Liverpool Banter Archive May 03 2016

03 May 2016 23:24:24
I want to ask everyone's opinion on something that has been bothering me.

The Echo are reporting today that were in for Ben Chillwell in the summer for 5-8m.
Weather this is true or not I'm starting to get annoyed that every year we do the same stuff, no matter what manager is in charge.

We constantly waste money on bang average players or youngsters with potential.
LB along with GK should be our main priority this summer as Moreno and mignolet have cost us huge points this season.
But we're going for Chillwell?
We're Liverpool FC, have we fallen that far down that we can't get genuine quality players anymore?
Why can't we do what city, Chelsea, arsenal do, if they have a problem position they spend 30/ 40m on one player to fix it.
We obviously have the money as we've spent more then all those clubs in the last 3 windows.
The last 2 summer windows we've spent 100m+ On 8-10 players each time.
Why can't we go out and spend it on 3/ 4 players and actually improve the first 11.

Hummels going to bayern for 30m

Gotze not playing could get him for 25/ 30m

Guerreiro has got 10 goals this season from LB and looks very good. Yeah he'd cost way more than chillwell but it's needed.

Pastore never starts and would walk Into our squad.

Ter Stegan wants out 20m+

There sorted!
We'd be out 120m but I bet we spent that anyway.

Ter Stegan
Clyne Lovren hummels Guerreiro
Can pastore
Firminho gotze coutinho
Sturridge.

03 May 2016 23:59:52
Maybe Hummels, Goetze, Pastore, Ter Stegan don't want to live in NW England without European football and on less money than they could earn on the continent? Don't ask me why they might think like that, but it's a possibility.

04 May 2016 00:05:51
A. Guerreiro has played at left wing for a lot of games.

B. Pastore is lazy, injury prone and not actually that good.

C. Ter Stegen is not worth 20mil (regardless of currency)

D. Chilwell is an excellent player who would provide competition to Moreno. He's 19, not 12! Gomez was an 18 year old centre back and he took Moreno's position before his injury. Chilwell would be a great signing. I saw both of his games against Tottenham in the cup and he looked ready for first team football and I forget which leg it was, but in one of the games he was my MOTM. All the scouts in England seem to think he is something special and they are more qualified than any of us.

04 May 2016 00:21:44
Isn't Chilwell a striker?

04 May 2016 00:22:58
Why can't we do what Chelsea, Arsenal and City do? It's not rocket science. Simple answer is because we no longer compete in the champions league regularly and we haven't really competed for titles recently apart from two second place finishes in a decade.

Players are pretty simple, on their wish lists are:
1) Money - not been an obstacle for LFC
2) Medals, success, prestige, recognition - a big recent problem for LFC
3) Location - We're competing with London, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Malaga, Monaco.

So whilst we can compete with most clubs, we can't compete for the most in-demand players. We have to improve our quality to start winning things and competing again before we can attract the very best players.

04 May 2016 00:38:22
Leicester want to sign him and given their recent recruitment success that's good enough for me!

You only have to look at examples like Alli and Gomez (before his injury) to see you can pick up a couple of rough diamonds from the lower leagues.

04 May 2016 01:32:07
I have not seen Guerrero play a lot admittedly, but from what I have seen, he is no real improvement on Moreno. He is a similar player who likes to attack, and if Klopp wants a solid defender, Hector is perhaps a better choice.

I like Pastore as a player, but do we need another player whose main skill is similar to that of Coutinho and Firmino? I rather we go for a different player, someone with pace and is direct. Bellarabi perhaps?

You really have gone over the top with bringing in Hummels and Goetze into the equation. This "we are Liverpool" "have we fallen so far behind" theme is nothing but presumptuous IMO; regardless, we should go for players who will suite the team and improve us and not just anyone, or unrealistic transfers like Hummels and Goetze.

{Ed001's Note - why would we want Hummels? A good player but utterly hopeless at defending and slow. May as well sign Mertesacker. We do not play international football, where it is slow paced and possession is much more important.}

04 May 2016 02:21:53
Can pastore
Coutinho goetze firmino
Studge
. isn't that 4 AM, 1 striker and 1 CM!? Also last season vardy had 5 in 36 games and mahrez had 4 in 32.isn't about big transfers or previous stats is about getting players that fit into a team and setting a team up to get the best out of the 11 players on the pitch.

as a player and statistically benteke is a fantastic player, but doesn't suit how we play at all so doesn't work for our team. Genuinely a talented lad but can't just get a player who is good and assume hell succeed without having a plan in how he fits into our team.

It'd be like playing bale, Ronaldo, saurez, messi, Neymar, lewandowski, aubemyang, reus, aguero, Ozil, and ibrahamivic as a starting XI. Individual fantastic but has to work as a team where everyone does their part.

Without guessing names I think we need a more organised and commanding keeper, a lb who understands how to defend, a disciplined DM and if possible a pacey winger. As Leicester have shown is about the sum of the parts not the individual parts.

04 May 2016 05:33:20
my real concerns would be where is our academy going. we haven't produced anything from the academy for years. LB, CB, RB should be grown in academies. where they play together, develop together, understand each others game and then show it out in the first team

Liverpool has had some tremendous talent in the academy in recent 10 years but not one of them has really made the Cut. I could understand for attacking players not making it but not even a single defender has made the cut, which is alarming. all that talent and potential is being wasted.

Can you give the reasons as to why brad smith cannot be gurriero? he has decent pace, he has the cross, he also has a got a good shot, the raw materials are there, then why doesn't he develop. because the atmosphere and expectation at LFC is not conducive for development. young players are not backed, three rough games and there is the end of the road of them. (ojo)
I'd really want LFC to fruitfully invest in their academy for a while. success can wait for another 5 years, while we are waiting we should develop something we can proudly say belongs to us, is made by us and has won for us.
Also secondly Leicester have shown as have athletico and dortmund etc that you don't always need to splash money for success.
LFC has money But they also have a history of wasting it, it won't change ever for us because end of the day when we miss our targets because of various reasons mentioned by fellow fans in above posts, we engage ourselves in panic buys

Lets just do it the right way. Money will come and go. and even when you spend it there is no gaurantee we will win, just as you say, other clubs will spend money too.

04 May 2016 09:39:31
I agree with those saying we need to stop looking at attacking players. It is that old problem that people look at the marquee names, which tend to be the glory boys. Our problems aren't up front when we have a fully fit squad, they're at the back and central midfield firstly. We need players with better defensive abilities, which means reading the game, working to cover, tackling (not studs up flying in), decent pace to cover, communication and core skills. We also need to drill into them how to defend, especially crosses and set pieces. I think the argument about the defence being more exposed when we don't have someone who can shield them in the middle of the park is a good one. Equally we need a plan B and C. Everything currently is aimed around playing through defences. Our wing backs aren't great crossers, we need wingers or good crossers of the ball who can move in/ out of wing positions. We also need forwards with pace but more so the ability to do something if we play the ball in behind. Hence why Benteke will never work. The number of times he has been put into the kind of space where Suarez or Sturridge would have buried the opposition has been enough to have changed some key matches. The problem is he gets ball, with space, with time, with a chance to run at the keeper one on one and he just slows right down and looks around as though he hasn't a clue what to do. Someone who costs that much and gets paid that much should be able to handle that situation. He clearly slows and waits for the opposition contact, he doesn't know what to do in space and that is no use to Liverpool's style of play.

04 May 2016 11:07:24
A keeper is a definite- maybe horn (cologne) i'd be happy with flannagan for lb. He can DEFEND. he's ok going forward to. Carra did it! . A genuine cdm in my opinion is vital. Just my thoughts.

04 May 2016 11:41:10
Pastore is not someone that you would want playing centre midfield. can't tackle and has all the physical prowess of a a carier bag blowing about in the wind. No thanks to that.

04 May 2016 15:00:01
we don't need players with big names who will cost over 30 mill, look at leicester they should be the new blueprint of any team wanting to win the prem they never signed any big names for millions, they got players that were solid in the positions they played in, they set a tactic and kept to it and used their strenghts well nothing fancy just solid hard work which with some super stars you get them throwing tantrums, look at vardy he used his pace to the best effect and that was one of the reasons they won the prem, huth has been around for a long time but leicester only lost 3 or 4 games all the manager has to do is get a player who is good in his position and then let him play to his strengths, is gotze any better than Couthino or Firmino,

03 May 2016 21:11:20
Eds just watching Bayern/ athletico game, second goal apparently offside, with this in mind and numerous all too common errors by referees, cheating by footballers, could we ever see a system such as they use in rugby, such as video analysis in the premiership? I think it's getting to the stage where there's so many bad decisions, fans have had enough. Appreciate your views in advance.

{Ed001's Note - they are already testing that out. Not so sure it is a good idea though. I would prefer retrospective action being taken consistently, after the game is finished, rather than trying to analyse it live.}

03 May 2016 21:19:34
I think they need to do something, every team has been on the end of terrible decisions, just look at the Jamie vardy diving incident, I'm no expert on rugby but the players to have slightly more respect for the referees, this could be partly down to the fact their every play can be viewed over and over again. I understand where you are coming from, but I can't see any other alternatives.

{Ed001's Note - the respect is due to the lack of action being taken. That is a totally separate issue and easily resolvable by the relevant FAs cracking down on things. Video refs won't fix it, if anything they would increase it as the man in the middle would be less important and even more impotent.}

03 May 2016 21:36:40
Video analysis for offside where the ball ends up in the net before play is stopped is a no brainer to me. Play is already stopped so why not go to a video decision?

03 May 2016 23:30:38
taking the thrill out the game guys. leave alone it may not be perfect but it does keep you on your toes.

03 May 2016 23:35:08
Video refs would ruin the game imo. Football has survived well over 100 years without it and has given endless topics for debate and arguments from fans and pundits. Geoff Hurst's 1966 goal, Garcia's ghost goal, etc. Some decisions go in your favour, some against, but a lot of the passion and obsession with the game is fuelled by contentious decision making, borderline offsides and incidents unseen by the ref. This will be lost if the game becomes sanitised by live video reffing (not to mention the constant delays) .
Unfortunately, with the amount of money in the sport, it is probably inevitable that we will one day have automated refereeing but expect the result to be a dull game based on absolute fairness, with the kind of passion seen at a lawn bowls qualifier.

04 May 2016 00:05:25
Some results in important and crucial fotball matches becomes wrong, caused by obvious faults by referee. Especially obvious in todays TV world with +10 cameras on the pitch. I think this is bad, and are undermining the footballgame`s credibility.

I would prefer a "hawkeye" kind of system like in tennis. Give each team one or two opportunities each game to call for a video challenge. This would not interfer to much with a fotballgames natural "flow". That way also the referees could rectify any major wrong doings within the the game.

04 May 2016 01:15:12
be careful what you ask for. I could easily see that being the first step to commercials during the game.

04 May 2016 02:00:56
First time poster here love the site spend hours every day on it. Been talking with mates about this for long time now. Why not have the video review for goals, penalties and red cards. Enough time is wasted with players arguing over the decision anyway so why not get quick review to confirm decision or overturn it (if clearly wrong) agree with Ed retrospective action should also been taken after every game to catch the cheaters etc that gets missed in game.

04 May 2016 02:20:18
Not long ago american football went to replay. Coaches have a few chances to throw a red flag. If the call goes there way great. If not they lose a time out. I totally get the difference but everyone said the same argument against but it frankly did not interupt the game and now nobody gives it a second thought. It gave some power to review a play that could have major implications and has helped correct somw bad mistakes. I think there is a way this could work if done correct and input from all sides.

{Ed001's Note - American Football has no game to interrupt! It is constantly stopped. Please do not compare the two, they have no similarities. Last thing we want is to end up like that overhyped crap.}

04 May 2016 07:18:45
What does grass roots do if video ref an silly manager flags become part of the game?

{Ed001's Note - they just don't have them. The game does not have to be the same at every level. Only the basics need to be the same, after all have you always had a goal and pitches drawn up when you played? The professional game should be something to inspire and to aspire to, it should not be the same.}

04 May 2016 08:07:17
I feel as though video replay in football needs to be really quick and instant otherwise it is going to be difficult to find consistent application of its use.

for example, for offsides the benefit of video replay is only useful following a decision being made. say a player scores a goal and then the video replay determines he was actually offside then fair enough it could be ruled out. But what about for the occassions when a player is through on goal and is incorrectly ruled offside by the linesman and then the play brought to a halt? there is no chance then to see what would happen.

so anyways, perhaps if the video ref was in sole charge of offsides all game and could make an instant call to the ref as the play unfolds then that would be good. otherwise it'd be too inconsistent for me.

and regards foul play, retrospective is fine. rugby is getting into this ridiculous situation where we stop play in-game to review potential foul play from minutes ago when we should just be playing on and letting the judiciary sort it out later.

04 May 2016 08:21:45
Video reply would be really useful in 2 circumstances

1. Verifying offside (and only offside) regarding goals.
2. When a foul is called right at the edge of the box, deciding if it was in or out

Those are the only natural points - everything else just needs to be retrospective and they need to do away with this 'did an official see it' rule because it makes no sense - clearly they didn't fully see if because they would have made a different decision if they did!

04 May 2016 08:39:24
2 challenges a half by a manager and I don't see a problem. 4th official is beside the managers so a goal is given, manager thinks it's offside, he tells 4th official I want to challenge which is told to the ref via the mic and by the time this has even happened I'd say the decision would be made. They have all the technology now to draw the line across the last man and bam he's either on or off so it's either tip or a free out without any time being wasted in my opinion. Offsides for me anyway are a no brainer as they're black and white same with goal line technology. It becomes more difficult with frees pens and cards as a lot of the time they have an element of opinion to them. How many times do you hear a commentator go it could have been a red but you can understand it only being a yellow or something similar. So I think they would need to make the rules way more clear and in depth to make it black and white for these issues but I don't see that happening.

{Ed001's Note - they do not have the technology to be 100% as the cameras on the sidelines are not always in the correct position. Challenges are crap anyway, they ruin sports and are one of the most childish rules I have ever seen. You have officials, either trust them to make a decision or don't take part.}

04 May 2016 09:25:33
The rules are the rules ed. As I said fouls etc have a grey area and that in my opinion is part of the sport that makes it interesting. However offsides similar to whether a ball is over the line or not is black and white you're either offside or your not and fair enough if the technology isn't there but I don't think it's too far off and it is something that should be achievable. Add to that it can be one of the most difficult decisions to get right, so why not try to fix that? On challenges, whatever it just seems to be the way things would go initially I don't have a problem with them. If it was possible to just have the fourth official with a monitor showing him all the offside decisions that he could clearly instruct the referee from even better, but something should happen with offsides over the coming seasons imo.

04 May 2016 09:36:32
I've said this before but I'm all for video refs and a challenge system. I think they've improved sports where they've been used. Challenges empower team captains and will weed out the dreadful match changing mistakes that ruin the game (off the ball fouls, off sides, penalties etc) . Meanwhile if you have video refs without challenges you get a situation like rugby where it becomes a crutch that the ref uses to check every big decision he makes.

Bring in challenges and video refs ASAP.

{Ed001's Note - I don't agree, every sport they are used in has been affected badly by them and become hugely less watchable.}

04 May 2016 11:26:07
I think Tennis has become better for it ed. Though I am not sure challenges would ever fit into football.

{Ed001's Note - tennis couldn't become any worse to be fair.}

04 May 2016 11:47:02
Hey Ed, Tennis is my second sport and I think that game has been hugely improved by the challenges. I concede that it's not been perfect in Cricket and Rugby (the other two sports which use video refs which I'm familiar with) but I think rugby implemented it badly and in cricket the teams have been awful at choosing when to review.

I think video refs are coming in the next few years regardless so one of us can say I told you so in around 5 years :-)

{Ed001's Note - sorry but I just don't see how you can not understand that tennis is not a team sport and that it only works in individual sports that are stopped anyway. Team sports need a flow or they end up like crappy American ones that stop every five seconds so incredibly obese people can stuff their faces.}

04 May 2016 12:28:09
Agree with Ed. Video is killing Rugby. Was good at the start but now every decision is being waved up to the video ref and in some instances where it is obvious a try has been scored, because the video ref cannot see it 100%, tries are not being given. The idea that video cuts out mistakes 100% is wrong.

Challenges are nonsense. Would turn into time wasting and momentum stopping exercises. Decisions are never going to be perfect because we are not. That is the beauty of it. The desire to remove all doubt is a childish one.

Would prefer to see the authority of refereees being backed more by suspensions as it would not take long for players to learn that screaming 'f&&k you' in a refs face is going to cost them a game or two. Perhaps a summer camp for the FA and referees with Nigel Owens on how to keep a game flowing without losing the integrity of the officials.

The game is beautiful. And a pain in the ass at times when something goes against your team. But it is still beautiful. Don't let it be cut into slices of replays over and over so that it becomes like a slow moving cartoon farce. We can leave that to Americans who design their sport around their bellies. No offence, but the average NFL game lasts 3 hours 11 minutes, ball in play for 11 minutes, average play is 4 seconds, and they hit you with 100 Ads during that time.

The only people who would love to see games stopped for decisions are advertisers. No one else. Your screen would be split into waiting for a decision and the latest betting offer or some other useless crap. You could say that the beauty of football is that for 45 minutes you get to watch it uninterrupted by the usual tsunami of hypnotic bauble dangling.

I'm surprised they haven't already increased half time to 30 minutes to shoehorn more crap into your head. Let the game flow. It is beautiful enough as it is.

04 May 2016 13:24:32
The reason that football is loved much is because of the unpradicatabilty. Refs making mistakes, players willing to mix it up physically, effing and Jeffing is what makes it exciting. I used to love watching top end rugby but look how dull that is now, 30 robots on the field!

04 May 2016 13:25:08
Ed, there are a few reasons why I think you're wrong on this.

1. Football doesn't actually flow that well. Actual playing time in any given match is in the region of 55-65 minutes. There are a huge amount of interruptions to the game already where video consultation could take place.
2. Your fear that the game would stop every 5 seconds is addressed by the challenge system. It would mean that only the most critical errors are reviewed.
3. The sort of situation where a challenge may be used is normally accompanied by a long break in play already (think players remonstrating with the refs) . Suitable gaps for a video review are already in the game.
4. Following on from above this would decrease player aggression towards refs something I think we all agree would be good to see.
5. One of the worst things in football is losing because a referee's mistake. That issue can be eliminated in one go.
6. This could actually improve the flow of the game, refs would be more willing to play advantages knowing that if they've made a mistake play can be brought back.

As I said, video refs are coming and I expect them to improve the game but if I'm wrong and it does go badly then they can be taken away again. There's no harm in trying.

{Ed001's Note - 1. Those interruptions would only be added to with your plan, very few of those times would be any good for video refs. They tend to be after a decision has been given or, mostly, things such as throw ins. Try and understand what exactly the true nature of the stoppages are before claiming they are relevant.
2. That is simply crap. It would be used for tactical means and waste more time. Most of the decisions that would end up being challenged are opinions that can be argued over for days. It would come down to a video ref's opinion instead of a refs opinion. Pointless.
3. Those sorts of situations are rarely solved by looking at the video footage. Just let the ref decide and make the players show some respect and accept the decisions, then we wouldn't have those incidents.
4. It would increase it because they would want everything taken to the video ref and no longer respect the ref's decision at all.
5. No it would not. Again it would still be an opinion. Nonsense point from you. People argue for years over these incidents, not a chance one video ref will change that.
6. Then it is pointless having a ref at all, just have a video ref.}

04 May 2016 15:08:46
this is just a thought, a video ref would cut out any cheating by the refs or the players, i know its rare but players have been caught cheating to make money on the asian markets, with rugby if a player argues with the ref the ref can move the ball 10 yards towards the opponents line where a pen can be given if its close enough to the sticks,

{Ed001's Note - how would it do that? That is an assertion with little basis in reality.}

04 May 2016 16:06:33
Ed, my reply.

1. We can only disagree on this, if it was well implemented I do not think it would slow down the game at all. A good video assistant watching the game will know the answer to a query before it even gets asked.
2. Wasting challenges on frivolous calls would risk the team not having a challenge when they need it. There may be some small tactical usage but it would be negligible. At worst it would be the same as a team using a substitution to waste seconds at the end of a match.
3. Maybe not every situation could be resolved by a video but many could, the current system isn't perfect nor is any theoretical system. As long as it's an improvement it has value.
4. The on-field ref will still do 99% of the work and teams will respect that. The beauty of the challenge system is that it puts the responsibility for correct decisions on the players not the ref. If they don't utilize the system efficiently the blame is on them. In tennis and cricket nobody talks about games turning on umpires decisions any more, we should hope that football can get to a similar place.
5. Fine, not all of them, but most of them. Anything that improves a ref's ability to make the correct decision is an improvement on the current system.
6. If a video ref on his own could do a better job than an on-field ref on his own I'd support that option but that's clearly not the case, a blend is needed. Video refs will empower on field refs. The current system forces a ref to make a decision when he's not completely sure, having video back up gives him the option to allow play to continue and then go back to it if necessary.

Last Thursday was a great example, when Lallana broke the offside trap the linesman had to make a decision and went with safety first, flagging him offside. With a video ref play could have continued. If Lallana had fluffed the chance no one would have had to challenge it but if he'd scored it would have been challenged. I'd rather we suffered a 15 second check that he was onside than debate after the game about how the ref had cost us a goal.

{Ed001's Note - you clearly do not watch sports news if you think no one talks about those things in tennis and cricket. Pointless arguing over the rest, if you think it has worked in those and done that then it is a waste of time having this discussion at all.}

04 May 2016 17:07:15
Ed, you're very frustrating when you're in this kind of mood (to be fair you're always in this kind of mood) . One day you'll (metaphorically) buy me a beer and we'll laugh about the time you told me video refs were a bad idea in football. You don't have to worry, I promise not to be smug about it.

{Ed001's Note - I don't think it is a bad idea, per se, I just don't think the technology is there yet for the uses it would work for. Other than that, I think it should be purely for retrospective punishments and rescinding wrongly awarded cards.}

04 May 2016 18:24:07
muscatred - How does that work? let's assume Lallana was offside but the ref didn't give it because the ref plays on as he isn't sure and the video ref can sort it later if he does score. That's great - assuming the options are score or dead ball. But it's football - it can go dead, or it can be very much alive and reside with either team. It can be picked up by another attacking player who passing it back and around again. It can take a long time - 5 or 10 minutes - before the ball goes out of play. At what point do they revisit the decision? At what point do they call a stop to it? How do they go back to the decision and restart on the correct one - do they just accept the time wasted? Do they just add that time on again, which will be exhausting for the players if they have to play yet another extra 5-10 minutes due to those calls. It's just taken away from the refs ability and willingness to make decisions. And there will not necessarily be the ability to recompense most of the time for wrong stops or flagging.

And that's all assuming that you have to challenge a decision as soon as its taken. If you can retrospect it then they'll have to be monitored time limits, a way to instantly clarify what decision is being challenged, a whole bunch of logistical nightmares and ultimately it'll just be used as an extra time wasting tool for teams.

Ultimately mate it sounds to me like your plan works for about 80% of decisions, but doesn't really work for any 'non-decisions' because by nature there is no break in play for a non-decision!

And as a cricket fan I can tell you without a doubt that people still talk about umpire, and video ref, decisions all the time.

04 May 2016 22:23:49
Hey Hjikle. I enjoy my ideas being challenged, gives me a chance to test them. A few thoughts off the top of my head:

1. The worst case scenario in my system is that a ref makes a mistake, a team fails to challenge and the other team benefits. This is exactly the same as situation now so we're no worse off.
2. The system doesn't need to be about making football perfect, it's purpose is to improve on the current situation, if it solves 80% of the problems that's a huge win.
3. A challenge would be a valuable commodity that is unlikely to be used on anything bar key decisions (goals, red cards etc) so if Lallana doesn't score the issue wouldn't even come up.
4. Who says we have to wait for a break in play to stop? There are a few options, a time limit, till possession changes, the refs judgement. It's a simple fix.
5. The time wasting thing could come up but the problem it may create would be far smaller than the problem it fixed. Teams already exploit the rules to time waste, did anyone argue against substitutions because they could be used to time waste?
6. Don't forget the video refs aren't there to replace decision making they're there to give a team an opportunity to correct a mistake. The ref and his assistants still have responsibility to get the basics right.

Not saying my idea is perfect, it would need a lot of kinks to be worked out but that doesn't automatically disqualify it from consideration. There might be a trade off but as long as it provides a net gain it would be worth doing.

05 May 2016 00:08:19
How about just don't have refs just have Howard Webb sitting in the BT sport booth telling Michael Owen if it's a foul or not ten minutes after its happened?

03 May 2016 21:02:54
Just met Diego Perotti in Rome such a nice guy and couldn't be nicer about Liverpool as a club and city, very humble guy. I asked when he was signing and he said tomorrow and laughed obviously joking but a very humble guy indeed.

03 May 2016 22:34:45
I remember him being one of the wingers we were linked with before we decided to go for Downing instead of him.

04 May 2016 00:10:48
I remember that as well, dilakh.

03 May 2016 20:29:50
Watching bayern Munich and athletico. What was raffa thinking trying to ship out Alonso for Gareth Barry. Alonso running the show in middle of the park. Would complete our midfield if we had him back. wishfull thinking😴.

04 May 2016 00:16:32
Worse hmasson, he bought Aquaman who is as poor as they come, to replace him eventually. He should have been sacked for that alone.

03 May 2016 19:46:26
Wondering about other peoples opinion of Danny Ings. Personally I really like the lad. Seems like a very hard worker who wants to do his all and just get better and better. Really hoping he can continue to develop and play an integral role next year.

03 May 2016 22:53:04
My opinion is that he was injured all season. What do you want opinion about? How well he rehabilitated his ligament?

03 May 2016 16:43:15
Hi ED hope all is well and thanks for the great job your doing .

Is the goalkeeper coach the same coach or did Kloop bring in a new one?

{Ed023's Note - Same guy}

03 May 2016 16:48:55
Thanks ED do you think Kloop might replace him in the summertime?

{Ed023's Note - I'd like to think he will as I've heard he isn't the greatest but whatever Klopp decides I trust his decision}

03 May 2016 16:23:56
breaking rumour: Claudio Ranieri signs new 50 year contract at Leicester City😀.

03 May 2016 11:50:07
Hi All, just want to do another quick defence of Benteke after sunday's game. I still expect him to leave this summer as he's not right for Klopp but he doesn't deserve to be put in a bracket with Ballotelli, Borini etc. His record this season is 8 goals in 26 PL appearances which would be average if a lot of those appearances weren't cameo's. He's actually played the equivalent of just under 16 matches which gives him a strike record of a goal every other game, the basic standard for a good striker. He's 11th on the list of players to have scored at least 5 goals in the PL this season which also puts him above of a lot illustrious names including Costa, Martial, Rooney, Giroud and Defoe.

His time with us hasn't worked out as Benteke or we would have hoped but he's been far from useless. I'd like to thank him for his contribution and wish him well wherever he is next season (including if it's with us) .

03 May 2016 12:05:13
There was no doubt he'd score goals. I actually thought it would work out for him. If he hadn't been dropped I have no doubt he'd have scored 15-20 league goals this season.

The problem is is all round game. When he plays, nobody else looks like scoring because his hold up play, and link up play is so much poorer than I thought it'd be. At Villa I just assumed it was down to bad players around him, but as it turns out he is just a terrible team player, and a good goal scorer. For a team like Burnley coming up his goals are what they would need to stay up. But for a team with ambition, he just holds you back.

03 May 2016 12:18:00
His biggest issue is that he blunts our attacks and makes it harder for others to score. Not a useless player but needs everything to revolve around him, and he's not good enough for that in a top team.

03 May 2016 12:54:28
Lallana plays nearly every game and nobody blunts our attacks more than him.

03 May 2016 13:17:26
Natural poolie I think Lallana is the complete opposite of Benteke. He is completely lacking in the goals department but is an excellent team player. His link up play is good, contrary to popular belief his vision and creativity is excellent and his work right is up there with anyone's. He just can't score goals on a regular basis if his life depended on it!

Before Christmas he seemed to want too long on the ball but since his match winner against Norwich he looks much more confident and instead of thinking too much and slowing play down, he just gets it under control and plays. It's a massive shame he can't shoot because otherwise we wouldn't even be discussing replacing him. If he worked that hard and scored goals he'd be unstoppable. Sadly that's not the case.

03 May 2016 13:27:42
Like Klopp has said lallana starts the press and works harder than the rest of team that's why he's mostly get sub off.

03 May 2016 13:38:51
Undropable* not unstoppable. Bloody auto correct on this new phone is getting on my tuts!

03 May 2016 18:26:07
Anybody else see Benteke going to Newcastle if they stay up?
Torres number 2 under Rafa?

03 May 2016 11:14:03
Hi Eds with Sakho going to be banned for god knows how long it would mean we need an experienced CB i know we have ~Matip coming in but i don't think he has the experience so what would the likey hood of us getting both Hummels and Gotze,

{Ed002's Note - -273.15'C.}

03 May 2016 11:23:36
Haha nice one!

03 May 2016 11:24:00
He may only be 24 but our Joel Matip is plenty experienced in my humble opinion.

03 May 2016 11:24:41
thanks for the answer ed mate, all it was I've just been reading that BMunich might want to do a swap for hummels and gotze, so i thought if both are up for moving clubs then just maybe we can pull a blinder and get both, but thanks for your funny answer lol.

03 May 2016 11:30:49
So about 86.85'C then Ed?

03 May 2016 15:51:32
Aka absolute zero.

03 May 2016 18:47:15
Absolute zero is only a concept, no-one knows what might happen at absolute zero because it cannot be achieved. So if no-one knows then that must mean there is a chance it could happen. 🤔

I think 🤓.

03 May 2016 09:15:26
Any interest in ........

{Ed002's Note - This is the Liverpool page - try the European pages.}

03 May 2016 06:49:51
All credit to Leicester.
And with a bit of spite i'm glad Tottenham didn't win it. I can't remember the last time I wanted Chelsea to not lose.

03 May 2016 07:43:27
2014 : Chelsea Won the PL for Man City

2015 : Chelsea Won EPL

2016 : Chelsea Won the PL for Leicester City.

2017 :?

03 May 2016 12:59:16
You do spout nonsense Harry haha. I suppose it was Chelsea who helped Leicester to only lose 3 games in 36?

03 May 2016 13:38:07
its a marathon not a sprint harry. chelsea certainly dealt the killer blow though.

03 May 2016 16:08:47
the wound was gaping by the draw with west brom, Chelsea just stuck the knife in, spurs could have been 3-0 up at h-t and mason had a great chance to make it 3-1 fine margins, they were never close enough to Leicester points wise to really apply the pressure, the challenge for spurs now is to learn from our mistakes the season we finished 2nd.

02 May 2016 22:02:09
Hi Ed001,
Think it might be useful to give Ibe some loan time next season? I'd really like to see him prosper and i think week-in week-out football could be a big help.

{Ed001's Note - personally I think he needs to stay and work through the tough patch. Getting through it will make a huge difference to him mentally for the rest of his career. Standing by him and speaking to him, using the option of a loan to explain you think he has the talent and attitude to get through it without the loan. Explaining you have faith in him etc, can boost his confidence.}

03 May 2016 07:03:37
You and I clearly disagree on the word patch. He's been poor for over a year, I'd say that's longer than a patch 😉.

{Ed001's Note - Rush was poor for 3 years as a youngster. Albrighton was useless for more. There are many other examples. You just lack patience and understanding. Kids today want everything now, when the best players work their way through poor patches and come out the other side.}

03 May 2016 08:40:28
Totally agree with you ed still say play him up top on the shoulder of last defenders use his pace and work rate to close down opposition instead of out wide isolated
Up the pool.

03 May 2016 09:43:53
Harry Kane worked very hard and he is reaping the benefits now.

03 May 2016 10:24:17
Whilst I agree with the notion that he has time to improve, I have to weigh that up with the possibility that we could get at least 10m for him this summer. We don't need works in progress, we need a team to win the league, and right now he is no where near good enough to start. He needs a loan where he will play week in week out, to see if he can improve.

{Ed001's Note - if you sell every work in progress then you never progress. We need a team to win the league, you don't get a team by changing every player just because they are not playing well. Loans are a waste of time, they are not the answer. Teamwork is what won us so many championships, players knowing each other and each other's games, you don't develop that by making wholesale changes. Atleti and Leicester have both been able to win their titles the same way. Consistency is what we need and a bit of faith in our players that have potential.}

03 May 2016 10:34:14
Ibe is the least of our problems and the lowest priority to sell IMO.
Would rather sell older, big earners with a bad work ethic.

03 May 2016 11:44:50
I agree with you Ed, consistency and teamwork is the key and we've tried for far too many Seasons to change half the team instead of putting our heads down and getting there through hard graft.

The other problem though is that we have three talented but unproven wingers coming through in Ojo, Ibe and Markovic and we clearly can't afford to give them all of them the games they individually need to progress.

I'd therefore prefer we prioritise a bit better on who we want to invest in and I'd personally keep Markovic (more 'ready') and Ojo (looks better all round talent to me) and give them loads of chances in the first team. We can then give Ibe a year long loan (like it seems we're doing for Ward) so he can continue to get game time in a professional league and see how we get on.

I do think if we try keep everyone happy, we risk ending up with no-one getting the time on the park they really need to break through.

{Ed001's Note - three wingers is not a lot. You need that many for a season, at least.}

03 May 2016 07:45:32
You could relate Ibe to Sterling in the context of opportunities. At Liverpool we had a small team and Sterling benefited it. Wouldn't be the case at City next season with new players coming in. Ibe would be the same victim next year with players coming in to take his place.
He had to prove a point this year and he did not. As it stands Klopp rates Ojo more than Ibe and rightly so.

03 May 2016 14:16:31
I don't think Ibe would really benefit from a Loan, it might get his confidence back up but you don't know he could come back and then just mentally go back again at Pool. He definitely has the talent and looks like he's got a good attitude. I think If he just works through it eventually will push through you can clearly see his confidence is n't the highest and that effects any player hugely and he's still pretty young so probably a little more so on him. I think there was a bit of discussion on here about Ibe playing up top due to his pace and power. I think he's got a pretty decent left foot on him now and more comfortable coming inside fromthe right rather than pushing the touch line everytime!

03 May 2016 16:13:40
I have also heard nothing negative coming from ibe, he just needs to work his way through this bad patch, I suggest a extra round of hugs from klopp, he has had a loan, now he needs our support.