Jen Chang Leaves Liverpool by Mutual Consent

Whatever your opinions on what actually happened during the whole Duncan Jenkins saga, we can probably all agree that it left the club looking worse for wear, and when Ian Ayre delivered a written apology to Sean Cummins, the supporter who was revealed to be behind the Jenkins account, it more or less confirmed that Jen Chang hadn't exactly been espousing the virtues of someone who's remarkably gifted at being the Director of Communications. Perhaps the only positive to emerge from the ordeal was that now the standard for threatening someone is that you'll fill their mailbox with poop, although that of course creates a logistical nightmare in nearly every facet of the act.

But all-in-all, not good. So today it's not necessarily surprising when Sporting Intelligence, an independent website, confirmed with a club spokesman that Chang has left his post by mutual consent. There was apparently no specific link to the goings-on with Cummins; the official reasons given were "for family reasons," and if that's genuinely the case, then I think we'll all wish him and his family well.

Regardless of the reasons for his exit, Liverpool are back to the point of needing to do some image rehabilitation, and they'll now have to fill a position that'll eventually be responsible for doing so. Chang's actions earlier in the fall didn't do any sort of irreparable damage to the way the club was seen, but they certainly didn't do it any favors, and now the Director of Communications role lies vacant at a time when--ahead of the January window--there's an increased focus on what exactly Liverpool will be doing.

That is, if they intend to fill the role, or will instead rely on existing personnel to perform the duties of a position that's fairly vague in its duties anyhow. Someone who knows the club, has some sort of ability to discern appropriate behavior from doing things that are batshit crazy, and who's aware that the club needs stability in all facets of its operations, particularly when it comes to the image they project.

And also someone who understands that, above all else, everyone would rather be focusing on the football.