Liverpool Banter

23 Sep 2026 16:26:02
I posted a few days ago about what people thought about Carra's criticism of Wirtz which I think isn't warranted as we transition from Slot ball to a high intensity game.

I've just read what Jurgen thought of it and I quote:


🎙️ "Jamie did the same thing with Mo Salah years ago. Every week, another criticism, another reason why Salah wasn't doing enough. Then Salah answered on the pitch. Now I see the same movie with Florian."

"Maybe some people forget that football is not played for television clips. I watch Wirtz differently. I see his movement, his work, the spaces he creates. If you only look for goals and assists, you will miss half of what the player gives you."

"Now I'm his Germany coach, so Jamie can keep talking and I'll keep coaching. If Florian comes here and plays the football I know he can play, then maybe the experts will suddenly discover that the boy was never the problem".

23 Sep 2026 16:45:26
Iraola and Jurgan could turn this kid into a pressing machine

I wouldn't sleep on Wirtz just yet.

23 Sep 2026 16:58:57
Being a pundit is the easiest job in the world, you can't lose.

23 Sep 2026 17:31:17
I love Klopp as much as the next fan but he's going to defend Wirtz, of course he is.

If anyone can get Wirtz playing well and into the player we hope he will be, then it's Klopp.

However the truth is, Wirtz has been pretty poor against Fulham and Bournemouth which has culminated in some big criticism. He has also not yet lived up to the expectations us supporters had when he joined - that much is obvious.

23 Sep 2026 17:38:32
Facts right there from Navy Keith
Wirtz has been poor.

23 Sep 2026 17:56:03
Wirtz has been poor in games but you can see glimpses of the player he is. But they are becoming less and less in every game but he never stop trying and he is not hiding from the the ball.
His confidence must be low and the scruffy spitting scumbag will not help and he should have no platform to talk about anyone.

{Ed666's Note - also he’s getting used to Isak as he was injured for most of last season, add Barcola into the mix and there’s a lot of new confusion there to work out. Klopp will work on his confidence and Irola will work on his tactics I’m sure in a month or two we’ll have the Wirtz we all desire and if we don’t we sell him him in the summer for a reduced fee (probably) lick our wounds because sometimes football transfers don’t work out it’s all part and parcel of the game, sometimes players that cost exorbitant fees don’t work out.

23 Sep 2026 18:09:03
Klopps correct but also patronising to the fact of what he cost and the expectation. Klopp wouldn't care if he cost Liverpool 300 million. The point is wirtz cost a lot of money and is on massive wages which goes right under the radar too.
I do agree on the "not the problem" Bit. I'd judge wirtz more of we had two top midfielders behind him.

And in the form of midfielders that are required.
I can't say I truly care too much ATM about wirtz.
I've been watching old matches with much poorer teams than what we have available and those teams constantly passed the ball better and quicker than this team does. We have a lot of very poor passers of the ball.

23 Sep 2026 18:24:40
Be careful with manager/player quotes these days. There are loads of accounts on twitter that make up quotes like this, even if they sound remotely feasible.

23 Sep 2026 18:49:24
I don't think he has been poor, Klopp is 100% right. He does a lot of good work for the team when we're out of possession. It's not given the same statistical importance as XG or whatever.

23 Sep 2026 19:09:39
Personally agree with robbo on the overlap the lads came in such a torrid time with the death of Jota he said it took months for the players to even get back to a bit of normality and he said it makes sense to judge them on the end of this season.

23 Sep 2026 19:11:47
Nevelle and carragher are scripted to say soundbites and clickbaits, one's a failed manager the the other didn't have the balls to go into coaching.

23 Sep 2026 19:36:04
Who cares what either of them say?

I watch with sound off if I'm not at ground anyway. Ally Mc is about the only pundit I can deal with with sound on!

23 Sep 2026 20:37:14
9/27 80m + players have been deemed a success IN THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL. There is a reason for this.
Huge prices are a ball and chain.

If anyone. can, Jurgen and Andoni can.

23 Sep 2026 14:22:50
I'm a wee bit bored 🥱
Nearly a 3 week wait before battles commence
So using Lfc history. net I've selected a team past
and present with only 1 player allowed from each
of their different nationalities.

4-2-4 formation, old style shirt numbers.

1 - Bruce Grobbelaar South Africa 🇿🇦

2 - Markus Babbel Germany 🇩🇪
5 - Daniel Agger Denmark 🇩🇰
6 - Virgil Van Dijk Netherlands 🇳🇱
3 - John Arne Riise Norway 🇳🇴

8 - Steven Gerrard England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
4 - Graeme Souness Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Captain

7 - Mohamed Salah Egypt 🇪🇬
9 - Ian Rush Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
10 Bobby Firmino Brazil 🇧🇷
11 Steve Highway Ireland 🇮🇪

No Keegan, Dalglish, Torres, Hansen, Barnes
etc etc 🙈 Oh my giddy aunt 🥴
I better go lay down in a darkened room 🛌

YNWA.

23 Sep 2026 14:47:37
I just see 11 scousers.

23 Sep 2026 14:52:30
Good one, Mick.

At first glance, I'd take out Bruce and add Alisson. Therefore, I would have to take out Firmino and I'd add Suarez (controversial, I know). I'd also take out Heighway and I'd add Mane. Having done that, I'd then be tempted to go for Staunton instead of Riise.

As you say, you are leaving out some of the greatest players to ever play for us.

23 Sep 2026 14:55:47
Love Bobby but I'd take him out so that Allison can go in goal.

23 Sep 2026 15:11:00
Going through this exercise makes you realise how many of our best players are Scottish.

23 Sep 2026 15:12:04
Dalglish has to be in there somewhere.

23 Sep 2026 15:16:20
I'd have Matip over Agger, also.

23 Sep 2026 15:17:45
Alisson robbo van dijk matip finnan alonso mascherano Gerrard salah mane rush.

23 Sep 2026 15:24:41
Sorry I didn't bother with a good formatting.

23 Sep 2026 16:27:06
It's a nigh on impossible task Rome, Bobby's position as a striker / playmaker meant no Keegan, Kenny, Beardsley, Suarez etc, madness, but being at Anfield with Bobby's song bellowing out from all 4 stands created the most spectacular atmosphere which I can admit had me watery eyed with joy many times, that alone can drive a team to victory, plus he was brilliant 🤩

His inclusion meant ommiting Ali, our greatest ever goalkeeper 🙈

Souness has in my opinion been our best midfielder / captain
which also means no Hansen, Kenny or Robbo 🙈
Selecting Gerrard eliminates dozens 😩

Rush has to be there, growing up watching teletext for score updates it was almost guaranteed it'll pop up Liverpool 1-0 Rush 😁

And for me Stevie Highway was the best out and out bye line / cross into the box winger we've ever had.

And who would be the manager 🤷‍♂️
For results it has to be Paisley
For passion Shanks and or Klopp

I'm going for another lay down .

YNWA.

23 Sep 2026 17:05:32
I will add Barnes, he can use his Jamaican passport and Steve Finnan at fullback.

23 Sep 2026 18:42:52
442 - Alisson Finnan Virgil Hyppia Riise (ugh, really? ) Gerrard Alonso Salah Dalglish Rush Mane - coach is obviously Jurgen Klopp.

Using Barnes' Jamaican passport is a good one!

23 Sep 2026 20:40:05
Alisson(Br), Babbel(Germany), Lawrenson(ROI), Virgil(Netherlands), Riise(Norway) Alonso(Spain), Gerrard(England), Mascherano(Argentina), Dalglish(Scotland);Rush(Wales), Salah(Egypt)

23 Sep 2026 11:03:30
Listening to Andy Robertson talk about the impact of Diogo Jota's death on the team and seeming to attribute at least some of last season's on pitch struggles to it, I was reminded of something from a few years back which moved me at the time and I still think of as a display of huge mental strength and resilience.

2008 Champions League semi final second leg. We were up against Chelsea, remarkably the third Champions League semi final in four years that we'd played Chelsea. Went to extra time. Chelsea were awarded a penalty and Frank Lampard scored it. His mum had died a few days prior to the match. Huge match, huge pressure and he not only played at a time of huge personal loss but was able to compose himself to take a crucial penalty in extra time. I hate Chelsea and I'm not a massive fan of Lampard but for that moment in those circumstances I admired him hugely.

22 Sep 2026 17:37:28
Just watched an interview with Arsene Wenger he made on a panel before the legendary come back at home against Barcelona. When asked about his thoughts on the game.

He said,

" they've not one the championship for 30 years [pre Klopp and Slot winning] but they do well in Europe - why?
Anfield!
Home game. This is the most heated stadium in Europe in a return game. That's the only place you don't want to go is to Anfield because of the atmosphere, everything is special there, you know. And so we will - I'm keen - to see what they do tonight."

The rest is history.

Question: why is Anfield not like this for Premiership games?

22 Sep 2026 18:29:37
It cannot be under slot and iraola. These may be good coaches but they dint have that aura that command and influence people.

22 Sep 2026 18:35:21
All I can say, being lucky enough to stand on the kop for that game, is we all knew we were going to go through an hour before kick off.

You could just sense it in the air. Anfield was electric that night. From the Bus Welcoming to the YNWA at the end.

22 Sep 2026 18:35:53
No doubts this will offend people but too many tourists. PL games they pay through the teeth. Trying to get a ticket for big CL games if you're not a regular is like gold dust

Utd have the same issue. No idea about Chelsea, City and Arsenal but I'd say possibly the same.

22 Sep 2026 18:50:34
I'd say there are multiple reasons -
• Evening vs afternoon KOs is a big one.
• Knock out vs League. There's something about it being decided on the night instead of in 'n months' time.
• Not your usual opponents - PL teams don't vary much whereas CL opponents do.

22 Sep 2026 18:59:12
There is something in that, JK. I turned a ticket down for that game. The person offering me his ticket didn't even want face value, he just wanted rid of it. Suffice to say I've regretted it ever since.

Dortmund, Chelsea, 2005 were also special, which I didn't turn down a ticket for. Not lucky enough to be at St Etienne, 1977, which I know some posters on here were.

Like I say, JK has a valid point. Night games also adds something to the atmosphere. PL games, the atmosphere mostly comes from the away support. Apart from the big games. It's been the same for decades.

22 Sep 2026 19:42:56
I managed to get to every CL home game that season. It takes a lot of time, money and effort for me to get up there so on the morning of the game I was in 2 minds. I was busy at work and we were 3-0 down against Barcelona so I really didn't think there was much chance of us going through.

My wife said yeah but what if you do? You'll never forgive yourself. So I made my way up there to the game and it's probably the best decision I've ever made.

I remember a mate in the pub had put a bet on us winning 5-1 and we all thought he was mental.

Then as the game got closer and we made our way to the ground you could sense something special was about to happen. You could literally feel it in the air.

Man, what a night that was. One of the best nights of my life.

22 Sep 2026 21:59:11
European nights at Anfield is in our DNA - the fans, banners, flags, history etc is just different - no point even trying to explain it - it just is.

It's some kind of beautiful concoction of pedigree, history, glory, triumph, resilience, passion, spirit, scousers and bevies all rolled up into something every club on the planet envies and is afraid of - the best place on the planet to be on such nights.

22 Sep 2026 22:09:27
Statto it because locals from merseyside can get tickets for champions league but not for Premier League games. We have people coming from around the world who add to our fantastic support who can get tickets through internet in their country.

23 Sep 2026 00:35:20
Totally agree with that JK23. And I think it is a huge issue for all big clubs across the board. Too many tourists are at games just using their phones and recording videos for their social media instead of singing and supporting the team. I can't blame them because it'll be a once in a lifetime experience for most of them but it does dampen the atmosphere.

Not to mention that local fans who contribute the most to the atmosphere are priced out of tickets themselves. Overall it just leads to a very quiet Anfield.

{Ed666's Note - I dont understand this hate towards tourists at the match? It’s their money let them do what they want. If they want to record videos on their phone so what? Why does it bug people so much? Why should local fans get a dispensation because they arguably sing more? A Liverpool fan is a Liverpool fan whether they are from Merseyside, Malaysia or Mongolia. I’ve spent a tonne of money watching Liverpool round the world than some fans born in Liverpool does that make me more or less of a fan. This local Liverpool fan v out of town/tourist Liverpool fan shit winds me up, it’s proper discriminatory.

23 Sep 2026 01:46:16
According to the numbers I could find tourists make up about 10% of fans at Anfield on a match day. The there are also about 3000 away supporters. Assuming these numbers are fairly accurate that still leaves about 50000 local supporters at every game. Seems a bit weak to blame 10% of the crowd on the poor atmosphere.

{Ed666's Note - This

23 Sep 2026 02:28:19
In addition, the capacity of Anfield has increased from 42000 to 61000 since 2015, wouldn't that mean there are actually more local supporters in the ground not less?
I think the main reason for the decline in atmosphere at the big clubs is because younger fans can't afford to go to games anymore so the crowd is getting progressively older and older.

23 Sep 2026 02:38:43
I can say with confidence that there is a lot more tourist at anfield on match days than 10 percent. These numbers probably don't factor in illegal ticket touts so when a ticket gets scanned and it comes from a l post code but in reality the person going the game is from Hong Kong or another part of the world.


I am not saying it's the main issue but it is definitely a part of it.

23 Sep 2026 03:28:49
Probably because most of the PL games aren't played at night against European elite?

23 Sep 2026 04:07:20
I see Ed666 mentioned Malaysia there. Kudos to Ed666. Up the Malaysian.

{Ed666's Note - it’s one of the only countries I could remember beginning with M the alliteration wouldn’t of worked otherwise 😀

23 Sep 2026 04:24:14
I'm not a local fan too Ed and I always look forward when Liverpool announce their preseason tour and my country is listed as one of the places they'd visit. Maybe it's also just me being jealous but I don't get it when people pay so much money to watch Liverpool play live at Anfield and spend most of match taking selfies and videos of themselves instead of immersing themselves in the atmosphere.

{Ed666's Note - I hear you mate but for some of these fans this is one of the only times they will get the opportunity to come to Anfield and the way they choose to record the moment for prosperity is up to them like I say it’s there money. It’s all subjective of course.

23 Sep 2026 06:53:15
Based on club ticketing data and independent fanbase studies, roughly 30, 000 to 35, 000 local supporters attend a typical home Premier League match at Anfield

Demographic surveys (such as the Premier League Fan Survey and independent fan research) show that roughly 49% to 50% of fans inside Anfield live local of the ground. Across a full capacity crowd of 61, 000, that accounts for about 30, 000 supporters from the immediate local area.

Hospitality & Corporate: ~8, 000–9, 000 seats across the expanded Main Stand and Anfield Road Stand.

Away Supporters: ~3, 000 fans (standard Premier League allocation in the Anfield Road Lower).

Official Members Sales: On average, around and up to 21, 000 Members access tickets per Premier League match through ballot sales, ticket exchanges, and forwarding. While membership draws fans nationwide and globally.

23 Sep 2026 01:59:41
I disagree that it is discriminatory, Ed. It is, however, only one factor as to why Anfield is tends to be quiet for league games. Liverpool is an internationally-supported club but it shouldn't be forgotten that it represents the city of Liverpool, and the city of Liverpool is the core identity and fabric of it. I say that as someone who lives a *long* way from Anfield.
The atmosphere suffers for a lot of reasons:
1. Fewer 18-40 year-olds, who are the loudest and have the most aggression and energy to make noise. Economics and availability are the biggest drivers of this.
2. Sterile experience of matchdays in general - no beer while watching the match, scanning technology and security checks everywhere, high prices throughout. There are a lot more than this.


3. It is a myth than Anfield always had raucous atmospheres for regular league games - sometimes it did, and better than now, but it wasn't a cauldron for Wolves (H) every week.
4. Cameras/phones everywhere - I watch in despair every week at people just stood there like zombies with their phones filming inside the ground. Honestly, grow up and enjoy your life. Memories are stronger when you just enjoyed the moment anyway.
5. Liverpool have had comparatively more success in recent years. Arsenal's atmospheres remain good for league games because their fans have been angry for a long time due to long stretches of failure. Liverpool atmospheres are always better when the team is facing a more powerful foe - Chelsea, Barcelona (we were actually better), Dortmund.

23 Sep 2026 07:35:55
Some of the non-local fans will be from Ireland. Having been to Istanbul in 2005 with their fan group, I can confirm they are some of the loudest, most passionate singers I've heard in my footballing life 😂😂 My voice was gone before I got on the plane at Dublin airport 😂😂.

I don't think you can easily carve up the fan demographic into Merseysiders sing and non-Merseysiders watch silently through their phones.

23 Sep 2026 09:56:45
I'd imagine Rome and others like him who travel long distance within the UK also sing and make themselves heard.