Liverpool banter 6

18 Jun 2026 00:39:03
Just been chatting to a friend after the England game. We were talking about the lack of flags on boardings with local towns on them. Came to the conclusion it’s down to American rules on advertising.

Then he said ‘Bellys gonna get ya!’ from the Reebok advert. Which triggered a memory of being at a game at Anfield with The belly in the corner of the stadium.
Have I imagined that? Or is there a pic of it somewhere?

18 Jun 2026 00:05:46
Does the Munoz signing mean we are giving up on Barcola?

I can't see us signing 3 wingers.

Newcastle must hate us lol.

Neff.

18 Jun 2026 01:06:55
I doubt it. Munoz is a promising young talent, but not Barcola level just yet. Seems like we're targeting wingers who can play both sides, and looking to add some depth, which I think is a good and necessary move. Hopefully, we bring in Barcola too, which gives us at least 2 options each side.

18 Jun 2026 06:00:37
Must depend on outgoings, surely.

18 Jun 2026 07:33:16
I have a hunch that Barcola is not possible as well as Diomande, because PSG seem to want Diomande as Barcola's replacement.

Also, it would be strange to sign Munoz for £34m and then immediately sign another player in his position given we also have Rio and Wirtz as LW options (on top of the fact that Gakpo and Chiesa haven't actually been sold yet).

17 Jun 2026 23:35:12
Liverpool to sign Victor Munoz, Here we go sent by Fabrizio Romano.

17 Jun 2026 21:25:26
I can't take this... Watching Emma Hayes giving out her tactics stood at a kitchen worktop.

17 Jun 2026 22:33:02
She's clearly an exceptional coach, but I always think it's Kerry Mucklowe on my TV when she first pops up.

17 Jun 2026 22:35:42
It's an absolute joke.

17 Jun 2026 22:37:17
Lol.
Was just saying to the missus "wtf is this?!" then read the same here. 😂

17 Jun 2026 22:38:44
I don't know. I'm feeling a bit serious tonight.
It's too easy to have a go at her because she's a slightly older, slightly overweight woman who has an obvious accent, but she is actually making some interesting observations. She's certainly no worse than some of the other analysts they have (Neville).
I think she's representing women in football really well.

17 Jun 2026 23:05:59
Well done England. 👍🏼

17 Jun 2026 23:09:15
Robbyroll, that's what all my mates were saying, she's in the kitchen chatting wham.

17 Jun 2026 23:16:51
Current coach of the US Women's football team, who led them to Olympic gold. Former Chelsea coach, leading them to 7 titles as well. I think she deserved better than a blackboard in a 'kitchen'. She talks a lot of sense and obviously knows a lot about the game. Good on her.

17 Jun 2026 23:41:07
I don't see how it's easy to have a go at her appearance. How old she is, what her weight may be, should have nothing to do with it.

17 Jun 2026 23:17:14
At least she's in the kitchen 😅

17 Jun 2026 23:15:13
I agree Ron, but a piece of chalk and a blackboard? ! Give her the tech the males get!

17 Jun 2026 23:53:55
Can she make a sandwich?

17 Jun 2026 23:58:39
I have a bit of an issue with the amount of female pundits in the men's game. I think it should be a meritocracy with the best person getting the job regardless of their gender.

However, the women's game is virtually a different sport, physically and tactically. So I really can't see how women footballers can have the best insight into the men's game. There will probably be exceptions but I've yet to see any.

The same goes the other way around. I would expect Emma Hayes to have much more knowledge of the Women's game than Jurgen Klopp for example and I'm sure he would agree.

I just think having so many female pundits in the men's game is virtue signalling madness. Fair play to them that's not their fault and they should take full advantage but it's the reason they are there which frustrates me.

18 Jun 2026 00:19:24
I have had a bit to drink tonight due to the match. I take back my disrespectful comment about Kerry Mucklowe.

Emma gave sound tactical analysis, and her description / use of blackboard, coupled with the video footage, made it easy to see what Tuchel had trained them to do.

I could listen to her far more than Neville and Richards.

18 Jun 2026 00:28:07
Some of y'all comments on here are misogynistic as hell. I think she made it very simple to understand in the short time frame she was given during them dreaded hydration breaks. What did y'all expect, a full tactical analysis in the less than 3min she had?

18 Jun 2026 00:43:00
Riostep, you talk about wanting a meritocracy and in the same post you have an issue with women in the men's game.

If you want a meritocracy then she's definitely better than a lot of the men on TV at analysing tactics.

18 Jun 2026 00:58:03
Pundits and football views are interchangeable. Whatever, don't care. But imagine thinking the World Cup should be an "advert for immigration and bringing in people from all over the world to play for a badge".

Here was me thinking it was a competition of the best from each country, not of who you can bring in with spurious connections or who you can naturalise. She can do one just for that.

{Ed078's Note - so tempted to delete, but we like our free speech here.

18 Jun 2026 01:58:04
In your opinion she's better Ron but I thought that what she said was pretty basic and largely irrelevant. Not because she's a woman, just because it was. Just like most things Carra and Neville say are basic and irrelevant or even worse especially in Carra's case are copied and pasted from twitter.

That's not my point anyway and I wasn't particularly talking about Emma Hayes it was more the fact that they feel they have to have a woman on many a pundit panel so they can be inclusive. I just don't subscribe to that. I've nothing against the women that do it, as I said they should take full advantage of the woke world we live in.

Women's and men's football are completely different so if being an ex player qualifies you as a pundit because you have experience of the game then there are many, many, many more male ex players that have a better understanding of the men's game than the majority of female pundits. That's just the facts. It's not misogynistic or sexist it's just logical.

Just as most female ex players have more understanding of the women's game than most male ex players. They are different versions of the same game but are played completely differently.

I've nothing against women, my Mum is one as is my wife and both love football, but if they tried to explain to me the inner workings of a diamond formation I'd tell them to shut up because they might burn my dinner. That was a joke by the way :-)

{Ed078's Note - "just joking" is such a poor cop out, always has been.

18 Jun 2026 06:40:35
Shes vile, can't stand her.

18 Jun 2026 07:07:49
Riosttepover, if all pundits were picked on knowledge then half wouldn't be in a job. Dixon, Murphy sound like their dog died.
Most male pundits aren't that good either.

18 Jun 2026 07:37:58
If pundits were picked on their knowledge then James Richardson would be on every televised game.

18 Jun 2026 07:57:38
Some absolute and utter nonsense being spouted in this thread, you say you want it to be a meritocracy but shouldn't that simply mean that you should listen to what somebody has to say about the game regardless of what gender they are? You then go on to say that countless men are more qualified than Hayes simply because they are men who have played a man's game, as though that gives them greater analytical insight by default and disqualifies a woman from having anything worthwhile to say? Aren't you simply saying that women should leave men's sports alone?

Bizarre how folks feel like they should express their indignation over Hayes getting airtime once in a while yet the likes of Merson, Richards, Keane, O'Hara and Dixon exhibiting all the analytical acumen of a pickled egg is routinely just passed over as being business as usual.



I hate how having opinions like these is held as a badge of honour like you're saying something transgressive that the establishment doesn't want to hear or bucking the trend of 'mainstream woke inclusivity'. The joke about 'I have nothing against women, my mom is one' was the absolute height of cringe. Also, why can't it be you cooking the dinner for your family and your wife looking up Fbref and binging tactics videos? It has to be your mom or wife minding the stove?

18 Jun 2026 08:01:23
She knows more about football than any of the 'experts' that you see week-in-week-out talking absolute bull for the PL coverage.

It's not her fault that some p**** at ITV thought it would be a good idea to basically set her up with a chalkboard in a kitchen.

18 Jun 2026 08:42:38
Patrik, I actually do most of the cooking in my house mate, I don’t expect my wife to do any of the stereotypical housewife things unless she wants to. You know nothing about me, so don’t assume you do. It was a joke, which I did expect would trigger some people who are trying so hard to not see the logic in what I’m saying, and want to jump on any virtue signalling opportunity. It has no bearing on my personality or attitude to women, it was a flippant joke relevant to the theme on this thread. Are we really at a point where a silly joke (which I actually pointed out was not a serious comment) causes such offence? That’s a bit pathetic, mate, we are grown adults.



I can’t debate such things with people like you because you’re just looking for something to be offended by. I have 3 daughters, I am the first to argue that they should have all the same opportunities as anyone else, but I wouldn’t want them getting a job just because they are female. I have utmost respect for all women, but I won’t be bullied into this virtue signalling nonsense.

{Ed078's Note - good points, just don't make the "just joking" comments as some see it as a veiled jab.
For the record, the last time my wife cooked a meal was when I was recovering from surgery. It's not that she doesn't like to cook, it's just that I'm a fabulous cook and she earns 3 times what I do, so I don't like to distract her from the money making with mundane things like food, plus I've a 5 handicap to maintain and need someone to support the financial burden it entails.

18 Jun 2026 08:58:19
Appreciate it ed. 53 players at the world cup born in Paris alone, and France has a 26 man squad. 3 of the 26 weren't born in France. Go figure. Edging towards a club competition at this point.

18 Jun 2026 09:40:42
If you make a joke in such poor taste, surely you should be able to take it if somebody tells you they feel embarrassed for having read it? Also what makes you think that Hayes got the job because of some inclusivity mandate? Would you say all the pundits I named got the job because of merit? Why aren't you complaining about them rather than the fact that a woman, any woman, had the audacity to appear once on a men's football show talking about tactics?

And I'm sorry it does have a bearing on your personality making jokes like that, you could just as well have not typed that out altogether, unless you think you were leaving it out as bait for 'snowflakes' everywhere?

17 Jun 2026 21:12:47
England have won the World Cup. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

17 Jun 2026 23:15:52
Some people are on the pitch, they think it's all over... Calm down ITV.

18 Jun 2026 07:09:42
Exactly why I never watch England, that constant it's coming home and Sweet Caroline really get on my nerves, hate it.

18 Jun 2026 09:00:26
Aye, but it's rare that an England match is actually good to watch. It is something to be excited about.

17 Jun 2026 18:58:46
Half time and Portugal and Martinez giving me LFC and Slot vibes from this last season.

Ed25.Martinez is an ex-Evertin manager. what's your take on him?

Im not a fan and wasn't happy when he was appointed Portugal manager

{Ed025's Note - i like his footballing style JLC, failure to organize a defence lets him down though mate..

17 Jun 2026 23:31:04
Picking Ronaldo as a starter is the biggest fault. He's past it and should let the team play with 11 players rather than 10 and an overbearing presence.

17 Jun 2026 23:33:54
Portugal have some great players, but they have a statue with an ego up front, and a Manager who hasn't got the balls to leave him out. That's why they will be lucky to make the quarters.

18 Jun 2026 07:13:26
He's got no balls, he's scared of being told to play Ronaldo.
He shouldn't even be in the squad, he definitely has more power than he should have.

17 Jun 2026 19:00:38
I want to preface this post with a statement - I am not saying Yan diomande is a bad player so please do not interpret this as me saying that at any point.


So with him possibly about to sign I thought I'd check him out since I haven't actually seen too much of him. I am however always a little skeptical of attackers coming from the bundesliga as defenders there give acres of space and time so the adaption period is pretty steep in my opinion.

I decided to check him out for ivory coast Vs Ecuador, helpfully a chap on YouTube has edited a video of every time diomande touched the ball:




This is a much better look at him since everyone most definitely has highlight fever. I've seen tons talk about how he skinned hincapie alive then did the same on the other wing. But when you watch his full match clips this isn't actually true.

He does skin him twice (pretty easily I might add) however he doesn't even attempt it any other times. Which I think reveals the flaw in his game - he needs space to run into. He is not the close dribbling type who can weave through players (he does try this a few times and succeeds once) he is the knock it into space and use pace type - which is still a superb asset.

But. You don't get space to do that often in the Premier League. Marking is tighter. Space is smaller. Pace is much faster.

He'd be great for a transitional team looking to play on the break (which iraola will probably do) but against low blocks that's a less effective trait, and we are going to face a few of those.

What I do like a lot about him is his workrate and willingness to track back and the fact he doesn't waste the ball often at all, keeping possession most of the time.

He also has an issue with his first touch which can be a bit erratic.


I think he'll be an excellent player but I do also think he will need a year to adapt so don't expect him to be even 10 goal or assist player in his first year. The swap from Germany to premier is a very steep curve and the lack of space and the increased pace kill many players moving from one to the other.

Let be patient if and when he arrives and not get on his case because he doesn't SEEM to be justifying what will certainly be an inflated price.

17 Jun 2026 19:49:30
He is an excellent dribbler in all situations. There are parts of his game I ponder about, but dribbling is not one of them.

I think he just passed it off quite a lot to surprise the actual dribbles.



I think Iraola is the perfect manager for him to be honest. And Rio. I think he can take both their games to another level. That's my hope at least.

17 Jun 2026 20:16:04
He could be the next Mane or the next Adama Traore.

17 Jun 2026 20:21:37
"This is a much better look at him" - A clip from 1 international game in the first round of the World Cup! . 🤣

17 Jun 2026 20:29:11
I didn't see the game. From that video, he's a 19 year old playing his first World Cup game ever, against a very experienced Ecuador defence, and with better finishing from his teammates, could easily have had 3 assists, and with a little more composure could have had a couple of goals.



I'm tremendously excited about him possibly joining. He's a unit as well, not easy to shrug off the ball, and his pressing/tracking back is impressive.

17 Jun 2026 20:44:53
I'd be delighted to be wrong, but I'm not as excited as many on here.

I'll hold my hands up and say all I've seen are his YouTube highlights from this season, and I haven't seen anything to suggest he's an £80mil player.

He's, of course, very young, but YouTube normally makes the likes of Voronin look good.

17 Jun 2026 21:07:43
Well, if the likes of Wharton and Fernandes are £80m players, Diomande certainly is. Tis is the market.

17 Jun 2026 21:15:15
Gvard, 80m is crazy money to me. In my head, 80m players are peak cr7, Suarez standard. But, things are changing for the worse. It's a risky signing but from what I have seen it's worth the risk. Other thing is, how many good rw are about and available? Out of interest, who would you prefer us to sign?

17 Jun 2026 21:23:17
I know what you mean, WestYorkshirered, but we've gotta remember that Ronaldo was 15 years ago, even Bale was 10 years ago and VVD was almost that long ago.

£80m now is what £30-£40m was 10 years ago, Salah money, basically, and no one was certain how he was going to turn out at the time.

17 Jun 2026 21:28:05
How does the value of two random players add anything to the discussion?

I'm saying he doesn't pass the eye test from the little I've seen.

If someone else gets bent over for £80mil for Fernandes or Wharton, they've overpaid.



My concern is £80mil is also overpaying for someone with 1 big season under his belt, who doesn't even manage to excite from YouTube highlights.

Again, I'd be delighted to be wrong.

17 Jun 2026 22:23:09
I think he's a good dribbler, his ball skills are good with both feet.
There's no such thing as a player who is worth £80m in my opinion but the market is the market.

I think he's the kind of Bundesliga player who could succeed.

He's strong on the ball, he's lightening fast and he's two-footed.

Only thing I'm sceptical of is his "age". He didn't look 15 when he went to USA. 🤔🤔

17 Jun 2026 23:40:29
Anybody remember Salif Diao?

We bought him and Spit the Dog in the same window after the 2002 World Cup. They both looked good in the tournament and were set to be stars for us …..

Diomande made me think of Diao, if we do sign him, let's hope it works out a bit better this time.

18 Jun 2026 00:20:34
Soap didn't light up a league before a World Cup

Nevada, it's a really good observation. I think it reflects the reality of the market we are in. There will be "flaws" in Diomande's game which you expect at his age.

What you're buying is the expectation that his strengths can be maximized and his flaws will develop into more strengths once in our environment and in the Premier League.

17 Jun 2026 18:57:33
Ed001 - how about a temporary World Cup page? Plus a prick / troll addition (I jest)!? ☺⚽️✌

{Ed033's Note - Temporary World Cup live chat page. Only those on the approved list can post, others can read. - England Live Chat

17 Jun 2026 19:21:39
World Cup rule change / implementation-
You have 5 seconds to take your goal kick.
If you take longer, it results in a corner!
And you can take as long as you want to take the corner.

17 Jun 2026 19:26:13
Ed033 - I meant a general page for World Cup posts not specifically a live chat option but cool. the live chat ain't my kinda thing however I'm sure it'll popular. 👏✌

17 Jun 2026 16:38:08
Why aren't we talking about the raking of the player's calf by Messi yesterday?

Is FIFA monitoring this site so, we dint talk about that incident?

17 Jun 2026 16:55:44
This is a Liverpool rumours site, unless the calf belongs to someone we're linked with, I don't think many would be too arsed either way.

{Ed001's Note - give it a rest, if you don't like it scroll past.}

17 Jun 2026 17:24:33
Are we not allowed to talk about football matters outside of Liverpool though?

So all the other posts about the WC and referees etc, that's ok?

{Ed001's Note - just ignore him, if he carries on he will just be banned. People just want to be pricks lately.}

17 Jun 2026 18:26:24
Well said, it's a football page, isn't it?

17 Jun 2026 18:32:35
Agreed JLC, should have been a red but just like the last World Cup Messi is untouchable. In the last one he was also a spiteful sh*t and got away with it game after game.

I wanted to post but assu.ed people like No.8 here would kick off, just like he did. Messi's a dirty tramp, always was but gets away with it because he's FIFA's God.

17 Jun 2026 18:48:28
I just explained that its a lighthearted comment answering the original question, if people aren't talking about something maybe its because its not of interest. I understand the written word can be taken in different ways, I certainly wouldn't 'kick off' peope can post anything they want just as peope should be able to answer a question.

Anyway if this one makes it through, all the best to the readers, posters, eds and the continuing success of the site.

{Ed001's Note - it was one of a number of similar posts. It is not funny, it just puts people off talking.}

17 Jun 2026 19:06:14
That was a straight red. Refs are definitely letting a lot more go to keep the game flowing, but that was a shocking decision.

17 Jun 2026 19:08:55
A Lionel bit of favouritism for Messi at the World Cup? It can't be true that!

17 Jun 2026 19:39:38
Corruption in FIFA? Under Infantino? Who knew?

17 Jun 2026 20:12:57
It's become so blatantly obvious as well, VV...