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19 Apr 2026 05:28:42
A win today and it's 7 points clear of Chelsea with them still to play and dependant on what Villa do we could go level with them on points and also have them to play.
Champions League qualification is in our own hands. Let's hope we don't cock it up!
Everton can go 6th with a win so it should be some game.
2
19 Apr 2026 08:54:15
Next 2 games are vital. 6 points there, and confidence is up, and we're practically there on points too. Lose today and confidence is back to square one, and slog till the end, where we could easily miss out. Time for this team to step up now.
2
19 Apr 2026 09:25:16
Has this team stepped up all season?
2
19 Apr 2026 09:30:37 Confidence back to square 1? It's been lacking all season, unfortunately. Which is a major part of the problem why the season has been so crap.
You can see it in the players, and why the season has been a struggle since early days.
I just don't see it, unfortunately, which is awful to admit.
18 Apr 2026 23:38:34
As much as I hate United winning, that gives us breathing space.
3
19 Apr 2026 06:22:35
Yeah, between us and UTD.
Or until we get beat today and then lose at home to Palace next week. Probably lose to Chelsea as well, and UTD.
We're stuffed the season up good and proper, and it's going to take a miracle to make top 5.
3
19 Apr 2026 06:30:18
Apparently, we are winning all our remaining fixtures, TIB....
We'll even secure 2nd after the greatest bottle job that's about to hit.
2
19 Apr 2026 06:32:38
That's the spirit, @TIB, more like your glass is empty, let alone half full.
3
19 Apr 2026 07:07:13
My glass is completely bone dry, WDW. Every bit of optimism has been sucked out of me during the course of this season, mate.
12
19 Apr 2026 08:29:13
Probably couldn't ask for a better game today.
No hiding place for anyone.
Slot and the players will either stand up to the task or fall by the way side.
2
19 Apr 2026 08:47:04
They have to give their all today. They should show a bit of passion and commitment. Also, a good way to bounce back after the cup exit.
Let's hope we can do it, the Blues will be fired-up for this.
0
19 Apr 2026 08:49:57
Bulk, if we win our 3 home games, we get top 5. I hardly think that constitutes a miracle. Personally, I'm not confident of getting anything from our 3 remaining away fixtures, but 3 home wins will be enough. What a time to be a Red!
1
19 Apr 2026 09:34:45 I'd love for us to win our remaining games, but the way the season has gone, it's going to be a miracle. Our recent form suggests maybe winning 1 or 2 of the games. Hope I'm wrong, which I am a lot, but unless the games are reduced to 60 minutes, so we don't look knackered, I honestly don't believe we can.
0
19 Apr 2026 09:35:37 The thing is, Rome, I remember the teams we lost to at home this season, then I take a look at the fixture list, and wonder where the points are coming from.
18 Apr 2026 23:21:16
Konate contract done, what do we think? Iām not sure on him myself. He has his days.
0
19 Apr 2026 00:30:54
I'm happy if true, he's had a crap season, but who hasn't.
6
19 Apr 2026 04:54:38
It's another mistake by the hierarchy. Konate isn't good enough, and his wages will be way above market value for someone who was all in on going to Real Madrid while he thought there was a chance.
He hasn't just had a crap season - he's been a bit crap for years, with some good games thrown in on occasion.
6
19 Apr 2026 06:19:58
At least he has a sell on value if he has signed.
3
19 Apr 2026 06:25:46
Needs to be replaced. When he's playing bad, you know it. When he's playing good, his head is in Madrid. He will drop us like a hot stone if they come back calling, and for that reason alone we should get shot of him.
1
19 Apr 2026 06:41:16
He will have been at the club for 5 years at the start of July - he is a PL winner and a regular for France, and will be playing in the World Cup. I've never seen him say he wants to leave or bad mouth the club. The (made up) criticism of his motives and his capabilities as a player are just pathetic.
7
19 Apr 2026 07:08:40
West Derby Wanderer, spot on. He takes some criticism on here, but Van Dijk has been awful, flinging his arms around. The truth is, he doesn't want to make a tackle, it's his heading abilitie that's his strong point. I'm afraid age catches up with us all, and you can clearly see that with Van Dijk.
0
19 Apr 2026 07:40:04
Couldn't agree more... Sell VVD and give Konate his contract desires.
0
19 Apr 2026 08:38:09
Opposition teams target Konate when out of possession. They let him have the ball when he's 30 yards plus from our goal, as they know he doesn't do a lot with it and slows us down even more, and they also trigger their press on him when he receives it when close to our goal.
Unbelievably, though, our players seem to love to give him the ball. The amount of times our forwards and midfield choose to go back to him rather than forward is infuriating.
Just plays into the opposition's game plan.
0
{Ed001's Note - he is not helped by Virgil, who never does anything but stands and watches, instead of sprinting into a position to receive a pass. He doesn't make any effort to make angles for passes at all, same when the keeper has it, he just strolls about. At least if he moved it would give one option.}
2
19 Apr 2026 08:43:33
I'd rather he be replaced by someone more consistent with defending and who also has leadership qualities, since VVD will probably leave in a year.
I don't think Konate would do too well next to a young defender. He seems to need a more senior player/leader next to him, and even then he's so inconsistent.
1
19 Apr 2026 09:15:46
To those saying, we've protected Konate's value by giving him a new contract.
What value?
No one wanted him while he was free!
2
19 Apr 2026 09:21:28
Perhaps he would grow with additional responsibility. He speaks well - coherent and thoughtful when interviewed - and I think he was actually captain of France in one of his appearances. Perhaps he might step up if / when VVD leaves.
18 Apr 2026 22:37:03
Diouf was a total s*** of a person but far far from the worst striker!
0
18 Apr 2026 23:25:59
He was an awful striker and an awful human.
One of the worst forwards I've ever seen.
7
19 Apr 2026 03:02:06
He has to be the worst signing for us ever. To think we chose him over signing Anelka is beyond belief.
9
19 Apr 2026 08:08:11
He was really good in Football Manager while Anelka was a prima donna in that game. I reckon that's what they based the move on.
2
19 Apr 2026 08:27:05
Mad Erik Meijer
Sean Dundee
Ricky Lambert
They were all right down there as our worst forwards in recent memory.
1
19 Apr 2026 08:29:09
He was absolutely rubbish. Didn't score a single goal in his second season. The bloke averaged something like 0.1 goals per game. One of the worst footballers to ever swindle a pro contract.
Lw - Aspas
Rw - Diouf
ST - Borini, Voronin, Jovanovic, Ngog, too many Caroll, Benteke.
4
18 Apr 2026 20:32:34
Any worst team has to have Naby Keita in midfield and El Hadji Diouf in the forward position I don't care about anyone else, as long as they're in it.
6
18 Apr 2026 20:34:40
Sean Dundee as striker.
0
18 Apr 2026 20:37:46
@grino75, while Keita disappointed given the expectations, he was nowhere near the worst player to play for us. He was genuinely talented as one could see when he played (though that hardly happened).
6
18 Apr 2026 21:07:24
I'd absolutely have Keita in there. He was terrible, and, when you factor in, he wasn't far off one of our most expensive ever signings at the time. It makes it even worse.
3
18 Apr 2026 21:20:39
Definitely Karius as the goalie. Klopp got it wrong with him, cost us the Champs League.
2
18 Apr 2026 21:23:05
Joke Hole has to be in there somewhere.
4
18 Apr 2026 21:59:04
Worst left back has to be a toss up between Konchesky or Julian Dicks. Diouf has to be in there as well.
Keita doesn't deserve to be in there, had some good moments, shame he just wasn't on the pitch enough to have more.
1
18 Apr 2026 22:04:11
Aspas was a decent player. Never got a fair shake.
6
18 Apr 2026 22:24:45
Stephen Caulker could be in central defender and striker positions.
1
18 Apr 2026 22:25:10
Keita has to be in there, because he is the one player with so much talent, but did not care and just was happy to sign then collect his wages without putting in any effort.
We signed a world class player, and he was a bum and should have been sold within 2 years.
1
19 Apr 2026 00:23:06
You can't count Julian Dicks - he wasn't actually a footballer.
Still say Jimmy Carter was the least talented player to play in the first team.
0
19 Apr 2026 03:04:46
Alberto Aquilani was a good player. It was not his fault that he was bought when he was already injured. When he played, he played really well. The issue for him was that Rafa got the sack, and then Hodgson was brought in, who had never seen a creative player ever in his life and did not know what to do with such players.
Hence he was shipped off back to Italy. Under any other manager (even Brenda), he could have been a good player for us.
1
19 Apr 2026 08:34:19
Poulsen, Leonhardsen, Cheyrou, Jean Michel Ferri, Kvarme, Antonio Nunez, Ozan Kabak, Marko Grujic.
These guys have to be in the reckoning.
0
19 Apr 2026 08:47:13
Naby certainly didn't live up to the fee, but he managed to play 129 games and got 18 goals and assists. We've signed players who probably didn't play 15 games, they were that bad.
Similar to Carroll, he managed 58 games.
Lots of big name players would get into the worst value for money signings, and you could probably have Isak in there at this point with Darwin & Carroll, but if it's based on playing ability, players like Dundee who made 5 appearances with zero goals and assists are front runners.
18 Apr 2026 17:34:14
It would appear that Gordon wants out of Newcastle and i'm not surprised. I'm not his biggest fan but he might flourish in a better team. Premier League experience, home grown and approaching his prime years are obvious plus points. Temperament, price(long contract + English tax) and for me a bit underwhelming and inconsistent are negatives.
2
18 Apr 2026 18:47:55
No 8 -, I might be one of the few on here that would take him.
I think he's more than capable of doing a job for us, is pretty versatile & like Diaz used to do, can get the ball up the pitch pretty consistently?
Get him back firing with Isak for next season?
7
18 Apr 2026 19:04:08
I'm on the fence, Bristol, there is certainly a lot to like but also a nagging doubt, the history with Isak is another plus point though.
1
18 Apr 2026 19:07:28
He's not suited for the slop we serve up.
0
18 Apr 2026 19:12:26
We managed to sign the best striker the Premier League of last season, and one of the best young talents in the entire world.
And we've made them look total gash
It doesn't matter who we sign until we sack this manager, his staff, and the 2 idiots that have kept him here 6 months too long
16
18 Apr 2026 19:44:24
Underwhelming, inconsistent and expensive?! What's not to like?
1
18 Apr 2026 20:58:40
I'm looking forward to seeing him in the best football club Liverpool.
0
18 Apr 2026 21:18:56
Apparently Newcastle want 80m for him, which is crazy. I'd be hard-pressed to pay a penny over 50m.
4
18 Apr 2026 21:26:47
Ā£80m for the Scouse Stewart Downing. What a time to be alive.
5
19 Apr 2026 06:44:32
No thank you. Dodgy temperament and seems to be someone who is always wanting to be somewhere else.
0
19 Apr 2026 08:49:47
I'd take him for the right price. I think he'd do well for us, but we won't get the right price, Newcastle will demand a fortune for him or Guimaraes.
18 Apr 2026 16:35:50
Hi ED001 I read an earlier post about slot being a poor man manager, which isn't surprising considering my ears start to bleed at every one of his press conferences. But it got me thinking about Rafa, a lot of ex Liverpool players talk about how his man management being poor, but he was still able to motivate players to play exceptional matches.
I loved the man but is it fair to say he wasn't good enough to take us to titles or was he truly let down by investment?
0
{Ed001's Note - I think he was too negative to win the Prem. He had the team but wouldn't let them attack.}
9
18 Apr 2026 16:58:43
There was a period in 09 when we were playing scintillating football under Rafa. I think we had the right balance between attack and defence then.
I think Rafa's biggest issue was the quality of the squad players. It was a revolving door every season. He discovered some gems but, my word, there was a lot of dross bought under Rafa, players who were way below the required level.
He would have been better if he had been more selective as opposed to the scattergun approach every year. Torres was frequently injured and his backup was David Ngog.
7
18 Apr 2026 18:18:00
But that season, Babbity, there were times when points were lost through his negativity. Points that ended up vital. Think we drew over 10 games that season.
2
18 Apr 2026 18:18:52
Investment was definitely an issue, no doubt about it. We loved selling off our best players at the time, and our quality off the bench was woeful. Rafa was a great tactician for cup ties, but when it came to getting the best out of a team over 38 games he fell a little short.
I think his tendency to be overcautious restricted players. He overcommitted to rotation when we didn't have the quality of depth for it. I remember the zonal marking being a big issue at times. He was stubborn as a mule and, of course, his complete lack of man management.
0
18 Apr 2026 18:46:26
We had a great team in 2008-2009 with a first team to envy but didn't have squad depth. If Rafa had the Ā£400m Slot has had, then I'm sure we'd have taken the next step to win the league.
That team imploded due to Rafa burning his bridges with Alonso, Mascherano, then Torres all left, all world class players, leaving an ageing Gerrard to try to galvanise the team again.
1
18 Apr 2026 19:00:26
Rafa was a bit too negative minded with the Premier League in hindsight, however, I do agree that the drop off in quality in the squad was one of the main reasons. We always seemed short, especially in the wide areas when compared with Chelsea or United at the time.
However, I do remember the Valencia team he created with Aimar and Baraja... they played some great football. He never could get us doing that enough.... Perhaps because of rotations, quality or just a lack of positivity.
0
18 Apr 2026 19:18:23
Florian, too many draws that should have been wins in the January/February time. I think that period coincided with Torres' injury if I remember correctly. Like I said, we were relying on David Ngog after we sold Robbie Keane (a ridiculous decision).
Even still, we got 86 points that season, which beats Slot's season last year. There were some memorable performances too, like the double against Real Madrid and 4-1 at Old Trafford.
2
18 Apr 2026 19:22:34
Hessle, apparently in 2008 or 2009 a double-deal of David Silva and David Villa had been agreed with Valencia for Ā£40 million because they were cash-strapped but the board pulled the plug.
2
18 Apr 2026 19:40:46
Rafa had to work under the Chuckle Brothers (Moores and Parry) then under Stadler and Waldorf (Hicks and Gillett). Unbelievable bad luck.
And, blimey, we have had some terrible owners and awful Director appointments.
1
18 Apr 2026 20:34:34
I vaguely remember a game. I think we were drawing and Rafa subbed Torres. I can remember Torres shrugging to Gerrard, and Gerrard just standing there with his hands on his hips looking bewildered.
1
18 Apr 2026 21:07:50
Raffa's hands were tied. He tried to sign David Silver, Danny Alves and Sergio Aguero but was let down by the yanks. YNWA
.
1
18 Apr 2026 21:39:28
Rafa's tenure under H&G was far shorter than his tenure under M&P.
18 Apr 2026 13:58:50
Ed may I ask what you think about Calvin Bassey of Fulham? Do you think he will be good enough for us?
0
{Ed001's Note - I do like him, I think he is a better left sided centre back than Senesi. Not sure if he is quite good enough to make the step up as he does lack a bit concentration wise, in particular.}
4
18 Apr 2026 16:31:13
I'm surprised you think that actually Ed, I thought we focused our press towards his side when we played them. And every time I've seen him I've found him to be quite clumsy on the ball. You've took me to school again
0
{Ed001's Note - he can look clumsy due to losing focus. He then gets caught on the wrong foot etc.}
18 Apr 2026 13:15:51
Perfect football weekend will be a draw for United v Chelsea, Sunderland win v Villa, Citeh beating the bottle jobs, n us hammering the bitters.
9
18 Apr 2026 14:47:34
78/1 Strom. šš
5
18 Apr 2026 15:17:17
Irish Rover, ....worth at Ā£10 at them odds, then it is a perfect weekend. š
1
18 Apr 2026 16:31:45
Perfect result this weekend is Slot gone.
5
18 Apr 2026 18:47:29
He's not going until at least the end of the season so get used to it.
1
19 Apr 2026 01:55:15
Do you all think Slot out would end the wars in the Middle East? Seems to be the answer for everything.
{Ed001's Note - he is not helped by Virgil, who never does anything but stands and watches, instead of sprinting into a position to receive a pass. He doesn't make any effort to make angles for passes at all, same when the keeper has it, he just strolls about. At least if he moved it would give one option.}