Liverpool Banter Archive January 19 2018

19 Jan 2018 21:06:16
So Salah is being linked to Real for £60m to £70m in the summer haha!
Pull the other one!

His agent may very well be meeting with Real, not a problem - meet away guys and enjoy your lunch, but he ain't going anywhere for anything close to that in the next 12 to 18 months.

{Ed002's Note - You need to get away from this weird obsession with money.}

19 Jan 2018 21:17:28
He's not going anywhere, they will go after hazard.

19 Jan 2018 21:18:58
Yes you're right and also pockets, in fact if I get rid of pockets, I'll not need money anymore - this is a brilliant idea - all my problems are solved :)

19 Jan 2018 21:19:26
In fairness he wouldn't go for at least double that. it's not being obsessed, transfer fees and the size of them are obviously a very important part of the game.

19 Jan 2018 23:16:47
Eds I need too ask in your opinion if sturridge leaves do u think we will look too replace him also ings will likely leave, we will b 2 strikers short with solanke who is a novice.

{Ed0333's Note - I know it’s not what you want to see mate but RTFP & use the search engine. I’m pretty sure one of the Ed’s answered this question not too long ago.

20 Jan 2018 08:25:38
Soz mate I am chocker wid work and my kids so don't get on as much as I would like, I think I have accepted we won't sign no one else either way, don't think klopp likes too mess with the harmony in the squad, cheers anyway.

19 Jan 2018 19:19:16
Gareth Bale 😂😂 it is wacky season.

19 Jan 2018 19:28:21
Due a medical on Monday 8.45 am.

19 Jan 2018 19:31:41
Ooooooo no thanks let him stay in Madrid with his fancy hairdressers.

19 Jan 2018 20:50:06
Curious as to why 5 people have given this a thumbs down. Do they realistically think we would sign him. Papers are just taking the piss these days.

19 Jan 2018 20:56:34
"Fake News" mates :)

19 Jan 2018 21:34:41
Medical booked you say? That’s good because he won’t pass that thank the lord.

19 Jan 2018 22:36:52
1. We won't sign bale.
2. If fit and we could then why would you not. he is phenomenal when fit.

20 Jan 2018 00:22:19
Well if Sturidge is leaving we'd better sign Bale. Otherwise 2 physios face redundancy.

20 Jan 2018 17:39:03
Maybe because he had already badmouthed Liverpool.

19 Jan 2018 17:05:15
Eds keep seeing posts on here praising karius? Imo migs is better and he's not up to it. In your opinion who is the better keeper of the two?

{Ed002's Note - Don't drag me in to this.}

19 Jan 2018 17:08:06
1 loss in karius 22 games. No worries.

19 Jan 2018 17:28:44
Drag him mackers drag him in.

19 Jan 2018 17:32:16
Sorry to be a Stato Benny but it's actually 4 losses in 27. Still a decent record though.

19 Jan 2018 18:01:46
I never realised these stats. You know he had that run when he first came and ballsed it up. New club, pressue and all that. i don't recall him having another run at it since then. He could still settle down and come good. We shall see now won't we.

19 Jan 2018 18:14:10
As we're on stats he currently has the unfortunate one of being the only keeper in the league to have conceded more shots than he has saved this season. Saying that I am more than happy that he has replaced Mignolet and hopefully he will save us a fortune of not having to buy in the summer. However if he doesn't perform then I believe that a top keeper is the biggest part of the jigsaw we are currently missing to challenge for titles and titles and trophies.

19 Jan 2018 19:32:05
Jayden, that may be true but you have tom look at every shot in isolation. Karius has only made 4 mistakes that that has led to a goal since he arrived. Now the goals he has conceded this season in the CL and the PL are those where majority of them, he had no chance with.

The 2 vs Sevilla at home, his defence hung him out to dry as we were all over the shop. The goals vs Sevilla Where he has had his best game for us by the way) away were again, not his fault. One was a mistake by Moreno on a corner that went the opposite top corner of the net. The other wa a penalty (except people wanna blame him for not saving it after being sent the wrong way, something the mighty DDG can't do) . Then the other was again from a corner where again, the defence did not react to the second ball and the shot came thru a see of bodies and he saw it late. The goal vs LC, Matip and Can messed up and he had no chance. The Everton goal was pin point accuracy from Gylfi who placed the ball where Karius was coming from which is how you are coached to do on a low cross.

Now the first City goal, I agree that he should have done better BUT that was a missile from Sane and tho he should have been better on his toes, he needed to do better either way and if he had done and Sane still scored then so be it. He did not do enuff, IMO.

The last two City goals were a complete crap show from the defence as Matip and Lovren messed up on the 2nd goal while Lovren and Robbo were at fault for the third. These shots were put in the side netting where no keeper left that exposed could have gotten to it. It is also difficult to judge him cos in games that we win, he has near nothing to do as the defence plays better with him in goal. That should not be held against him cos to me, that should be a positive. He is more commanding of his box and defenders, better on crosses and suits the way we play more than Migs ever will. He just needs to settle don and do his job

I do think that him not looking over his shoulder anymore, focusing on his job now with hopefully a better defence in front of him will help him. It his time now and he has to take it or else, he'll be off.

Sorry for the long post, bros.

19 Jan 2018 20:14:14
Br I only stated the stat mate. I didn't slate him for it. Like I said I hope he proves himself and saves us money in the summer.

19 Jan 2018 20:20:20
1 loss in 22 with karius that's because where averaging 3 goals a game if we were not scoring much would he save us?

19 Jan 2018 20:20:21
Boring Ed2 booooo, lol jokes love you.

19 Jan 2018 20:25:31
Best keeper is Karingolet 🤝.

19 Jan 2018 20:49:50
BRover what about the free kick spartak away and the payet one at anfield last season. Love your positivity but just can't recall him making a good save. Still prefer him to Mignolet though.

19 Jan 2018 20:50:05
Our best keeper is Mingarius. Oh no it's not, it's actually WARD!

19 Jan 2018 20:57:40
Not Bogdan 😂😂😂.

19 Jan 2018 17:19:38
Stay out of Ed stay out of it mate😁.

19 Jan 2018 21:17:31
Lets all be honest here, we have four goalies, and not one would get into any top six side,
having said that, we now have Karius as No 1, let's give him our full support,
we could still win something this season .

19 Jan 2018 21:32:28
Thats cleared up then.

19 Jan 2018 22:00:40
Bogariwardolet 🤝

🤮.

19 Jan 2018 22:38:49
Karious
But to be fair we have only loss 3 games all season. so stats are bit stupid.

19 Jan 2018 23:40:38
Hughes, I forgot to add the Spartak and WH goals so in essence that makes, 4/ 5 errors in in 22 games in all comps. Now as for you not remembering him making a save for LFC, allow me to explain. Majority of the time, Karius has near nothing to do whenever he has played for us as for some reason, he brings calmness to the defence when he plays as they seem to play better with him back there so they are more concentrated and there are numerous examples of these games. Even the City game after he conceded, he had nothing to do till the 84th minute BUT none of those goals were his fault as many have already said.

Now cos you don't remember Karius making a save does not mean he has not. I just means you don't remember them. Karius was the reason we had any chance vs Saints in last season's EFL Cup semi in the first away leg as it was his 3 brilliant saves point blank vs Redmond, that kept the score down. In the return leg at Anfield where we were chasing the game, it was his point blnk save from Tadic that kept us in the game in the first half. Vs Seville away in the CL, it was his save (parried against the post and smothered the rebound) vs Nolito at 1-0 that gave us the chance to make it 2 in our next attack.

Then, it was his save vs Escudero from Seville where he parries a sweet volley against his post, that keeps the score at 3-2. He was also good vs West Brom where he save 2 headers vs WBA at home this season but those are saves I expected him to make. He has made other saves in other games I can mention but those are routine so won't include them. You can youtube the ones I mentioned if you like.

For the record, I don't know if Karius is the answer BUT I do know he is better than Migs and I don't like people just destroying a guy who like it or not, has only lost ONE game in 22 whereas the clown whose been here and playing longer, makes more mistakes in 2 games than Karius has done in 22. He has more than deserved his chance and he will fail or succeed on his own merits. That is fine w/ me.

19 Jan 2018 23:42:56
Jay, I know what you were doing. I was not slating you. I was just trying to give my opinion on your stat. I like you, hope Kaarius can do the job cos he is talented and his last season in Germany proves it. If he succeeds, LFC succeeds and that's all I care about in the end.

20 Jan 2018 05:17:22
Stop defending him, he’s an awful keeper and will cost us big time if he’s a regular until the end of the season.

{Ed001's Note - he is still a better keeper than you are a supporter though. I am just going to ban you if you do not add anything constructive to arguments instead of just slagging off players. Not once have you put forward anything other than the moronic line 'he is awful'. Clearly you must have reasons for thinking he is awful, so enlighten the rest of us, please. Because right now you are just another tool abusing players of the team you claim to support. And no team wants 'supporters' like that, nor do they need them.}

20 Jan 2018 12:14:55
Lies damn lies and statistics Benjamin (said in a Wayne's world voice. ) Both are not very good, that's pretty much it kid, so swerve the stats lad, there's a god boy.

20 Jan 2018 14:03:13
Ed001, let me start by saying you would never have heard one comment on here against Karius if it wasn’t for the incessant number of posters on here who big up Karius as if we’d just signed Buffon in his prime. It is ok for them to demonise Mignolet, wanting him dropped, slagging him off and wanting him sold, and they are not threatened with a ban.

I don’t thinki Mignolet is the long term answer either but, in my opinion, he is better at the moment. Mignolet has made many saves you wouldn’t expect to be saved, some of them match-winning saves and penalty saves. I can’t remember even one in that category by Karius. If anyone can name me one - feel free.

You asked for my reasons for saying what I did. When he made his debut on pre-season last seasonI was looking forward to seeing him as I had never even heard of him when we signed him. By the way, many who praise him on here had never seen him either but were reeled in because he was voted 2nd best to Neuer in Germany. Voted for by whom? And so what. Claudio Bravo had a reputation of playing with his feet when on Spain. Pep brought him in to replace Hart and it was videotaped that it is a different ball game over here with forwards charging at you. It’s not what you do in other countries that matter, it’s what you do over here.

Anyway, that first game, a defender passed the ball back to Karius who tried to put his foot on the ball and it rolled underneath his foot. He had to scramble back to dive on the ball on his goal line. Next he came for a cross and another time nearly got caught with the ball at his feet.

I am not going to go and mention all the games he had made mistakes, as everyone is aware of them. I don’t think it is an argument to say that Mignolet wouldn’t have saved it either, as they did for Sane’s goal. It is not an argument to say that De Gea was crap in his first season and now he is great, so then Karius will be too.

If you want to know why I don’t rate him, his positioning is poor, his technique with his hands is poor, his shot stopping is poor (definitely not as good as Mignolet there), he doesn’t know whether to come or stay for crosses and he dawdles with the ball at his feet and looks like he will get caught out all the time. Klopp took him out after the Bournemouth games last season because he could see that the top 4 place was in danger, not because of fan pressure. That is my opinion and I could be right or wrong, but that was what this site is about - opinions.

I don’t think you should criticise me as a supporter. I have never and never would criticise or boo a player in the stadium for a misplaced pass or bad game. I bet there are quite a few on here who could not say that.

I have supported the team from second division times and lived through all the glory years. I have known the best and want to see it again. It feels like being married to Miss World and then she dumps you. You wonder if you will ever get it as good again. I want Liverpool to be top dogs again and, I’m sorry, I don’t see that happening withKarius or Mignolet.

I have nothing against the kid personally but if he showed me something to earn the adulation he earns I will hold up my hands and apologise.

{Ed001's Note - you have posted up a whole row of comments just abusing one of our players, if you think that doesn't deserve a ban then you need to go take a long hard look at yourself. It is not the same to call someone crap as to say they should be moved on.

By the way you are absolutely deluded if you think Mignolet has EVER made a single save that you would not expect him to make, let alone many. If that is your reasoning then give up because I am not going to bother reading past that kind of stupidity and take any notice of anything else you say after seeing that. Don't know why you bothered typing all that, it is obviously a waste of time because everyone is going to be too busy laughing after that comment to bother with the rest.

You seem to have taken it on yourself to make this all personal, it is embarrassing. You have turned it into a witch hunt against Karius, a personal crusade to abuse him because some people are supporting him. Bizarre.}

20 Jan 2018 22:47:17
Karious looks nervous. why is this? .
Migs has had 5 years, makes the same mistakes. we know he is never going to change. He has little command of his area and his communication is awful. This radiates to our defence, and proven I international class defenders who have performed before coming to us look, well frankly useless. he's a nice guy, but sometimes you need to have that bit of arrogance in a position like GK.
Karious is young and can learn, and for me he looks like he is someone who can have the confidence to succeed. His decision making can be wrong (age and expeariance) but I'd prefer a keeper who the defenders know what he's going to do, whether it right or wrong. Basically I'd prefer a keeper who can learn from the mistakes.
I myself would prefer we go and spend the money and get a off the peg worldly, as I believe that with a keeper that can be trusted and has the confidence of his defence, would make our back 4 look massively stronger. It could save us millions on reacingg defender we don't need too.

Just my opinion.

20 Jan 2018 22:31:05
Ok Ed001, I respect your opinion and won’t post any more comments on here about Karius, although they have usually been in response to other posters. After all, Karius’s Liverpool career will live or die by his performances, not by what people say on here, whether by posters or Editors.

I never intended a witch hunt against him but accept that there have been a lot of posts and I apologise for that. I genuinely hope he takes this opportunity he has got.

Incidentally, re your comment about Mignolet, he has saved 8 penalties for Liverpool. Most people don’t expect keepers to save penalties. Off the top of my head O can remember 3 by Jonathan Walters, Jamie Vardy and Theo Walcott that got us 3 points instead of 1, also a save from Diego Costa that got us a draw instead of a defeat and 1 in the Champions League that got us the win instead of a draw. I can’t be more specific fr open lay without checking but I can remember a point blank save from Glen Murray at a critical point and we went straight upfield and clinched the game.

As I said, I have doubts about Mignolet too but I think he sometimes gets slated more than he deserves.

{Ed001's Note - that is his only redeeming feature. Penalty saves is all he can do, but you seem to forget that you also have to take off any of them he has given away by his utter ineptitude, which has happened. Also you forgot he holds the Premier League record for most first shots on target conceded. Almost all of them being saveable shots as well.

As for Karius, he has a few weeks now to see if he is any good or not. Personally I would prefer us to go and buy Alisson regardless, as I have said, but you have to give players a chance to prove themselves or you are going to struggle to attract others in the future.}

19 Jan 2018 16:32:18
First time poster.
Love the site, the gossip and the imaginative rumours.

My friend works at a Turkish restaurant in Liverpool that Emre Can visits quite often. He has expressed to this particular member of staff, his difficulty with settling in to English life and culture.

That will be all.

19 Jan 2018 16:36:31
Welcome to the family mate, and thank you for the rumour!

19 Jan 2018 18:38:55
Must be the fish and chips.

19 Jan 2018 19:34:39
Welcome, man.

19 Jan 2018 14:35:56
One for ed001 or mks to write about when they have time. Roy Evans. Would love to read about him, what he was like? How much the players respected him? Why he wasn't successful trophy wise at liverpool as everyone would of hoped for? Was it because of the dominance of man United or was it because he lacked tactical awareness to take us that extra step. How he was rated by the fans and were other mangers ie.

{Ed001's Note - I have added it to my to do list. Hopefully should get round to it at some point in the next few years!}

19 Jan 2018 15:14:22
From what I remember he was way to nice and the young guns needed a firm hand the so called spice boys (always hated that label)
replacing James earlier would of helped and just getting collymore to play ball would of been a massive help, but some of his buys as well scales babb some might pf even argued stan was a mistake (not to me at the time I was overjoyed we signed him)
imo a club legend but just not tough enough to be a manager
also having David Moores around didn't help either.

19 Jan 2018 15:05:32
Definitely one for Ed001. I was 6 when he left the club 😂 i wouldn't do it justice buddy.

19 Jan 2018 15:35:53
Not to make this too much of a novel but:

I was honestly surprised when he got the role to be honest, but he was a Liverpool man through and through though, so I was only too happy to let him at it.

My first memories of him was him coming on as a physio or some sort of role like it when our players went down injured in the 80's, magic sponge man I believe was the term at the time :)

I honestly think he improved us from the mess Souness left behind, but just wasn't able to take us to that next level that Houllier sort of managed in the early 00's. Houllier had far more contacts in world football than Evans and that helped facilitate some signings that Evans probably would never have gotten over the line.

Evans seemed to be a lovely guy and the players seemed to respect him but he just was unable to take us back to the very top unfortunately.
I for one will remember him fondly when all is said and done though.
Himself, Ronnie Moran (RIP) and a few others will forever have all of my respect!

19 Jan 2018 15:46:51
Mks I'm presuming from his posts didn't support us then. He played some great open expansive football and was a really nice man and that was his downfall, he couldn't handle the big players and from storys I was told at the time he was weak when confronted by certain players when they weren't picked. It was a pity because I feel if it wasn't for that floor in his character then he could of won something given time.

19 Jan 2018 15:47:44
Out of interest mks who did you support around the time he left?

19 Jan 2018 15:57:38
Waro why you sending for MK like that hah, unnecessary, and ED1, how's that NFL collegiate article coming along?

{Ed001's Note - don't ask mate! I am so far behind it is insane. Trying to find information on anything on the net these days is hard work as everything you find is just a wiki article with some words changed! Drives me mad.}

19 Jan 2018 16:19:30
I wasn't interested in watching football at that age Waro. I did enjoy summer football camps every year though, and regretfully my first kits were all second hand Chelsea strips! I had no idea who any of the teams or players were though, and my dad had stopped following football years before i was born as a boyhood Leeds fan, bless him. I've got him back into football and converted him to a Liverpool fan now 😂

The first football game i watched was England's 2-1 defeat against France, i think Lampard scored but Zidane hit two late goals to break English hearts! The first club match i watched was a 3-3 thriller in Istanbul. Been obsessed for the last 13 years ever since mate. I've seen re-runs of the Evans era on LFC TV, but i wouldn't dare write about it in detail because simply put, it was before my time.

19 Jan 2018 16:08:34
Cheers ed001. Much appreciated mate I know your a busy man.

Yeah was only 8 myself mks when he left. Got chatting to fowler and macca a few years back and they had nothing but good things to say about him was just wondering how he was viewed by everyone else.

{Ed001's Note - he is a lovely man mate.}

19 Jan 2018 16:41:21
Top top bloke just wasn't ruthless. Played some good football.

19 Jan 2018 16:43:53
See that is how unqualified to write i am. I'm assuming '89 is your birth year IR89, so if you were 8 I'm guessing he left in 97/ 98? I thought it was 99/ 00. So i know so little about his time, i didn't even know when it ended, and I was actually 4!

Nonetheless, I'm sure Ed001 will do a cracking write up which i look forward to reading!

19 Jan 2018 17:18:51
Yeah mks born in 89. Getting too old to be jumping around and shouting watching Liverpool games so my wife keeps telling me :) .

I enjoyed reading your articles pal hence why I suggested yourself if ed001 was too busy. Appreciate the reply and yeah look forward to reading it myself. Like yourself a bit too young to remember Roys time with the club.

19 Jan 2018 17:45:37
Geez I feel old.

19 Jan 2018 17:43:08
Unfortunately, not all products of the 'boot room' were top drawer managers.

20 Jan 2018 00:03:37
There’s a decent book called Men in White Suits which talks about a selection of players playing under Roy Evans and his time as manager which gives an idea of what it was like. It also compares his team with the emerge of Utd and the players coming through there at the same time. Worth a read. We played great attacking football under him and I think he was a bit unlucky to be honest.

20 Jan 2018 01:12:15
As the ed said lovely man, but too lovely if anything. No discipline in that team.

19 Jan 2018 19:51:48
Hahaa I know that feel ED1 but you'll smash it out somehow, don't wanna let the youth overtake you now ;)

{Ed001's Note - I think it might be a little late for that mate!}

20 Jan 2018 07:19:56
He was ahead of his time in terms of the football he had us playing. Guardiola is lauded for playing the same type of football these days. It was a big shame when he left, it wasn’t handled well.

20 Jan 2018 12:06:47
Why am I sending what Welsh red? I don't understand the question, sorry.

20 Jan 2018 12:08:38
I always felt roy was a better coach and number two. Knows football inside out.

20 Jan 2018 12:09:06
Yes, some people don't really get into football as a kid mks more early teens, I think it's this city though, your brought up from a toddler to be red or blue and nothing else is talked about in school or with your mates, so I think that's why you know from a very early age about football and who you support.

19 Jan 2018 14:33:01
A quick question to any of the eds. now that Goretzka has joined Bayern, I was just wondering how serious was Liverpool's interest in him?

{Ed002's Note - 16.}

19 Jan 2018 15:33:02
Interesting Ed, I'd assumed it was 🐙.

19 Jan 2018 15:45:31
Must be hard to take the knock back after that level of interest ED. We were told he was going to Bayern months ago, I'm not sure why anyone is supprised.

19 Jan 2018 12:20:36
I hear a lot of people saying we should go out and buy a world class GK but i think we need to replace our GK coaches before hand because that is where the main problem is coming from.

19 Jan 2018 12:27:25
Couldn't agree more adamski. When was the last time we had a GK that didn't decline in their ability under Achterberg? I personally can't remember one. Hate to say it but I think he's not helping our GK situation.

19 Jan 2018 12:27:29
Easy to say, not easy to prove or back up your claims but feel free to fire away.

19 Jan 2018 12:29:20
I don't think we should blame the coaches, the keepers themselves that we have bought have simply not been good enough for top level.

19 Jan 2018 12:56:48
As a coach you could only improve what you have in front of you. You can’t teach a new skill! Mignolet has let in some of the easiest goals in the league. can't blame the coaches for it!

19 Jan 2018 13:01:03
Didn’t realise we had so many posters better to judge the keeping coaches than Klopp and his team. Get your CV’s in lads!

19 Jan 2018 13:07:16
When we had Konchesky and Poulson did we blame the outfield coaches for them not improving. Give Achteberg a break and buy a top quality keeper to work with before throwing him under the bus.

19 Jan 2018 13:07:44
The job is to improve the GK situation - whether it’s through coaching, instilling confidence, advising on selection, and all the way through to whether to recruit. Are you telling me he had no input on Migs getting a new contract?

Achterberg may be a nice guy but the bottom line is he should be judged by end results and they aren’t good. We need a fresh pair of eyes to identify where things are falling down.

19 Jan 2018 13:17:41
Would love to see as us go for Lehman as a goalkeeping coach, one of the best I've seen at vocally organising his defence, plus being German may help Karius m.

19 Jan 2018 13:32:50
To those saying the coaches can only coach what is in front of them, allow me to give you some facts. It is common knowledge here that Reina was brilliant at LFC till Xavi Valero left and Achteberg got the job and Reina went to crap. Also, Migs was maybe not world class BUT was solid enough for him to come here and really, his only good season was his first season, IMO. Then, after working with Achtberg, he has become THE second worst GK in the PL behind Forster of Saints. Karius was voted second to Neuer in the German league, was no. 1 for the German Olympic team with Timo Horn (who many believe is better than him) as his no. 2. He led Mainz to their first foray into Europe via the EL in that final season. The boy is talented cos Germans know a good GK when they see one, Fact. He comes here and suddenly, he is all over the place. Now re Karius, this might be as a result of nerves and growing pains which is normal BUT come on.

I know correlation is NOT causation BUT there is a trend that cannot be ignored and MUST be accounted for. All these GK's were very good either at or before they came to us. As soon as they got here, they got or are getting worse and the common denominator is the GK coach. This is not news. The Ed0'1 has been saying this for a few years now, that Achtberg either needs to get gone or get some help cos tho a nice guy, he is NOT getting it done. DDG is a great GK BUT every player needs proper coaching to get better as cos every player needs it, even the world class ones. Achtberg is NOT good enough and he may not be the cause BUT is contributing to the problem, IMO.

19 Jan 2018 13:55:26
What is Oliver Kahn up to these days Ed’s- would he be available as a coach? I know he did some form of coaching or something in China, or is he just a pundit these days. He was a hell of a keeper though

Thx

Andy O.

{Ed001's Note - no idea but being a good player does not make them a good coach.}

19 Jan 2018 15:43:08
did Pepe Reina have issues with Achterberg coaching and his form dipped a lot under his coaching all that time ago. and still are keepers are struggling.

19 Jan 2018 15:45:13
There picking up on Shay givens comments at the city game. It was about hand positions and how he was always coached to keep them mid body height so if the shot is high or low you have a chance of getting it. He noted both our keepers tend to go low. Why the get beat for pace at near post. That's where the coaching got questioned.

19 Jan 2018 16:16:14
Imo it is the coach reina was being beaten at his near post on his last season with us and now he is again shining sonething is not right and does need sorting.

19 Jan 2018 23:22:53
Reina went rubbish because of the coach? Mignolet 2nd worst keeper in league. I don't know which is the most ridiculous of the two?!

19 Jan 2018 11:47:58
According to Melissa Reddy who is pretty reliable with LFC news.

Inter have made a serious offer for Sturridge, loan deal with a substantial fee and a route to a permanent deal. She also says Sturridge hopes Seville will make a offer as she believes that is his first choice.

Looks like he will be off one way or another. Hope the lad does well.

{Ed002's Note - Sevilla and Real Betis made loan offers ages ago and were told that Liverpool wanted a sale.}

19 Jan 2018 10:49:21
Fair point ed001 and thanks for the response.

I have only seen seri once and was impressed but agree his passes were unproductive. But that was not his role. He was there to protect.

As a player protecting the back line he was brilliant imo and I feel he would do wonders for our defense and my thoughts are that is what we are missing.

As for lemar, I agree it is knee jerk and I would like to see him again.

But to pay 90m on a young kid with little experience is not the best way to spend our barcelona loot.

We can't afford to buy potential where we are at the moment. By the time he has matured, salah will be in Madrid, mane at Barcelona and firmino killed in a freak dental accident (hypothetically speaking) .

And then the building starts again.

Imo it is the most important purchase we are about to make since Torres left.

Now, people like yourself understand what is out there far better than I do hence why this site is so great. l and why i shall watch lemar again.

{Ed001's Note - brilliant? Whenever I have seen Seri he has shown no ability to protect a back line at all, he was wandering off, ball watching and offered little. He is seen as a playmaker, so I disagree completely with your assessment of his role. He is there to create, not destroy. Like I said though, I would want to watch more of him before I judge him. I have heard lots of scouts and managers say they can tell quickly whether a player is any good or not but that is just cack. Complete cack. You simply can't tell because you need to see them against different opponents and facing different styles of play to really judge them properly. Twentyman used to watch the players he recommended over and over before he would make a recommendation. He also would speak to fans of the team, staff, friends, family etc to try and get a full picture. Sadly that art seems to be dying in favour of watching a few youtube clips etc to make a judgement!

Sorry gone off on a complete tangent there, it is just a pet hate of mine that people make snap judgements on players. There is so much you need to take into account as well when judging them, for instance are they playing their 10th match in a row or is it their first for a while? A misplaced pass could be down to being a bit rusty, or not knowing his teammates well or he could just not be a very good passer. There are so many variables it is impossible to really be 100% on anyone even when you have seen a lot of them.

As for Lemar, he is far more than potential, last season his actual was amongst the best midfielders in Europe, which is what we should be looking to buy.}

19 Jan 2018 11:09:50
Geez Ed01, longest response I think I've ever seen from you. Quiet day at the office?

{Ed001's Note - quite the opposite mate, really busy I just got carried away!}

19 Jan 2018 11:11:16
Lemar or a player in that mould is our need not a luxuary. If you want someone to protect and pick a pass then it need to be better than Seri ( what you claim we need to buy readymade ) Then watch Jorginho or Rabiot. Best players in that role. I don’t know about the interest but those are the players that will walk through out first team!

19 Jan 2018 11:26:36
Lemar stats last season were great. Got 15 goals and 17 assists. Think he would do very good in a team like ours with the front three we have. Agree with the ed he's a lot more than just potential.

19 Jan 2018 11:27:22
Ed01, are there many ‘destroyers’ left in the game?
Kante has been the stand out one for a few seasons

If you had to pick a player for protecting the back line who would it be?

{Ed001's Note - Ndidi, there is also Nampalys Mendy of Leicester and Amartey.}

19 Jan 2018 11:40:52
I have not seen enough of these players play to say if they are a need or a luxury tho I saw Jorginho play once and he was quality BUT that does not mean anything as you need to see them play over and over again before I can say if they are good enough. I'll leave all that to the scouting dept.

19 Jan 2018 11:59:31
Please not Seri.

Lemar definitely!

19 Jan 2018 10:22:06
Hi eds as a long time reader but very rare poster can i ask a question, as you probably already fed up of Twitter and other posts with 99% of roumors being false, a lot of people get led into believing a transfer is going to happen, as I see it even if the player wants to come and the club are willing to sell there are a lot of things that can go wrong in your opinion what's the most common thing that causes a transfer to fail?

{Ed002's Note - The two most likely issues are (a) with the player - being unable to agree the terms of the contract (money, length etc.); (b) with the club - payment structure has often been a problem.}

19 Jan 2018 09:47:13
Hey Ed's,

Hope you're all well, and thanks for keeping us fans so informed over this transfer period - I can only imagine how frustrating it can be to be asked the same questions over again!

To that point I hope this hasn't been asked, but couldn't find the answer when searching.

I was curious about if you had any insight into where Klopp/ the club feel Woodburn's best or natural position will be? Last season when he played he seemed to form part of the front 3, however if I remember correctly in pre-season he was playing more in the midfield 3?

Appreciate he can probably play both, but is he more ideally suited to one of those roles?

Thanks in advance.

{Ed001's Note - he is expected to be able to play either but primarily in the midfield 3.}

19 Jan 2018 10:42:59
Thanks for coming back so quick!

{Ed001's Note - very welcome mate.}

19 Jan 2018 10:56:02
I think on the left side of our midfield 3. Long term replacement for Lallana.

19 Jan 2018 10:59:38
Defo got more potential in the midfield 3 for me.

19 Jan 2018 09:48:48
I think we are sorted for this window folks. Wouldn't it be great for a few of our rivals to drop points this weekend as we don't play until Monday night. It's great going into the game know the others have messed up.

Serious note. I think we really need to be careful and calculated in our next midfielder or forward player bought as it could either help or unbalance the team. Someone like lemar on the left of the midfield 3 who is left footed would balance the team nicely for me.

But hey let's just enjoy this team atm cause nothing last forever in football. YNWA.

19 Jan 2018 10:22:02
Watched lemar for the first time against nice.

Wow. How poor was he. He just kept passing the ball backwards. Your cam see theach potential but not 90m worth. No where near imo.

However, Jean seri for nice looks amazing and would be the icing on the cake for us as a DM.

{Ed001's Note - Jean Seri? The guy who couldn't complete a 5 yard pass in the 2 games I have seen him play? Normally I wouldn't judge a player on just 2 games, but seeing as you are judging on one, we may as well all make ridiculous knee jerk assessments of players right?}

19 Jan 2018 10:32:21
Ha ha ha Classic Ed01. Seri reminds me of the hype on Renato Sanchez lol! Watch Lemar vs Man City CL last year Ravi! He was brilliant! His close control is excellent.

{Ed001's Note - I have to admit, when I watched Seri he was abysmal. His control was heavy, his passing was atrocious etc and he looked like a semi pro player. However I did only see him twice so he could have been having off days. Lemar I have seen a lot of and he has real quality to his play, though this season has not been anywhere near his best, like the team itself.}

19 Jan 2018 11:03:38
You are spot on Ed01. I have watched Lemar quite a lot from last year. He is very much a David Silva. Excellent left foot to begin with. Best feature is his ability to move with the Ball. First touch is tremendous. He can dribble and get past players very easily. Like Coutinho he is not blessed with blessed with pace infact he doesn’t need one! He dance through players. Set piece expert and his long range passing and shooting is fantastic.

{Ed001's Note - last season he was excellent in most games and a large part of the reason they won the league and did so well in Europe.}

19 Jan 2018 11:08:51
I mean do you blame Lemar or Monaco? They've absolutely gutted their team from last year, Mbappe gone, Mendy gone, Silva gone, Lemars in out in out shake it all about, Bakayoko gone, Fabinho gets linked to a club every other day, have to feel kinda sorry for them.

19 Jan 2018 11:46:45
If Klopp wants Lemar and thinks he's quality like the Ed said, you can best believe that he did he and the TC did not watch him for a couple of games. They must have watched him a whole lot and had we sold Cou last summer like Klopp wanted to later on, LLemar would be here. I will defer to the Ed and Klopp on this one asthey have seen him play lots of times. I have seen bits of pieces so i can't judge.

{Ed002's Note - I think you are perhaps forgetting the scouting network.}

19 Jan 2018 06:24:49
Is anyone else a little worried about us depleting our squad with nothing coming in the other way. Coutinho (covered 2 positions) and Grujic have gone with Sturridge and Ings now also being linked with moves away this january. Henderson is back in training but sadly relying on him and Lallana to stay fit for the rest of the season is like playing Russian roulette. Firmino, Mane and Salah cannot play every game from now until the end of the season and similar for Ox, Can and Wijnaldum. As it stands we are in a great position in the league and knockout stages of the CL and a big part of that has been the ability to rotate every now and again (or sometimes every other game) . I really hope that this does not come back to bite us on the a**e as a successive top 4 finish this season will put us in a great recruitment position for the summer financially and opportunity wise.

{Ed001's Note - how many games did Grujic actually play? He will not be missed as he was ineffective anyway. Sturridge is always injured. Ings has been out for a long time so has not been there to pick either. I fail to see a problem offloading any of those.}

19 Jan 2018 06:44:51
think ed001 is pretty much spot on. yes, maybe if a crisis occurs, we'll have to use our youngsters, but is it really that bad? i mean surely we have a few players that can be put in from our youth squad, rather than keeping this players costing of hundreds of thousands in weekly wages.

19 Jan 2018 07:05:54
I'd keep one of Sturridge or Ings. Letting both go without getting in a striker would be stupid imo. I am still a bit worried about the depth up front. Our Fab 3 aside, we don't have any real quality or experience that will bridge the gap in case of injuries up front. Maybe Ings and Solanke might be the solution but its still a risk the club is taking.

19 Jan 2018 07:40:44
Agree with you Indian. I feel like we are short on the wings. When we had Coutinho, we could afford to rest/ drop one of either him, Salah and Mane for rotation/ injuries/ dip in form etc.

Now that he's gone, the drop in quality on the wings is significant (if 1 of Mane or Salah is rested or dropped) . Lallana, Ox, Firmino and Wijnaldum could play there but they are nowhere as effective as Salah and Mane. In any case, I think these players are much better suited in other positions.

Woodburn could be given a run but he's still inexperienced in the PL and should only be eased in. I doubt Ings and Solanke could play out wide.

19 Jan 2018 08:30:14
We have solanke? I'm sure he'd appreciate extra games! Especially when sturridge used to come on last ten when we were 3 up, always thought that is a good time to try and get your first goal.

19 Jan 2018 09:19:41
No way would have dancing feet wijnaldum on the wing, he panicks too much, for me he should be played as the deepest CM, his closing down and press are top notch but further up the field he is poor.

19 Jan 2018 11:13:00
Very good points Ed01 and couldn't agree more with you mate. What I meant was more than the player (Grujic and Ings) it's the numbers we could be missing. The fact they were rarely used shows the lack of quality in the squad but if 4 were to leave then we would also then have a lack of depth.

{Ed001's Note - but depth is irrelevant if it is not good enough to get used anyway.}

19 Jan 2018 13:17:20
Jayden, having warm bodies who don't or can't contribute is not depth and frankly, this has been our problem with building our squads. I vividly remember people saying we should replace a player who was not playing at all for the first team, just cos he was off-loaded. This is what has gotten us to having bloated squads for years.

We just think that having warm bodies who are ineffective is ok cos well, it makes the squad bigger. It is simply not an effective way of building a squad. The likes of Grujic, Ings, Studge, Marko etc are not contributing to our progress right now so why keep adding to them instead of offloading the ones you can, to make the squad look more balanced and make the depth in it more effective? We have enough players in the squad and lest I forget, we just signed VVD.

18 Jan 2018 23:26:06
Hi Eds

I have a question for ED001 concerning Daniel Sturridge.

If Sturridge was to leave, on loan or a permanent, would you consider his career at Liverpool as successful one. I know many correctly point out his injury record, missing an incredible amount of matches since he joined, but he was also an integral part of the side that almost won the Premier League. On his day I believe he is one of the best finishers in the Premier League, but he lacks the pace to create space for him to actual use this talent now.

Would be interested to hear your opinion as I am torn on the matter.

All the best to the eds and I hope February comes quickly, otherwise you will have to answer the same transfer questions again and again.

{Ed001's Note - how many trophies did he win? So no, not successful.}

19 Jan 2018 04:50:20
Spent most of his time with LFC either on the bench or treatment table. Had a very good first 18 months with us, but after that it went downhill real fast. Also we never won anything while he was with us, so it is disappointing for a player of Sturridge's calibre and a club of LFC's size.

19 Jan 2018 07:05:12
Talent undeniable but Injuries ruined him, and as ed says he/ we hasn’t won anything.

19 Jan 2018 09:45:26
His only successful season came when he was playing alongside Suarez, and let's face it when Suarez was with us he was arguably the best forward in the world. I could have scored 20+ goals that season with defenders worrying about what he was doing and leaving others open.

It's a real shame how his injuries have crippled his career, but he has not really cut it at LFC and it's time to move him on.

19 Jan 2018 15:39:43
Suarez made Sturridge the player he 'was' then he lost his confidence/ will to play after Suarez left, he either gave up or just didn’t have the work rate to play as a lone striker whereas with a top strike partner he was able to flourish. Then injury destroyed what was left of him unfortunately (his pace) : (.

18 Jan 2018 18:52:38
Hi Ed 01, Do you rate Shaqiri?

{Ed001's Note - nope, he has ability but no brains and is lazy and injury prone.}

19 Jan 2018 00:19:05
Hi Ed, you said Sergej Milinković-Savić will be able to choose any team he wants to go. My question is: Are we interested in him?

Thanks!

{Ed002's Note - No.}

19 Jan 2018 01:58:25
The player's price is enough to keep Klopp away from any potential interest in SMS. Liverpool will not get into bidding wars with the likes of Man Utd, PSG and Real for players.

19 Jan 2018 07:55:26
Bidding war is such a ridiculous phrase. As if Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City and Barcelona all gathered at an auction house, put Van Dijk on a pedestal and wave money at Southampton!

Heavy D out of nowhere, "£80million BOOM! "

19 Jan 2018 09:45:20
im sad Sergej Milinković-Savić would have been the perfect replacement of Coutinho.