Liverpool banter 8

08 Oct 2025 20:52:50
Today 10 years ago klopp was appointed lfc manager. What a decade of football we have had.
He really is a legend of lfc.

08 Oct 2025 21:39:59
Simply love the man! He gave us so much joy. As a Liverpool fan, I will remain forever indebted to him.

09 Oct 2025 01:14:26
A true Liverpool legend, up there with the greats - Shankly, Paisley, Fagan, Dalglish and Benitez.

09 Oct 2025 04:13:05
I’ll never forget the day he joined us - there was an immediate sense among many of us that he’d bring something special. The excitement was real. When Slot was appointed, I wasn't too excited, yet he went on to win us the league on his first season.

Klopp laid the foundations and restored this club to where it belongs. Thanks to the platform he built, I don’t see us losing our way any time soon. The future looks bright - I genuinely believe we’ll be lifting plenty more trophies in the years ahead.

09 Oct 2025 04:59:16
I'd say this about Klopp - his biggest achievement with us was restoring us from the depths we had sunk to in the preceding 25 years, far bigger than any title he won in the process.
Though I think he could have won more from years 2021-2024, his stint from 2015-2020 was the best piece of club management I've ever seen. We can only thank Klopp for his time at Liverpool - he was the leader we needed.

09 Oct 2025 09:54:44
Lowel, Klopp gave us back our dignity. For that, I will always love him. Sure, we could have won more BUT the other side of the coin is that, we could have won less or won nothing at all. SO I take my wins, learn from my mosses and move on.

That to me was the Klopp way. He taught me so much as a fan on how to support my team. Come rain or shine. Come hell or high water.

09 Oct 2025 10:12:11
Yeah definitely, Oli. I would agree he gave us our dignity back but I think actually winning big trophies gave us back the understanding that Liverpool is a special club that exists to win, something that was the foundation of the 60s, 70s and 80s. It also reinstalled both hope and expectation in the fan base while reducing the cynicism the preceding times had caused.
One of the best managers of all time.

09 Oct 2025 10:17:06
Klopp was exactly what we needed just at the right time . the other clubs were way ahead of us, Klopp got us playing n believing in ourselves, I for one was thinking how many years will we continue to win the odd cup every cpl of years bfr he came in, without putting any sort of meaningful challenge for the league. he also got the fans, the city, everything, the complete package . if we never met Citeh along the way, the trophy haul would have been much higher.

08 Oct 2025 15:30:46
What does this even mean? “Isak is still in the recovery phase, and is expected to reach peak fitness in 3–4 weeks, after having already spent 4–5 weeks with Liverpool, and full recovery may extend up to 3 months, ” (Lewis Steele)

08 Oct 2025 16:27:48
It means that it's a slow day at the office due to the international break and journalists need to come up with something to remain relevant for the next two weeks ;)

08 Oct 2025 17:35:53
ha ha, got to agree, said journos do it every time .

08 Oct 2025 19:45:06
I don't know how players managed to play 50 plus games a season in the 70s and 80s with one sub.

{Ed025's Note - they were not big pussies in those days RF..

08 Oct 2025 23:23:53
Because in those days it was about footy and going to the match and not a business for sportswashing by dodgy conglomerates and / or the financial arms of equally dubious states whose only interest is the acquisition of more and more wealth. Players used to be people who played the game. Now they are business assets to generate and improve revenue streams.

09 Oct 2025 00:44:47
I believe it means that Isak is still in the recovery phase, and is expected to reach peak fitness in 3–4 weeks, after having already spent 4–5 weeks with Liverpool. Full recovery may extend up to 3 months.

09 Oct 2025 04:16:45
Absolutely spot on, WDW. It's a shame because I think the passion the players once had has almost gone as well. There's just far too much money in the sport now, it's ruined a lot of it. I'll always love football but it's not the same as it used to be.

08 Oct 2025 23:10:45
spot f'ing on Ed.

09 Oct 2025 09:58:13
Spot on, WDW. This is happening in the NBA as well. MJ recently said that players in the NBA don't play for the love of the game anymore. They are to busy playing other games off the court rather than focus on playing the game the claim to "love" on it.

As for the journo, seems he possesses 3 different sides to his mouth cos based on that comment, it seems all 30 sides of his mouth are moving at the same time.

08 Oct 2025 14:32:45
ED001.if you're about. was listening to Gerrard chat to Wio . was wondering how come real top level players don't make great managers . they've played in every system under great managers . you'd think they'd know what to do, but looks like they're championship managers instead . n who do you think would make good or great managers from the Liverpool set up. can only think of Milner n Hendo. because they're think skinned n seem that type of person to cope with the pressures of being a top manager.

{Ed001's Note - because they expect players to be able to do things which are beyond them. When Glenn Hoddle was managing Swindon, he would be expecting passes to be made which the players did not even see. It was ok when he was player manager, but when he moved into just managing, even at England level, players just could not do what he thought was easy.}

08 Oct 2025 15:43:05
Dalglish, Cruyff, Guardiola, Beckenbauer, Deschamps. They might not have all been great managers but they won a few things.
Brian Clough was a very player, as well, I believe.

08 Oct 2025 15:57:35
Zidane, Cruyff, Guardiola, Deschamps, Anchelotti. They will probably be considered among great players who succeeded as managers.

08 Oct 2025 16:40:54
Ed1. Not dissagreing with you at all. But i watched most of the games he was in charge.

They played some of the best football i have seen at Swindon, since i started watching them from 77/ 78 onwards. Some of these players he did make better in his short time as manager. One or two like Nicky Summerbee were pretty good anyway.

He had them playing through teams with some amazing passing.

Mitchell, Steve White and certainly Ady Vievash were league 1 journeyman but they all played their part in a very good team for a year.

Sorry Ed1 im not trying prove anything other than what i saw that year.

Also i think that year saw one of the greatest comebacks. Swindon were 4 - 1 down with about 25 mins left, and Swindon scored 5 goals to win 4 -6.

{Ed001's Note - I agree with you, they did, but the players will tell you that there were times when he would be telling them to do stuff in training and they simply couldn't do it. They couldn't play the pass or see it at times.}

08 Oct 2025 17:29:36
Similar story with Roy Keane.

08 Oct 2025 17:43:26
The thing you are omitting with Hoddle at Swindon is he was player manager so of course they played some good football, they had a player way above that level playing for them.

08 Oct 2025 19:17:49
Listen to a podcast with a player who played under Rooney and literally said same as what ed said - in training and tactically was expecting the players to be able to hit and do things beyond their means. Even said was part of the tactics - eg be able to hit a cross field ball on the turn etc.

08 Oct 2025 19:23:31
Thanks for the reply Ed001.I agree with that. must be frustrating for them knowing how to play but obviously players can't do what they did . n for the posters who mentioned Cruyff etc . they are few n far between considering how many top players there has been.

{Ed001's Note - and Cruyff himself always said he was not a natural talent, he had to work at it constantly. That is the main difference.}

08 Oct 2025 20:25:19
ED001.What Cruyff said reminds from the quote what the golfer Gary Player said . the harder i train, the luckier i get.

09 Oct 2025 00:47:17
Some great players do make great managers.

They're different skillsets. That's why you don't need to be a top player to be a top manager. It's also why a top player doesn't mean you will be a top manager.

But if you have the characteristics to be a top manager combined with the right personality, right opportunity etc. then no doubt an ex-pro can be a top manager.

09 Oct 2025 10:05:47
If these ex players are trying to coach their players into playing and executing things that they did w/ o the technical level of said players to see if they are even good enuff then, they are approaching football coaching/ management the wrong way.

Even at your job. If your manager is trying to make you do things you are clearly incapable of doing rather than checking if you have the actual ability to do them, he/ she is a poor manager and leader of men, IMO.

08 Oct 2025 14:43:06
Konate is a bang average center back if he was not at Liverpool he would never of been an international.

He is too aggressive when marking players, gives away far too many free kicks in dangerous areas, he is not helping Bradley and is being found out with Trent not here. if he wants to go, sell him in jan and get someone in to replace him. i don't agree with holding the club to ransom, the club that made him by winning trophies. i know i am a bit harsh, but that's my feelings about konate.
YNWA.

08 Oct 2025 15:03:39
Totally agree konate should of been sold in the summer he isn’t good at all and we should of brought in a decent partner for van dijk we just cannot defend or keep a clean sheet and I cannot see us winning the title this season as defensively we all over the place.

08 Oct 2025 15:14:20
Top fan.

08 Oct 2025 15:20:25
I agree that Konate is replaceable and we should very much upgrade on him regardless if he wants to stay or not.

But it is quite interesting how last season, people were saying that Konate was covering for Trent and how unfair it was for him and now, it is Konate who is being found out because Trent isn't here anymore. Nothing against your opinion, iwillbered since I doubt you were one of those who said the former about Trent and Konate. Just find it funny how quickly narratives can shift.

08 Oct 2025 15:34:27
His best trait was covering the gap left by Trent. But yeah he always had deficiencies even on his best days.

It's always bothered me is how poor he is as an aerial threat. He should have at least a few goals from set pieces.

08 Oct 2025 15:54:10
The only person not helping Bradley is Bradley, he's been awful so far this season. Barring a spell when Trent was injured in the 23-24 season and that tackle on Mbappe he's been bang average and massively overrated.

08 Oct 2025 15:55:58
If he was a bang average center half slot wouldn't have trusted him in a title winning team, let's be sensible here. Nobody's disputing he hasn't been right this season, but part of that also has to do with how disjointed we are elsewhere on the pitch and how exposed he is at times. I'm not saying that he is above criticism, but there's criticism and sheer hyperbole born of frustration at losing three games.

08 Oct 2025 16:02:48
He's not bang average, never has been, he was a French international at Leipzig. Trent never ever covered for Konate, what a load of codswollop. I don't particularly have a lot of good feeling towards Ibou if he's choosing the same path as TAA but let's not rewrite history to suit agenda. Behave.

08 Oct 2025 17:31:28
Is Konate the new whipping boy?

08 Oct 2025 17:40:59
wait till he signs for Madrid, plenty of posts then,

08 Oct 2025 18:31:58
How can you get upset at someone for seeing out their contract? He doesn't want to play for LFC beyond this year (it appears), that's his prerogative.

Why is ok for a club to tell players they don't want them and get rid but a player can't tell the club the same?

Long gone are the days of a player staying at a club for their career. Get over it.

08 Oct 2025 19:26:20
Konate has been dreadful this year . but last year I thought he played his best football for us.

08 Oct 2025 19:52:11
Don’t think anyone has played brilliant and consistently this season not just ibou, factor in the army or right backs he’s had to play with and the tactical changes a bit expected I assume.

09 Oct 2025 00:37:24
Iwillbered, has it come to this looking for a scapegoat to blame for our poor performances?
Arne will sort it out he just has to stop tinkering with the team but i have full confidence in him and the team
a bit of patience is all we need right now lads and girls
YNWA.

09 Oct 2025 00:48:38
Konate has shown that he can be a top defender, but he is inconsistent.

09 Oct 2025 10:12:46
PatrikBurgher, you speak way too much sense. I mean, look at the OP's first sentence. That is just rubbish cos there is NO way he or anyone can prove Konate that. Nor is there a way he can prove that Konate wouldn't make it as an international if he wasn't playing for LFC.

Upamecano who is no where near Konate's ability still starts for France and even Im not saying it is cos he is at Bayern. Cos again, I can NOT prove that. Cringe stuff.

08 Oct 2025 14:40:38
Anyone watched the Dalglish interview with Carra, Neville, Roy Keane, Ian Wright and a lady footballer (sorry can't remember her name) in what looked like a hotel.

Behind Carra was a plaque with an Everton badge and Jamie Carra - once a blue, always a blue - says it all. It's on youtube - the King is so funny.
YNWA.

08 Oct 2025 15:27:21
Wasn't SKD once a Rangers fan?
He is funny though.

08 Oct 2025 15:49:32
What says it all? The joke plaque Neville got Carragher? What does it say?

08 Oct 2025 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - 007 has posted a new article entitled, Was Heitinga / Slot The Secret?

08 Oct 2025 08:43:26
My apologies I thought all and sundry knew the reason why Federico was being completely snubbed, it does not require a google search just ask yourselves the simple question :

Who is the highest paid player at the club, and HAS to be because of this the first name on the team sheet every game, he gets the same money every week regardless of performance. What signal does that send out if you drop the man on the highest wages.

My apologies also again why has the so called PRESS not working 100% :

Just ask yourselves who is the number one trigger for the press, and therefore how can he do it when playing out of position for nearly half the games so far, in fact it was his dummy that won the game at NUFC because he was in the opponents box not his own.

If you still don't know Jurgen signed him to be his number one presser, ask yourself again who is also most influential in the press and his been moved back out of a position he has made himself world class at times during the games this season, again ye can't press when ye in ye own half not the opponents half of the field.

Square Pegs in Round Holes, you don't strengthen a position, by weakening other more important areas of the team.

Ekitike our top goal scorer on the bench for the Chelsea game, and our most inflential substitute this season Federico not even used, after getting us back in the game at palace are again bewildering selections.

08 Oct 2025 10:22:05
My worry is that there's a lot of talk about waiting for us to "click" and I'm really not sure that's the main problem. Sure, it will help a bit, but for me it's the total lack of balance in the team and the squad.

I think it was Shankly who once said "football is like a piano. You need 8 men to carry it and 3 who can play it. " As much as I'm not sure on that ratio in today's game, the point still stands. If you want to play with a number 10, 3 forwards and 2 attacking FBs, you absolutely 100% have to have 2 holding midfielders who are highly mobile with a fantastic engine - and even then it's stretching it. We are playing MacAllister who simply cant' do that job, at all.

This is the problem we have - we have totally the wrong profile players for the way we are looking to play. Surely the more sensible option would be to get one of the full backs to be more of the "defensive" type if you know one of your midfielders is going to be higher up the pitch (Wirtz)?

I really hope I'm wrong, but it looks like we have signed brilliant players that don't fit the system. To use Shankly's analogy, we need one or two more players who can carry the piano. Just my 10p worth!

08 Oct 2025 10:27:08
Chiesa plays on the left and his only competition is Gakpo who happens to be a Dutch and that’s your answer why he doesn’t get a look in. Salah has no relevance to Chiesa. In fact we don’t have a genuine RW bar Salah.
Isak doesn’t feature in our strongest first eleven.

08 Oct 2025 10:36:32
I think it's so so early to make any assumptions on new players/ coaches etc.

We re in an adjustment period.

It hasn't been seemless but just because it hasn't been seemless in transition does not mean it's not going to work out. Or it's time to panic. Or say this was better than that.

I need to see much much more before coming to an opinion on this or that.

But it's not a flying start. That I admit.

08 Oct 2025 10:51:16
@Wirtz 007, that made me laugh - Slot picks players based on nationality 😀😀.

08 Oct 2025 11:11:34
TBB
You are absolutely spot on. It’s a basic problem, lack of dedicated personals in key positions. We are not going to miraculously improve with McAlister and Gravenberch in the middle playing two offensive full backs and one dedicated playmaker.
Unfortunately Robbo and few others have shifted the narrative to “we are yet to click” “lack of chemistry” “lack of biology” etc etc.

08 Oct 2025 11:54:09
I know Chiesa can play on the left but why do people say he is a left winger and can replace Gakpo? Is it because he is right footed and would normally cut in? Or just because he played there one season with Juventus?

I ask this because I always remember him on the right, and even the great 002 told us in his time that he would have a Salah replacement in case he left the club.

08 Oct 2025 12:47:35
This is what we are dealing with WDW. People who honestly believe that Slot picks a player just because of his nationality.

These armchair tactical geniuses who obviously know better than a guy who’s dedicated his life to coaching at the highest level and has won titles in 2 countries.

Slot isn’t perfect. No manager has ever been perfect but he’s not an idiot. He knows his onions and he’s picking a team based on a multitude of factors not just because Wirtz 007 is throwing his toys out of the pram because we lost a couple of games.

Wirtz mate I have nothing against you and I even share your frustration but you need to grow up a bit. Players and teams have bad spells. Shankly went 7 years without a trophy yet he’s known as the best manager of all time (to most Liverpool fans anyway) .

You say we won’t ’click’ with Grav and Macca in the middle and Wirtz as the playmaker. How can you be so sure? Do you really think Slot and his team have just said ah sod it let’s chuck them in there and see what happens?

They will need coaching on the system, whatever it is and they will analyse the mistakes and train hard to eradicate them. That’s how it works. Players and teams are constantly changing, evolving into hopefully whatever the manager’s vision is.

You are a by product of an age where people believe that players have a defined set of attributes that can’t be changed. That players are like they are on FIFA. It’s not the case. The coach will have a plan when he sends the team out and the players will have to learn to execute it. The plan will change and evolve with time and experience and as other teams try to counter it but it’s not as simple as you think it is.

Sometimes you have to go through a little pain to reach the pot of gold. We did it with Klopp in his first 2 seasons. I remember the narrative of ‘he can’t set up a defence’ but once everyone got used to the system we were the tightest defence in the league.

Just have a bit of patience mate and stop being a big baby.

PS. Is Wirtz 007 Harry by any chance? It would explain a lot.

08 Oct 2025 12:50:29
I think we lost half of the games Chiesa started last season.
He only started one League game- which we lost and he was substituted- when we won the title by ten points.
Salah started every game, scored twenty nine goals and had eighteen assists.

08 Oct 2025 13:11:29
Slots made some wrong choices it seems but I trust him he'll go back to basics and figure it out he is a very good manager.

Just add Ekitke had 1 training session prior to chelsea he pulled up in the Gala game, Fede was nursing a knock aswell but probs should of come on.

the team will be fine its a couple bad results that's it personally I just want to see Frimpong and Kerkez overlapping with speed and getting balls in.

Giorgi
Frimpong Gomez VVD Kerkez
Dom Grav
Wirtz
Salah Isak Gakpo

with Eketiki rotating in and out with Isak or Gakpo every game or he starts and the others do the same. Fede coming in Jones and Mac coming in aswell but I do believe we need Dom back in Midfield to give us energy Mac is off it at the moment and shouldn't be in the team for now.

08 Oct 2025 13:16:29
Yes robbos, Wirtz007 is Harry. No other poster would come up with a nickname ridiculing our player and team like that but him.

08 Oct 2025 13:24:04
You say we won’t ’click’ with Grav and Macca in the middle and Wirtz as the playmaker. How can you be so sure? Do you really think Slot and his team have just said ah sod it let’s chuck them in there and see what happens?

Isn’t this what’s happening right now? He is trying very hard to fit in Wirtz into the team, playing him left, right and center without actually knowing how to play him. In Germany he was the chief in that Leverkusen side having far more touches of the ball per game (74) compared to England (48)

They will need coaching on the system, whatever it is and they will analyse the mistakes and train hard to eradicate them. That’s how it works. Players and teams are constantly changing, evolving into hopefully whatever the manager’s vision is.

I am sorry but McAllister isn’t going to become a Kante / Caicedo / Makelele breed by some black Magic and while unless Gravenberch learns to hold his position and not to sprint upwards every now and then teams will cut us through the middle.

You really don’t get why we are conceding goals and why our midfield is overrun don’t you? No you don’t mate.
The poster TBB was spot on with his assessment.

08 Oct 2025 13:37:45
Ekitike wasnt fit to start as he came off against galatasary with a slight issue, Slot explained why he didn't use Chiesa as he felt the team needed more control.
I do agree however that having 2 midfielders in your back 4 is bizarre.

08 Oct 2025 14:08:55
This is why you don't engage robbo, all you get is more drivel.

08 Oct 2025 14:20:34
Mac will improve because Oli is not letting him get away with a damn thing.

08 Oct 2025 14:21:17
We won the league last season with a midfield duo of Grav and Macca with 41 goals conceded, the second least in the league. And this is after our players got their flip flops out for the last four games too. It goes to show that that midfield duo can work in the right set up. But Grav is playing further forward now and Macca is way off form so it doesn't atm.

Anyway, the window is closed now so it doesn't serve any purpose to talk about what players we need that we currently don't have. So, the next best thing would be to drop Macca entirely and play Szob there. Tbh, I think Slot is trying harder to force Szob into the side than Wirtz, hence why he's playing Szob at RB now. I'd go with the lineup Kloppers posted up there. Maybe Ekitike instead of Gakpo or Isak, but I'd choose the same midfield trio of Grav, Szob, and Wirtz.

Just to add too, Wirtz has played some delicious looking passes so far this season and he would have gotten a few assists already if not for poor finishing. So I don't think he is the flop that everyone else seems to think. Had a few of those passes resulted in goals, people would be raving about him instead.

08 Oct 2025 15:45:28
I don't know why both Klopp and Slot play Macca so deep. He's a 10 (I know that's a rare position these days but that's his profile) . He's most effective up the pitch where he can do damage with a final ball or shot.

I know Slot likes all his midfielders to be good on the ball but Macca, even at his best, gets shrugged off the ball and accelerated past. He is simply not a deep lying midfielder to me. Klopp playing him as a 6 never worked and Slot putting him in a two doesn't work either. Or at least it doesn't play to his strengths. It's not like he's playing long diagonals from deep, he always plays it short.

Now that he's unfit/ recovering from injury he's costing us goals. I knew he'd be at the scene of the crime if we conceded when I saw him in the 11. He's too slow and weak to be left alone while grav moves up the pitch.

08 Oct 2025 15:54:59
Agree 100% with TBB's post. Gakpo, Worst, Salah, Frimpong and Kerkez getting pelters but in my mind Macca is the one that isn't fitting in right now. Not that he's a bad player or anything, he's great, but not as a holding midfielder. Play the best players for the system, not just your best players.
Does that mean Szob alongside Grab or maybe even Endo? I dunno, that's Slots problem to sort and I am sure he will.

08 Oct 2025 17:54:00
got to agree with a lot that has been said, but macca and frimpong should not be in the 1st eleven, more like to come on when Bradley gets his yellow card and gets taken off, or when konate gets an injury and also goes off, its happening too often .