Liverpool banter 7

10 Mar 2026 22:23:27
Just my opinion, but it's time to cut bait and get Alonso in as soon as possible. Maybe we can get a bounce but it certainly can't get any worse. What we are doing is pathetic. We need a shot in the arm and Xabi would provide that in my view.

10 Mar 2026 22:44:48
And if he didn't want to come?

Like last time.

10 Mar 2026 22:46:40
As much as I don't think Slot is the problem the way most do, I really don't see a change before May. If we were to sack Slot now, I'd rather Gerrard till May than Alonso. Alonso's the better long term choice, but for what we'd need right now, Gerrard'd be better, imo, because these half arsed pansies wouldn't be able to take their eyes off the ground if they didn't lift their effort big time under Stevie.

10 Mar 2026 23:17:27
"As much as I don't see Slot as the problem" I had to laugh and stop reading then.

11 Mar 2026 00:08:55
Could be Xabi is on gardening leave as part of his contract settlement.

11 Mar 2026 00:12:53
I dont, Frode. And, we both know he wont be gone before May. But, if by some miracle he was, I was saying what my choice would be.

11 Mar 2026 03:05:20
Florian, you remind me of those I see around here in the states in their red hats. Just can't stop doing us all the favor of reminding us of all we need to know about you.

11 Mar 2026 06:04:22
"If by some miracle he was" haha you are the gift that keeps on giving. Hodgson was never the problem either when he was the manager. Klopp was never the reason why he had success too. In fact we don't need a manager or if you're Ron a coach at all it's the players who do the work. Florian the Scientologist at work.

11 Mar 2026 06:39:25
Florian, that "As much as I don't think Slot is the problem" might be one of the most blinkered things I've ever seen on this site. Which is saying something.

Nobody would absolve the players of all responsibility. They have been poor.

But Slot is absolutely the problem. If we take just one example from last night, Macca and Konate both had generational stinkers.

Both saw out the entire game. It was appalling game management. Any manager whose decision isn't to hook both of them last night, or even one of them, doesn't deserve to be in the LFC dugout.

That's not even getting started on the tactics, the tanking fitness levels, and numerous other things.

11 Mar 2026 09:29:14
Wassa and Frode, I think Florian is just here to try to be a contrarian on purpose. He seems to want to be different as some type of badge of honour so as to claim some kind of moral high ground, which is just pathetic and meaningless esp. when things are this bad for this manager.

Why? because I think many of his takes are absolutely bonkers that no one paying attention to current events would take that seriously.

"As much as I don't think Slot is the problem".

Really?

11 Mar 2026 10:32:33
OilRed - 100%. In another thread, Florian was arguing Slot's case and, in the same breath, openly admitted he "won't give a rats anymore" the second he goes; that tells you all you need to know, really. How you can stand up for something, defend it to the hills, and then just act like it never happened is beyond me. Also said something along the lines of not caring when Klopp left too. He seems to prefer making a statement for argument's sake rather than talking sense. Some people just love to go against the grain and ruffle some feathers, it's how they get their kicks.

Ron - This has been my suspicion since day 1. He left for Real as a player, he turned us down in '24 to stay at Leverkusen because he had one eye on the Real job.

Reports claim we contacted him back in January, I believe them. I personally think this was to see if he'd be interested in coming in immediately. I believe he said no. He's an intelligent bloke, he knows he's hot property right now, he'll be made many offers this summer. With Pep and Enrique possibly moving on, there could be a number of other clubs that would make more sense to him in terms of being a less risky route back to top tier management. From a career standpoint, he'd be moronic not to wait until the summer and see what offers are brought to the table. I know everybody was hoping Pep would leave this year, but I think it's very much so in our best interest that both he and Enrique stay put.

10 Mar 2026 22:12:30
We all want a change, the team has lost so much lately, the football is boring, the players look unfit and seem to lack desire and determination and willingness to go that extra mile for each other and the badge. Ekitike has been run into the ground and looks knackered. Slots reluctance to use youth and give them a chance is frustrating.

The players who signed in the summer are/ we be great players but we miss some fire, we need a leader who leads. Virg is the good cop, we need a bad cop to give the players a kick up the ass when they need it. Thank you for the title Mr Slot but you're slowly killing the club.

10 Mar 2026 22:54:06
Hard for Virg, Big Dan. When he was giving out to Kerkez earlier in the season he was called out for it. Not like the old days when Tony Adams lifted everyone out of it. Klopp's peak time was full of men. We could play poorly and win. People expect that out of this team when they're not in the same class.

11 Mar 2026 06:04:55
Florian doesn't want a change. How dare you post that we want a change.

11 Mar 2026 08:40:20
Comedy gold.
More like a school playground every day for some.

11 Mar 2026 09:19:21
It's the same team that won the league last season, minus a few, and added top scorer Isak, Kerkez who was the best lb in the league, Ekitike, one of the best youngsters about, and 2 players from Bayern Lev who went a whole season unbeaten. The players have to take some of the blame, but Slot is responsible for the tactics, the press being all over the shop, midfield being wide open, and our inability to defend set pieces.

Oh, and the slow, boring, safe football, which has actually seen us concede more.

11 Mar 2026 09:29:58
Indeed, Flash.

11 Mar 2026 10:49:44
Florian Musiala - Yeah, must be real hard for poor Virg, on £350k a week, to hear complete and utter nonsense from nobodies who he doesn't give a flying duck about. Craig Burley is the least of Van Dijk's worries. I doubt he even knows his name. Big Dan's right. Virg is not the captain we need right now.

10 Mar 2026 21:46:32
I genuinely do believe we have the worst manager and captain leading us through this difficult period. One is incompetent, stuck in his ways and refuses to adapt to a change that needed to take place near the beginning of the season. The other, is far too laidback and, when trouble does find him, he looks to shift blame and criticise others instead of reflect on his own mistakes.

There are zero positives this season. I can't even recall a period where we looked stable, let alone thriving and dangerous. Arne has drained the fight, ingenuity and ability from this group of players. We now resort to set piece luck, as opposed to individual brilliance as we used to at the start of the season, because the players are no longer being put in positions to affect the scoreline while the ball is still in play.

Honestly, before we even think about correcting the squad mismanagement, we need to clear out the coaching staff. We also need to remove Hughes and Edwards. To leave this team so unbalanced, after spending so much, is genuinely criminal, especially when we had an entire year to sit back and evaluate areas in need of improvement, and we didn't adress any of those issues.

I can see the word period of transition roaring into view and without Champions League football next season, that period will be stretched even further. I hope I am wrong, but Slot, Hughes and Edwards may have very well set us back a lot further than we would like to admit.

10 Mar 2026 22:32:59
In fairness to Van Dijk, he must be jaded. At the same time, as he's going through the natural decline of being 34 and having to play every minute of every big game, because however bad a captain you're perceived to be, the team can't be trusted to get a result without ye. Look at the defenders around Van Dijk tonight. Konate was a disgrace, Gomez not much better. Kerkez, in fairness, again was good but had to be taken off because he was on a yellow.

Robbo again, poor when he came on. At a time when other CB's he's compared to, like Rio and Terry, were either finished or being protected, he is still our main man. He's still, for me, the best around. Imagine him with Saliba or Gabriel next to him. I look at Virg and I think, be thankful for what we have, because whereas at one point he was the last line of a great team, now he's surrounded by averageness.

10 Mar 2026 22:40:41
VVD is, unfortunately, managed by averageness, so that must be the most difficult thing for him.

10 Mar 2026 22:45:37
Head coach.

We don't have a manager.

10 Mar 2026 22:58:39
Ah Frode, give over. Managed by averageness, or looking at a team in front of him, a shadow of the team he played behind a few years ago? Arne Slot is not his most difficult thing, it's no Matip, Trent, Fabinho and Hendo. We have to be realistic, spending 450m does not make this team near the great Klopp sides.

10 Mar 2026 23:18:45
No, Florian, it makes us sixth and unacceptable.

10 Mar 2026 23:40:35
I don't think the squad is unbalanced at all. We have 2 quality players for every position when everyone is fit.

11 Mar 2026 00:16:34
No, we don't, Varry. Look at our bench tonight, with only a few 1st team absentees. We have numbers, not quality.

11 Mar 2026 00:17:56
If we finish sixth it's unacceptable, Frode.

11 Mar 2026 06:42:41
"Kerkez, in fairness, again was good but had to be taken off because he was on a yellow."

Mate, Virgil picked up a yellow for tackling somebody off the pitch.

10 Mar 2026 21:09:43
This team going nowhere under this lot in charge. Hope there’s a change come the summer, I don’t want us to get on that cycle of managers wanting to 3-5 years to win the league etc.

10 Mar 2026 20:49:36
Come on Florian I want to hear your excuses? You lied about Kenny Dalglish you actually had the neck to compare him to Slot. Now where are you?

10 Mar 2026 21:23:44
How'd i lie bout Kenny, Endo? Are we eliminated Endo? That game sums up how i've seen the season. I've explained that enough don't need to again. it should be obvious to anyone who watched it? Curious bout this though, how'd i lie about Kenny?

10 Mar 2026 21:31:56
Be nice now gentlemen.

10 Mar 2026 22:22:30
A bit nasty calling someone out on their opinion.

10 Mar 2026 22:34:21
It's ok, Darwin. I'm still waiting on him to tell me where I lied. His lack of response is telling.

11 Mar 2026 05:55:35
@Endo - do you refer to everybody who has a different opinion to you as a liar?

11 Mar 2026 06:05:44
He ain't a liar. A troll, a Scientologist and delusional is fair.

11 Mar 2026 08:04:19
He said Dalglish was 19 points behind Arsenal in his fourth season. No, he was not.

11 Mar 2026 09:33:12
Endo, that doesn't make him a liar. He may have gotten his facts wrong but that doesn't mean he lied.

Remember, a liar is fully aware of what the truth is, hence, he lies to hide that. Not sure if Flo was doing this. I could be wrong.

10 Mar 2026 20:45:45
Any positives from that performance ed001 cause I can't think of any? It's Groundhog Day.

{Ed001's Note - none that I saw. I can't believe people are giving a pass to the keeper, he was as bad as the rest. Everyone was dreadful, at best.}

10 Mar 2026 21:44:02
He was no worse than Allison has been recently and his kicking was definitely better. Your obvious bias clouds your perception.

10 Mar 2026 22:02:48
The game as a whole was a painful watch. If I was a neutral and that was my first ever match, I would quit and go and watch bowls or something else, anything else. Stop, start, fall over, cuddle, wrestle and repeat.



No skill, no moments of individual brilliance, literally painting by numbers. Is this what we are left with after the highs of last season? A dull toothache of a team?

10 Mar 2026 22:13:34
Didnt think Mama was any worse than this seasons Alli to be honest. And his kicking was indeed better, not that that would be hard.

10 Mar 2026 22:42:00
Positive - Galatasaray look dreadful.
Negative - We look worse.

And I think we have been spoiled by Ali over the past few years, but Giorgi is genuinely woeful with his feet.

10 Mar 2026 23:07:44
Ali has not been at his usual level, but we are blaming him too much. He has still had some outstanding games. CPal at the beginning of the season is one, and there was another game recently (I can't seem to recall the exact team). His kicking has definitely fallen off a cliff, though.

Maybe it's the fear of injury, but he genuinely has gone from the second best in the world at kicking to maybe being below average now. Mama is obviously not good with his feet, but I think he had a good game. Maybe he could have been more assertive on corners, but shot stopping was good, in my opinion.

10 Mar 2026 23:18:15
And yet, Mama tonight was better than this year's Alli with his feet. Did Mama not do well tonight? Saved what he had to. Alli has not been making worldies lately. And this is from someone who adores Allison. Best LFC goalie I ever seen.

10 Mar 2026 23:46:30
I'd agree with that, Florian. I was dreading Mama in goal tonight, but he did ok, apart from inexplicably making a meal of that cross and nearly putting it into his own net.

His kicking was ok.

Probably better than Ali this season. Nothing flashy, but he did see Mo in space and put the big early punt up to him, which created a chance. He made a decent save, but wasn't called upon too much. He did ok.

10 Mar 2026 21:41:22
Ed001 can you understand how if reports are true that Gravenberch has been given a £280k a week contract he has the passing ability of a very hungover Sunday league player. I see a post earlier comparing him to Viera.

{Ed001's Note - no, it made little sense on his performances this season.}

10 Mar 2026 20:44:40
We all know Slot has been abysmal this season n i hope he's gone at the end of the season, but do they players have any pride left, no tackles, no passion, no press, no fight, Konate n VVD were absolutely shocking tonight, Salah, Wirtz, Macallister not far behind, only the keeper ( can't spell his name ) played decent, we should have been 2 nil up in the first 5 mins, then they have their first attack n goal, we might need another 6 players by the start of next season after spending over £400 mill, how on earth did this happen.

10 Mar 2026 21:27:06
Difference is, we know these players can play. They must do better in certain circumstances, absolutely. Be the common denominator is Slot, he's utterly hopeless and the club have only themselves to blame in allowing this season to be written off.

10 Mar 2026 21:44:29
Question Frode, could Slot manage last season?

10 Mar 2026 22:03:07
Frode, I agree its down to Slot because he's the manager/head coach whatever, we have excellent players n i was hoping we retained the league and went on a little cpl of years of winning it, but he has set the tempo for the style we play, we look completely lost, I think a new manager with new ideas will revitalise this team, needs a few additions n definitely a few outs.

10 Mar 2026 22:13:03
Question Florian, can he manage this season? No. Was anyone complaining last season? No. Was he happy to take the plaudits? Yes.

10 Mar 2026 22:13:53
He used Klopp's players in Klopp's system, but with a more defensive approach, especially when we were 1-2 goals up. This season we rarely take the lead, we cant press and we dont create enough chances. And its boring as hell. Football is supposed to be entertainment but this style of play makes me hate watching it.

10 Mar 2026 22:16:10
Strom, you say it's down to Slot, yet question whether these players have any pride, fight, or passion left. Sums it up really, doesn't it?

10 Mar 2026 22:27:10
Surprised you thought that was boring, C0ffan. I thought it pretty end to end. Just a shame that our players didn't bring their fight. Again.

10 Mar 2026 22:42:03
These players seem to fight under Klopp? Hmm, common denominator, Slot.

10 Mar 2026 22:42:04
What you should be asking yourself is, if Slot was obviously so good last year and, all of a sudden, so bad this season, why is it so crazy to think that can't be the case with players? And, before people say "when it's all the players, Florian, the common denominator is Slot", it's not all the players.

Some players are putting it in, but even Slot's biggest critics (as you are, Frode) have to look at the likes of tonight's performance and lay some of the blame at the players. This is LFC, not I hate Slot FC.

10 Mar 2026 23:21:06
No, I will lay the blame on the coach... You forgive odd performances for being off, but we have been diabolical all season. We have quality players and ineptitude guiding them.

11 Mar 2026 00:33:23
Other teams have top players too. Teams like Ars, City, Chels, Newc, Utd, Villa have top quality players just like us. We have no divine right. Im dying to see how many of our players get into the team of the season. Of course it'll be Arne holding them back from pushing to be the best.

11 Mar 2026 06:48:13
Florian, as I said I think we've got excellent players, but if we are trained to play this way, the players have lost all hope n pride. A new manager wouldn't allow these mediocre performances to continue.

We are completely lost as a team, and I know you love Slot, but when 95% of the fans want a change and you are still pleading his case, that sums you up.

10 Mar 2026 20:34:58
Can we start questioning what van dyke does a captain apart from holding the odd team meeting after bad performances? Sick of the same sh*t.

10 Mar 2026 21:38:27
VVD is this weeks scapegoat now.

10 Mar 2026 21:53:58
I'm questioning them all.
No effort, no energy, no desire.
Not good enough.

10 Mar 2026 22:04:25
He has to bear some of the responsibility, Frode. He is definitely not the player he was and seems to be deteriorating rapidly.

10 Mar 2026 22:21:57
About time it's one of the players. Although one of the last I'd be looking at is Van Dijk. He's gone from Hendo, Lighthouse and Gini in front of him to Dom, a dismal Macca and a pansy Grav. All this while babysitting Konate and the barely better Gomez.

And don't get me started on the front 3. But sure, hey, this team is as good as the 2019/20 side. Best squad in our history was it not called a while ago?

10 Mar 2026 22:23:05
I've been saying all season that there's more wrong with us than just Slot. Anybody who thinks that just by changing our Head Coach will fix things is wrong. We looked an absolute shambles tonight, at times, and players have to take their share of responsibility.

I think Slot will go in the summer, along with most on here, but I'm not expecting whoever comes in to wave a magic wand.

10 Mar 2026 23:34:38
I expect him gone as well, Rome, and I think the same as you. The same will happen as happens at a lot of clubs, where players know the manager is on the brink. When he finally goes, there'll be a lift, because they're not stupid, the "I can't be a target under two different managers because then people will actually look at me" attitude will kick in. Likes of Mainoo have been an obvious example, prime Iniesta 1st coupla games under Carrick, apparently now back to what he is.

A technically gifted player without the physical attributes to play in CM, a Harvey Elliott if you will. I actually hope people don't see what I think they will under a new manager. Because that will mean I'm wrong, and these players are worldbeaters, been restricted by an idiot. I have no want to be able to say I told you so. Let's just hope we're not going down Utds road, although I doubt they'd ever sack a manager who won the league the year before.

11 Mar 2026 05:40:48
VVD is just not the right type for a captain in my opinion. He's a bit passive, and his body language is quite negative (throwing arms, blaming others, etc).

In saying that, I don't think we have anyone who'd be that good of a captain in the starting 11. For me, the best person to be captain at the club would be Robbo, but he's not a starter, so that's not possible.

Szobo is a maybe.

I know he captains his country. I think he'd be more of a silent captain, like Messi, the type who's an example to others because of how much effort he puts in, rather than being a vocal/leader type.

It will be very interesting to see all the changes next season... Sucks that it's a WC year, because I don't think we'll have the time to address everything that's wrong.

11 Mar 2026 07:46:42
Frode, it's not piling on VVD. He's the captain and is underperforming, and coming out with 'we should be better' is not good enough for Liverpool, and my favourite has a players behind closed doors to air views and look at ourselves. VVD has done this all season and no real impact.

11 Mar 2026 08:07:18
Wow, using homophobic slurs against our own players is quite disgusting.

{Ed001's Note - if you are talking about pansy, that is not homophobic, though it was often used to refer to gay men thought to be a bit weak. It is a general term for weak because the pansy flower is so soft and easily damaged. People are quick to assume terms like fairy and pansy are homophobic, when they are not, they are general insults. It is homophobic if you say because someone is gay they are a pansy or fairy yes, but not to just call someone a pansy or fairy.}

10 Mar 2026 20:25:53
Well at least Spurs can cheer us up.

Big deal made out of changing the goalie because Vicario's been a bit off and the poor lad lasts 16 minutes. You could not make that up.