25 Aug 2026 09:19:02
Liverpool did this before with Suarez money. FSG didn't learn then...
Management and sporting director got squad planning all wrong. I knew we were in for a ride when his first signing was Chiesa, who has completed a total of 32 games in his three years at Liverpool.
The midfield of Szbo Grav and Macca won us a league. Grav looked good in first half of title winning season, but second half teams found him out. Rather than adding a more defensive minded midfielder they go for Wirtz. Beginning of the end.
Diaz left. His speed and ability to beat a man was never replaced. For some reason Slot thought Gakpo could fill Diaz void and it quickly backfired.
The money used for Isak should have been spent on wide players who could also play upfront in case of Ektike injury.
Director also seems obsessed about signing small players even though the league is getting way more physical. Make it make sense.
People talk about our spending but it was spent on the wrong players without much planning.
Good luck to sporting director as I believe he is heading out but Liverpool need to think long and hard about next sporting director and overall vosion. Especially as it's clear FSG are heading out. I already accept it may take 2 seasons to fix.
25 Aug 2026 11:21:45
The recruitment strategy has been wild since Richard Hughes came in and Michael Edwards returned.
If Hughes does leave next week as rumoured, he will have set the club back 3 years with his recruitment. I look forward to the puff pieces about how it was someone else's fault.
25 Aug 2026 10:11:44
Hi Ed001,
Was wondering what you thought about Alisons performance in terms of kicking? Maybe it was just me, but don't think he took any kick offs and very rarely kicked the ball long, always seemed to be looking got a shortish pass. Do you think he, s trying to look after his hamstrings?
{Ed001's Note - he did not look fully fit, so probably just being careful.}
25 Aug 2026 10:32:11
I personally thought that his all round performance looked rusty. Awful positioning for the first goal and made a couple of dodgy punches when it would have been simple to just catch the ball.
I fear when we need to replace Ali as he was the best keeper in the world, but he does get off lightly at times. Mama would have had absolute pelters on here for a performance like that.
25 Aug 2026 11:12:45
100% Shipley. Even our other world class players of the last decade, like Salah and Virg, get pelters, but Alli gets a free ride. I stand by wat I said last season, we should have been looking to move Alli on, misses far too many games (some just to make sure he'd be alright for a WC) and has rusty performances then getting back up to speed before the inevitable next injury.
25 Aug 2026 09:03:52
Hi, Question to the Eds and in the people in the know that know far better than me
Why is it that as fans we can see what the team is crying out for but the owners/sporting directors cannot or we seem to do things in phases as a club, this has happened for years when you look back
When we needed strikers under Brendan we ended up with Lambert and Ballotelli, Under Klopp we needed a DM and ended up with Arthur Melo, needed a Centre back and was a last minute dash for Kabak and Ben Davies, we also seem to leave ourselves short and wait for a crisis to happen.
Is there something I am not seeing, I am talking about the General planning and signings of targets, when we won the league we only signed Chiesa when people knew then that we needed some bolstering.
Thanks for the work guys, looking forward to the reply.
Hopefully a good end to the window where we could be surprised.
{Ed001's Note - it is not always that simple. In both Brendan and Klopp's case, they were not agreeable to the signings put forward by the recruitment team, which left us short. In particular the Melo case, where he rejected multiple midfield options, saying that he didn't need one, then decided he did at the last minute, which left Melo as just about all that could be got.
As for the defensive situation, you seem to forget the dash for the centre-backs was caused by all the centre-backs going down injured and only needing short term replacements.
These last three summers were supposed to be about fixing it, Edwards had removed the interference from the head coach and he was supposed to work with Hughes to plan the rebuild properly. As we can see, unfortunately we got two men without a clue and so have ended up in a mess.}
25 Aug 2026 10:28:01
I think it's no wonder Klopp ended up burning out since he had to deal with the two of the three stooges.
25 Aug 2026 08:28:05
Ed of Gakpo does leave this window would you expect 2 wingers to arrive or at least are we trying for 2?
{Ed001's Note - I would think he would only be allowed to leave if 2 forwards are coming in, but that would suggest Hughes was competent, so I have no idea!}
25 Aug 2026 10:25:15
Ed, do you think the new investors would want to have a say on who is going to be our next DoF? Maybe they want their own pick to be the next DoF.
{Ed001's Note - you don't go for a place on the board unless you want a say in how a company is run.}
25 Aug 2026 08:31:08
This whole Barcola saga is draining and starting to get embarrassing.
{Ed078's Note - embarrassing for who? A saga is what I watch when winding down at the end of the day, wine in hand, 3 legged puppy on my lap.
25 Aug 2026 09:17:01
Like The Forsyte Saga.
25 Aug 2026 09:41:54
First of all, he'll either be a good upgrade on the LW or a RW we need. Tho, it would be pretty funny if we walked away and left PSG with the 8 odd wingers that PSG have. Then it would be embarrassing.
25 Aug 2026 09:42:26
It's a holiday Mick Flanagan goes on with his Dad, isn't it?
25 Aug 2026 09:46:02
If it's draining for you, then forget about it and go concentrate on something else. It's really not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things......
25 Aug 2026 10:00:02
Showing your age there, Shankly!
"Draining"? Really? Like CBell says, focus on something else. It really isn't important.
25 Aug 2026 10:03:50
I'm on a lounger in the Costa's Rome - that's draining!
25 Aug 2026 10:13:41
Cheers to you, Bristol. Relax and unwind, my friend.
25 Aug 2026 10:20:05
Football isn't for everyone.
After reading this site since the game, following LFC only seems to be an emotional chore for many.
25 Aug 2026 07:07:07
I wanted to make this post as some people might take a lot of the analysis that's gone on after the first game of the season as massively negative.
I know for me when I'm watching a game where there are poor aspects, I do think, why did that happen and how can they be fixed over good aspects sometimes. And there were quite a few things going wrong on Sunday.
But the ideal was right. Dominate and get shots off. All the stats looked good, but obviously stats mean only a certain amount. That was a fair draw. But we got shots off which was a big improvement on last season already. We still won the possession by a decent margin etc. etc. Sometimes it's hard to harp on about the positives when there are some glaring problems to discuss and ponder fixes to.
I personally don't view this as negative, but a discussion and what went wrong and how do people view it can be sorted.
Tactical, player discipline, a particular player in the transfer market. I'm all for listening to people's ideas whether I agree or disagree.
In terms of the overall picture, there was still a big improvement in how we play. You could say Newcastle were decimated and they were. I feel we should have picked up three points there but still are going in the right direction.
I think you ask most here. They will fully acknowledge it's one game and no final conclusions can be made after one game. It will take time to get used to what is a very different idea to last season.
I always said I'd prefer to start slow and improve through the season rather than start fast and get worse. That shows to me that the manager's ideas are not working when the start is fast and we get worse. It's that improvement that I think will happen under Iraola and I look forward to seeing it.
25 Aug 2026 07:16:55
A decimated Fulham gave Chelsea a real scare last night. You can’t pass final judgement after opening day. It takes 3 or 4 games until everyone is fully fit, and you don’t really know how the league table will start to shape up until 10 games in.
Patience is key right now. Let Iraola coach. It’s the whole reason we were all so excited about him.
Good post, Davey.
25 Aug 2026 07:47:12
Surely that rule will apply to Utd and Spurs as well, who were ridiculed for their opening day performances/results.
I have no doubts Liverpool will improve, but only if reinforcements are brought in, as the bench on Sunday is the weakest I can remember.
If main media can be believed, the club are looking to bring in 2-3 but also sell/loan 3, which still leaves the squad short of quality for 4 fronts.
25 Aug 2026 07:56:45
Agreed Davey, St James Park, first game of the season, King Kev tribute, Isak return...always one of the most hostile environments too at the best of times. Yes they have been decimated but they still have a decent bunch of players and in particular plenty of pace.
I found it positive that we didn't offer up too many chances. To be fair, the main 2 were in transition, and again, as you mentioned, that's something that hopefully Iraola will iron out, as that's something we did so many times last season.
The negatives, I guess, were Isak and Wirtz both still lacked that "stardust", but again Isak won't have a more difficult place to go and also we didn't have wingers who could put in a decent cross, so hopefully that gets rectified in the next week.
At 1-1 we were well on top too, and that goal smashed the stuffing out of us. Say what you want about Macca, but he makes the foul in the middle of the park and takes the yellow... granted maybe it's because he wouldn't have the legs to get back, but as it's been mentioned before, we were too nice.
Overall, a point, albeit a late equaliser, is never a bad result in St James Park.
A couple of signings now and let's judge after 10 games. I too expected a rocky start, but you can definitely see we're more aggressive on the attacking front, even after we scored, where we probably would have sat back at 1-1 for a while and tried to "control" the game.
Anyway, good review, Davey! Onwards and upwards... Mon the Redmen!
25 Aug 2026 08:01:16
Yes, I get all that, both MKS and Davey, and so do a lot of the other sensible posters on here. It doesn't disguise the obvious fact that, in order for us to at least compete for the big titles, that we all want I'm sure!?, the first team squad is glaringly short of 5 top level players and I'm not including a competitor LB or GK in this assessment.
RB, RW, LW and 2 CMs. At this level, all opposition weaknesses are exploited on the pitch. We currently have too many. Iraola can only do so much.
25 Aug 2026 08:07:18
I think a lot of negativity is not from the performance in general, but the fear of looking at that bench and seeing such a limit in quality options should and when we'll need to make changes ?!
The quality of a number of positions were evident as early as the start of last season, and the same problem positions exist with no sign yet of being rectified, and that, to me, is a major concern.
I still think we'll do ok come season's end, but might well have to be content with a top 4 slot, but it's going to be a slog.
25 Aug 2026 08:26:19
If we get Mintah, and when he's fit, he will offer more defensive cover than Rio offered on Saturday, so that's a billy bonus.
25 Aug 2026 08:33:17
Rio looked as poor as I've seen him, alright, tbf. I don't like criticising 17 year olds, especially on the back of 1 game, but his fitness looked miles off, which is something there should be no excuse for. I'll give him allowances, as he was playing on the right and up against an excellent left back, in fairness to Hall, but no excuses for not busting a gut and pressing from the front.
Hopefully it was just a poor showing, and I fully expect him to improve, but I think impact sub for now is definitely more suited to him, up against tired legs.
25 Aug 2026 08:45:23
Rio
Is a hype machine with a very limited skill
set, which will not suit Andonis game. He can sign his contract this week and take
up his rightful
place as an impact sub before being sold
for an inflated fee next summer when his bros kick off at a lack of game time.
25 Aug 2026 09:10:16
Sensible post that, Bristol. I've got myself to that place, after a day of reflection. Barcola should help, Minteh may do in three months, and Connor and Ekitike when they're fit. Between now and then I'm taking up yoga and meditation.
25 Aug 2026 09:11:09
Round one of 38 rounds to Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Cheaty. They are the only three of any opposition.
While you cannot win the PL after the first 10-12 PL fixtures, you can certainly lose it with a bad start. Fortress Anfield is a must.
Elanga's first Premier League goal after 33 games, and Wilcocks' first goal after 66 games.
Reference Sky, from the only two Newcastle shots on target the whole game. Sloppy passing, particularly from Ryan twice, was the reason for that. The only solace we can take is not getting beat, that's a very good habit in football.
25 Aug 2026 09:18:53
Those statistics make bad reading, 007.
25 Aug 2026 08:19:03
I think it would be more helpful if we tried to pay attention to what we were trying to do on and off the ball that was different from last year, and how certain teething problems and imbalances, whether that stems from personnel or choices the coach made, resulted in us not being able to execute the plan in the optimal way.
So much of the opinion on here is about which players are fit or unfit for purpose, about how they are failing the same way as they did last year, when we are all, the players even, coming to grips with an entirely new way of playing.
For example, there are folks complaining about Gakpo being predictable again, scoring a good goal and then doing his old cut in and shoot routine again, but for the goal he kept drifting into inside channels in the build up (he did the same for the shot that flew just wide of the top corner earlier on) as Kerkez pulled extremely wide, and Gakpo coming so far inside the pitch made it so that nobody in the Newcastle block knew whose job it was to pick him up. When he scored, he received the ball almost on the opposite side of the pitch. In the last preseason game against Como, he was doing similar things coming central and slotting into half spaces with the fullback going extremely wide.
For folks saying that Grav needs to be dropped, I'm not so sure. Iraola clearly thinks that he is a sort of lynchpin in midfield to pick up positions between the lines, turn and drive into space. So many times in the game he would drive towards the opposition box and get us in a good position, but his biggest weakness, as ed001 rightly noted, is his passing, and it's no real use getting us all the way the pitch if he just gives the ball away afterwards. Clearly we need to figure out what to do about that, Iraola said as much when he said that he doesn't want to nullify that part of Grav's game because it's his superpower.
I'm wondering if maybe we can try Nyoni (a holding/passing/tempo setting player) and Grav in the double pivot with Dom advanced, and Wirtz tucked in on the left hand side picking up those central Gakpo positions, starting as a 'left winger' but effectively being a 10/false 9 picking up positions in central pockets. Of course then the question is how this affects Isak and service in to Isak from wide areas into the box.
