Liverpool Banter

03 May 2024 12:34:59
Klopp getting it all of his chest is glorious to see hopefully the referees are next.

02 May 2024 19:03:17
Time for my yearly rant on kit prices.

Youth top - £60
Youth shorts - £32
Socks - £18

£110 for a full kit.

It's bordering on criminal.

I know schools in the north west that have food banks and offer other services to struggling families.

And before anybody starts I know it's the modern game but I just find that level of greed gross frankly. Charge adults what you like but the youth kits should never be that expensive in my humble opinion.

{Ed025's Note - im with you Wassa..

02 May 2024 19:30:25
Don’t buy it 🤷‍♂️. It’s not necessary to join the gravy train. Doesn’t make you less of a fan, just one with a conscience. Give some of the cash to that food bank instead and sleep easy knowing you’ve made a difference 👍.

{Ed025's Note - good idea that Irish..

02 May 2024 19:43:09
And have an unhappy child who desperately wants the kit and has no understanding of a food bank and later life.

{Ed025's Note - i dont think its buying presents for a child that makes them happy WM, especially if you cant afford it mate..

02 May 2024 19:52:04
Probably all made in sweatshops as well.

02 May 2024 20:15:01
Not arsed myself. You can either buy it or not. That’s the free choice you have as a consumer. Personally I’m happy with my adidas originals 85/ 86 reissue. Timeless classic doesn’t need updating.

02 May 2024 20:25:00
I get dodgy ones from China now for about £10.
I say dodgy, you can’t tell the difference. I took him in it to sports direct and I was comparing them and I couldn’t tell, I almost took it to the till to get a “refund” lol
It means I can get my lad the home and away kits and a few other ones and he can wreck them all he likes playing footie in them. And I’ll be honest, even if I was made of money, I’d still buy them out of principle now because that amount of money for a kids kit is absolutely disgusting and shameful.

02 May 2024 20:42:25
War machine
Your time is the greatest gift you can give your kids. Watching them PLAY football is more important than buying an expensive kit mate.

{Ed025's Note - absolutely Irish..

02 May 2024 20:46:54
To be honest, what self respecting parent would get their kid a full kit, you’re condemning them to being a FKW.

{Ed025's Note - or even worse...a Liverpool supporter.. :)

02 May 2024 21:04:58
Sorry all maybe Im not clear in the point I was trying to make.

Here’s an example:

Since 2016 the Liverpool Foundation has ran the Red Neighbours programme and following a consultation with sixty community leaders in the Anfield, Kirkby and Melwood areas they identified a number of issues on the clubs doorstep. One of those was food poverty.

On the one hand the clubs own charity is assisting with food poverty and then on the other they are charging a ton for a kids football kit.

02 May 2024 20:55:08
Stopped buying them for my kids a few years ago, they'll get much more enjoyment if you buy them t shirts of their favourite cartoon characters etc, depending on age of course and its much cheaper.

Working man's game quickly becoming the rich man's game.

02 May 2024 20:56:52
@Warmachine, for a start kids need to learn they aren’t going to get everything they want in life (and I know, I’ve wanted as Aston Martin fair about 50 years) and secondly we should be teaching kids about what they need rather than what they want.

02 May 2024 21:01:02
Spot on Irish Rover 👏.

02 May 2024 21:35:46
Very easy to get good fakes for a quarter of the price.

02 May 2024 22:08:07
It needs to return as a two year kit, better for the pocket, people can be the early adopters or get it the season after for a discounted price. Plus it’s better from a fast fashion point of view.

I’m fully aware that it won’t though as the manufacturers are on a gravy train.

As for buying it for kids, I don’t see the point, they grow out of it within a year. But I appreciate the peer pressure element of keeping up with the jones’.

02 May 2024 22:35:44
Wassa, clubs don’t set the price of the kits. Adidas/ Nike etc pay clubs the 50-60m/ season (or whatever) to produce and sell the kits. They’re the ones who set the price point.

02 May 2024 22:45:30
two good posts there Irish Rover.

02 May 2024 23:25:17
More chance of it being a monthly kit wy, what with the parasites around football these days. At least in the 90s you had mainly local businessmen. Nowadays you have all the worst and most shady companies with links to all sorts from slavery to terrorism running these clubs.

They sure as hell don't care about our pockets and would ramp the ticket prices up tenfold if it not for the fear of fan rebellion.

03 May 2024 00:09:35
Talking of kits, our neighbours are Bluenoses and with today being a good drying day their child's Everton kit was pegged out on the washing line in preparation for next season's relegation battle, presumably.
Anyway, the Mum came round this evening asking whether we'd seen anything as someone had been in their back yard and robbed the pegs off the clothes line.

03 May 2024 01:48:39
I like the black keeper shirt but wouldn't be given the home one.

03 May 2024 08:26:41
It's bad Wassa but what can you do. The cost to run a football club climbing at an alarming rate.

The costs will never stop rising for us fans until player wages, agent fees and maybe even transfer fees are capped. Clubs barely make a profit nowadays so are they greedy, or are they just trying to cover the costs of greed within the sport?

03 May 2024 10:03:53
Just buy your kids copy kits for about £20/ 30 my son has loads. can't tell the difference.

03 May 2024 12:04:32
Wassa, my kids aren't that into football so all good for me there. Personally, I stopped buying kits 15 years ago when it started costing an arm and a leg and judging by the prices they go for today, Ain't buying nothing any time soon.

03 May 2024 12:19:28
DH Gate! Sod buying at full price! Complete rip off. I bought my kids last kit with his name on the back etc and shorts and socks and was £16. Exactly the same.

02 May 2024 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - Dillinger has posted a new article entitled, POTENTIAL EPL SIGNINGS FOR LEEDS UNITED

01 May 2024 21:46:41
Greetings Ed001, Trust you are well. A question for you (and sorry if it puts you on the spot a bit) .

Mohammed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk. Sell this summer or extend for a year?

I have mixed feelings about both and actually can't decide.

Is it time to turn the page fully on our incredible trio of Salah, Firmino and Mane? I would say yes, for the sake of the remaining forwards on the team. Do you sell for the money? No, because 60-70 million doesn't guarantee you 20-25 goals per year, the way it used to.

I thought VVD had reached his plateau last year, but it turns out he was shaking off that lost year to injury and captaincy has raised his performances to a much higher playing level. So I would extend for another year. But then is it better to give a new head coach a clean slate to mold his team his way, starting off with the older players? Matip is leaving, and if VVD is sold, then you give Konate and Quansah a new partner on the left for the next foreseable 4-5 years? And let's not forget Gomez.

{Ed001's Note - depends on if we have replacements lined up. If so, sell. If not, then it is not an option. I would certainly expect us to be looking to phase them both out even if they stay.}

01 May 2024 23:45:37
Given it’s the last season of Mo’s current contract due you think that might have a bit more of an influence on any decision the club takes in his case?

Weighing up what his market value might be against the possible lack of a direct replacement? For me, I’d sell, but the club has been pretty conservative in letting players go in recent seasons, with the exception of Hendo and Fabs last year.

{Ed001's Note - yes, I expect contract situations will be taken into account in every case when it comes to deciding on players to sell.}

01 May 2024 23:46:15
I would sell Salah and keep VVD.

Virg still wants to be here, it doesn’t appear that Salah does, so let him go.

20-30 goals per season is what he HAS achieved, not necessarily what he WILL achieve next season.

02 May 2024 06:43:30
Sell Salah, keep VVD. VVD has off days, but when he is on it he's still one of the top 3 CB's in the league and wants to be here.
Salah is diminishing, replaceable and will still hold significant value.
Ed001 - lots of talk in the last few days about Salah wanting to stay and SA clubs not wanting to buy etc. do you reckon this is all posturing or do you think Salah will run his contract down?

{Ed001's Note - Salah has never been looking to move, he has always been happy in Liverpool, as is his family, and very settled. The reason why his agent goes round trying to get him ridiculous offers is because it is his job to explore potential offers and it would need to be a ludicrous offer for him to consider a move. This is not Salah chasing a move, it is his agent trying to get him one.

I can't say how he feels at this point in the season, but at the start of the season Salah felt he had plenty more left in the tank and was not interested in moving to a retirement league just yet. That might be being reconsidered though after the way his form died on him mid-season. I don't know though so can't say.}

02 May 2024 07:42:43
If a better player is available, replace the one you have.
Salah is contracted for another season. If we offer him an extension it should benefit both him and the club. He gets the security of another season and we can get a fee if he does go next summer.
I've just got a feeling that Salah wants to play football at the highest level for another season at least.

02 May 2024 08:45:01
I would keep Virgil because his high levels have returned this season, he plays every game, without him we look lost at the back, he's our captain and I feel as though he's got another few seasons in him. I would sell Salah if we get a big offer because it looks as though his powers are diminishing (might be too soon to say this confidently) we could use the money to buy a replacement but also because as we've seen salah is not one to sit on the bench or to accept not being the star and I feel this could cause the new manager some grief. The way he handled that scrap with Klopp makes me fear for the new guy.

02 May 2024 13:18:30
Van dyke has been great this season. Despite having more partners than a sheil rd brass. I doubt this would be a conversation if we managed to stay top of the league.

02 May 2024 15:18:24
Scouse john L8, I agree and having multiple partners has not helped him overall, as we are seeing now.

02 May 2024 21:07:22
VVD has dropped off his level a bit since his was maimed by Pickford. He’s still a very good defender and will be tough to replace.

Salah has lost his pace this season which is understandable given his game is all about strength and pace. You simply can’t sustain it over a certain age.

So if someone asked me to choose who to sell it would be Mo. Mo will command a bigger fee, will free up more wages (I assume) and has had a bigger drop in his game.

I have no idea what type of player and what system Slot will look to play, it may not be the same as Feyenoord. So he may feel there’s more value in keeping an ageing Salah than VVD.

I’m not fussed either way. It’s all a clean slate with me and the new manager needs space to craft a system and a team.