Liverpool Rumours Member Posts
Shappy's Profile
Current Avatar:
Shappy's Posts and Other Poster's Replies To Shappy's Posts
To Shappy's last 5 banter posts
To Shappy's last 5 rumour replies
To Shappy's last 5 banter replies
Shappy's banter posts with other poster's replies to Shappy's banter posts
03 Apr 2024 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, Concerns about Erik ten Hag at Manchester United
1.) 03 Apr 2024 09:15:43
EtH and whoever is helping him out with the football operations at Man United have been an absolute disaster in my opinion. Public spats with Ronaldo and Sancho were utterly shocking man management. He's also seemingly fallen out with Rashford too and to such an extent he now ambles around the pitch. He embarrassed the club captain, Maguire, then had to go back with his tail between his legs because the players he'd signed to replace him were worse/ not robust enough for England. They treated a club legend in De Gea absolutely disgracefully, bombing him out then asking him to stay, then retracting the contract offer. They tried to sell McTominay to West Ham despite the fact he's the only senior United player who plays with any heart and is keeping EtH in a job right now. He signed some average players just because he's worked with them before (Onana, Matinez, Antony) . They signed several players who are in drastic decline (Casemeiro, Evans, Eriksen etc) . He managed to find the worst Dutch players in Europe to sign despite his Dutch connections (Weghorst, Malacia etc) . He doesn't know what tactics he wants to lay down as an identity. They're conceding about 20-30 shots a game and relying on opposition teams being wasteful to pick up results. I mean I could probably go on but that's just off the top of my head.
He had a very fortunate first season in that a lot of teams were in transition. So much so that even Howe's mid-table level Newcastle side managed to reach a cup final and finish top 4. Now the other teams are picking up though, he's being horribly exposed as the bang average manager he is. Personally, I hope United give him another contract. He's the worst permanent manager they've had since SAF and long may he reign!
2.) 03 Apr 2024 09:27:59
Good objective points there MK.
3.) 03 Apr 2024 10:00:58
Stop sitting on the fence and tell us how you feel about the Utd manager, MK ?.
4.) 03 Apr 2024 10:09:56
I’m personally surprised how much support he seemingly has from Utd fans.
I get he’s faced his challenges with injuries but there seems to be zero sign of good football there in nearly 2 seasons. You’re not telling me that teams in our league with much worse squads haven’t played better football than Utd this season?
I think the most damming endorsement of ETH is that ALL rival fans universally want him to stay in charge. If that doesn’t state laughing stock, I don’t know what does.
5.) 03 Apr 2024 10:32:22
Ten more years for Seven Hag. And for Onana too!
6.) 03 Apr 2024 10:36:38
Have zero interest in Utd manager!
Hopefully Ineos and Glazers remain in charge at Old Trafford for years…. they are made for each other…… they should have a documentary team show how they operate…. how not to run a football club.
7.) 03 Apr 2024 11:01:42
Good points MK. I think the analysis of players' motivation in the article was far too simplistic.
8.) 03 Apr 2024 11:15:41
Utd are way off challenging for the top trophies but surely the most frustrating part for their fans is how they are set up and how they actually play.
I remember going back to the Benitez years and I fell out of love with watching Liverpool at some points due to the fact we weren’t playing to win games. Under Klopp despite us going season without winning trophies Klopp makes entertainment the forefront for supporters with our style of play.
When Klopp is relaxed I hope the new manager follows suit and doesn’t have us set up in some games with11 men behind the ball.
For me that is not entertainment and with the cost of football going up and up I think the people running the game need to remember that.
9.) 03 Apr 2024 11:29:29
Shaq Attack, I'm equally surprised mate. All I keep hearing is that it's the "players" and the "culture". EtH has signed Onana, Amrabat, Martinez, Evans, Malacia, Casemeiro, Eriksen, Mount, Antony and Hojlund. that's 1 player short of a starting XI so if the players and the culture are the problem, what does that say about his business in the transfer market and the type of characters he is bringing in and putting in more prominent roles? He even gave the armband to Bruno who is probably the worst captain in the league in terms of downing tools when the going gets tough and also in terms of setting a bad example on the pitch by rolling around on the floor or moaning at the ref.
The only 4 maybe 5 players who look in any way deserving to wear the shirt right now in terms of effort and quality are Dalot, Varane, Mainoo, McTominay and Garnacho. All players he inherited. It baffles me that the fans continue to make excuses. Glazers this, culture that, players this, attitude that! Buck stops with the manager for a lot of their problems and they either can't or don't want to see it.
10.) 03 Apr 2024 12:39:45
The United fans are as culpable as the people in the
football operation. It’s almost like they have crowdsourced decisions from the hive mind. They deserve to be where they are now as a result of that.
Let’s now see if the INEOS installed operators will have the vision and fortitude to make good long term decisions to build a healthy culture at the club or slip into the same fan pleasing mode of previous folk.
Ps give ETH a 10 year deal.
11.) 03 Apr 2024 15:58:49
How can anyone say you can’t change a player’s motivation? You are basically saying there’s no point in having a manager. The players are either motivated or they’re not and that’s it.
So why can some managers get players playing for them and some can’t?
It’s about building a team, with a clear plan and a clear identity and selling that to the players. The very best managers will get the players to buy into his ethos and get them all pulling in the same direction. That way the players will naturally be motivated because they don’t want to be the one to let the team down and their team mates will pull them up on it if they do.
To say that ETH is hamstrung because he has less than 11 motivated players is a damning indictment of him as a manager. Motivating the squad is his main job and what he gets paid extremely well for. If he can’t motivate the players then there’s no point in him being there.
Give him a lifetime contract I say.
12.) 03 Apr 2024 16:29:50
MKS, I'll leave you with this statement made by a Utd fan regarding Ten Hag. He said that Utd are the WORST coached team in the PL. Why? He said that you can watch them win, draw and lose games but most of all, you can NEVER tell what they are trying to do nor what the strategy is. I fully agree with his statement cos the receipts are WAY too many to prove this. Just look at their last two games vs Brentford and LFC for starters.
13.) 03 Apr 2024 16:33:17
Ten Hag strikes me as a very average manager and I hope he stays at united for years.
However, he hasn't been helped by what seems to be a toxic group of players. Public spats with players like Sancho and Rashford who aren't pulling their weight isn't something he should be judged on imo. Bruno Fernandes wearing the captains armband is a disgrace and united fans should be demanding he leave the club. but that's me being a hypocrite as not long ago I supported Luis Suarez. In hindsight that was very poor judgement on my part.
United are a shambles and while Ten Hag clearly isn't the man to. turn that around he shouldn't hold all of the blame.
14.) 03 Apr 2024 16:48:32
Only a guess and this is a stab in the dark.
If Klopp or Pep went to Utd for say 5 years then I’d bet my house on it that the players would be better under them. Id also bet my house that by the end of the 2nd season 95% of their current squad would be replaced with new players.
So I think that says that Ten Haag and the players are the problem.
15.) 03 Apr 2024 17:04:36
I think Ten Hag rushed to some conclusions early in his united tenure which were wrong. He then did not have the humility to own up and change, instead he is trying to defend that as the right thing to do and that is compounding the problem. Not helped with injuries but fully agree on the man management and man selection part.
16.) 03 Apr 2024 17:06:25
Exactly jk…. : we all say ten Haag is crap; because he’s well out of his depth. However the players don’t show any desire…. big time Charlie’s the majority of them. To be fair to him maguire and garnacho are the only ones trying. The rest are a disgrace and robbing a living. Total collapse of a once great club. Rashford is a disgrace. But the players that ten bought are even worse haha. Guys no clue and long may it continue.
17.) 03 Apr 2024 18:43:54
Magico1234, that simply means that Utd just like Chelsea, are a complete ship show from top to bottom.
18.) 03 Apr 2024 19:39:14
United are a very pleasant diversion these days. I said a while back that the constant at United for the past 20 years, or thereabouts, has been the Glazers. In my opinion I believe that they couldn’t run a p*ss up in a brewery. Great to see they will be staying around and hopefully they keep their current manager too. I’d hope he gets another 5 years at least. Like I say, great fun to watch.
19.) 03 Apr 2024 20:16:22
Why so much time and energy wasted on Man U? They are a nothing team.
20.) 04 Apr 2024 23:53:46
@Langland 3 - 2 up after 99 minutes and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory …… like I say they have been the gift that keeps giving for ages now. Can’t wait for Shappy to get his pencil out and give us the next navel gazing, angst ridden insight.
14 Mar 2024 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, Does the Manchester United Squad Size Matter?
1.) 14 Mar 2024 08:51:33
Surely it’s about quality not size, or so I’m told.
2.) 14 Mar 2024 10:38:50
I usually find your articles a bit too rose-tinted for my liking Shappy, but I actually agree with you entirely on this one.
While the quality is still lacking for a team with United's ambitions, having such a large squad means that as far as atmosphere around the playing staff goes, it is probably lower than it should be when things are going well (too many players not getting a game, not feeling part of it) and considerably lower when things are not going well (more people feeling miserable means it's harder to lift the mood), and I agree that it's difficult to foster a "one for all" mentality when there's so many ones!
Not that i'm complaining, mind you. :)
3.) 15 Mar 2024 20:06:52
11 years since Utd won the title, never thought I’d be saying that a few years ago. Their fans are quiet these days that’s for sure! Long may it continue.
26 Feb 2024 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, Speculation On Manchester United's Next Manager
1.) 26 Feb 2024 08:58:04
Why sack Seven Hag, Shaps?
Thought all Man U's problems were down to injuries and not baldie in the dugout? I mean, didn't you say a manager is only as good as the players he can select after all?
Unless his name is Mauricio Pochettino (in which case he'll be worse) or Jurgen Klopp (in which case he'll be better) that is. As evidenced yesterday.
2.) 26 Feb 2024 17:59:31
A lot of Man Utd and Liverpool fans probably have no idea about Matt Busby being at both clubs. Those days are gone though - I doubt that would happen now - esp. with Alonso.
10 Jan 2024 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, Jean-Claude Blanc as Manchester United CEO
03 Jan 2024 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, Manchester United Can't Be Consistant Due To The Injuries
1.) 03 Jan 2024 09:19:43
You would think that the billions of pounds they have been throwing around might have gone someway to providing decent squad members. We have lost Jota, Mac, Jones, Tsimikas, Robbo, Diaz, Thiago, Bajcetic, Konate, and others this season and we are still undefeated (except for the Spurs robbery) . If you're using injuries as an excuse for failure then either your remaining players are not adaptable or good enough, or your coaching staff are bang average.
2.) 03 Jan 2024 09:59:04
Come on shappy lad, nothing to do with injuries. They are useless.
P. s this is the liverpool page.
3.) 03 Jan 2024 10:33:15
You've had massive injury crises for most of the last 10 years then? You sure it's not massively overpaying for garbage like Martial, Maguire, Sancho, Casemiro, Antony etc.?
4.) 03 Jan 2024 10:35:50
The articles get posted on all the ‘Banter’ pages Marty. Shappy will have posted on the Man U page.
You’re other point is spot on though.
5.) 03 Jan 2024 11:05:24
Shappy - always full of excuses, have man utd been inconsistent since Fergie left due to "injuries"
time to take your head out of your backside, and realize you just have amateur's running the club for owners who are only caring about the size of the dividend they get at the end of the year.
Billions spent on poor players, managers not good enough, recruitment team who are not good enough, a team massively on the decline pre Fergie that went unnoticed, you name it, the problems are endless, and its nothing to do with "injuries", but keep living with your head in the clouds, you may one day come back down to earth.
6.) 03 Jan 2024 16:42:45
Wait, I thought injuries "didn't matter" when LFC were on it's knees in the 20/ 21 season for many Utd fans. Now suddenly, they matter? Okay, bro.
7.) 03 Jan 2024 18:48:11
Just about all of those players have featured at some point this season and not made any difference. Casemiro was going to be sold, Varane the same, Mount has looked completely out of sorts and was a "luxury" signing and maybe not one that they needed. I never wanted him and I'm so glad we avoided dropping 60m on him. Slobs is 5 times the player on 1/3 of the wages.
As for Spurts, their first 11 the other day was missing two CBs and Madison, just 3 players. Not what I would call a crisis. Newcastle have more of an excuse but even their starting 11 at the weekend against us was missing a keeper, possibly a mid (Miley has done so well maybe he keeps his spot) and Trippier who I would argue Livramento has been better. So excuses excuses. It's all about the squad and I think we have the best in the league poss bar City's depth but we're close imo.
Bobby this weekend said he misses the festive period playing every 3 days and the players are no different.
8.) 03 Jan 2024 18:54:12
??? All he and Seven earlier on, are saying is that they have spent literally hundreds of millions on a bunch of players who aren’t a squad and, in some cases, simply can’t play football consistently at a level required for the PL.
The club is run poorly, the manager is increasingly self serving, the players on the whole are woeful and the only redeeming feature are the fans who are getting funnier by the minute with their increasingly desperate explanations. Like I said it’s fun to watch and as I said for one of Shappy’s recent articles United shouldn’t change a thing.
31 Mar 2023 21:23:42
Look on the bright side, at least Milner will get a new deal?.
12 May 2019 14:08:25
I don't any fan can complain about a player wanting to leave. They would be quick enough to fire a player out the door if they didn't think he was good enough. It can't be only one way. If the club are happy enough to move players on when it suits them then they have to accept it when players themselves want to move on.
12 May 2019 13:01:11
Imagine your a football agent, you have no ties or strong feelings towards a club. It's a job and your in it to get paid.
You only get paid when one of your clients moves clubs, so what do you think you are going to spend most of your time doing?
The whole system is wrong. There should be a fixed fee that an agent is paid, and that fee is the same whether its a contract renewal or signing for another club.
At the moment its a racket with few regulations and even fewer that are up held by the authorities. Mino Riola demanding as much as 20% of a transfer fee as an agents fee. In any world that is insane, in one where transfer fees are spiralling out of control and in some cases are north of 100m that is sickening.
If he negotiated the Neymar deal at 20% he would have "earned" 44.4m euros. That money pouring out of football is one of the reasons we have teams going bankrupt.
11 Jul 2018 12:07:41
Why is no one asking the obvious question? Why is Shaqiri available for only 12-14m? Nearly all players go for at least slightly more than their worth in the current market. So if he is available for that much it must be because no one else in interested in signing him.
Also I would seriously question the logic of bringing in a player "for cover" who has a notorious bad attitude especially when he isn't first choice. Surely its obvious that it will end badly.
Also he is known for being lazy and he lacks drive to do the defensive work, how will that fit into Klopps system?
23 Aug 2022 19:46:58
Great to hear everyone's views and that my observations aren't too far from the ones you guys are making.
Two draws and a defeat is poor form, I think it always gets blown up more at the start of the season as things look disproportionately bad as a couple of points difference is the difference between witting 4th or 16th. But people look at the table and panic seeing the club down near the relegation zone.
If that run of results happened in January when you're 1st or 2nd and it just means dropping back a few points then it's no panic.
Liverpool will come good, you have too good a squad and too good a manager not to. In your absolute worst season in recent times you finished 3rd. That only happened due to a frankly ridiculous injury list and you having no defenders for most of the season. That's unlikely to happen again which means 3rd is the absolute worst position you will finish.
You'll easily beat Bournemouth next, they are absolutely the worst team in the EPL, Scott Parker managing them and Dominic Solanke is their best player.
Newcastle is a tough game, and you'll need the confidence you'll get from beating Bournemouth to over come Newcastle. Then comes the derby, a game the whole squad will be up for and a big early season game.
Although if you're heading into that on the back of a draw with Bournemouth and a loss to Newcastle expect to hear a huge chorus of the sky is falling from sections of the fanbase.
Even if that turns out to be true, come May you'll still be in the top 3, or not top 2. Although it might be tricky to catch City for the title.
23 Aug 2022 19:46:58
Great to hear everyone's views and that my observations aren't too far from the ones you guys are making.
Two draws and a defeat is poor form, I think it always gets blown up more at the start of the season as things look disproportionately bad as a couple of points difference is the difference between witting 4th or 16th. But people look at the table and panic seeing the club down near the relegation zone.
If that run of results happened in January when you're 1st or 2nd and it just means dropping back a few points then it's no panic.
Liverpool will come good, you have too good a squad and too good a manager not to. In your absolute worst season in recent times you finished 3rd. That only happened due to a frankly ridiculous injury list and you having no defenders for most of the season. That's unlikely to happen again which means 3rd is the absolute worst position you will finish.
You'll easily beat Bournemouth next, they are absolutely the worst team in the EPL, Scott Parker managing them and Dominic Solanke is their best player.
Newcastle is a tough game, and you'll need the confidence you'll get from beating Bournemouth to over come Newcastle. Then comes the derby, a game the whole squad will be up for and a big early season game.
Although if you're heading into that on the back of a draw with Bournemouth and a loss to Newcastle expect to hear a huge chorus of the sky is falling from sections of the fanbase.
Even if that turns out to be true, come May you'll still be in the top 3, or not top 2. Although it might be tricky to catch City for the title.
11 Aug 2021 12:48:02
The lack of pressure might help early doors, but if Liverpool are in a title race come Christmas then everyone will take them seriously.
A factor that will be interesting is the return of fans in the stadium. Obviously the Liverpool home support is immense and normally really helps carry them over the line and to an extent intimidate/ overawe the opposition. That said maybe that pressure/ expectation from the fans could hinder the players, or it could carry them over the line.
Either way the return of fans I think will have a bigger impact at Anfield than at most other stadiums, good or bad remains to be seen.
I see a lot of people want to see a replacement for Gini, I wonder if Jones can step up into that role. It's a big ask, but the kid does have the talent, you'll only know if he has the mentality when he gets the chance to prove it.
I agree that for the first time in a few years the top 4 looks locked in. Leicester look ready to pounce if one of City, Chelsea, Liverpool or United drop out, but in truth I don't think any of them will. Spurs look lost and if Kane leaves will be a one man team (Son) . While Arsenal seem intent in building a replica of the soft centred limp possession side from between 2014-2018.
11 Mar 2018 21:46:10
This is hilarious, I came on here to ask a serious question and have a little banter.
To those who have admitted the hypocrisy of singing to players that they will always support them only to slay them off 90 minutes later I thank you.
To those either unprepared to accept that or unable to grasp the concept thank you and goodnight. X.
{Ed002's Note - The Liverpool fans have no idea what banter is Shappy.}
11 Mar 2018 21:30:30
Hey, all fans are as bad as eachother when it comes to slagging off their own players.
However, only one group of fans sing that they will always support those players before slagging them off.
The point is anyone who has ever stood in Anfield and sung "you'll never walk alone" then gone on to slay those players off is a massive hypocrite and a lair.
Some United fans have booed Smalling and many other United players. They just didn't sing to them that they would always support them beforehand.