Watch'The job is never done' - Slot, Hughes and Hogan open up in 'The Reds Roundtable'
The head coach, sporting director and chief executive officer sat down after the Emirates FA Cup third-round win over Barnsley last month for a candid conversation hosted by Liverpool fan and presenter Vicky Gomersall.
Amid a powerful backdrop of flags and banners toasting LFC’s legacy, they discussed some of the defining moments of their own time spent working together at Anfield so far.
They looked back on Slot’s appointment as the new Reds boss in 2024, with Hughes revealing how he had an unspoken connection with the Dutchman before identifying him to take charge.
Memories are shared of Liverpool’s Premier League title triumph last season and the scenes of joy that followed the club being crowned champions for a 20th time.
“Arne and I had heard about what a parade would look like when finally people were able to talk to him about things he wasn’t superstitious about!” recalls Hughes.
“And when the league title was secured, then of course planning the parade, people had said it. We’re quite calm people and not impressed by a lot, it’s fair to say, but everyone said, ‘Wait until you see this, you haven’t seen anything like it.’
“I’m still in awe of what I saw that day when we were going around in that parade, and just looking at other people experiencing this - for the first time in some cases - I don’t think we ever were, but if you were ever in any doubt about how big a club this is, it was gone forever after you see those scenes.”
The trio also frankly analysed Liverpool’s performances and challenges so far this season and underlined the desire to improve in the second half of the campaign, as well as their strong belief for the future.
Slot says: “As a manager, you can win the league, you can win the Champions League, you can win an FA Cup or a League Cup, but the biggest thing you can win is that you can play the nicest football to watch.
“Although at this moment of time, fans might argue this a little bit, but it is absolutely something I am aiming for. I always want to have the ball, I always want to be intense, I want the fans to like what they see.
“That is something I dislike the most, I would almost say even more than our results, even more than the league table, that not all of our fans are every single moment of the game seeing us as a joy to watch. The hardest thing is I even understand, because I agree with them.
“Trophies are one thing. But being a team or a club or a manager that stands for something, that stands for good football, is I think in the long term even worth more.”
Asked about LFC’s plans and ambitions moving forward, Hogan adds: “The journey we’ve been on since 2010 over the last 15 years, it sounds maybe trite or simplistic to say: to continue that journey.
“The term ‘sleeping giant’ was used when FSG was looking at Liverpool, in terms of this incredible potential that the club had, and it had obviously fallen on some difficult times. Our job and our focus has been on trying to return it to - as we believe - its rightful place.
“That job is frankly never done, that’s something we’re constantly working on. Improvements that we’ve made from an infrastructure standpoint, the continued investment in the squad.
“At the end of the day, this is about winning trophies and about making our supporters happy and proud of the team. We’re going to continue to do that.”
Presented by Standard Chartered, The Reds Roundtable champions resilience, ambition and legacy, offering fans rare insights from inside the game.
Watch the full episode with Slot, Hughes and Hogan in the video above and catch up on previous editions of the series on Liverpool FC’s YouTube channel.
