Liverpool banter 9

06 Jan 2026 12:37:02
I hope Glasner is snapped up by United, should be nowhere near Liverpool. If he stays with Crystal Palace, he gets sacked next season. If he goes to united, he gets sacked next season.

At least Hughes/ Edwards had the foresight to give Slot a sensible contract length. Unlike Chelsea who will be giving another payoff in 12-18 months time again.

Slots going nowhere this season as long as we are fighting for a CL place. Much riskier getting a replacement in at this time for someone who is still clinging on and around top 4. We could end up with a 20-21 Tuchel or more likely a 24-25 Wilfried Nancy.

06 Jan 2026 12:58:05
I'm convinced that no manager will sort United at this point, so they can appoint whoever they like. They'll be back doing this again within 2 years.

06 Jan 2026 13:09:11
Interested to know why you think that? Glasner seems like a good option out of a limited pool of managers available.

Not saying we should sack Slot for Glasner imminently but he has a good record at Palace and in Germany i think.

06 Jan 2026 13:09:28
Glasner has the perfect villain fit for a United boss.

06 Jan 2026 14:10:15
For once I agree with Bob. I don't want Glasner near our club.

06 Jan 2026 15:41:27
When united get the right manager, with their funding they'll be right back up there, here's hoping they appoint a load of dross in my lifetime.

06 Jan 2026 18:25:30
Thing is, Stroms - people have been saying that for years now and they always end up back to square one. They are rotten to the core, I don't see them at the top again for many, many years.

06 Jan 2026 20:16:07
Salah, that dressing room is already a coach killer.

06 Jan 2026 22:06:02
Salah . its just that when they get their house in order, with the money they generate its inevitable they'll be back, but I hope you're 100% right . imagine Rat boy on every channel talking about it.

06 Jan 2026 10:50:55
Can I just confirm that Isak was Slot's first choice? He is such a poor footballer and if true says a lot a about Slot.

06 Jan 2026 11:08:32
Once again the depth of your footballing knowledge is in full display.

06 Jan 2026 11:18:27
Wonder how many people on here thought he was a poor footballer when he was scoring 27 goals last season. Willing to bet none.

06 Jan 2026 11:20:27
Isak would've been every coach in world football's first choice.

He's a world class striker and will make that comment look very silly Nicol.

06 Jan 2026 11:21:32
Isak is not a poor player. Poor attitude I could agree with but poor player no way. One thing we know with Klopp signing players when he was boss was the players attitude were usually spot on in my opinion.

06 Jan 2026 11:26:24
There were a lot of fans that already had him labelled as world class, my opinion was that he would only reach that after consistently good seasons at a top club like Liverpool.
The jury is definitely out on the guy but he does have some valid excuses in actually missing all of pre season and then some and then he gets injured after 🙄.

I'm not convinced by him, especially at the minute, to be honest I'm not convinced by Wirtz either, playing slightly better but I'm hoping there's a few levels to go up yet but at least he's improving from Sept/ Oct.
Are these players Slot wanted? No clue, only Hughes and Slot can answer that, either way it's a bit of a sh#t at this moment in time.

06 Jan 2026 11:27:18
Are you asking for permission to confirm it? If so, go for it, NBG.
I don't reckon it's just Slot that rates Isak, though.

06 Jan 2026 11:35:49
Oh my. an alleged football fan saying that Isak is a poor footballer. heard it all now!

06 Jan 2026 11:46:15
Think it was a bit overkill after signing Ekitike, I don't think he's crap, but I reckon he will be for sale by the end of next season.

06 Jan 2026 11:49:45
Jury still out on Wirtz for me, even if ye can see some of the sublime touches he does. Hopefully he comes good, im more confident Isak does but unfortunately it'll probably next next season or towards the end of this before we see the best of them.

06 Jan 2026 12:02:49
Im surprised the comment got this much attention.

06 Jan 2026 12:05:55
Does scoring 30 / 40 goals a season make you a good footballer, or a good goalscorer?
Depends on what's asked of you, I suppose!

06 Jan 2026 12:21:14
What I will say is that we will only see the real quality of these players, if they're good enough when the team is playing better. It's no coincidence that nobody except Szobo is playing at a decent level. Down to tactics or whatever 🤷‍♂️.

06 Jan 2026 12:26:14
It'll be when we get rid of the idiot in charge of the team and his dross tactics! That's when they'll come good! Funny how we had a team of talent then bought players who were outstanding at there r previous teams, play well when they go off for international duty, but crap when they play Slots anti football eh?!

06 Jan 2026 12:39:20
To Madrid after scoring 30 goals scouse John?

06 Jan 2026 13:09:34
Leoni hasn't played for Italy, Kerkez got pelters off the Hungarian press, Frimpong's only played an hour, Wirtz been decent nothing more for Germany, Isak's been as bad for Sweden as for us and Ekitike has a goal in 4 apps for France.

I like all our signings from the summer but i think its fair to say only Ekitike has hit the ground running, either through injury or just getting used to their surroundings.

06 Jan 2026 13:20:27
Poor footballer? Poor attitude? Crazy takes.

Along with Haaland, Isak is the best striker in the Premier League about to enter his peak years.
Fitness questions? Absolutely.

As for his attitude and mentality. I disagree. And while we might not agree with the way he acted to get his move, I wouldn't underestimate the toll the summer had on his mental health. He will have been advised by his advisors and our recruitment team on the steps to take and to hold his nerve to make the move happen - which went to the 11th hour!

And now after a stop-start introduction to life at Liverpool, he has a serious injury to contend with. I hope our club is offering him the psychological support he requires.

Don't get me wrong. I am not making excuses, but just because he's a top player and cost what feels like the GDP of small country, he's also a introverted twenty-something bloke who wants to play football for Liverpool Football Club and has been unable to experience any real moments with us fans yet.

06 Jan 2026 15:08:31
Florian he won't score 30 goals in our set up under slot, he wouldn't score that many under klopp because he didn't fit his system hence why we bought Nunez. I bet you he will miss half of all our games next season. Hopefully he scores 60 goals I don't want him to fail but it's not going to work out I think.

06 Jan 2026 16:19:10
Ekitike has 11 John, may not get 30 but 25 could be attainable. And this is the guy that was brought in to be backup to Isak. If your in form and fit forwards can get goals playing for Slot, even Isak shoulve scored a fair few more than he did.

06 Jan 2026 19:24:37
Agree poor footballer is harsh, but calling Isak world class also seems a stretch. And I've always thought he was a poor fit for us. We can argue about his attitude, but his work ethic didn't fit with our style. Now that we're playing boring Slotball, we've seen that we don't get the ball to him enough so it still doesn't suit him!

How anyone calls him world class is just silly; actually look at his stats and stop making things up. He has never scored 30+ goals a season and has only performed well at Newcastle for 2 seasons.

The problem is we have to change the team to accommodate him. Slotball is not the answer obviously, and I don't think many will have worse ideas of how to integrate him, but the problem is he was always a risk because he didn't fit our current system and we have to change to get the best out of him and his injury record isn't great, and his work ethic is poor. I will not be surprised if he doesn't make it at Liverpool especially given his price tag, and thankfully Ekitike is making it even harder for him to succeed.

06 Jan 2026 10:32:07
Hi ed001 and all, just wondering if you had a favourite liverpool goal.
I was watching some og John Barnes goals recently. The overhead against Blackburn was a beauty.

{Ed001's Note - fave? I would say probably the winner in the second 4-3 v Newcastle. The game wasn't as good as the first 4-3 but it was just that it was such a rush as just 5 minutes earlier we were coasting to a 3-0 win. Then they smacked in 3 goals in quick succession and it was like being kicked in the balls. Then all of a sudden, it was such a huge relief and joyous moment. Even better, I got back to the car, as my aunt's family had given me a lift and were giving me a lift home too, they had left early at 3-0 to miss the rush and had no idea what had happened.}

06 Jan 2026 11:08:08
Ed001, Barnes didn't score in the second 4-3 game. Robbie Fowler scored the 90th minute winner.

{Ed001's Note - no one said it was Barnes. What are you on about? I know it was God. The post was asking about favourite Liverpool goals, where the hell have you got Barnes from?}

06 Jan 2026 11:15:45
Got a few that instantly pop into my head (and probably more the longer I think about it)

Luis Garcia against Juventus in the quarter finals.
Gerrard iconic strike against Galatasaray to get us through
Neil Mellor strike to beat Arsenal
Robbie Fowler's goals against Villa when he flicked it behind his leg and took the defender out (might've been Staunton) and fired it from about 25 yards into the corner.
The Collymore closing innnnnnn against Newcastle in the first 4-3.
All 4 of Luis Suarez's ridiculous strikes against Norwich
Plenty of Torres goals too, most notably the chest and volley vs Blackburn

Plenty more. I still have the VHS season reviews from most of the 90s in my loft!

06 Jan 2026 11:17:00
Gerrard in the FA Cup final vs West Ham is up there for me.

06 Jan 2026 11:36:07
Kenny's winner in the 78 European cup final for me!

The pass from Souness and the coolest of finishes plus the iconic celebration!

06 Jan 2026 11:37:52
Terry Mcdermott, 7-0 v Spurs. Look it up. You're all wrong and I'm right!

06 Jan 2026 11:39:59
Big Sami Hyypia left foot volley against Juventus was a thing of beauty, my favourite player as a kid.

06 Jan 2026 11:40:17
A Fowler header, if I recall.

I have fond memories of Terry Mac's header in the 7-0 versus Spurs.
And Ian Rush putting us 1-0 against Watford in 1982 (? ) .
I was there that day and that was some team.
A sublime turn from Dalglish, a through ball to Rush and he did what he usually did. Just a typical Liverpool goal when you could just turn up and go to most games. Great times.
Elton John was there that day, too.

06 Jan 2026 11:50:04
Rigsby, the days of just turning up. I think we're of a similar generation. Such happy days.

06 Jan 2026 11:50:19
Corner taken quickly.

06 Jan 2026 11:50:19
The ones that stick in my mind are Garcia v juve champions league, mane turn and shot away to Bayern and jotas last min winner v spurs.

06 Jan 2026 11:52:35
Not necessarily my favourite goal in terms of watchability but whenever a question like this is asked the Neil Ruddock v Man U goal always comes to mind to make it 3-3 after being 3-0 down in 1994.

The other is the 86th minute Gerrard goal v Olympiacos that made the whole Istanbul miracle possible.

06 Jan 2026 11:53:21
Terry Mac volley v Spurs, 1/ 4 final of the cup at White Hart Lane.

06 Jan 2026 11:54:09
Mcdermotts, Gerrards FA Cup final 35 yarder. In modern time Rio's winner vs the geordies was a great team goal.

06 Jan 2026 11:54:49
Alissons header, not necessarily for football reasons, but it helped secure top 4 as well.

06 Jan 2026 12:01:24
Rush's second goal in the 86 cup final, my first cup final….

06 Jan 2026 12:02:08
Keegan's second vs Leicester - 74 FA cup semi final - Header on from Tosh and the sweetest of Volley's from Keegan -

Had it on the radio in the kitchen with my old dad then couldn't wait for sportnight with Coleman to watch it

By the way what a great player Keegan was for us - goes miles under the radar in a list of our all time greats.

06 Jan 2026 12:02:54
Gerrard against Olympiacos in the CL to set us on our way to the 2005 final. Not only was it a great goal, but think it set the tone for the rest of the competition.

06 Jan 2026 12:03:36
Rome1977 I totally agree mate. proper tore right through them. wasn't that Hoddles first game for spurs 🤔🤔.

06 Jan 2026 12:08:43
All five goals against Forrest 1988. Forrest were a great team then and it was total football for 90 mins by us, a masterclass.

06 Jan 2026 12:28:24
Aurelio's free kick at OT to make it 3-1 straight after Vidic got sent off.

06 Jan 2026 12:30:37
Dalglish in the euro final, McDermott v Spurs 7-0, Dalglish again v Chelsea when we won the double and finally Alissons header what got us in the top 4.

06 Jan 2026 12:30:50
Very true, Rome.
Apart from vouchers to get tickets for the derby and cup finals. I'm not sure if you needed vouchers for United games.
I definitely remember fighting my way in and out of the ticket office for a Milk Cup final ticket against them. When I say fighting, some older blokes obviously took sympathy on me and I gave me a helping shove towards the desk. I always remember the lady handing me a ticket, sensing my relief and saying "guard that with your life, lad".


There was a lot of unemployment in the 80s and people just couldn't afford to go to two or three games in a week. I remember a Milk Cup game in the later rounds against West Ham and there was twenty odd thousand on.
I didn't go to many aways but we'd often just go in the home ends. Not celebrating scoring at Old Trafford was difficult 😂.
Great times.

06 Jan 2026 12:38:27
A couple that stick out for me are Fowler smashing one into Schmeichel' near post top corner and Gerrard thunderbolt against Barthez.

06 Jan 2026 12:43:31
Thiago vs Porto.

06 Jan 2026 12:43:40
My mistake Ed. I didn't take enough time reading the original post and thought he was asking about goals by Barnes. My favourite goal was John Toshack's header that got us level against Everton after being 2 down, paving the way for Chris Lawler to score the winner.

{Ed001's Note - ah ok, I was really confused as Barnes had long since retired by then, so couldn't see how you could think I was confused.}

06 Jan 2026 12:50:48
@Rome, it is my favourite goal too. From a Spurs corner I think Terry Mac made the clearing header. Then he ran 100 yards down the pitch to time the header to perfection. The first time ball from Stevie Heighway without breaking stride was brilliant. "Stevie heighway on the wing, we had dreams and songs to sing…".

06 Jan 2026 12:50:54
Mane vs bayern was so cool and composed, and Jota against Arsenal in the carabao semis when Trent pinged one heck of a ball. Salah vs man City in the 21-22 season was also just ridiculous.

06 Jan 2026 13:07:58
You rarely see a defender scoring against top teams, so to see Carra get a brace against peak United was impressive in it's own right.

06 Jan 2026 13:10:38
Gary macs free kick.

06 Jan 2026 13:33:06
The team goal finished by Firmino vs Citeh away in 2019
Ox piledriver vs Citeh
Robbie Fowler vs Brann
Robbie Fowler vs Aston Villa in FA Cup semi
Gerrard vs West Ham in FA Cup Final
Gerrard vs Oympiacos
Gerrard vs Middlesborough
Alonso from the half way line vs Newcastle
Salah vs Tottenham
Salah vs Man City
Salah vs Watford
Salah vs Chelsea
Mane vs Arsenal
Barnes overhead vs Blackburn
McManaman vs Celtic
Suarez vs Newcastle
Suarez vs Norwich
Studger vs Everton
Thiago vs Porto.

06 Jan 2026 13:44:08
I have so many favourites. But I just love Gerrards against Milan CL final.

The "were not done yet celebration" and in the context of such a long wait for either of the two big prizes.

06 Jan 2026 14:03:41
Terry Mac's volley lob over Perry digweed away to Brighton ( bogey team at the time )

06 Jan 2026 14:05:53
3 goals immediately came to my mind because I can very clearly remember exactly where I was when each of them went in.

1) Origi vs Spurs to make it 2-0 in the Champions League final and secure us the trophy. (sat in the pub with a friend who also supports Liverpool, surrounded by well over 20 Spurs fans)

2) Darwin Nunez scoring his 2nd against Newcastle to come back from a goal down with 10 men. (sat in the pub with the wife, both getting grief off of 2 Newcastle fans and 3 Man United fans we didn't even know)

3) Alisson's header vs West Brom to win it 2-1 in injury time and help us secure top 4 in an otherwise terrible season with very little highlights. (sat in my parents kitchen with my Dad during Covid-19)

All 3 of these goals got me up and running around with my head in my hands! All great finishes, although obviously not the best goals in terms of skill or wow factor. Just my favourites due to what they meant, where I was and who I was with.

06 Jan 2026 14:13:08
I still love Jota's winner vs Spurs in the last seconds a few seasons ago, just as Richarlison thought he had completed the comeback for Spurs!

Not sure what I enjoy most the winning goal or the look on Richarlison's face when he realises he has scored yet another pointless goal.

06 Jan 2026 14:22:23
Not trying to catch you out Ed001, just correcting the record. Barnes had not retired by the second 4-3 game. He not only played in the game, he was the captain. But you're right, he didn't score.

{Ed001's Note - wow, I thought he had gone by then. My memory is really not good! I honestly don't remember him playing in that game.}

06 Jan 2026 14:25:31
Ed001, Barnes hadn't retired and played in both 4-3s against Newcastle.
I distinctly remember time standing still and him picking out Collymore to score the winner in the first one. 1996?
I'm less sure about the next one, the season after, but I think he was still playing in midfield for us, then.


I always think of Barnes as a left winger. He was one of the best I saw play for us. He tormented us a few times when he was at Watford, too. Strong as an ox, the balance of a ballerina and a wonderful touch. He made everything look effortless.

06 Jan 2026 14:26:35
And how could I forget Alisson's goal - probably my all time favourite for the moment and meaning.

06 Jan 2026 14:33:27
Robbie near post thunderbolt at old Trafford that put schmeical on his arse!

06 Jan 2026 14:33:52
Reading all the posts I'd think Ali's header really would have to be top of the list for me. I think it's probably the first time I had a full cry watching our players celebrate a goal. Had tears in my eyes when Istanbul happened and when Origi slotted home that corner but for the Ali goal I had to have tissues at the ready.

06 Jan 2026 16:26:08
I have to go along with Rome1977 Terry mac but it was a team goal . I would say Suarez v Newcastle at Anfield were long ball over Suarez shoulder took it on his chest volleyed home.

06 Jan 2026 21:00:14
Some brilliant ones there.

What about Big Jan Molby vs Man Utd?

Not one noted for his mobility, he won the ball in his own half, dribbled to the edge of the penalty area and lashed it in past the keeper top corner.

Brilliant.

06 Jan 2026 09:44:02
I've not really seen his name mentioned yet, but if Arne Slot goes, I really want us to go for Sebastian Hoeness. He's done an incredible job at Stuttgart taking them from bottom of the league, to qualifying for the CL and then winning the German Cup.

He has 'Klopp-level' potential in my opinion. I'd be extremely gutted if he ended up somewhere else in the Premier League. With Kompany in charge at Bayern Munich for the foreseeable future, Hoeness might see his next big move being outside of Germany. I really hope he isn't picked up by Man United or Chelsea.

06 Jan 2026 11:02:56
He is in the list at quite short odds for Man Utd, Chelsea have confirmed Rosenior now so at least that rules them out for a few months .

06 Jan 2026 11:22:57
Yeah Hoeness is a great shout pretty certain ed001 rates him too.

06 Jan 2026 12:09:17
Seems odd giving him a six year deal.

06 Jan 2026 12:30:59
Sebastian Hoeness.

06 Jan 2026 09:54:19
Hi Ed,

Do you think there's a possibility that Slot was hired based on tactics that for whatever reason he's now moved away from? Perhaps the low block prem has moved him away from his principles (incorrectly)?

Just seems odd this is the style of football we would have wanted to bring in and then bought players that don't seem to suit it at all?

{Ed001's Note - yes, that is pretty much exactly what has happened.}

06 Jan 2026 12:05:50
Correct, @Changing. This is what is doing my head in that I fail to understand.

06 Jan 2026 13:20:55
I think Arne didn't want to rock the boat in is first season, so he didn't stray too far from Klopp's approach. After winning the league, he's got a bit too big for his boots and decided to employ an entirely new strategy with no consideration for what's worked for us in the past. I know it's a poor season all round in terms of football but the evidence is in the fact that Slot refuses to adjust his approach, if he were simply reacting to a league-wide shift in play, we would see some sort of attempt to adapt and combat, we haven't.

Yes he has changed formation at times but I feel it's been more so out of necessity. What he has failed to show is any willingness to adapt his slow paced, possession based, any which way but forward style.

06 Jan 2026 13:28:24
And the fact that we looked our best this season when we played those said tactics.

But some will tell you its because the opposition played into our hands.

06 Jan 2026 17:27:36
In which case I'd say the failure sits solely with Slot. Hughes has given him an incredible toolkit for high octane football.

Perhaps you could say Hughes should be stronger to remind him of the tactical approach we hired him for and show him the door if he doesn't revert.

It'd be fine if the tactics worked but they clearly don't.

Bizzare…

On a second note. Do you think someone like an Iraola (or anyone high intensity coach) would struggle to implement his style because of the low block? Or just a case of Slot needing to be more brave?

06 Jan 2026 17:52:41


PatrikBurgher has written an article entitled, Liverpool and the Search for Balance Under Arne Slot

06 Jan 2026 09:16:09
Edds or ITKs

Realistically do any of you see us dipping into the market?

My opinion like the majority on here is that we must buy.

Could it be?

Glasner joins MU as it's unlikely he renews with CP. if he was the reason Guehi stayed put perhaps it could help get him this window.

I believe if he gave a promise to us he will stick to it.

YNWA.

{Ed001's Note - probably not now, other than youngsters.}

06 Jan 2026 07:29:58
Something a bit different if possible ed001, can I request a player profile on the Brazilian Ronaldo and how much more he could have achieved without injuries and a party lifestyle?
His highlight videos are always a joy to watch.

{Ed001's Note - yes mate, I will enjoy watching the footage to remind myself of his play. Loved him as a player.}

06 Jan 2026 07:55:11
I don't think we will ever see a combination of sheer speed, skill and physicality in one player ever again. His control of the ball at that speed was just ridiculous, if he didn't go past or around you he'd just steamroll through you on the way to goal.

06 Jan 2026 08:09:31
Romario v ronaldo (brazilian) who your fav ed1? I loved watching Romario, the most underated striker ever imo. U never hear him mentioned when they talk of best strikers ever, him and stoickov joy 2 watch at barca.

{Ed001's Note - Ronaldo was miles better than any other striker ever. Romario was very good, but nowhere near Ronaldo. He is not mentioned in any best strikers ever because he simply isn't near that level. His attitude was poor, he could be extremely lazy. He was like Lineker - scored goals but didn't work for the team at all.}

06 Jan 2026 08:24:31
Brazilian Ronaldo was one of the best players I've ever seen. So many kids imitated his haircut in the 2022 world cup despite how ridiculous it looked. I was just getting into football around that time too so it would be a joy to read how good he actually was.

{Ed001's Note - I loved him, my ma's mate was working for Nike at that time and got me one of his full kits, all the training kit, trackie and everything from the France World Cup. Sadly before it was worn, as it was taken out of what was sent out to the teams, but I still treasured it. He was just special.}

06 Jan 2026 08:48:01
He was frightening Ed. Such a shame about injuries. Van Basten was top as well and held back because of injuries.

{Ed001's Note - van Basten was special too.}

06 Jan 2026 08:51:49
Always played with a smile on his face.

Must be a nightmare being a pro footballer these days.

06 Jan 2026 09:16:22
Nice one, cheers.
From a golden era of modern football.

06 Jan 2026 09:27:29
Ronaldo is the best striker of all time, and would have been the best player of all time had injuries not stopped him in 1997.
Drogba, of all strikers, is probably my favourite, however. Awesome player.

06 Jan 2026 09:30:08
My favourite lazy player was Berbatov, only United player i couldn't ever bring myself to hate.

06 Jan 2026 09:34:38
Ed, I still have goosebumps and the shivers watching R9's reels. Cos I knew exactly where I was and how I felt when I watched him play in real time.

06 Jan 2026 09:35:38
Oh, and Marco was my idol at CF. Well, till that young Brazilian Alien showed up from outta space.

06 Jan 2026 10:13:50
The best I've ever seen. The Real Ronaldo! El Fenomeno! What a player!

His lifestyle probably didn't help his injury record unfortunately but still had some rotten luck. Imagine he had as long a career as Messi and Cristiano!

A joy to watch, every few months I'll jump on YouTube and watch a snippet of him and also Ronaldinho, playing football with pure joy!

06 Jan 2026 10:31:41
If we're talking lazy players id say Pirlo, far too good to run and I mean that as a compliment .

06 Jan 2026 09:59:04
An incredible player. We've seen nothing quite like him since. Looking forward to this, Ed1.

06 Jan 2026 10:28:07
Ed001 Without the injuries there is a great chance Ronaldo would have gone down as the greatest ever.
At his prime he was head and shoulders above Messi.
Prime Ronaldo vs prime Maradona is a question to answer I feel Ronald's pure physicality would give him the edge.


But the best players I have seen in my lifetime with Zidane coming in behind them just because I've never seen a player play football like him before or after.

06 Jan 2026 10:43:31
Ronaldo was my favourite player growing up. I remember being so annoyed when Cristiano came on the scene, saying he's not the real Ronaldo haha.

That guy was the best striker I've ever seen play the game and I feel his end in the Brazil team was the end of their legacy in international football. It all seemed to go tits up after 2006.

Any chance of a an article about why Brazil diminished as a team over time Ed001?

{Ed001's Note - I have added it to the to do list for you mate.}

06 Jan 2026 10:49:17
Pirlo imo is one of the most overrated players ever, I'm sure saying that would upset some.

Ronaldo was probably the most awesome player I have ever seen play, at inter he was just absolutely ridiculous. My favourite striker growing up though was weah at his peak, just where he came from and how he handled constant racist taunts before becoming the world's best player at one point was brilliant to witness. That being said Milan had a lot of players I loved, I loved desailly, boban, albertini, maldini too as a kid haha. Of course weah and desailly would go on to Chelsea or all places, I remember weah scoring one of the few goals he scored for Chelsea against us, mixed feelings haha.

{Ed001's Note - I am with you on Pirlo.}

06 Jan 2026 11:12:36
Ed, you a fan of Ronaldinho? I remembered it was so fun watching him at Barcelona.

{Ed001's Note - he was fantastic, but he wasn't about winning. The reason Ronaldo was so good is because everything was aimed at putting the ball in the back of the net. Ronaldinho was fabulous to watch because he was doing skills for the sake of skills. So I am a fan of watching him, but I wouldn't put him in the greatest of all time for that reason - unless it was about who was the greatest entertainers, in which case he is easily top 3.}

06 Jan 2026 11:53:20
I presume you mean 2002, Drac?

06 Jan 2026 16:32:21
Ronaldo Nazario was unreal.

I used to dream of a Fowler-Ronaldo pairing when he was still at PSV. Alas, a Liverpool move was never a possibility.
That would have been filthy!

06 Jan 2026 18:31:21
Him and Bergkamp are my dream forward partnership. I use to play up front when I was younger and them 2 plus Shearer are who I watched endlessly. Tried so hard to emulate Ronaldo, that my mate started calling me the blag R9 😂. Still does to this day. Oh and I still have my blue Nike R9's too 😂.

06 Jan 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - Red Man has posted a new article entitled, Time to Reflect on Manchester United

05 Jan 2026 23:33:16
Haven't heard the term "get" used to describe someone in years, Ed001.

{Ed001's Note - it was my grandad's fave term. Whenever he had guests he would always refer to them as gets as a joke.}

06 Jan 2026 07:15:49
John Lennon took a wild swipe at Sir Walter Raleigh in 'I'm so tired'
Something to do with tobacco being brought to England.
Anyway back to the football.

06 Jan 2026 08:14:02
As a regular Viz reader, I've seen the term "get" used a lot, specially with the character Spawney Get.

06 Jan 2026 10:04:43
Is Viz still going, I'm amazed it hasn't been cancelled. Thanks for the 90's throwback Vik, the Tarby character used to make me laugh.

06 Jan 2026 02:37:47
I would like Liverpools next leader to be a manager not a coach, a man manager who encourages, provides one to one criticism when it's needed, has a personality, engages with the fans, understands the city.

Jurgen come back my mate, we were spoilt!

06 Jan 2026 06:28:36
You might end up regretting it Shughes55, Never go back to your ex.

He has run his course and his style is not sustainable.

06 Jan 2026 07:31:03
Sami

That's not true. What makes you say that.? Klopp is exactly what the team and English football needs. The relevance suggestion is you being brainwashed mate.

06 Jan 2026 08:04:55
The Klopp of 6-8 years ago is what the premier league needs. The Klopp of today is enjoying his life away from management and says repeatedly that he doesn't miss it. What makes you think that he can go from that to going back to obsessing over every tiny detail of player performance from team dinners to minutiae on the training pitch?

That fire was what made him the best coach we Liverpool fans have ever seen. At best he could probably be a supervisor or director of sorts, I don't think we will ever see him coach a club team again, especially our team, given how much he loves the club and the city and would feel responsible for its fortunes if he had the job.

06 Jan 2026 08:15:58
People forget how average the football was in Klopps final season. More easy listening than heavy metal.

06 Jan 2026 09:35:30
A head coach should still do all of those things.

It's just a job title but people unfortunately (and understandably) associate Klopp with the manager role and Slot with the coach role but the differences are in the people and not the role.

Klopp was the biggest people person I can remember seeing in football. It made great things happen with players excelling because they would do anything for him but it also caused problems due to excessive loyalty. We had an aging squad because Klopp didn't want to replace his players.

Slot on the other hand comes across as one of the coldest emotionless people in football. He never bothered moving his family here and there doesn't seem to be any kind of bond with the city and the players are just assets to him but we have been able to bring down the average age of the squad whilst (on paper at least) raising the quality.

The main difference between a head coach and a manager is just that they don't have final say on transfers.

I'm happy to stick with the head coach approach but as the OP suggests I do think that they need to be more of a people person and build a relationship with the city and the reality is probably that the best thing for the club would be somebody who sits somewhere in the middle of the 2.

06 Jan 2026 10:37:43
Tell that Sami to Celtic fans after Martin O'Neil has gone back to Celtic for a third time.

06 Jan 2026 11:05:33
D'ya ever think the family said NO to moving Shipley? kids in College etc? If his family did turn diwn the choice to move to Liverpool i'd say its hard on the bloke. And he doesn't come across as cold or emotionless to me, just Dutch.

06 Jan 2026 11:57:44
And we've taken Slot so deeply into our hearts 😂.

06 Jan 2026 16:22:45
I don't find Slot to be cold and emotionless at all, he is very considerate in press interviews, is always respectful of whoever is addressing him regardless of how annoying their questions may be, is amiable and jocular in a dry way.

He doesn't beat his chest and hug players like Jurgen but he's not some kind of robot either. Would you prefer that our coach was 'passionate' like Conte and Amorim? Because I don't.

06 Jan 2026 00:12:50
Apparently arguements between Hughes and Slot on recruitment in the summer. Slot wanted Fofana or Barcola to replace and Rio sent on Loan. Hughes wanted Rio and Nyoni to get more game time. The issues seem to be similar to United where the coach doesn't get the players he wants or the calibre.

Slot after winning the league should of had more of an input on what type he wants. As I said before Isak was not needed and the money should of been spent on two £60m wingers.

06 Jan 2026 00:31:56
A CF was much needed seeing that we lost three on the summer. Diaz and Nunez were sold and Jota sadly passed on. Diaz may have been a winger on paper but he played most of his minutes in CF after dropping. Maybe Isak himself wasn't needed but we needed at least two CFs in the summer.

06 Jan 2026 01:58:02
Deluded- Isak will eventually be some player for the reds.

06 Jan 2026 02:01:23
Glasner short odds for United . The shallow pool is getting drier by the day although it looks like interim initially followed by him joining in the summer.

06 Jan 2026 03:58:14
All of a sudden there are disagreements between Slot and Hughes.

Where were these stories before Amorim and Utds Wilcox had disagreements?

Something smells fishy.

06 Jan 2026 00:55:39
If a "head coach" who has won the league in his first season at the club doesn't have the deciding input on player recruitment then it is a recipe for failure.

06 Jan 2026 01:06:04
Of course in hindsight we'd have been better with ekitike and not bothering with isak and getting a much cheaper back up striker. But hindsight is 20/ 20 vision. Do you expect me to believe that you weren't creaming yourself when we got him, because I know I was and 99.99% of others were as well if people would be honest.

06 Jan 2026 06:28:12
It doesn't matter who manages United - they have had the same problem since the Glazers took over and whoever is eventually installed will still face the same issues.

Anyway, before Tuesday gets started and the usual tearing of the team, manager and club gets underway I thought I'd wish all contributors a belated Happy and Healthy New Year. I love football and I love Liverpool FC. I love the game and enjoy watching football as a source of entertainment. At the moment, the going is hard, we aren't playing well at all and we still aren't playing as a team. So given that watching the team is hard enough work at the moment, I'm going to take a few weeks off from the unremitting repetitive criticism of everything related to the club, known as the banter page.

06 Jan 2026 06:33:47
I was 100% not in favour of Isak to start with and when Eat Tea Cake was signed, it was 200%.

We needed a poacher profile type of striker and not like Isak.

In fact I had doubts on Eat Tea Cake, but he has pleasenatly surprised with this quick footwork for such a tall guy.

Never expected he will be top drawer but but I still worry about his attitude. Something tells me he is very ambitious and if he keeps banging in for us, if RM sniff around, he will take first flight.

06 Jan 2026 06:53:33
I didn't want Isak after getting the low down from my Newcastle friend. We should have got two wingers and put Salah in the middle as his pace has gone a bit like Ronaldo.

06 Jan 2026 07:27:32
Salah cannot play in the middle, why do so many posters insist that he can? Mo loves getting the ball to his feet and then running at his defender to get in the box, or receiving in the half space to create, he is not a player to attack space in behind in the box to score or make a run at the near post. He also can't play as a 10 the way Wirtz does, popping up around the pitch to link up the play everywhere. He plays the right wing position like a right sided 10, but the important thing is that he stays on the right where he is most effective.

The biggest problem with Mo is that he absolutely has to be the axis of a team's offense if he is to contribute to the team, he isn't the kind of player to endlessly be making decoy runs for others or popping up around the pitch affecting the game in other ways, he is an absolutely ball dominant player and then the team's performance hinges on whether he shows up or not.

And Sami, Isak is a poacher type striker, I'm not sure why you think he doesn't fit that profile? The bonus is that he can do a lot of other things well, he can shift out wide, he can link up play with his back to goal, he gives us presence in the box. As a poacher though he is absolutely world class, his instinct in the box to anticipate where the ball is going to drop is one of the best I've seen. People have this impression that he loves to dribble past three defenders and stick on in the corner and yes, he can do that on occasion, but most of his goals for Newcastle are easy goals, and the reason he has scored so many is because he has top top class striker instincts in anticipating the play.

The problem is that for Newcastle he was also the focus of their offense, he was constantly getting on the ball to link up with Gordon and Murphy, and they were always looking to feed him in the box, even if he didn't score in a game he was constantly involved. For us he is completely uninvolved, and this is absolutely a tactical problem since for his previous team the first thought was getting him the ball early, the way we did for Mo last year. Ekitike is a much more all action player dropping into midfield and close to Wirtz and the full back to get on the ball, so naturally he looks to participate a lot more in our attacking play.

06 Jan 2026 08:16:28
I never wanted Isak, friends thought I was mad but 125m for an injury prone striker who's minutes needed managing and didn't really fit our system was absolute madness to me. We could have split the Isak money up between a decent Diaz replacement and a backup for Hugo, and we would have been in a much better position for it today. Nothing to do with hindsight, it was my genuine opinion at the time.

Hugo Spritz - Chelsea fans thought the same about Torres.

Ron Keague - That sort of thing was decided in contracts long before the league was won. Edwards only came back on the promise he had final say on transfers due to the same issues with Klopp. It's exactly why Arne's official role is head coach and not manager. Less power.

06 Jan 2026 09:25:42
Alvarez was my dream signing - was never going to happen - but once we got Hugo i never wanted Isak, he is injury prone, had no preseason, and we had just lost the only player that would provide him with assists from deep on the counter - and now we don't play to isaks strengths

i wanted to sign a winger who wouldn't mind being more of a provider than a star man, so whether you like him or not, Rodrygo would have been a fine Diaz replacement and has buckets of experience - he would never set the world alight but also much less of a gamble than Barcola.

06 Jan 2026 09:37:47
Very strange indeed, JLC.

06 Jan 2026 09:48:56
Patrick - Your answered the question that you were asking.

The problem is that for Newcastle he was also the focus of their offense, he was constantly getting on the ball to link up with Gordon and Murphy, and they were always looking to feed him in the box, even if he didn't score in a game he was constantly involved.

Isak was the focus man to get the best and was being fed from both sides and the team was running (carrying) for him at 26.

1. It was very clear that we can't carry both Isak and Mo in the same team.

2. Mo has achieved more than what Isak has at Newcastle and he needed less defense duties at 32/ 33 (not tracking back) and not at 26.

3. Injury record - no questions asked

After getting Etikite it was a no brainer to have dropped him and we should have looked for alternative.

Even before that, at the sums being quoted, with a known injury record which required managing, don't you think we should have been careful?

06 Jan 2026 10:12:53
Chewy, Torres was finished as an elite striker when he left us, he had never had a major injury or setback before and it ruined him mentally and physically, without that burst from a standing start he lost his greatest quality.

He was still a very, very good player, he was crucial to them winning the champs league and he still scored important goals, but he wasn't the electrifying force of nature whose every stride chewed up the pitch and bowled every defender in his path over anymore.

Unless you think isak is also finished as a top striker? I have every confidence that with a proper preseason we will see the best of isak again, that is if we incorporate him into the team properly.

06 Jan 2026 10:37:11
Isak is a great signing but with Slots training methods he is just not ever getting match fit.
As for Salah though the middle that definitely wouldn't work Salah has earned him self a place on the right side of attack in Liverpool's all time 11 but he misses far too many chances to play down the middle and he doesn't have the skill set to play there.

05 Jan 2026 23:24:21
LFC have put millions into the academy and the first team have two forwards injured and one at afcon so struggling at the moment . Question why have we not got a forward to step up?

i know Danns is injured, but is he the only one we can look to help the first team.
Where is the next Owen, Fowler?
YNWA.

06 Jan 2026 00:08:21
Albey, it's been 3 decades since we produced those two. The only world-class talent we have produced since Gerrard is TAA. Players of that quality don't just grow on trees. Our academy was even worse in the 00s, trust me.

06 Jan 2026 00:39:00
Our academy isn't doing too badly in recent times. We have had TAA, Jones, and Bradley coming through. Kelleher was also a decent graduate from the academy and is doing well for himself now albeit at a different club. We also have McConnell, Beck, Koumas and Chambers who have a good chance of making the squad next year, with Danns, Rio, and Nyoni behind them.

The step up from the u21s to the first team is huge and not many can make it. We are doing well for ourselves with the taken that we are currently producing, I feel.

06 Jan 2026 01:04:45
Rio Ngumoha is an academy forward, the manager doesn't want to use him.

06 Jan 2026 01:43:48
Not many great CFs around, it's all inverted wingers and false nines even at academy level. Shearer was talking about it recently.

Ours doesn't produce masses for the first team but the standards are high. It's probably seen as much for trading purposes by the club, and without the multi club model we don't have ready made destinations for loanees which place us at a disadvantage in development terms.

06 Jan 2026 07:48:00
Rio was bought from Chelsea ( or stolen if you listen to them)

Due to his age, by default he is an academy player.

Our academy did not develop him.

06 Jan 2026 08:18:30
Not strictly academy, but surely Will Wright should get a chance now he's back from injury. Looks a real prospect him.

06 Jan 2026 08:42:28
To be fair JLC, we didn't develop many of those players listed above. Trent, Jones, Koumas, Danns and Chambers were all LFC academy players.

Rio was Chelsea as you say, Nyoni was Leicester City, Beck was Stoke City, Kelleher was Ringmahon Rangers, Bradley was Dungannon Swifts and McConnell was Sunderland.

Outside of that, looking at players still on our books, Elliott was Fulham, Bajcetic was Celta Vigo, Nallo was West Ham, Lucky was Real Zaragoza, Ayman was Wolves, Figueroa was FC Dallas, Kone-Doherty was Derry City etc.

Then if you look at some of the bigger sales of 'acadmey players' in recent years Ibe was Wycombe Wanderers, Sterling was QPR, Doak was Celtic, Solanke was Chelsea, Carvalho was Fulham, Van den Berg was PEC Zwolle etc.

We're very good at raiding other academies. When you're one of the big dogs in world football, it's hard for 12-16 year olds to say no, and we basically have enough money to make offers to less financially secure clubs that they can't afford to refuse.

06 Jan 2026 09:39:15
Well explained, MKS.

06 Jan 2026 09:54:15
That's how academies work these days. Gone are the days where they are just full of local kids. Now you scout for the best players around to bring into your academy. It is what Chelsea have been doing for a long time and why every player linked nowadays seems to have been in Chelsea's academy at some point.

I believe that our academy has improved a lot of late but it will take years for those younger players to come through and for the improvements to show. In the meantime we need to add in the likes of Rio and Nyoni to fill the void that was left by what was a terrible academy.