverpool "is a morgue, a desolate place, without heart".
But Ayre rejects the idea that the club's owners have alienated their public.
"I don't think in any way would they alienate themselves. This was such a difficult decision because it was Kenny," said the managing director.
"If Liverpool fans feel the owners have alienated themselves because they make tough decisions for Liverpool to restore it to greatness then that is for people to decide.
"But they have an absolute commitment to the club and the fans and when they are here they make themselves completely accessible.
"I think what you need in football is a strong will to win and a commitment to making some difficult decisions."
Balance
Asked about a management structure that sees the club's two key decision-makers living on the other side of the Atlantic, Ayre said: "It helps the club and all us because you have a balance.
"From a board perspective you have the two owners based in America, somewhat distanced from the day-to-day but that is balanced with my input to that.
"We speak almost daily. They are very aware of pretty much all of what is going on but they are able to have a more dispassionate view sometimes.
"We balance that with my knowledge and view of what is happening day-to-day in this city and club among our fans.
"I think that is the best combination you can have because you always want someone to second-guess your decisions and make you think about things and they do that consistently.
"I don't see distance as an issue."
