1.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 08:07:25
Morning Ed, great goal by Trent that almost saved our whole season. But for me he was very poor defensively, ball watch twice for crosses lost his man and Villa should have scored. His defending in the box was clumsy at best when the player beat him easily on the outside and Trent fell into him, what sort of defending was that? Very lucky not to give a pen away.

No one will agree but Milner should start v Madrid as in the first half Trent will need all the help he can get.

{Ed001's Note - he didn't fall into him, he tried to lean on him but misjudged it and slipped down him. You only see the bad so I expect no different of you, he won the ball back a number of times, the first two times early on in the match, the ball went straight up to Jota who gave it straight back, so you can easily go and find those instances if you bother to look.}

2.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 08:19:55
A good read Ed, cheers mate. Hope you are well :)

{Ed001's Note - cheers mate, long time no see, I hope all is good?}

3.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 08:27:20
Just tell it like it is I don’t change my mind week to week like your good self. Mane is the best no Salah is the best. Slating me for saying Manes been terrible then saying exactly the same thing yourself. Taking the constant piss about Matip now you think he’s a good defender, slating Milner for being very poor positionally and he shouldn’t be playing, then completely changed your mind. You think Trent was decent defensive wise I don’t. Game of opinions.

{Ed001's Note - only a fool doesn't change their mind based on the available information. Things change, so my opinion does along with them. The fact you are intractable shows how little store any of us should set in your opinion. You only see what you want to see and refuse to admit that you could be wrong, because you will refuse to see when proven it time and time again. It just shows what kind of person you are really and why no one takes any notice of what you say.

Most people, at least those with intelligence, know that people learn and adapt. Milner was awful in central midfield when he played under Rodgers, since then he has learnt to play the role. Matip was awful defensively initially, then he learnt. Just a shame no one can say the same about you, you have never learnt a thing from years watching the game. Just another one of those one-eyed people who only looks for things that reinforce their opinion because they are too small-minded and petty to ever have the balls to admit they got it wrong, despite it happening a lot.}

4.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 08:29:36
Thought his defending was quality against Villa. There seems to be an agenda about his defending, if enough people say it then it must be true.!

5.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 08:38:10
Not going to lie I’ve not really enjoyed watching our games recently but it hasn’t all just been down to us but how teams have played against us. In fairness to Villa they came to play a lot more than some other teams have so it made for more of an entertaining game even though we over hit so many passes. Might sound harsh but I don’t think any of our players had good games (to their standards over the last few years) but I thought a few were decent and the pick of them were Fab, Bobby, Milner and Salah. Credit to Shaq he was on the pitch for 3 minutes and he should have been involved in 2 of our goals. He played a lovely cross for Thiagos volley which dropped to Trent for the goal and then his through ball should have been another as Mane should have either scored that or passed to Jota for him to score. I have no problem with him not passing there as I think a lot of forwards wouldn’t have. The issue was the finish was terrible. The main thing for sat was winning at Anfield and getting that monkey off our back which we did. For Real on wed we need to be at our absolute best.

6.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 08:41:36
Firmino’s shot was a miss hit shank.

Morning Salah, welcome back. You haven’t missed much, we have slightly improved but fully understand how people have fallen out of love with the game atm. My so’s has lost all interest.

7.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 08:42:06
Awesome read as always, Ed. Spot on with your analysis on the Villa goal. I had a discussion with someone here who said that it was Bobbie’s fault cos he did not win the ball off Konsa which started their move, which I found nonsensical and dishonest. How is it Bobbie’s fault whereas the closest player to Douglas Luis when he won the ball 20 yards away, was Gini who put in a poor excuse of a challenge on Luis and let him advance the ball to MacGinn? Go figure.

As for TAA, I disagree with Mark. He was very good defensively esp on the cover cos Villa targeted him and Phillips cos they stuck Watkins on Phillips all second half. The only error Trent made was on their last header where he was caught ball watching. That is it and nothing more, IMO. Oh and if anyone wants to appreciate the absolute quality and accuracy of his shot for the second goal, watch it from behind TAA when let's fly. Brilliance.

But hey I guess when people have already made up their minds about players they love to dig out constantly for whatever reason, said players will never b able to do anything right in their eyes so they focus on their mistakes all the time. Sad.

{Ed001's Note - he did make an error when trying to lean late on as well. But Trent played well.} Become a Patron!

8.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 08:48:28
Far from it I have changed my opinion on Hendo he wasn’t playing to his best level imo, but for the last 2 years irreplaceable, I can’t wait to have him back. Hopefully I can eat humble pie and change my opinion of Firmino and Thiago as well. The worst one I got wrong was Keita I had massive hopes after watching many games in Germany, what a let down. Peace.

{Ed001's Note - well then why are you ridiculing me for changing my mind on players? It is why I always point out if a player profile has been written more than a few weeks ago, as players grow and adapt constantly. The most extreme example was Cristiano Ronaldo, who was little more than a show pony initially, then turned himself into arguably the most effective player on the planet.

Even a leopard changes its spots. Not the pattern, but the spots themselves develop rosettes around them as the animal grows.} Become a Patron!

9.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 08:50:18
Yes really good thank you Ed. You keeping well over there mate?

{Ed001's Note - I am alive and enjoying the weather, though you lot in the UK keep going into lockdown which makes it difficult for me as advertising revenue drops so much. It is just a case of trying to decide which bills you can put off this month and hoping it gets better soon. But so many others are worse off so you just have to get on with it and be glad you are not in their position.

I have not seen you around for a while, new job keeping you busy?}

10.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 09:03:32
I have to be honest I have slowly been losing interest in the game this season. Just this weekend there was the “offside” decision against us, Sons horrific assault getting a goal disallowed and a Newcastle player getting booted in the face but not getting a penalty. In one weekend! People are saying it’s VAR but it’s the officials using it that are ruining the game.

11.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 09:06:02
Salah, where have you been? 🤔.

12.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 09:04:41
The overriding aspect I saw from the game, as you did also Ed001, was that the game was virtually identical to most games of last year's title winning campaign. High possession percentage in the 70%s plus, controlling the ball and the pace of the game, probing with attacks and yet being patient with buildup too. As a team we did not perform drastically differently from the way we did last year. Except now, practically everyone is in a bad mood (for obvious reasons), or depressed or just hell bent on getting half the team sold off, LOL.

{Ed001's Note - it was bound to happen after a disaster of a year like that. Most people tend to look very short term. You only have to look at the reaction after a defeat, even when it comes on the back of a long winning run. It is the same for every team as well.}

13.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 09:26:17
Oli red or whatever you call yourself these days never let the truth get in the way of a good tall tail. We never had a discussion as I didn’t bother to reply to you.

The truth is I said that it wasn’t Wijnaldum that was solely to blame it was a number of players. Milner gave the ball away, Bobby half hearted challenged for it. Wiji then half hearted challenged for it. Kabak and Phillips then didn’t close Watkins down and Allison let in a shot he should have saved. That’s 6 players I named. How you jumped to the conclusion that I only blamed Bobby is anyone’s guess.

Speaking of dishonest surely changing user names all the time so you can change your opinion is a sign of dishonesty. It’s also a sign of a troll.

{Ed001's Note - that is not why his name changes. The name changes are usually the result of a previous name being banned.}

14.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 09:53:28
I thought Trent had a lousy game, constantly giving the ball away and not defending his wing. Then he scored a pearler and all was forgiven.

15.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 09:55:07
I find it hilarious people moaning about trents defending. You had the likes of gary neville on moaning about his positional play completely ignoring the fact that his partner chopped and changed each game. The midfielder that would normally cover when he was attacking changed so there was no consistency but none of this gets mentioned.

Gary neville was talking about AWB yesterday regarding his attacking play which is poor but he made the excuse that the player in front of him changes every game. It sees its one rule for one player and one for another.

{Ed077's Note - i dont listen to pundits much but Gary seems to like TAA a lot. He has been one of the top 2 RBs in the world in the past 2 seasons so he will be judged as such.}

16.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 10:40:15
JK23, constantly attacking me for changing my name is just a distraction and a weak one at that. Change the record, son cos if the Ed’s don’t have a problem with it then, not sure what your problem is. Respond to what is being posted instead of berating posters, bro. Just a thought .

I did not make up anything. You tried to rope in Bobbie into your blame sharing post which I maintain is disingenuous at best. Bobbie had nothing to do with it no matter how many players you rope in cos Gini was the closest player to Luis. Had Gini not messed up, the other outfield players wouldn’t have had to leave their positions to cover for him. Because you didn’t respond to my rebuttal is you choice but it doesn’t mean there was not a discussion.

Someone blamed Gini. I supported him I’m my response. You gave your opinion and I responded and you just responded. That is a discussion, my friend.

17.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 11:05:23
Cheers Oli Troll Meister. I read the first line and then ignored the rest.

18.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 11:08:32
I just want to update my knowledge. Name changes are okay with the Eds? Since when? I've been here a long time and not once have I read an Ed saying a name change was okay. In fact, I can name a list of users who were told to stop changing names. But if the policy has been changed, then I'd like one of the Eds to advise me so.

{Ed001's Note - name changes are allowable, you only have to use the contact form to request one. But when someone is banned they seem to think it is ok to get round it by setting up a new name, rather than just waiting for their ban to end. All that it ends up doing is meaning they are on a short leash and get a ban much more easily the next time.

That does depend on the reason for their ban, if the reason is for something particularly bad then they will be banned immediately on realisation it is them using a new name.

Harry was a different case. He was just creating multiple accounts, he would create a new one and jump between them at times, which is a clear problem. We really don't want people having fake accounts to agree with themselves, we are not like those social media companies who con advertisers out of money by claiming to have billions of accounts while knowing that three quarters of them are multiples of other ones.}

19.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 11:30:30
Thanks for clarifying Ed001.

{Ed001's Note - very welcome mate.} Become a Patron!

20.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 11:49:20
Phillips was the better of the two centre backs, no doubt about that.
Villa have some good players, I like Watkins.
The Championship seems to be an under-utilised source of talent these days for a lot of Premier League teams.
Cheers Ed, thank goodness for Trent 😃.

{Ed001's Note - very welcome TJ.}

21.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 12:37:04
Thanks for the report ED001. Interesting read as per usual and great to see a home win af last. The VAR demons will simply not go away for us.

My patience is wearing thin with Wijnaldum and Mane. I have to say I would never in a million years have thought I would be saying that about Mane in particular.

{Ed001's Note - every player goes through bad patches at some point. Just hope that Mane comes through his quickly and he has a positive effect on the run in.}

22.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 12:45:03
Ed1, in reply to the name change point. I was and am J6 and I seemed to of got banned for disagreeing with ed2 which is a common theme it seems and a totally unfair one if you ask me. I am at a total loss why I got banned in the first place if I'm honest. I was not abusive once and just asked for an answer. If I am banned can I at least have a valid reason why? Thanks.

{Ed001's Note - you got banned for your constant nasty digs at other posters, you were nasty and disrespectful, nothing to do with Ed02. I banned you for constantly dismissing others whenever they gave an opinion that you disagreed with as 'having their head up the editors' arses' or other similar snide digs. You were being an utter bell and it will see you banned again if you are going to be like that. It is sad that people can't look at their own posts and realise what they do wrong and have to be told when they are being utter a holes!}

23.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 12:50:01
Ed001, are you for moving Mane on in the summer? The other Eds, and a hell of a lot of posters here, seem to be decided on it being the right time.

{Ed001's Note - I think we do need to look at the situation, like Salah he has begun making eyes at other clubs, which is a worry as previously he threw his toys out of the pram when not allowed to make a move. It was my fear when we were looking at him in the first place, he had a tendency then to just turn up for the TV cameras, when at Southampton. If we are going to once again challenge for trophies next season, we can't have one player not doing his utmost to win as part of a team. Much as I would love the trio to keep performing and play to their best and only be sold when they are past their best, that doesn't look likely to happen.

Firmino has the advantage of being able to drop deeper and play in midfield, as well as up top, plus he loves it in Liverpool and is not looking to move. So we can look to replace him but without having to sell him to do so.

Salah and Mane we also need to replace, but neither will be happy to be bit part players, so one has to go to allow the replacements in. With Jota there to step right in, I think now is the time to let one go and then try and bring through some one such as Elliott as someone who can step in and push Salah, Jota and Firmino. Obviously it would be better if we could trust them to react by trying harder and playing better to keep their place when we bring in other forwards. I just don't know if we can trust Mane to react in the right way. Not when he spends far too much time listening to El-Hadji Diouf, and sets so much store in what that (fill in your own description here as what I would describe him as needs to be censored) says.}

24.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 13:20:13
Ed001 that’s one thing I’ve never thought about Mane, Bobby or Trent that it’s ever been a lack of effort despite their up and down form this season. Coutinho, Torres and Suarez all left under a cloud for one reason or another but for me Mane, Bobby and Trent’s effort levels or commitment to the cause have never dropped.

{Ed001's Note - agreed, they have all been trying even when not playing well.}

25.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 13:33:36
It’s such a shame where Mane is concerned, he was well on his way to becoming a true legend at the club. Liverpool’s quality went up massively when he became part of the team. I wonder how much we will get for him, maybe £80m?

{Ed001's Note - in the current climate, I think we would be lucky to get that. A lot depends on how keen he is to move on. If he is happy to stay, then you don't take anything under that.}

26.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 14:17:12
I’m not sure i’d agree with that right now, Mane has had a distinct drop off in his desire to make runs and press properly, to me he looks like a man whose head has gone and doesn’t want it enough.

Speaking of those replacements Ed001, i know you’re a big fan of Saka. I couldn’t help but notice how comfortable he was on the ball last night, the accuracy and crispness of his passes, he was at the heart of everything Arsenal did, was all too happy to receive a fizzed pass with excellent control. Do you think there’s any chance we could make a move for him this summer? I saw The Times claiming Arteta could sell him to us to raise funds but that sounds optimistic.

If not Saka, who would you like to see come in? There doesn’t seem to be any obvious candidates to replace our forwards.

{Ed001's Note - I wish we could get Saka, but I don't see Arteta being that stupid and letting him go. For me the obvious replacement is Jota, with Elliott coming back to play the Jota role.}

27.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 14:23:37
You wonder why anyone would listen to that Diouff imbecile Ed, he’s literally a failure who’s only achievement is being one of the most hated figures in the game. I’m still of the opinion that Mane moving on would be best for all parties as shifting him on gives money in the pocket. I’d still want to keep Salah as he’s scoring regularly and a genuine bona fide world class player. As for TAA, people tend to forget how piss poor Roberto Carlos was as a defender yet he’s still lauded because of his left peg! I’d still like to see him in midfield as his vision, passing range and shooting would make him one of the best, without him having constant questions on his defensive ability as there’s not one other English midfielder with his skill set, not one.

{Ed001's Note - Diouf is a hero in Senegal for that one world cup, that's all it is. He is not seen as a failure there because they overlook how much he wasted his talent throughout his career and all the disciplinary problems because he gave the nation a moment they never dreamed possible.}

28.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 14:26:56
Thanks for the reply Ed001. I personally would give Mane another year, but then there are other issues that must be factored in, like resale value depreciating and whatnot. I hope we can rebuild the "most feared front trio" if he is moved on. Just that name itself put in fear in teams' eyes and was already worth quite a few of those wins we've had the past 2-3 years.

{Ed001's Note - it is a tough one and there is no right or wrong answer, a lot will depend on who is available to strengthen the team and how much Mane wants to stay.}

29.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 15:20:08
They’ve not set the bar very high for Diouff than. That would be like Peter Storey (the persons person) being revered as the most shining example of professionalism and good behaviour here.

30.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 15:37:11
Ed01 I mentioned the other day that I’d prefer firmino to go out of the front 3. However I’d be happy to see him drop to midfield, where do you see him playing in midfield?
I just think if mane is just going through a bad patch he’s too good of a player to just let go, however I also see the need to rebuild and know it’s silly not to cash in on our best players while they still hold a good value.

{Ed001's Note - it's a bloody tough one that's for sure. Bobby started out as a defensive mid, so he could play any of the midfield roles and we have seen he has the ability to apply a press like Milner or Hendo. So he could be a valuable weapon in a slightly deeper position.}

31.) 12 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 15:57:39
Must admit I’d be more than happy to sacrifice Bobby out of the front three. Not because of his work ethic I just feel he’s lost something and he’s the easier one to replace. I’d also be happy to keep him and see him drop into midfield only problem with that is funding.

32.) 13 Apr 2021
12 Apr 2021 16:34:49
Thanks for the review eds1.
Think we can all agree that VAR is the worst thing to happen to football in a long time. It’s at the point where you think it’s just people a room cheating.
I know you don’t normally do this but could you do a pre match review of Wednesday game. I. e what we need to change form first leg.
Thanks.