Liverpool banter 10

27 Oct 2026 12:49:56
Ed is there going to be a podcast as so much bas happened since the last international break that we'd love to hear your opinions on.

{Ed001's Note - hopefully mate, it is just difficult with us all being in different time zones and, for some unknown reason, Seamus is suddenly really busy. I can't think why.}

27 Oct 2026 14:15:20
Will you also be spoiling us with a Brighton match review (pretty please)?

{Ed001's Note - yes mate.

27 Oct 2026 16:00:08
Might need a replacement for Seamus since I don't see United getting better anytime soon.

27 Oct 2026 15:27:09
Is Seamus not returning your calls Ed001 😳.

{Ed001's Note - he has blocked my number!

27 Oct 2026 15:54:23
I have no doubts on his ability to save a ball etc just his kicking and as per the OG post was wandering if this is down to previous injuries, its not a one off game his distribution has been off for a long time.

He will of course get an assist now in the next game!

27 Oct 2026 12:01:11
Any else note Ali's distribution lately has gone way off his usual high standard?

Not sure if the injury is playing a part but don't thing he found a red shirt when kicking on the weekend.

27 Oct 2026 12:21:35
He had a nightmare at the weekend and was visibly unhappy with himself.

Don't think it is anything to worry about at the moment.

All I ask for is that he doesn't get injured. They tend to happen around this time of year, so I am feeling on edge about that as I think Marma is an absolutely terrible backup.

27 Oct 2026 12:26:58
Alli in general seems to have gone way off his usual high standard.

27 Oct 2026 12:29:18
More worried with what he was doing for the Villarreal first goal. The guy rolled it to Ali's left and he proceeded to dive right.

Absolute legend of a keeper though but it's hard to ignore there's been a drop off currently to the Prime Ali.

Still a terrific keeper though on his day.

27 Oct 2026 13:09:22
What about the magnificent save against Bournemouth? Players can have slight dips in form, it doesn't mean they are on the decline.

{Ed666's Note - Ali is clearly not at his imperious best but there’s no one else I’d want in goal right now. Even when he’s having a not so great season he’s better than most.

27 Oct 2026 13:13:05
Humans make mistakes and go through peaks and troughs.

27 Oct 2026 13:15:31
@Fifth, or the absolute belter of a save onto the post off Jesus' piledriver vs Forrest that could have had us down 2 nil?

Seriously tho, Ali has these moments (for years now, not just on Sun) where he just seems bored and seems to want to participate in the game and then, poops the bed.

Nothing to worry about, imo. He just needs to remain focused and not get too carried away.

27 Oct 2026 13:20:13
Steady on there @MightyMouse, don't start bringing sense into the discussion 😉.

27 Oct 2026 13:49:09
Good auld Alli. The only LFC player in history above criticism.😂.

27 Oct 2026 13:52:46
I do worry about how many hamstring injuries he has accumulated in his time since joining Liverpool. That has to affect your striking of the ball. It is odd, though. Short passes are often too light, and cause issues. Then, long range passes are often too hard, and go out for a throw in.

At first, I thought Alisson was scared to hit the ball too hard, in case his hamstring goes again. But, that may not be it. His movement before the opponents finish is also noticeably slower, but that could simply be to do with age.

I have a knee injury myself, had scans, physiotherapist visits and they have still been unable to determine the issue. Can strike a ball no issue with the side of my foot, outside of my foot, but, strike a ball with the laces (leg straight) and my knee goes and I hobble all over the place. Frequent injuries can really hamper your ability to produce a technique which used to be natural. It is a constant concern in the back of your mind.

Hopefully Alisson gets through this because he will be integral to any success we gain this season.

27 Oct 2026 14:42:51
We should have never sold kelleher.

27 Oct 2026 14:51:20
The hamstring issues certainly looked like they affected his kicking last season. However, his kicking distance has been fine this season from what I can tell.

I think where he has always struggled a little bit is the chipped passes to the fullbacks, even at the best of times. And those look even worse when your fullbacks don't have the technical ability to control those types of passes.

Also, if you have been injured in autumn every season since joining the club, it would probably play on your mind too. Perhaps he's almost anticipating an injury at the moment. Might sound ridiculous, but you can't argue with the stark injury pattern.

Regardless, he's still one of the best and I feel better for him being between the sticks at this moment in time.

27 Oct 2026 15:23:50
I don't think he trusts his hammys. Best keeper ever but he's been declining for a couple of seasons. Gutting. We were so spoiled under Klopp. What a team we had. What I'd pay to see Ali launch one to Mo with Mane and Firmino legging it into the box one more time 😢.

27 Oct 2026 15:36:12
It was windy on Sunday. The race meeting at nearby Aintree was cancelled because of that.

27 Oct 2026 15:56:22
Windy was it . Oooh Miss Jones.

27 Oct 2026 14:16:48
Finally we agree again, Ed 😉.

{Ed666's Note - 😆

27 Oct 2026 16:14:42
Obviously we are getting to the stage where we are starting to think of Ali replacements. I'm not sure that Mama has convinced anyone he's the guy to take the spot, we have signed the young lad who's due to arrive next summer (can't remember the name) but a shout out to Villa who sold Martinez to Chelsea and spent €30m on Suzuki who has come in and looked immensely talented both with feet and shot stopping .think we definitely missed a trick there.

{Ed666's Note - I don’t see how the Belgian kid isn’t going to be the new No 1 next season or the season after? I’m thinking Mama is sold in the summer and Ali is persuaded to stay another year and help the kid to become the number 1

27 Oct 2026 16:37:20
I don't think the forwards give him as much options as the previous two sets we've had. Seem a Little bit static compared to Mo etc who was always looking to take advantage of Ali's quick thinking and distribution.

{Ed666's Note - it’s early days mate..the telepathic understanding Ali, Mo, Sadio, Bobby and Diogo had was unheralded and hopefully these new guys can get some sort of interpretation going. But I agree with you there not here yet.

27 Oct 2026 19:02:39
If we are talking great saves what about Marma's save from Marmoush's deflected shot against Spurs?

That was an absolute worldy! As good as any save you'll see.

{Ed025's Note - it was RSO, but one swallow does not make a summer mate..

28 Oct 2026 02:59:56
Alli is in the same position as VVD now. they may not be at their top level anymore. but the level they are now at, still places them in the top tier, as before this they were head and shoulders above the rest or if not, among the best of the best.

{Ed666's Note - Even without my Liverpool hat on name me a better CB than Virgil and a better keeper than Ali in the last 30 odd years?

26 Oct 2026 08:30:01
What do u think of araujo ed1? I think he great just what we lacked from last season, a man who would risk his head getting kicked off to save a goal. the sort of spirit + determination we have lacked.

Maybe going forward we may need a more footballing rb but certainly for now he does a super job and fans love him. Some of his tackles really get crowd going. Hard but fair. Long time since we a defender like that.

{Ed001's Note - I love him mate. I really hope we get him on a permanent deal as he can be the long term successor to Virgil.

27 Oct 2026 12:13:00
The higher ups need to recognise that having a good clutch of South American players in the squad always makes for a better Liverpool team. They play football like it is their last game and are always tuned into the crowd.

Losing Darwin and Lucho last summer did take some of those intangibles out of the collective.

27 Oct 2026 12:20:20
Darwin just needed time.

27 Oct 2026 12:28:19
And an offside rule handbook.

27 Oct 2026 12:59:42
Darwin certainly needs to serve time. His lack of understanding of the offside rule was criminal.

27 Oct 2026 13:04:04
I agree with that, Pelican. A good clutch of Scottish and South American players just fits so well with the culture of LFC.

27 Oct 2026 13:40:59
Darwin needed time, an understanding of the offside rule and composure in front of goal.

Other than that he was perfect.

27 Oct 2026 14:08:08
A little less caffeine before games would have also helped in not taking the bait from opposing players.

27 Oct 2026 15:08:29
Fair play as joint 66th top league scorer tied with Danny Murphy he deserves legendary status.

27 Oct 2026 15:38:13
But he got the wrong sort of chances, JK.

27 Oct 2026 16:29:55
Personally I think we need to build a bigger squad so signing Arujo is a no brainer for me based on performances to date. Very few settle in so quickly as we have seen from the other end of the pitch.

RB is less a priority with him, Bradley (when back), Gomez, Frimpong (squad players), and options of Szobo and Grav. LB we have less options (Kerkez, Tsimikas and Gomez) so I would strengthen there before RB. The other major strengthening we need is in CM - I don't watch non Prem games enough to know who is a fit there but that is the priority for me. RW - I do like Minteh but others have pointed out his end product challenges. Still would like to see him there with possibly Gakpo to leave.

So to build a squad in order of priority: 1. CM 2. LB, 3 RW 4. RB (sign Arujo permanently)

{Ed666's Note - shouldn’t we see how good Ronald is at CB before we take the plunge?

27 Oct 2026 16:40:06
Turn it in. I loved Darwin. Gutted we never brought him back in the summer.

{Ed666's Note - 100% agreed.

27 Oct 2026 17:06:59
I just think he gives us options 066. Captain of Barca at CB before he had his health issues there so I'm guessing playing in his favoured position he would be even better. I'm not saying we don't need a RB, its not just the biggest priority and Arujo is a fantastic squad/starter option at €47M.

We just don't get established players at that price anymore because of our last couple of transfer windows.

27 Oct 2026 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - NOTSOZIPPY has posted a new article entitled, Liverpool Player Ratings v Brighton

27 Oct 2026 00:52:00
Anyone else notice in the BBC article on Harry Kane that they said he is the 5th Englishman to win it after Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton and Kevin Keegan (twice).

1) Their sums don't work, I count 4 names in total above albeit King Kev won it twice.

2) Are they counting Owen as Welsh? Or maybe they are counting him as a Judas too?!

Top notch journalism, as always, lol.

27 Oct 2026 02:02:43
They got Diane Abbott to do the count.

27 Oct 2026 03:28:05
This is literally the first two paragraphs from the article:
Harry Kane has become the first English player to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001 after being crowned the world's best player at a ceremony in London.

The 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker is the fifth Englishman to win in total, with Stanley Matthews (1956), Bobby Charlton (1966) and Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979) the others.

Reading comprehension is hard.

27 Oct 2026 07:33:23
Delighted for Kane, played really well last season and is continuing that form. this season. Might be the German league but fair play to the guy, he's still scoring and assisting in the Bundesliga.


Also read he's scored in his last 10 UCL games, only Ronaldo had also done that and Kane will go ahead of him if he scores in BM's next UCL game. Credit where its due.

27 Oct 2026 07:56:09
TFE, now check 1) when it was last updated and 2) when I wrote my post.

27 Oct 2026 08:18:31
As for Trent, don't worry mate there's always next year!

27 Oct 2026 08:57:29
I liked Harry's "work hard in silence" post. I wonder if it was a dig at the likes of Mbappé who kept going on about how he should get the award?

27 Oct 2026 09:30:33
TFE they updated it after the initial mistake.

27 Oct 2026 10:15:03
Because he is the 5th Englishman. Rodri's 2024 award has been cancelled due to Man City's cheating and the ballon d'or was retroactively given to Nat Phillips. News will break soon.

27 Oct 2026 10:44:21
Used to despise Kane at Spurs. Especially that tackle on Robbo at their gaff. was a bad un too. since he's gone to Bayern his all round play has improved and that includes England too.

{Ed666's Note - Kanes partnership with Son was a thing of beauty telepathic. Fair play to the guy he deserves his award. He has zero personality, can’t inspire anyone as a captain but he knows where the net is. Thoroughly well done that man.

27 Oct 2026 10:59:28
I remember saying to my father in law (Spurs fan) back when Pochettino was picking Soldado ahead of Kane for Spurs 'Harry Kane is a Championship level striker'.

Fair to say that Kane has proved me totally wrong.

Fair play to him, I can't stand the guy but his consistency over his career since breaking into the Spurs team has been impressive.

I did some work for a Spurs youth team coach a few years back and he said Kane was not the most talented youngster they had but he was the first to training and the last to leave.

He's carried that on throughout his whole career and is probably one of the few who's got better as he's gone into his 30's.

I'm not sure he's the best player in Europe but at least it shows hard work does pay off.

27 Oct 2026 11:14:51
Did he swear on his daughter's life this time to claim he wins it? Could be the reason why he got it. If Harry Kane wins it Mo should at least won it twice.

{Ed666's Note - Mo not winning it is a travesty

27 Oct 2026 11:25:14
For all the backing of the press, I can't see how he wins it. He is an expert goal hanger but his all round game is limited. He looks better in the German league but a lot of players who seem very good over there don't seem to be as effective when they chose to play in other leagues.

At least it didn't go to Messi or Ronaldo!

{Ed666's Note - oopsy

27 Oct 2026 11:25:44
Rio - is there a reason you can't stand him?

Seems like a pretty good bloke to me and a proper pro & good family man?
Bloody good luck to him I say.

27 Oct 2026 11:35:52
What Bristol said.

27 Oct 2026 11:55:31
The main reason Bristol is the blatant diving he's got away with his whole career.

The dive against us at Anfield when the ref had that idiotic conversation with the lino about whether Lovren touched the ball and then just said 'I'm going to give the pen anyway' still makes me angry. Mainly because Kane was airborne 5 yards before he got to Migs and then kicked him on the way past to make sure there was contact.

Kane has done this type of thing throughout his whole career and has been called 'clever'. He's not the only one, far from it but others seem to get vilified for it whilst he gets praised.

When he was at Spurs he was the biggest diver in the league and never got any criticism for it. His reputation was always whiter than white but if Mo dived once he was public enemy number one, to the point where Mo had to be physically assaulted to get a decision. Even then he quite often didn't get it.

Kane just had to flop over and the refs couldn't wait to give him the decision.

He has done brilliantly well with the limited tools he has but he is a cheat and that's always stuck in my throat.

27 Oct 2026 12:30:59
Rio - fair enough mate.
Unfortunately he's in a huge majority of top level players these days who do it. It's a stain on our game I'm afraid & like you I can't stand it!

I'm old enough to remember Franny Lee doing it on a regular basis and getting one in the chops from Norman Hunter for his troubles -.

{Ed666's Note - you’re older than me mate. You’ve made my day. I thought I was the oldest on the site!!! 🤣

27 Oct 2026 12:49:20
What do you mean he looks better in the Bundesliga? In his last season in the Premier League he scored 30 goals in 38 games, he won the Premier League golden boot three times, he's literally done it in the hardest league in the world. He is also one of the best passers in the world, he may be slow now he's 33 but his all around game is probably the best of any striker in the world.

There seems to be this refusal to acknowledge what a great player he is, probably because of his nationality.

{Ed025's Note - he’s a great player FE..

27 Oct 2026 13:27:00
I hear you Bristol it really does my head in just how ingrained diving is in today's game. It has literally become a largely accepted part of the game now and refs generally reward it rather than punish it.

Any kind of contact is rewarded with a free kick or pen whether it's enough to send someone over or not so it's not surprising that today's coaches play on that to gain an advantage.

Look at our current champions for a case in point. They drop like flies at the slightest touch in general play but suddenly become WWE wrestlers at attacking set pieces and the refs have encouraged it by rewarding it.

What always wound me up about Kane was not particularly the fact he dived but the fact that refs and pundits alike were constantly rewarding it. He would get every decision and the pundits would say how clever he is rather than be critical of a dive.

Not many other players have had that level of leniency.

{Ed666's Note - and the contrary is not getting a penalty or a decision go your way if you’ve been legitimately fouled. I think part of the reason players have started simulating is because the standard of refereeing is so bad.

27 Oct 2026 12:50:43
😂😂 Ed I've a feeling there are a few on here older than me!

{Ed666's Note - oh you’re right Ed’s 025 who was hanging out with cavemen in his teens.

27 Oct 2026 13:18:14
Ed666, VVD being robbed of the award in 2019 was even a bigger travesty, imo.

That process was rigged so Messi (who VVD battered to winning the CL in 18/19, btw) to win it and I stand by that till the very end.

{Ed666's Note - I must be getting old I can’t remember that instance but I’ll take your word for it mate..

27 Oct 2026 13:33:03
@TFE, LIKE I said, he's an excellent goal hanger, in the same way that Haaland and Isak are. He's very good within the context of the strength that he has.

That said, his all round game isn't world class, in my opinion, and I would expect that a trophy, which is allegedly awarded to the outstanding player in the game over the last season, would be given to somebody either a broader range of skills.

Good luck to the feller, as has been said, he seems like a decent bloke off the pitch and I have nothing against him but I honestly think that if he has been the best footballer in Europe in the past 12 months then the game is in trouble. When I saw he had won it the thought that popped into my head was that he had won it as one of those Oscar awards for longevity and service to the industry.

As I say, just my opinion.

{Ed025's Note - pint of bitter for WDW i think, hes a model professional mate and is an exceptional player, take off the red glasses FFS..

27 Oct 2026 14:24:37
When he first broke into the Spurs team I couldn't really see all the fuss. Then I served 2 random Italian dudes in Juventus shirts while I was still working part time. Naturally the topic turned to football and I was blown away by both of them saying that Kane was the most complete striker in the world. I was honestly baffled so decided to look again and found that, while I still didn't fully agree, I could see what they mean.

This current England team have taken absolute pelters recently, but I only look back on it fondly as I grew up on us not qualifying for the Euros or not making the latter stages of competitions. This England side has gone deep into competitions and he has been a big part of that. He's also a top professional.

Now he's not at Spurs I can say that it is well deserved that Harry Kane has won the Balon D'or, and I am proud that we have someone like him representing England on the world stage.

{Ed025's Note - absolutely FORNAX..

27 Oct 2026 16:19:30
I wouldn't call kane a goal hanger, my big frustration with him is how deep he drops and unnecessary the majority of the time. Taking goal kick against Arsenal i don't get how managers allow it. I was happy to see Anderson telling him to piss off back up field during the world cup. If there happy for him to be anywhere but where a striker is expected to be especially one who has no pace and doesn't get up and down in any great hurry play him in midfield and pick a striker who will stay forward to help ease pressure when up against it i'd have no issues with him then. His cheating has always wound me up his backing in and falling over, he hurt his own ankles a few times doing that which was pleasing to see as he got awarded the foul more often then not despite being the one to foul his diving which wasn't exactly convincing yet still rewarded for it and his swearing on his daughters life to claim a goal he clearly never touched and similar excuse for his shocking tackle on Robertson which he claimed he won the ball.
But you have to respect his ability and how hard he's worked to achieve it all, when you consider all his failed loans the fact Sharwood mentions spurs wanted him sold before he managed to break through.


To go onto achieve all he has he deserves the respect. I think the media play a role in the split opinion on kane as he was never pulled up for his cheating compared to others despite it being more obvious at times. I still remember Suarez being criticised when Huth stamped on him for play acting. But it happens so often Maguire is another who gets away with so much and no mention of it he's always pulling pushing and yet cries like a baby as he was the one being fouled. And the spineless Arteta to weak to admit his criticism of a ref so claimed his English words was actually spanish still can't believe he got away with that. Arteta who is never in his box during a game last season and the only one to consistently get away with it since it got highlighted and he's finally being held to the same standards he's crying like a baby others are getting away with it.

26 Oct 2026 23:57:31
Why do we need a RB with araujo doing soo well and can also cover CB? Bradley's also returning who's real quality.
But the point is we have someone there now performing and has the right type of attitude on the pitch that every fan loves. He's also given the backline a real presence alongside jaquet.
What RB is available* in world football that's an improvement on araujo or bradley back at his best?
Frimpong was the lesson. Stop buying unnecessarily.
I don't care that araujo isn't a proper rb. He's doing very well there, is defensively solid, positionally spot on and is an aerial threat.

He's also very good when he does go forward.
We're never getting another trent and I'm more than happy with araujo and bradley at RB. Let the midfielders and our many attackers do the damage offensively.
It's the lb position that the club will focus on. Kerkez is still a question mark and timikas isn't our long term answer either.
I hear pundits say we need a RB because araujo isn't a proper RB. Just nonsense. Everytime he's played there he's done very well and leaves it all on the pitch. I love the player and the lad.

27 Oct 2026 03:43:28
How was Frimpong an unnecessary purchase when Trent left and we only had an injury-prone and inexperienced Bradley to fill the RB position?

Araujos done well at RB but he's not really a RB, 2 or 3 times already he's come off at halftime because he was getting exposed. Also, he's on loan, so no plans can really be made for him until we get towards the end of the season, figure out what's what. In the meantime, we need to consider other options, and have our ducks in a row should Ron decide he's off back to Spain.

27 Oct 2026 08:51:23
We definitely need a RB. Irrespective of what happens with Araujo. There are so many variables which could see him only been here the season. The family might look at the English winter about to kick in and want to run for the hills, Cubarsi could do an ACL on the last day of the season or we may not want to pay the £47m as there would be no sell on value.

27 Oct 2026 09:16:22
Unpopular opinion but i still think Bradley needs to prove himself. Even more so now coming back from this serious injury.

27 Oct 2026 10:29:29
Can't imagine that Araujo would want to go back to Barca, the fans cheered when he came to us, while Liverpool fans clearly love him (course that could change, just ask Konate in his final season). I'm sure if we are willing to pay the price he'd love to stay.

Also Chewy, I'm pretty sure there was at least one occasion, maybe two, that Ron came off for Frimpong not because he was exposed, but because he doesn't offer as much going forward as he does defensively. That's probably his only demerit as a defender, though he is actually much better on the ball than I was actually expecting. He can pass it through the lines from deep, but when he's further up the field he can be a bit limited and clunky looking.

{Ed666's Note - Ronald does more offensively than Kerkez and Kerkez is meant to be the attacking one out of the two

27 Oct 2026 10:46:59
Did every Barca fan cheer or are we just tarnishing them all with the same brush?

Luckily that didn't happen with LFC fans after last seasons opener at home to Bournemouth or we'd all be classed as racists.

27 Oct 2026 11:37:42
JK, we're the best supporters in the world. Ask Trent.

27 Oct 2026 12:38:12
Rome no need to mate, many posters on here tell us enough.

27 Oct 2026 13:05:02
JK, I think Bradley well enough proved he's capable the day he absolutely bullied Vini Jr off the park for 90 minutes, what he is yet to prove though is that he can do it consistently.

Rings a bell alright Patrik, Iraola did say something along those lines in a post-match presser one time if I remember correctly, probably a combination of both, there was definitely a couple of occasions where he was getting caught out defensively, dragged out of position and runners getting in behind sort of thing. Funny that, Frimpong being brought on because 'he offers more going forward' when, at least for me, Araujos offered more on the attack in the last 8 weeks than pingpong has in the last 14 months.

{Ed666's Note - I’ll go out on a limb and say Bradley won’t be a Liverpool player in 2 years time. He’s not the future.

27 Oct 2026 13:21:55
Agreed, Chewy. We have seen what Bradley can do the moment he got his chance from Klopp and then Slot at the start. He made a great first impression and so I don't need to see anything else on that topic. That ship already sailed, for me.

All we need to see now is can he stay fit enuff to reproduce the quality he showed when he first began.

That's it, for me. Hopefully, he can do that with time.

27 Oct 2026 14:01:51
There we go that puts another public debate to bed. The ship has sailed, no further opinions or discussion needed.

27 Oct 2026 15:50:19
OliRed, about Bradley you said 'I don't need to see anything else on that topic. That ship already sailed, for me.'
And then about Bradley you said 'All we need to see now is can he stay fit enuff to reproduce the quality he showed when he first began'.

Do we need to see anything or not? Which is it?

27 Oct 2026 20:23:54
Rigsby, there are 2 different questions here, not one, the first being, has he shown he's got what it takes, does he have the ability? The answer is yes. Having to pick Vini Jr out of his pocket at the end of that Real game shows us that.

The other question then is can he stay fit enough to reproduce those performances consistently? That we have yet to see.

26 Oct 2026 18:41:54
All araujo needs now is bobby's dentist number and we are gucci.

I heard this south American shaman transferred the spirit of bobby into aruajo and all he was missing is the teeth.

26 Oct 2026 19:01:57
Keep your day job, Harry.

26 Oct 2026 23:22:55
Congratulations to Harry Kane. After 25 years, it's back to England.

26 Oct 2026 23:32:58
Shouldnt have been Kane IMHO.

26 Oct 2026 23:54:18
Trent was robbed.

27 Oct 2026 00:16:44
Love it Gini.

27 Oct 2026 00:29:27
Brilliant Gini but apparently 1 minute of playing time, 2 passes with a pass accuracy at 50% does not win you a Ballon.

27 Oct 2026 13:22:42
"We are gucci".

Who's "we", exactly?

27 Oct 2026 14:06:16
What on Earth? I don't see how they could have possibly seen past Messi and Ronaldo.

26 Oct 2026 15:41:33
Isak's clocking a Premier League goal every 95mins in the Premier League this season. If the lad keeps that kind of scoring rate up until May, we are laughing.

26 Oct 2026 16:05:48
It's great to see, but his overall play has actually been pretty atrocious. His runs off the ball leave something to be desired at times, his first touch has generally been awful, his dribbling has been hit or miss, his hold up play and passing for others in the forward line have been by and large terrible, he hasn't been very good in the air, his pressing from the front has been unremarkable. For a player with such incredible technique and athleticism, he has really looked off colour, it could be that he really needs more time coming back from that injury.

Still some of the finishes he has pulled off this season have been world class, and he has been in the right place enough to be second in the league in scoring. If we get a little bit of the Isak we saw at Newcastle in terms of overall play, it could be scary, though it's hard to see how that will happen given so much of the play went through Isak at Newcastle, and so little of the play goes through him here, he looks like his solitary role in the team is to finish off whatever others create rather than participating in it himself.

26 Oct 2026 18:04:28
Just imagine how many he'll get when he sorts that lot out😂.

27 Oct 2026 04:01:41
I'm just glad he's scoring, he can spend 89 minutes picking his nose if he scores a goal every 90 as far as I'm concerned.

27 Oct 2026 04:43:04
Yeah. but he doesn't run around enough.
Hate it when a striker scores goals for fun whilst just standing around.

27 Oct 2026 05:38:32
Hopefully he's sold in January and is replaced by a striker who runs more with the current stand out running strikers apparently Havertz, Gyokeres, Calvert Lewin and Barry.

{Ed025's Note - you are not getting Barry JK, hands off!!!.. :)

27 Oct 2026 06:40:05
Ed0025 some posters would probably take Barry from Eastenders over Isak mate.

{Ed025's Note - or Barry from Louth JK.. :)

27 Oct 2026 07:54:07
Doesn't scoring nearly a goal a game contribute towards his awful overall play?

27 Oct 2026 09:06:11
We should swap him for Nunez. Goals would drop off but our running around and space stats would increase ten fold!

27 Oct 2026 09:17:08
Ed025 what a signing Barry from Louth would be.

{Ed025's Note - he would certainly be better than Wirtz and Barcola JK.. :)

26 Oct 2026 13:38:43
Good afternoon everyone hope everyone is well on this wet Bank Holiday Monday (Only for us lesser mortals in Ireland) I watched the match yesterday God bless St. Amazon 🙌 A good performance but not without it's moments where Brighton could have scored but 3pts is 3pts. Araujo and JJ's performances has everyone talking and rightly so.

So that got me thinking to when was the last time a loan signing had everyone buzzing and all I can think of is Anelka but please correct me if I'm wrong. Now as for JJ I honestly can't remember a young player who came from another league and who's performances has been exceptional to say the least but again please correct me if I'm wrong. We're doing well lad's we're doing very well. When I think of the tripe the team were told to play last season to where we are now it's not a bad long weekend.

P.S. Let's not forget our friends up the road who are in a spot of bother. 🤭

YNWA.

26 Oct 2026 14:09:28
Alright Baz yeah for me Anelka is the stand out loanee that springs to mind but Big Ron is undoubtedly the best since Nicholas and there could be mutiny in the stands if we don't make this deal a permanent one come the summer if he keeps giving weekly displays like yesterday, sliding head tackles I mean come on how much more can a man give to the cause MOTM all day long just shows you what gobs##ts are pundits nowadays. As for the Manc's you reap what you sow, thought Carrick would be the 1st managerial casualty at the start of the season but thought he'd get till at least Christmas but when you've got the players pulling against you being led by the king Rat Bruno no one could survive anyways as much as I hate United I try not to worry about what's happening with them but more how our team is progressing and I have to say its coming along slowly but nicely give Iraola a couple of windows to add his type of player and then we'll see just where we are as a force but exciting times ahead mate exciting times.

26 Oct 2026 14:25:53
Without sounding contrary, we beat Brighton by the same score last season. I think a gauge as to how far we've come will be this coming Sunday. And, let's not forget, we beat Arsenal last season.

The big positives, so far, has been the signings of Jacquet, Munoz and Araujo (loan), yet, we've spent the last however many months slagging off Hughes. This really does underline how hypocritical we, the supporters, are. And I include myself in this.

26 Oct 2026 14:46:31
Surely a bigger gauge of how far we have come is beating Bournemouth and Brentford away, both of which we lost last season.

26 Oct 2026 14:49:48
The biggest gauge for me is that I find the games far less painful to watch.

26 Oct 2026 14:52:46
The bottom line is, Fifth Element, I'm enjoying the ride without getting carried away. Still room for improvement.

26 Oct 2026 14:53:55
@Ship, indeed. I actually look forward to our games now.

26 Oct 2026 14:59:48
I agree with that, Shipley. Though, I'm being contrary again, it wasn't scintillating in 24/25 but I'll treasure it forever.

26 Oct 2026 15:01:18
Agree on Anelka Zippy - hard to believe we turned down the chance to sign him permanently and opted to spend big on Diouf instead.

As for Ron, I'm glad that he's come through his mental challenges from last year or so and has landed at a club where he feels appreciated. If he's back loving football & at peace personally then I'm sure he can keep up this level & it will be a no brainer to sign him permanently.

26 Oct 2026 15:01:34
Alright Rome 1977! mate no one including myself is saying we are the finished artical, but just like shipleykopite said at least we can actually watch a match in full knowing that we are at least trying to play football at a decent pace.

I'm under no illusions that we are way behind Arsenal at the moment in terms of team and squad progression but as you said we'll see just where we are next Sunday when we play them provided the ref doesn't decide to f### it up this time if we are on top.

26 Oct 2026 15:10:41
Barry - didn't Rushie initially come back on loan?

26 Oct 2026 15:12:02
I agree I also look forward to Liverpool games, but then I even looked forward to them last season. If you don't look forward to watching your team play then what's the point, you might as well just go do something else.

26 Oct 2026 15:18:09
NOTSOZIPPY, always factor in that I'm a miserable git. We're heading in the right direction, but we are all expecting bumps in the road. It was always going to be this way.

26 Oct 2026 15:30:30
Agreed Oli. I look forward to them too. It's not all sunshine yet but we're heading up in every way. Hats off to you Araujo! Job well done!

26 Oct 2026 15:31:25
Fifth Element, I agree, mate. The day I don't look forward to watching us I'll take up knitting.

{Ed001's Note - I will have a Liverpool bobble hat - old skool style - when you do that Rome. Just getting my order in ready just in case.}

26 Oct 2026 15:46:06
Bristol, yeah good shout, albeit not technically a loan in terms of Araujo, Anelka etc are joining initially on loan, whereas Rushie signed for Juve in Jul 86, but stayed on loan with us for one final year (a bit like Luca or Keita) before joining Juve in summer 87.

Technically, he would be our most successful loan as he was the 2nd highest goal scorer in the First Division in 86-7 with 30 goals, but given he'd stayed playing with his team-mates from the past 6 years, it's not quite the same.

26 Oct 2026 15:48:08
Yes he certainly did BR but he already knew what the club and match day's at Anfield were all about. This is a whole new experience for JJ.

26 Oct 2026 16:01:11
To be fair Rome, if we gave the ball to the opposition as much as we ceded possession to Brighton last night, we would have conceded last season 100%. Not to mention that the Brighton we saw last night is a far cry from the Brighton we played last year, they have had another year under Hurzeler and everybody knows their jobs on and off the ball, they are also brimming with confidence and have multiple ways to create chances through pressing or through the build up.

This team can give the team the ball to the opposition and control the game without having possession, it was something Slot mastered in his first season but bizarrely gave up in his second season, where any semblance of control off the ball evaporated completely.

Now when the team has the ball in our half, I really don't expect them to score, when our shape is set we are very hard to break down and everybody is communicating with each other, covering spaces that appear, everybody looks like they really enjoy pressing from the front when they have the chance, or retreating into our shape and defending as a unit, you can see the organisation and how it breathes confidence into players when we are behind the ball. We have two full backs who are very good one on one, Virgil, and Jacquet who is like having two players at once.

And if we do come away with the ball, one ball in behind to Barcola and a reborn Gakpo can be a terrifying prospect, if our decision making gets better in transition I feel like we can tear teams apart like-dare I say it- we did under Klopp. This team isn't the same level as that team obviously, but if you have defensive solidity and pace, power and technique in behind, you can win a lot of games.

27 Oct 2026 00:03:56
Why are we using last season's results as a gauge for progress? Teams have changed players and managers and tactics since then.