Liverpool Banter 2

10 Jan 2026 15:25:36
I have a question if eds1 or anyone else can answer it correctly.
If a team say Liverpool are in the opponent s box and there's a handball, all Liverpool players shout for a penalty but the ref doesn't see it, the game carry's on and VAR are looking at it then other team goes up the other end and score straight away before VAR have made a decision.

Then VAR decides it was deliberate handball what would happen. Does the game go back for a penalty and the goal doesn't stand? Or something else.

{Ed001's Note - game goes back for the handball and the goal never happened.}

11 Jan 2026 11:56:38
This actually happened in a game in Holland between Vitesse and Feyenoord. Vitesse had a penalty claim but the referee played on. Feyenoord then went up the pitch and scored. VAR were checking the penalty incident and advised the referee to review which he did. He then awarded Vitesse a penalty which they scored and ruled out the goal for Feyenoord.

10 Jan 2026 14:44:24
I really like the look of Sadiki from Sunderland, would be my pick for midfield addition.

{Ed001's Note - agreed.}

10 Jan 2026 15:34:14
Good player him, hard working, defensively switched on, good on the ball, good engine.

10 Jan 2026 16:54:23
Are you feeling alright Victor 🙂
Agreed, looks a top player.

10 Jan 2026 17:11:25
I think he's brilliant ED and Vik, Sunderland have done incredible business, Xhaka gets a lot of the plaudits but Sadiki is an unbelievable player. Vik have to say your 'more like a golden shower' comment the other day made me laugh out loud, well played. 😂.

10 Jan 2026 17:18:59
Yeh very good.

10 Jan 2026 18:00:51
He's the kind of player I'm thinking of when I say adding physicality and defensive nous to our midfield. Looks an absolute steal and good scouting by Sunderland.

10 Jan 2026 21:59:09
Yeah Viktor, Stevie Wonder could see we are lacking that presence! I'm not behind the Wharton clamour as doesn't add that, albeit a tidy player but not what we need. I'd be over the moon if Sadiki links cropped up for summer.

11 Jan 2026 01:54:53
Viktor
Just out of interest, who would be your pick in the summer for the following:

Combative Midfielder -

Centre Back -

Left Side (Gakpo gets sold) -

Right Side (Mo finally goes to KSA) -.

11 Jan 2026 11:14:02
Whartons chance creation stats are good, so perhaps he's wanted by us for that as much as his ability to generally knit things together.

When I've seen him live he hasn't stood out massively but that's partly to do with him being fairly understated style wise. He doesn't seem to be a player who goes crunching into tackles or is dynamic in his running, whereas some of these other guys bring that to the pitch and stand out because if it.

Ideally you'd have both styles in the middle, but we also need to keep a place for Szob and Grav.

11 Jan 2026 12:24:55
I think the midfielder we need is somebody like Wharton in style and profile but who doesn't cost so much and isn't as injury prone. Again I think the answer is Angelo stiller.

10 Jan 2026 12:00:26
Yan Diomande laying his cards on the table about wanting to come to us is nice to see in the public forum.

10 Jan 2026 13:14:38
Off course he is a move to the richest league in the World sets you up for life. But apart from that he's having a good season so far. Can he consistently do that?

10 Jan 2026 13:39:39
Looks like he could be something special and would insert some serious speed to our flanks but seems a season or two too soon. Premier League is a different animal. Curious to see what people think though.

10 Jan 2026 13:57:05
Malick Fofana and now Yan Diomande dreaming of playing for Liverpool at Anfield. We need two wingers over the next two windows.

Job done.

10 Jan 2026 14:45:35
Man City player by the end of the month.

10 Jan 2026 14:58:19
I've read that the quote from fofana's agent isn't actually real? Or that the person quoted isn't actually his agent (fofana is represented by roc nation), of course he could be a Liverpool fan but the individual quoted is apparently not his representative.

10 Jan 2026 15:19:37
Patrik - this may be true, but he rejected Everton, so I choose to believe! :)

10 Jan 2026 16:19:23
I think we were interested in Fofana in the summer and he was open to the move to the point that Forrest was in for him and he stayed at Lyon instead. Or at least, this is what I read.

10 Jan 2026 17:13:26
I will hazzard a guess and say there is a lot of players out there who are LFC fans, means nothing tho unless we are interested in them.

11 Jan 2026 04:00:37
Eze is a gunner, almost signed for spurs. Semenyo is a gunner, off to city. I think it's not a very big consideration for the modern footballer.

10 Jan 2026 11:21:55
Was just reading that Enriques contract at PSG ends this summer and he hasn't signed a new deal. Not sure if it's just paper bull. So potentially that would be both Enrique and Alonso available in the summer. Good options if we are removing Slot.

10 Jan 2026 12:10:15
But according to the slot sympathisers no one is ready to replace such a terrible manager.

10 Jan 2026 12:20:40
When is Alonso available? Only joined last summer and is now back on track.

10 Jan 2026 12:40:35
Slotthedross, the key word in Red Jones' post is "potentially". And you're right, Slot is a terrible manager. He's only won titles in 2 different countries. Do you actually support Liverpool or are you a troll, given your username? If you're a disgruntled season ticket holder, accept my apologies for having a pop.

10 Jan 2026 13:14:32
@Dross, I see what's happened. You just didn't read or understand what has been said.

The conversation was that if we got rid of Slot mid-season, there weren't any viable candidates to make a difference for the remainder of the season.

The conversation also looked at the options if Slot were to be removed at the end of the season and Alonso was identified as a suitable (at least to a fair percentage of contributors to this forum) candidate to fill the position. As has been mentioned there is now another likely candidate and, I suspect more candidates will be mentioned and perhaps considered by 5he club should they wish to replace Slot in the summer.

Not sure where you got the idea that Slot couldn't be replaced.

10 Jan 2026 13:59:48
I think Enrique's contract runs until 2027.

The talking point is about rumours of him not wanting to sign the "lifetime" contract PSG are putting on the table, which naturally leads people to look at his previous quotes of him wanting to manage a team in the Premier League one day.

10 Jan 2026 14:42:19
Red Jones - His contract doesn't actually run out until 2027 but media has speculated that he will leave this Summer due to the fact that he hasn't resigned. He has previously stated he would like to work in the Prem if the right opportunity arises and conveniently enough, both Enrique and Guardiola's contracts expire at the same time. There's no way he;s picking us over City.

Currently, there's no reason to expect Real to sack Alonso, 2nd in la liga, 4 points of Barca, only lost 2 league games so far. Let's not forget Alonso already turned us down one, and that was just to stay at Leverkusen. People really need to reel in their expectations, besides, if we get Champions League Slot's not going anywhere.

10 Jan 2026 14:53:21
According to the slot sympathisers his contract runs till 2027.

10 Jan 2026 16:13:40
No way he's picking us over City? Klopp picked us over many offers.

10 Jan 2026 16:20:14
He's off to City when Pep leaves, I reckon.

11 Jan 2026 11:18:12
You do know it's not summer yet, Slotthedross?

10 Jan 2026 11:03:26
SG next time that you're up in this neck of the woods I'll meet you Lillywhite Lounge for a 🍻.

10 Jan 2026 12:02:53
Stevie Gerrard?

10 Jan 2026 12:47:33
That's it Darwin. Myself, SG and Stephen Staunton always go for pints in the Lillywhite whenever he visits El Paso.

10 Jan 2026 09:02:30
Reading about Villa's interest in Conor Gallagher, loan with an option to buy of around £40m.
I'm sure many will disagree but I think he would add some much needed energy to our midfield, i've been a fan since his WBA loan days and would be starting him over Macallister. A trio of Gravenburch, Soboszlai and Gallagher in midfield for me would be a success.

10 Jan 2026 09:34:33
I'd sooner start my grandmother before MacAlister lord rest her 🙏.

10 Jan 2026 09:36:24
A good player Ernest no doubt but imo not what we need, it's more a bruno g, caicedo, Anderson type we need who more defensive minded, high energy and v aggressive.
Would do wonders for us I reckon.

10 Jan 2026 09:51:49
You're right I disagree. If he's not good enough for Chelsea or Athletico he's not good enough for us. Decent player but not Liverpool quality. If we want to meander around fourth from now on then fine, otherwise a hard pass from me.

10 Jan 2026 10:01:31
Still no defensive midfielder though,

10 Jan 2026 10:47:55
Earnest. IMO that's a good shout at that money he would be an excellent addition. People disregarding him out of hand rearly don't see what a good squad player he could be. That guy leaves everything he has on the pitch. Never gives up, has bite in the tackle and can score a goal. I agree he's not world class but, I would have him.
Emery knows a player when he sees one.

Tbh I totally forgot about him, he went abroad at the same time as Mctomeny another underrated player.

10 Jan 2026 10:55:45
Gallagher doesn't play in the DM/ deeper role, IMO. If we need a midfielder with bite to help Grav in the pivot then, not sure Gallagher is that guy. Good player, tho.

10 Jan 2026 10:59:11
I think there is a bit of hang up on the "defensive midfielder' issue. I would say better midfielders and a bit of depth. City and Arsenal don't play with a defensive midfielder as such and do just fine.

Again it's as much down to tactics and our way of playing that doesn't help our issues. Same midfield as last season PL Champs, this season pretty dire! Can't all have just fell off a cliff at the same time🤷‍♂️.

{Ed001's Note - City and Arsenal both play with one. Rodri and Zubimendi play that deep lying midfield role.}

10 Jan 2026 10:59:51
After the way villa have dealt with Elliot, I'm not sure any club should enter a loan to buy with them.

10 Jan 2026 11:05:16
Frode Kippers - Salah wasn't good enough for Chelsea mate.

10 Jan 2026 11:16:19
Please god know 🙏 Gallagher is nowhere near good enough mid table quality at best.

10 Jan 2026 11:38:07
We need a passer in midfield who can also tackle if needed. Gallagher is an all action midfielder who does a lot of things decently well and has a good engine but he isn't outstanding at anything, isn't technically great, isn't a passer and isn't a particularly good progressive passer either, he's a good presser and reasonably decent carrier of the ball but also technically a bit limited, which isn't something we look for in midfielders.

I'd say Jones is superior to him in pretty much every aspect.

10 Jan 2026 11:44:04
Chewy "mate" Salah was in his early 20s and was considered a promising talent and only appeared a handful of times. If you're comparing that to Gallagher then you're deluded.

10 Jan 2026 11:50:44
Supposedly its an option to buy after the initial loan so seems pretty risk free, only Villa linked at the minute.

10 Jan 2026 11:27:18
I just can't believe Barry has joined the dark side and become so negative!

Come back to us Barry!

10 Jan 2026 12:22:12
Sean please tell me how you can be positive especially about MacAlister?

10 Jan 2026 13:12:02
Apologies when I said"defensive midfielder " I was referring to a specific type of player, someone who put the boot in as such. As you say Zubi and Rodri both do it for their clubs more technical players . Which sort of proves my point that maybe it's better midfielders we require and also it's a much down to tactics and our style of playing.

{Ed001's Note - Rodri very much sticks the boot in, he has a lot of technical ability with it, but he certainly does not shy away from tackles. Zubimendi tries, but he is just weak, but they have Rice alongside him to provide the bite. I do get what you mean, but no point getting more technical players if they are going to still get bullied.}

10 Jan 2026 13:28:12
I wish he was Gary McAllister.

10 Jan 2026 13:29:23
I never said Gallagher was a world beater. But he would fit in as a squad player. I'd have over Macalister any day. You won't see him rolling around faking injury. He won't sulk either. He's a Stevie Nicole type, never going to be the big cheese, but he knows where the cheese is kept and makes a good sarni.

We could do worse. 40m is good money for the player that left. Don't know if he's improved his game, but a few seasons in Italy won't have done him any harm?

10 Jan 2026 14:03:11
Conor Gallagher is a decent midfielder with tonnes of energy.

However, I don't think that is what we need and nor is he Liverpool level.

We have so many box-to-box 8s - we need specialist DMs and/ or deep lying playmakers.

Could see Gallagher at Spurs, Newcastle or even United.

10 Jan 2026 14:36:48
I suggested Gallagher about 18 months ago but those who know more rubbishd the idea. Personally I see him as a box to box midfielder, good in the press, strong tackler. Would definitely provide more bite than any of our current options, and he seems to be always available. I also think his price tag is about right.

10 Jan 2026 14:58:37
Gallagher would be an improvement on Endo. i like Gallagher, good attitude. If we bought him at that price i wouldn't complain but there are supposed MF targets i'd go for ahead of him.

10 Jan 2026 15:21:13
Florian - replacing a DM with a no8 is the kind of stupid recruitment we should avoid.

We should replace Endo with a DM that the current coach or next coach will play.

10 Jan 2026 16:25:05
Ed01, another example to show that things happen for a reason. Imagine we sign Zubimendi last season and he is this weak, out of position a, d anytime any team gets at him and he is found wanting as he is now? Good grief.

IMO, I always thought Declan Rice is THE Arsenal midfield. Zubimendi does very little without Rice in there even when building play. Grav is levels above him so good thing Slot promoted from within. Hats off to him. Again, things happen for a reason.

10 Jan 2026 16:45:04
I don't mind him but he's a bit rough around the edges. Sometimes his touch let's him down and he can rush things when he's on the ball, he acts like a headless chicken often. He runs a lot which is great, but it doesn't always lead to much. I feel like he's more about effort than real quality at times.

10 Jan 2026 17:22:15
We should replace endo with me granny.

10 Jan 2026 18:01:24
We should replace Slot with your granny too. As for Endo criticising a player who has only played well for us is hilarious. Slot's treatment of him is despicable.

10 Jan 2026 18:40:19
Barry I was against us signing Macca in the first place I just never saw a player there when he was at Brighton.

Last season he happily proved me wrong and was one of our better players.

This season he's been woefully off form but he's far from the only one. I actually thought he did well against Arsenal, particularly in the second half and started to look more like the Macca of last season so I just don't see why there would be so much negativity about him when he's probably just played his best game of the season.

What I will say is I feel people have their biases against players they don't like and so just look for anything they do wrong to confirm their views. I was certainly like that about Thiago when he was here I really couldn't stand the guy.

I also think there's a lot of that going round about Slot right now. Everyone wants to jump on everything he says or every team selection or tactical tweak.

I'm not sold on Slot he's had an extremely poor season but we played well against Arsenal and he deserves credit for that. Or at the very least deserves people to give him a break and stop picking at every little thing he does.

The performance wasn't perfect but it was much better than we've been seeing. I just hope we can take confidence from it and have a decent second half of the season.

10 Jan 2026 19:17:29
SD you base it on his performance on the Arsenal game I'm basing mine since the start of the season. He's been terrible and as for his faining injury every match he's just embarrassing himself. I have absolutely no opinion of him as a person but I do as a Liverpool player and he's been crap.

10 Jan 2026 19:50:57
My opinion is that he is not good enough for Liverpool fc Frode, if someone thinks he is fair play but not for me. I think he would have been gone in the summer but he wanted to stay which was a bad decision.

Slots treatment of him has not been despicable., its obvious he doesn't rate him as a player and Endo knew that as well last summer. Since when is it wrong for a manager not to use a player he does not rate?

11 Jan 2026 01:26:41
I'm not too bothered about the feigning injury thing Barry. Most players in the league do it regularly and it's trained into kids from an early age. It's part of the game now we just have to accept that. I wish it wasn't but it is and other teams gain huge advantages from doing it so if we don't do it ourselves we put ourselves at a disadvantage before we even kick off.

It's fine being holier than thou and dreaming of a world where every footballer is as honest as the day is long but they're not. They will do everything to gain an advantage and managers will encourage it because they need to win games at any cost.

Added to that the PGMOL don't do anything to prevent it, even worse they fall for it every time and so encourage players to do it even more. It just is what it is.

I agree Macca has been poor this season it just seems strange that you are normally a positive poster yet you have recently turned negative after what was a fairly good performance.

I miss the old Barry.

11 Jan 2026 08:22:36
Maybe it's watching this complete dross of football week in week out has turned me.

11 Jan 2026 10:27:05
It must have been hell for you under Rafa and Ged Barry. Thank God for Stevie G is all i'll say.

11 Jan 2026 11:43:36
Despicable 😂.
Ooh, so you can criticise Slot but not Endo?
Are them the rules, then?

11 Jan 2026 13:35:04
Is Endo still injured?

He strikes me as being in the same boat as Chiesa.

People harped on about Chiesa not being picked but when he was picked as a starter he lasted for just under an hour before his legs went. Strangely the 'we want Fede' group must be taking a winter break, for the time being.

I think Wataru might be in the same boat - very good at seeing out the last 20 minutes of a game when we are winning but not effective for a full 90+ minutes. Given Slot's reticence in picking Fede as a starter, it might just possibly right about Endo too.

10 Jan 2026 08:56:22
Who's this Yan Diomande. apparently he wants to play at Anfield, he wants to play for Liverpool and his father's dream is for him to join Liverpool.

10 Jan 2026 09:12:58
19 year old winger with 7 goals and 4 assists in 16 games this season. Currently at the AFCON with the Ivory Coast.
Very much his breakout season.

10 Jan 2026 10:05:40
He has progressed from 4th tier of US football to Bundesliga in a space of 2 years. Red Bull insiders believe he is the most talented player to ever play for the RB group teams, probably an even better one than Haaland.

I haven't seen him play but by the looks of it he looks like a star in the making.
But we have been here before. Gvardiol's love for Liverpool prior to joining City is well-documented. So let's see how it goes.

{Ed001's Note - yeah Gvardiol was begging for us to sign him and we passed on by without making any attempt. Ludicrous decision.}

10 Jan 2026 10:08:39
His father's name is Neil.
I think Yan will be one for the first team and telling the head coach "Play Me" as soon as he gets here.

10 Jan 2026 10:45:23
We seem to rarely buy club fans.
Turan, Gvardiol etc. well maybe we did get Frimpong.

I haven't seen this guy play properly yet but he is young, scores, good dribbler from YouTube.

The main reason I would want him is he said that he is working just on defensive side as attacking. I like that. And a Liverpool fan. Doubt we pull the trigger.

{Ed001's Note - we can hope though.}

10 Jan 2026 10:58:39
Ed01, I rzad at the time from the legendary ex-rodeo clown that we did inquire about Gvardiol the season City signed him but RBL didn't agree on the structre of the payments even tho, I think it was a release clause of 90m or so.

So on that, we did attempt to sign him. Now how much force was behind that attempt, I don't know. Like you, I wanted him at LFC too. I still do.

{Ed001's Note - we just enquired, that is not an attempt to sign. Teams make hundreds of inquiries every year. It is usually just to get an idea of the cost, to figure out whether they are even worth considering at all.}

10 Jan 2026 11:14:29
Ed01 - we seem to have some serious issues wanting to buy decent centre backs - Guehi aside of course.

10 Jan 2026 11:17:14
Like Semenyo and Olise we'll show interest when it's too late. The stat men are doing a bang up job. Bring back the old school days of scouting when we could actually see potential and not have to wait around for analysts to gather data.

10 Jan 2026 11:19:42
Thanks for the info lads 👌.

10 Jan 2026 11:35:56
Just out of interest Diomande is playing tonight in the AFCON, for Ivory Coast against Egypt.

10 Jan 2026 11:40:11
He looks a talent but Leipzig are looking for 80m+ pounds for him I've heard. Surely that's a massive gamble on a player who is just beginning to make strides in top level football.

10 Jan 2026 14:09:31
Diomande, like Semenyo can play left or right.

Small sample size but he presses, tackles as good as he can dribble and carry the ball at speed.

He's built for the Premier League.

Would love to see him and Malick Fofana, who is also begging to join, play for us.

10 Jan 2026 16:26:24
Ed01, that's what I was saying. There seemed to be no force behind the interest except at enquiry level which I know, means nothing.

10 Jan 2026 08:52:03
I can't understand the stand off position LFC are taking with Palace! What's the alternative?

So Konobhead goes on a free. leaving us with VVD Joe Gomez and a recovering Leonie in the summer. Clearly under pressure to sign a ready made player for CB. Looking at £70-£80m?
By then 2 would be required. So say £120m spend?
Taking a chance on letting city in makes no common sense to me.

Go and get the player this week. It will pay dividends in the long run. He is a Class player.

YNWA.

10 Jan 2026 09:31:50
You're disappointed with the summer transfer window, already, Chrisy?
We might have wanted Guehi in the summer because of the price, £35m, and because he wanted to come. Things changed and things might have changed again. A deal might be less doable now.
I do hope the club will be looking at centre back options in the summer, too, though.

10 Jan 2026 09:49:26
Class players don't stay at smaller clubs ( no disrespect to palace) why haven't we, United city Chelsea Arsenal etc shown interest before? It's because he's free it's attractive. Bournemouth had class defenders last year was they only there 12 months and gone.

10 Jan 2026 10:04:37
I genuinely think that people are total over estimating guehi's ability just because of how bad our defense has been this season. I actually think he's not much of an upgrade if any at all on what we have. He plays in a back 3 currently that sits deep, we play totally different.

I get we need more bodies to cover but it's not like he's prime Maldini. We clearly need players but I won't be overly upset if this lad ends up somewhere else.

10 Jan 2026 10:10:41
I would imagine if Palace are willing to sell they will want to get in a replacement beforehand.

10 Jan 2026 11:00:58
EM, Guehi was having a medical at LFC while City had Igor from Brighton coming in as a replacement. Well, up until Glasner threw the he toys out the pram and scuppered the whole thing. At least, that's what Ed01 said, I think.

10 Jan 2026 11:01:52
Hellohello, I get your point on Guehi. Last season I said exactly the same, every single time I watched him he didn't look good at all but this season he looks much better. I think he'd be a big improvement on Konate but that's not very difficult to find because Konate is absolutely useless.

I hope we sign him but I don't think we will, I can't see any deals getting done this month.

10 Jan 2026 11:11:29
Hi Rigsby.
It's well documented on here I have been singing MG PRAISE since way before the summer transfer window opened.

I was fuming when we didn't get it done. I also blame Hughes for leaving it so late.

I was chuffed like most with our summer window! Like most posters I thought we would kick on and dominate for years to come.

I highlighted in several quotes I couldn't see how we made the players fit together. But trusted Slot to blend them.

How wrong I was 😩 I had a nagging doubt about the way we played on the run in and again posted about it on here.

People saying he's not a good player are miles of it. He is a class act. He will become a legend at Anfield.

So overall mixed feelings about summer window. I think the players in big plus👍 wish Diaz stayed, but take Ed001 point him and his dad were sneaky snakes, who disrespect what we did for them.
I guess my big disappointment is the fact that Slot just isn't what we all thought he was, and has totally missed what's required by us as fans, the premier league as a whole.

YNWA.

10 Jan 2026 11:23:54
Chrisymate - Fully agree, if I have to watch another much needed talent get snatched out from under us, and still have to listen to fools claiming "Edwards is playing a blinder" I'll end up pulling me hair out mate.

10 Jan 2026 11:34:11
At last a voice of reason hellohello. By the way people talk about Guehi you'd think the lad could beat everyone on his own.

He plays on the left of a back 3 with loads of protection all around him and no space behind him.

We'd be asking him to play in a 2, much higher up the pitch, going one on one with strikers and wingers. It's a totally different skill set. He could adapt really well but I suspect he lacks the height, speed and physicality to do it.

I think he could end up being a worse option than Konate. At least Konate has the height and physical strength even if he does have a million brain farts a game.

10 Jan 2026 15:16:07
Dont see why people think there'll be no deals this season. We could do with a CB, mightnt be Guehi but relying on Joe Gomez to privide cover is very very risky so wouldn't surprise me at all to see someone coming in.

10 Jan 2026 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - BRD has posted a new article entitled, Still Reeling From Amorim's Exit at Manchester United

10 Jan 2026 08:59:56
You think you'd be used to manager merry go round by now. Tell us what's so great about it? Bunch of Liverpool fans here are keen to just give an interim a go and start the merry go round themselves. What are we missing out on!?

10 Jan 2026 09:13:34
Why do people say 3/ 4/ 3? If those wingbacks are fullbacks, like Dalot, Shaw and Mazraoui. Then it's a back 5. Those are fullbacks

If your Man Utd. Liverpool. Barcelona. Bayern. Etc

You Can't play 5 at the back at Home against the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers. You just can't. You finished 16th.

10 Jan 2026 09:15:39
Maybe a really good manager would help the team more than the current one? Trying to improve is not a weakness whereas accepting mediocre is.

10 Jan 2026 09:39:17
We should always look to improve, Coulred.
Change for the sake of it or when things are not going as well as some fans want does not guarantee improvement, though.
The club has a way of doing things and these are decisions that cost millions of pounds so it can't react to what every fan wants.

10 Jan 2026 11:02:26
LiverpoolFC8, we barely have 3 CB's healthy enuff to play in the whole squad so I think that proposition falls flat from a personnel and availability stand point, IMO.

10 Jan 2026 11:15:30
Utd have had 10 managers in the last 13 years - what does that tell you.

10 Jan 2026 15:20:12
Tells me all 10 of them managers were crap whereas the players brought in were all terrific and would have won the league 13 times if they didn't have imbecilic morons coaching them.

10 Jan 2026 16:28:20
There was definitely a tailing off in Man U's quality of signings in Fergie's last couple of years - a bit like us with Dalglish, with the likes of Hyssen, Spackman and Speedie. Both managers left behind ageing squads.

But in those fallow years, most of our managers had some success, just not in the league (where it really counts) . With the exception of Roy and Graeme, none of them were disastrous. Curious to know how people rank our lean year managers? I would go:

1) Evans (if only we had won that FA Cup, I think we could have become a title winning team. Wonderful football, mentally and defensively a bit soft) .

2) Houllier - didn't love his football at all, but he was pretty good until his heart operation. Definitely helped modernise our approach to the game, but he oversaw some dire signings.

3) Rafa - his football was no more fun than Houllier's. Going against the grain, I think he was overrated as a tactician. He got our line up hopelessly wrong 1st half in Istanbul, and we seemed a a bit muddled in some of the other cup finals (West Ham etc) . Essentially, he was superb at marshalling cup ties (Juve away for example), but struggled in finals and home league games when we couldn't just sit back. Arguably should have achieved more with the squad when we had Torres, Mascherano, Alonso, Stevie G etc.

4) Mad Graeme - to be honest, he should really be at the bottom of this list. He got rid of the wrong players, and signed awful replacements. At the time, I couldn't wait to see him go. Really set us back. But I have him a little higher than the total duds as he joined when we were behind the times, and when he was not at all well. He seemed to become a much more measured person after his heart bypass. Clear love for the man on my part prevents him from ranking last.

5) Brendan - a bit harsh as he gave us one great season, but he really was a bit of a fool. His refusal to work with the transfer team left us short of quality.

6) Roy - not helped by the ownership crisis, but he just never seemed to understand the club.

I haven't mentioned King Kenny as, well, his 2nd stint felt like a very good footnote, but I would rather cherish the memories of his 1st stint.

09 Jan 2026 11:47:03
ED001, bit of a long post sorry.

Any chance you could provide a tactical breakdown on what the new tactics/ style slot has introduced are and what he's trying to acheive on the pitch? Would love a youtube video but no pressure, i know you are all busy.

There's no off the ball movement, no patterns of play, no passing lanes being created, no creativiy. Its all just slow, safe and negative.

The midfielders push up the pitch and are just static. Macca for example is having a tough time at the moment. Is it simply down to him not being good enough or is he just unable to play this style and these tactics? In one of the early games this season he was basically playing as a striker for most of the game which meant there was even less room uptop and left a hole in midfield.

Thanks to all the Ed's. Appreciate all you do.

{Ed001's Note - I have actually been looking to do this for a long time. I did even produce a couple of videos in the close season on our style of play and how it evolved under Klopp and then how it was under Slot last season. But I recorded them on my tablet, which decided to have some kind of seizure and lost all the info on it and reset itself to factory settings. The screen is not working on it now, so I haven't been able to even try and rescue them. But I will try and do this instead for you mate.}

10 Jan 2026 09:02:05
It's tough to assess it this season because of so many factors.

But in general, wide wingers, inverted fullbacks, 2 CMs dictate play, CAM floats between the lines and link with CF. Fullbacks play dynamic and flexible with wingers - think the few moments vs Wolves.

10 Jan 2026 11:04:37
@ghost121, your post is not long at all. You should see some of the posrs @MKS posts at times. It's like a thesis, lol.

Big Up, MKS btw.

10 Jan 2026 12:11:38
Just play 4-4-2 we won loads of trophies playing 442 i am still trying to work out the Terry Venables christmas tree system that every team tried except two us and united who won the most trophies with their system us and man united YNWA.

10 Jan 2026 16:36:19
Albey, I think you would enjoy Michael Cox's excellent books The Mixer, and Zonal Marking. Basically, a history of tactics.

From what I remember Venables' xmas tree was a back 3, with Anderton and McManaman on the flanks. Two destroyers in midfield plus Gazza. Sheringham behind Shearer up top.

I don't think Man U used this formation at all, but I could be wrong.

10 Jan 2026 02:41:04
In other news.
Liverpool will dispose of Barnsley comfortably on Monday evening, and will be drawn away to Wrexham in the next round of the FA Cup in a box office fixture at the Racecourse Ground.

Just my prediction!
Well done to Wrexham for beating Billy Goat Gruff and his band of men.

10 Jan 2026 07:51:20
Just makes that 3-0 hammering we got off of Forest look even worse now.

10 Jan 2026 08:32:55
Viktor football just doesn't work that way.
You sound like the u15s team I coach. 'Team x beat team y and we lost to team y so team x will beat us. '

We beat and drew with Arsenal who are top of the league. will we win the league this season? Probably not.

10 Jan 2026 09:44:22
Vik loves hanging to that Forest result to justify his discontent 😂.
Come on, VIk; lighten up. We're still the Champions of England, mate 😉.

10 Jan 2026 10:39:18
If it worked like that long term view then betting would have been the easiest thing ever and we all be millionairs 😅.

10 Jan 2026 11:05:46
VV, that's not a thing, mate. The comparison is flawed from the moment you agree that football is not an exact science.

10 Jan 2026 11:16:57
I thought the Forest game would have been the end of Slot. It's far from good, but he can claim a 10 match unbeaten run. Nowhere near good enough or anywhere near where we should be, but hopefully after the Arsenal game, confidence levels can rise more.

09 Jan 2026 22:58:06
I was dreading the Arsenal game. I honestly thought they would wipe the floor with us. After 20 mins I felt it was any moment now. Then lfc strung a few passes together gained a Litle confidence. Bradley's attempt hitting the bar again helped.

I know the pundits say it was boring and so on, but I felt we had a descent 2nd half. Without threatening much. Over the pitch everybody seemed focused and on task. Both full backs and Frimpong had much better games.
Macalister up to his old tricks peed me off. Pedestrian at best.

But imo after not expecting anything I was more than satisfied

So gutted for Bradley. I do not accept Martinelli didn't know he was Bradley hurt. I would have chinned him without a second thought in my day.

God wish we had a Steve McMahon now.

09 Jan 2026 23:52:54
Arsenal don't wipe the floor with many teams, Chrisymate. They aren't set up to outclass the opposition, and they'd lose more games even if they were. They are a team set up to never be in vulnerable positions defensively in any situation and winning games through attrition, but this has real consequences for their attacking play - they are awful at it.

Awful. On current form, they will be the first champions since Leicester to score fewer than 2 goals a game. Now, this season, who cares if they win the title? Well, they aren't winning another one doing this - if it hadn't been for the frankly atrocious performance of Arne Slot this season, they wouldn't be leading this one either.

10 Jan 2026 00:05:14
Steve McMahons wouldn't last 10 minutes now unfortunately.

10 Jan 2026 04:40:10
i was disappointed, because i felt like arteta planned the game as if we were no 1 in the table.

eventhough it was not a full squad if we had brought the game to then, we could have won the game. but we were playing the slow possession game, this season reminds me so much of brendan rodgers, but with a better overall squad.

10 Jan 2026 05:13:29
To be fair it was two risk averse teams against each other, we didn't try to go for it when we were on top, arsenal's style of play is so methodical but so unadventurous, they never try to play a risky ball down the middle or do anything other than try to play a perfect ball down the flanks at the exact right moment, they relented in the press second half because they were terrified of getting caught in behind, they are champions in the making but they certainly don't play like it, it's football motivated by fear rather than the will to dominate.

They bought a central striker who is just there to feed on scraps whenever they fall to him and try to occupy defenders to get them away from saka because he certainly isn't there to run in behind, to be a target man to play others in or be part of the build up, he is so peripheral to the team and looks so lost every time I see him play for them (mind, our plan with isak is equally mystifying) .

We are pretty much the same way at the moment but we went through a catastrophic and traumatic run and are missing all our starting attacking players, not sure what their excuse really is. If we had ekitike in that game or frimpong made a better decision once or twice and delivered a decent ball I'm pretty certain we would have won it.

{Ed025's Note - i cant argue with any of that PB..

10 Jan 2026 06:29:39
No disrespect to Macca, who was brilliant here - but i'd love to see Ronnie Whelan in today's game.

I think he would an absolute superstar.

{Ed025's Note - Ronnie was very underrated for me Tuzza, but Macca was far from brilliant mate he was half decent but still a dirty stinking cheat mate..

10 Jan 2026 07:30:48
Haha. I love it when you sit on the fence Ed.

Ok, we'll agree to disagree on Macca, but I totally agree on Ronnie - he was vastly underrated. Perfect 6/ 8 hybrid in today's jargon.

{Ed025's Note - he was the heartbeat of that side for me Tuzza, a lot of my friends who were reds were not big fans of him actually...i dont know why..

10 Jan 2026 07:31:55
Great player Ronnie Whelan.

10 Jan 2026 09:44:33
Some player ronnie whelan, could do everything and always a big goal in him.
Would've won goal of tournament at euro 88 only for van Basten wonder strike in the final.

10 Jan 2026 10:30:02
He was indeed. Bob didn't make too many mistakes in the transfer market back then and he was a snip from Home Farm, a Dublin team, A great player for Liverpool and a great player for ROI too. Terrible commentator though!

10 Jan 2026 11:14:25
PB, we were never going to go for that game regardless of whether we had our CF's available or not, considering the way we have been playing. It simply wouldn't have happened hence with CF's missing, no chance on earth, for real.

Now what I was surprised about with Arsenal (and their fans were fumming about this too) was that they didn't go for the game either which suited LFC to a T. Not only did couldn't/ wouldn't step it up, Slot went 1 v 1 in the second half which was Arteta's kryptonite already at Anfield this season.

From the moment he couldn't figure it out and with us outnumbering them in midfield (due to the lineup) and with us picking them off with Frimpong, I think Arteta just gave up and just went for the draw.

As for Gyokeres, I have always believed that Arteta's style does not suit a traditional CF esp. one who needs a lot of service. It fits more of a false 9 like Havertz. Or a CF/ winger who can drop in and orchestrate like Jesus.

10 Jan 2026 11:18:27
Ronnie Whelan was a great player for us in the 1980s.

10 Jan 2026 11:43:41
Patrick you say we didn't go for it but in the same breath say a couple of better decisions by Frimpong and we could've won it.

The fact is we were dominant in the second half and got into some great positions to win the game but the final ball was off. Wirtz could've also had a penalty after a mazy run.

This does not suggest we were playing for a draw or not going for it. We were trying to win but Arsenal are an extremely defensive team and have the best defensive record in the league. If we had gone gung ho and got caught on the break these pages would be going mental about how naive we were.

It was a decent performance, away from home against the title favourites. We should all be satisfied with that and hope we can now take confidence from it moving forward.

10 Jan 2026 09:39:26
Ronnie Whelan was absolutely brilliant. I loved him but you're right Ed025 he never really got the praise he deserves.

{Ed025's Note - he done all the messy jobs Barry and was the glue that allowed the others to express themselves mate..

10 Jan 2026 10:21:36
Was Gary Neville sighting violence on Thursday night with his comments over Martinelli incident some one from liverpool team take a red card! If so can someone inform the police so they knock on his door at1am in the morning and arrest him. YNWA.