Liverpool Banter 3

05 Jun 2026 20:56:38
I just noticed that the new Liverpool manager is a year younger than me. I officially feel old now.

05 Jun 2026 21:26:51
They have yet to hire a manager younger than me, but this man got close.

I'm getting there.

05 Jun 2026 22:35:13
Don't feel old, feel privileged!

05 Jun 2026 22:47:41
I had the realisation with Slot....

05 Jun 2026 22:54:39
I had the realization with Klopp.

05 Jun 2026 23:55:55
Brenda for me.

06 Jun 2026 00:10:53
If someone comes on here and says "Shankly for me" then they have definitely won the internet!

06 Jun 2026 05:53:08
George Patterson for me.

06 Jun 2026 08:32:08
I went to school with John Houlding.

06 Jun 2026 08:49:59
I had that realisation when I got older than Ed001 somehow despite him being born before me.

06 Jun 2026 09:23:29
Iraola is the first Liverpool manager that is younger than me, but you know what. I'm ok with that. :)

06 Jun 2026 09:53:02
Me and Slot are the same age, suppose Iraola for me as well!

05 Jun 2026 21:45:08
Wait until you get to mine and Ed025's age! : )

06 Jun 2026 02:14:35
Zed, that will be ed025

06 Jun 2026 02:37:19
Have to wait for Ed025 for that Zed!

06 Jun 2026 12:39:01
Zed, Ed025 may be able to say that

05 Jun 2026 20:39:33
If Kompany spoke directly to Rio or his camp that is tapping up.

05 Jun 2026 21:20:47
I think regardless of who stays or goes, we need to sign some players now before letting any more leave.

Salah, Konate, Robbo. All gone. Need some incomings.

05 Jun 2026 21:31:15
Spot on LFC8, we really need to retain as many as possible. We do lack depth from the bench as well.

05 Jun 2026 22:22:41
Rio was genuinely interested in playing more, and felt Slot was not going to facilitate that. Bayern offered 35m, Slot was sacked and the whole thing blew over.

The issue now is that Rio, and players in general, are less patient and expect more, quicker.



Rio is not ready for more than as a rotation option, unless he wants to be the next Sterling, or worse. He has a lot of development to do before he can meet expectations and for his body to be able to cope.

05 Jun 2026 22:48:09
Fully agree FSW, fantastic raw talent, but very much raw, definitely deserves more game time, but certainly not capable of being our go to on the left.

05 Jun 2026 23:27:37
The only way he'll get to be our 'go to man on the left' is by actually playing him on the left. He's 18 in August and there are precedents for lads that age to make their mark in the PL. Kroupi and Rayan are both 19 and they did well last season in the PL. Obviously, because they did well doesn't mean that Rio will automatically do well too, but AI isn't shy of using youngsters if he thinks they are ready to go, and he seems to be able to draw out their potential.



If I was Rio, I'd be trying to show him what I'm capable of - if he does that, he might well make their mark starting spot his own with Gakpo, if he is still on the books, being more the utility forward covering LW and CF.

06 Jun 2026 06:44:27
You need permission to speak with the player, but you talk to his agent whenever you like. Happens all the time. Liverpool are constantly doing it.

06 Jun 2026 06:59:34
Yes WDW, but both of them turn 20 before Rio even turns 18. Rayan got (1205) minutes, albeit only from Jan, and Kroupi had (1839) minutes. Rio had just under a 1000 for the 1st team last season, so he is well ahead of schedule.

We all just need to relax and let him develop. He will be a top player, but should not imo be the main man on the left for a side trying to win the league.

06 Jun 2026 07:33:23
I always look at when Ronaldo was at Utd, and how Fergie managed him since he arrived.

That's how we should look at managing Rio. He's 17, people.
We cannot expect him to be our savior, but nurture and mentor him correctly, and brother time he is 21/22, then he'll be ready to carry this club on his shoulders.

06 Jun 2026 08:16:37
@JLC, why jump to the extremest the start of a conversation? Show me who has said that Rio is expected to be our saviour? What does that even mean?

@Florian, the point I was making is that Ngumoha will be 18 by the time the season starts, and that it is hardly unique to see 18 year olds playing in the PL. As I said in a different thread, Rio is absolutely nowhere near the finished article, but as a regular member of the match day squad, certainly in the second half of last season, it would seem that he has, largely, by-passed the U-18s / 21s and the logical step is for him to have more game time.

Only an idiot would think he would play 60+ games next season, but, by the same token, AI picks players on merit seemingly irrespective of age. Time for Rio to take the next step and show that the hype is justified. The only way he can do that is by convincing AI to pick him and then to play well enough to keep his spot.

I'm looking at it from the point of view of a Liverpool fan wanting a youngster with potential to kick on and establish himself in the team. I'd rather see him do well than spend crazy prices on the latest YouTube highlights sensation.

06 Jun 2026 08:51:50
No it's not unique. But I can't think of many playing at the moment apart from Mane at Wolves. I'm agreeing with you, WDW. We both want the same thing and that's for Rio to progress and be a real option on the left. I was just saying that, when compared to the two players you mentioned, that the two year gap is absolutely massive at their age.

Rio could have well surpassed where they are now by the time he turns 20. I do think, though, that at the moment Rio should not be a first 11 regular for a team with title ambitions. Maybe he'll prove me wrong this season.

06 Jun 2026 09:00:15
Wdw rio only bypassed the u18s/u21s he has been foolishly be promised first team football, that's not earning it, ed1 has said he should be back there learning more than step overs and cutting inside, 2 assists and 1 goal isn't great

{Ed001's Note - I have said he is not ready for our first team, putting him in the youth leagues is not what he needs. A proper reserve league would be good, but as we don't do that any more, he either comes in and out of the team and plays irregularly or goes out on loan. But he is not ready to be a starter.}

06 Jun 2026 09:10:31
Young attackers don't fare well at the top level of the Prem. Because they're always up against the brand new investment that costs a ton and thus get priority. I.e. we're currently going after another teenager, currently playing in Germany, who's being valued near £100m.

That's just the reality. In my opinion, he should have been loaned out the season just gone. He should be getting regular experience at playing 90 minutes, leaving England, learning a new language, experiencing a new culture, getting his first yellow/red card etc... All these things build the required character for the Prem.



There's a reason that there are no teenage attackers playing regular football at the top end of the table. Because the Prem has turned into a league that is very unforgiving to teams that can't compete physically. More contact is permitted by the officials here, both by plan and in error. When he's on the field, it would be difficult for us to apply counter-pressure which is fatiguing and may only grant him 45 minutes of contribution. Where leagues like Spain and Germany favour the attacker, both in how they train, play and officiate.

06 Jun 2026 09:54:01
Sterling had a decent career in all respects.

06 Jun 2026 10:05:46
There's a lot of overhyping of Rio going on here by some posters which he simply has not earned. Not even close. Let us not be fooled by the way he played during a shambolic season where no one could do anything tight, and that started from the manager.

This reminds me of when Bacetic came in to play and play well in a dead LFC team of its last legs, and many thought he was ready to step up. Can someone tell me how that has worked out? Exactly. And let's stop comparing him to Gakpo.

Gakpo is near a decade older, an established international, a PL winner and has been playing grown-up footie for years. Let's stop with that cos that does not help Rio at all.

To me, Rio is in the same boat. I'm not fooled cos I've seen this movie before. Rio ain't ready, plain and simple, so if Bayern really want him then we can either tell them to get lost, or we ask for Olise in exchange. Or pay what they would like others to pay for Olise to get Rio off our hands. Just my opinion.

06 Jun 2026 10:45:45
Bajcetic has disappeared because of injury and a perceived bad attitude. Two things we haven't seen Rio have yet. Why is Rio exempt from this season where no one did anything right? Everyone expects the same players to perform better under a new manager, so surely Rio should too.

I agree with you, Oli, that Rio is not ready yet, to start every week, but I would expect a lot more minutes for him this season, and he can be good cover on the left for now.

05 Jun 2026 20:24:52
Did you see Diomande put Konate on his arse?

06 Jun 2026 02:45:24
That's not difficult though, is it? He spent most of last season on his arse!!!

05 Jun 2026 20:22:51
Bit of a s*** week regarding former players and the c*** that is cancer.
2 Kings and Digger all revealing a diagnosis.

F*** that disease.

05 Jun 2026 20:10:46
A lot of negativity on here regarding Gakpo recently. For me he didn’t regress any more than anyone else this year and was another victim of the system.

To get the best out of him you need to play forward quicker, make sure there is a consistent overlap on his outside and deliver quality balls from the right to the far post for him to attack. We did none of these three things this past season, but at least the first two are guaranteed from Iraola and presumably the third improves with who we bring in.



I’m not saying we can’t upgrade him, and I have question marks about how he’d function off the ball for Iraola, but given all the other priorities and how if we sold him we would need to replace him anyway, I’m happy for him to stay. He’s an integrated squad player and I think he’s far more suited to how we will attack this year.

05 Jun 2026 21:01:14
I think we could see a far better Cody next season.

He is a really good presser. Think he could fit Iraola's style. The slow build up killed him. He is not a tippy tappy player.

06 Jun 2026 00:23:10
I don't understand people cutting down any of the players for their performance this year (except Macca, he'd get a pass to but the play acting is so embarrassing I want him to F off back Santa Rosa and disappear from my life permanently).

All of them suffered from the lack of training and tactics. IMO they all get a pass through at least September and then we can judge.

06 Jun 2026 00:58:31
It's not even moving the ball forward quicker it's winning the ball higher.

Last season we had a mish mash of systems that had the forwards in a half press as in they ran forward but didn't tackle aggressively whilst the defence were sitting deeper and even running backwards.

That left too much space in the middle so the opposition could just pass through us or go long and even if Virgil won the header it would drop into space in front of him for the opposition to pick up.

By the time we could win the ball back we were in our own defensive third so then when we try to go forward we have a whole team in front of us to play through so the passes go sideways to try to go around them and most attacks break down very quickly.

We just need the team as a whole to stay tight and push up, not leaving gaps in midfield to exploit. Then the forwards can engage and the opposition don't have an easy pass so we win the ball higher.

It's not rocket science I find it quite astounding that with all of the resources Slot had he didn't notice it and fix it. If it was Virgil being scared to allow runs in behind him then he should've dropped Virgil and played someone else. Even an academy player can be coached to push up and hold his line. He might not be as good a defender as Virgil but at least it would give the team a base to attack from.

As it was we were always on the back foot and teams were happy to give us possession, knowing that once they win it back we will open up with the attackers pushing up and defenders dropping deep giving them acres of space to get through our midfield and get straight at the back 4. The more the season went on the more obvious it got.

The only thing that got us top 5 is the fact that we have better players than most teams so even though our team structure and tactics were all over the place we still managed to pick up points. Give players like Gakpo, Wirtz, Ekitike, Isak, Szobo a proper team structure and a base to attack from and they will deliver. Give them no structure and flawed tactics and you'll just get moments which is exactly what we got.

06 Jun 2026 10:09:56
I agree with you, WelshXavi. The Gakpo slander would make sense if he was one of the very few that was killing us in games. He wasn't cos the whole team were being stifled by the tactics from Slot, where you are literally not allowed to run on a football pitch. What chance does any player have at that point?

Gakpo has produced for us prior, and the evidence is there to prove it.

People are free to ignore the evidence and just go ham on the brother, but that doesn't remove the fact that the evidence is there. With "Doni" in charge, I think we will see a much improved team, overall. As for Macca, he is simply not athletic enuff to play the Iraola system, and the diving/cheating is just a pile-on which he deserves. I'd sell him.

05 Jun 2026 19:41:45
I genuinely can't get over the amount of people who have already passed judgement on a kid who only just turned 17 at the start of the season. Mind-blowing. He's the most promising young talent we've had in a long, long time.

He's played just over 1,000 mins, which is the equivalent of only 11 games, and we already have people saying "Sell him, he's not good enough." I'm shocked by what I'm reading and bitterly disappointed. I expected better from Liverpool fans.

05 Jun 2026 19:51:24
I know. One of the few glimmers of light from this season. Ridiculous. Total rage baiting.

05 Jun 2026 19:59:09
I see a potentially world class player and I'm absolutely baffled as to how people think differently.

05 Jun 2026 20:08:55
For a 17-year-old, he is great. But the idea that he is Yamal is for the birds. Stepovers, and a cut inside - that is his game so far. Cost us points by not being able to pass nor defend.

Fair enough, as he's a kid - but let's not pretend he is more than that.

05 Jun 2026 20:13:54
Doesn't matter what some people say on here... Liverpool are not daft, there is no way they'd let a very promising 17 year old leave the club... in the next 5 years he could be something really special n his best place he could possibly be is at LFC... win win for everyone.

05 Jun 2026 20:36:39
Won us points as well, though didn't he?

05 Jun 2026 20:44:42
Hypothetically speaking... how much money would it take for us to take Bayern seriously wrt Rio?

05 Jun 2026 20:52:34
Hypothetically, I'm looking at £70m for Rio.

05 Jun 2026 20:54:23
Rio'll be Grande.

05 Jun 2026 20:54:23
How is it rage baiting or trolling? That some don't think he will make it? He has been given the fast track to the first team which shouldn't have happened. I just can't see this superstar chatter.

05 Jun 2026 21:18:11
I don't think anybody has suggested he's Yamal's level. Yamal is out on his own in the same way Messi was. Once in a generation talent, unfair to compare anyone to him.

05 Jun 2026 21:48:51
Why would any club sell their current most promising prospect, madness. He's 17, leave the kid alone and let him develop. If you cannot see potential, you're watching the wrong game.

Sell the kids, if you're happy with that, you should be following Chelsea, not Liverpool.

05 Jun 2026 21:56:40
Probably the same fans that were moaning during the season because he wasn't played more.

05 Jun 2026 22:05:17
The fact he glimmered as well as he did in that derisory Slot set up is testament to his ability, given that every other player, minus Szobo and, to an extent, Hugo, fell off a cliff.

05 Jun 2026 22:49:12
Very good point, Frode.

05 Jun 2026 23:37:45
It's going to be 'one of those days' isn't it? I agree with Frode.

There's a hell of a lot of difference as a young lad coming into a team that is struggling, in terms of tactics, fitness, and morale rather than a team that is playing well and full of confidence.



As Frode said, whilst the lad didn't set the world on fire he showed that he has something about him. He is nowhere near the finished article but he has time on his side and has a coach now who might just be the person to bring out the potential that is there.

05 Jun 2026 23:47:09
Monstersouness, Rio didn't cost us games. Slot did.

05 Jun 2026 17:26:01
What's going on here today? "Fake" Spanish LFC supporters posting Szobo isn't world class, sell Rio, etc. Let's get behind the club we supposedly love this summer and the new manager we just worked hard to get in.

05 Jun 2026 17:42:13
Trolls, opposition fans and sad attention seekers.

05 Jun 2026 19:30:28
Funny thing is that all these are coming out now right after "Doni" got appointed. They are trying to sow division in our fan base, to make it look like we are a sinking ship with guys and Rio, Szobo or Gakpo leaving or putting in a "transfer request", a guy who has about 3 or years left on the new deal he just signed the season we won the title.



Seriously, these guys aren't even smart trolls, however, I see people buying it and panicking cos well, it's what people do.

05 Jun 2026 17:57:02
These posters with players who never were LFC can get bent.

05 Jun 2026 17:21:13
Dear Bayern,

It's been a while since we last spoke. I believe it was last summer when we took Wirtz. Hopefully you're not still too salty about that.

As for Rio Ngumoha, I'd quite like to date Margot Robbie, but unfortunately we don't always get what we want.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Hughes

05 Jun 2026 19:04:07
What did their director say when the rumours were going round about Olise? Something like "We are not interested in making them better next season"?

Copy and paste that straight back to them.

05 Jun 2026 19:31:32
There are gonna be some real slow news days so people had better bucklye up cos the trolls will be out in force.

05 Jun 2026 17:10:08
A lot of stuff coming out about Rio. Ornstein in particular, Bayern are exploring a deal? Please tell me this is some sort of sick joke and we're not actually considering it?

05 Jun 2026 17:19:26
Will swap for Olise. Thanks.

05 Jun 2026 17:24:50
Depends on the offer. I don't think he's as good as folks are making out. He's not on Sterling's level at his age.

Many of our youngsters have received a lot of hype over the years, but flattered to deceive. I'm yet to be convinced he's not another Ibe, Woodburn or Brewster.

05 Jun 2026 17:27:28
Ornstein literally says LFC insist he's not for sale.

05 Jun 2026 18:14:14
Joshua Abe, who is 16 this July, is the next big deal winger as well. Google his videos, very, very talented lad.

05 Jun 2026 19:20:31
Good lord, a lucid post from the secret agent man.
Definitely one to keep an eye on is Abe.
Time will tell.

05 Jun 2026 19:27:00
Exactly what I've been saying, babbity.

05 Jun 2026 19:32:11
Fake news. Nothing to see here, in my view.