Liverpool banter 8

16 Mar 2026 11:57:14
I get frustrated here when fans have a go at some players without seeing the big picture. When Salah first joined Liverpool fans just thought of him as a good player, but by playing u Derby the right manager and supported by players who suit his style, he became a great player for us. When Wirtz gets players around him that fit his playing style he will be seen as a fantastic addition to Liverpool. Even guys like McAllister, who is having a terrible season is a really good player when played in his proper position.

The problem is the manager who has numerous international players and yet plays them out of position or asks them to play in a way that's alien to their abilities.
Take last night for example he had our best midfield player playing full back in a role that he isn't suited to and plays Frimpong as an attacker which again is not his best position. This is all clearly down to Slot and not the players.

16 Mar 2026 12:28:49
I'm sorry, mate, but Slot's head will be the one on the chopping block, and rightly so, but yesterday the players were embarrassing.

I won't be paying for another ticket this season after that effortless performance. I'll still watch every game and likely moan, but I'm not willing to part with my time and money to follow that.

16 Mar 2026 12:35:02
Couldn't agree more. I was absolutely raging when I saw Dom at rb and Frimpong ahead of him. Utter nonsense. The manager is a fool in the eyes of the players. The trust and respect go out the window when players see repetitive, questionable decision-making from a manager under pressure; it's inevitable, and always untenable. Once the respect is gone there's no getting it back. The Jones interview from December came up in my feed last night, he said "It's not about having lads that are nice on the ball, that just play and play and play."

Clearly this is a dig at Slot's slow, possession-based, sideways, and backwards passing approach.

The players have not been happy with the tactical approach for a long time. Hughes and Edwards are equally as responsible for not addressing the situation. All 3 have to go.

16 Mar 2026 12:48:49
Agree, JK23. Been saying it all season, some players are responsible for us being a shower of sh*te. They should hang their heads in shame when Slot does get the bullet.

It looks like it will be next season till we meet for a pint, then, mate.



I hope to be at the remaining PL games, apart from Chelsea, and all 3 remaining home CL games. (sit back and wait for people to ask what drugs I take!)

16 Mar 2026 13:36:57
Frimpong is more of a right back than Dom, but, in reality, he's more of a wingback. It's a mystery why we bought him when we don't play a system that suits him. Same with Kerkez.

It's a major reason why we've struggled this season.

Under our best times recently, most of the supply has come from the full back areas, with most goals from our wider attacking players. We've tried to completely undo the system, without a defensive core to help us through the transition. Bizarre planning.

16 Mar 2026 14:04:14
"It's not about having lads that are nice on the ball, that just play and play and play."

Ya think, Chewy? That's what we call "shots fired", cos many on here have been saying the same thing (not in so many words) that it seems we pass the ball aimlessly for passing sake and do nothing with it.

No need to be a pro baller to see that.

16 Mar 2026 15:34:23
The team was built for pressing and running, trying to coach that out of them isn't working and was never going to.

16 Mar 2026 16:49:39
But players like Mo, Ekitike, Gakpo, Macca and Grav don't look like they enjoy pressing or running, John. So what do you do? We can't have a team pressing high like Jurgen did with our current front 3, could we?

16 Mar 2026 11:44:38
I wrote a post the other day that didn't make it through where I was upset with all the negative predictions and predicted we win both games (Spurs and Galatasaray).

How wrong someone can be, that performance yesterday was beyond terrible and 90% of us on the chat yesterday were all saying Spurs will score, it's become this predictable.



After watching us yesterday I fear the worst on Wednesday now, we have to do so much better because make no mistake about it, we played the Worst PL team for the last 2 months yesterday missing an entire starting line-up!

16 Mar 2026 13:41:13
I knew they would score before kick off, and not because they were playing us, but because they have scored in every game under Tudor. They are weakest defensively, and yet we didn't create a single decent chance against them, and yet again we sat back, content with a 1 goal lead that we were never gonna keep.

We will certainly need to play much better to get anything out of the game on Wednesday, but I can't see how the club can turn it round before then without a serious wake up call like sacking Slot.

16 Mar 2026 14:06:51
Ship, I knew they would score from the 60th min on. It was that glaring. I mean, Richarlison had 4/5 clear cut chances to score. All on his own.

We were absolutely awful all game long.

It was frightening, man. If another team was playing this way and getting the same results, we would be laughing at them, telling them to give their manager a 10 year ext.

16 Mar 2026 14:36:27
I take offense to one of your comments, Asb....

100% of us on the chat were saying that Spurs would score.
Some even said that Richarlison would score...

On a serious note, why didn't Slot and his team see it? Even those "analysts" in the stands?

Football is a funny thing, and we could all see that Spurs would score, yet no attempt was made to try and even stop it or put them on the back foot.



A lot just made like-for-like subs (position-wise), and left everything else as is.
No change in shape, no change in tempo, no extra cover at the back, absolutely nothing.

It's quite shocking thinking back on it.

16 Mar 2026 11:42:04
Curious of what people's thoughts are for how last season would have turned out if Slot would have inherited a team of the same standard that Klopp inherited and if there was an opponent of the strength of Man City. Do you think we would have been champions, or do you think last season we were champions because the team inherited were top class and still performing to the previous managers standards for half the season and the opposition were so poor even with we feel off a cliff forth wise, they didn't gain ax single point on us.

16 Mar 2026 12:32:01
In Klopp's last season, he was up against a 90-point City and an 89-point Arsenal.

Last season, both teams got 71 & 74.

However, you can only play the cards you are dealt, and Slot will always be a legend of the 24/25 season, and rightly so.

16 Mar 2026 12:42:09
The answer to that is an emphatic no, and, in reality, we'd have been closer to relegation than winning the league. That isn't actually a slight against Slot, though. An energetic Klopp is one of the greatest managers of all time, and only he could have made Liverpool champions with what he inherited and built. I maintain that Klopp, 2015-2022, is the finest spell of football management of my lifetime.

He'd have had at least 3 Premier League titles and 2 Champions League titles in that time if he wasn't up against some of the most blatant cheating English football has ever seen, and were he backed to anything like his rivals were.
The team Klopp took over was on its a** and full of Championship-level players. How we got to two finals with it and fourth the next season is remarkable.

16 Mar 2026 13:40:22
In what way does that scenario even matter?

This season has been a car crash, but we don't need to diminish what he achieved last year.

It's a wild gamble that Hughes and co are taking with our CL status right now, though.

It's almost getting to the point where our failings would be more their fault for not doing what so clearly needs to be done.

16 Mar 2026 14:13:16
OP, the team Klopp took over from BR would be where we are under Slot currently if he were to play the same system. An absolute ship show. However, we prolly would have sacked him months before, so there's that, IMO.

I agree with LoweLFC. Slot's tenure (even tho it had its tough times) was the best time I ever had supporting this club in the PL era.

I was so confident going into games cos I knew we would win near every game we played. That's what Klopp served up.

Sadio, in an interview with Rio, said Klopp told him to come to LFC cos, "We are going to build a team that Nobody wants to play against."

Klopp literally built that.

17 Mar 2026 10:33:25
I think it is highly likely that, like Klopp in his first season, we would not be competitive.

16 Mar 2026 11:09:24
Can someone tell me what benefit it is to keep this spoofer here till the summer?

To me it’s gonna be a bad summer too much disruption with WC players being away etc then trying to bring players in many won’t get the preseason they need.


I’m like a parrot but I’d be getting rid of him now and give whoever the few months to get a feel of this team.
Waking up again like a brown bear because of this fraud.

16 Mar 2026 11:44:27
If the rumours from Victor, Carra, and Robbo are true, then I'd imagine Slot's getting sacked this afternoon, after he's taken training.

Gerrard would have to get his team together and negotiate their pay agreements. It was never going to be a case of waking up to Slot being sacked and Gerrard doing the lean.



All the rumours on this site might even be total nonsense anyway. Ornstein is still saying Slot's being backed. Ornstein is rarely wrong. I hope he is, for once, though.

16 Mar 2026 11:49:20
It's a disgrace that the two men who are overseeing this are letting this terrible manager continue. He is a manager who spent nearly half a billion to make a PL-winning team worse. We are lucky he didn't get that money in his first season.

16 Mar 2026 11:59:02
He's not the one who earmarked the transfers or spent the money. Let's get that right. His remit is to be the first team coach, not the one who decides upon all the transfers.

16 Mar 2026 12:20:27
The higher ups are under pressure. Stick with Slot and things go wrong, then at least they have a scapegoat. Ditch Slot and things still go south, well, then Hughes and Edwards take the blame.

16 Mar 2026 12:25:52
The transfers aren't solely on Slot, but it's clear the only player he never wanted is Chiesa.

What is on the head coach / manager, though, is getting these players to play and function in a team week in, week out.

Yesterday, we had a right back at right wing, a centre mid at right back, a player that he only ever seems to use at right back at centre half, and a left winger at centre forward.



Unless other people are picking the team, that falls solely at Slot's feet.

16 Mar 2026 12:33:00
Are you saying he had zero say in transfers?

16 Mar 2026 12:55:15
Doubt that. He must have a say, and a big say too. Wirtz said he joined because of how Slot convinced him of his position & playing style. I wonder what on earth Slot told him, tbh. 😅

16 Mar 2026 13:04:55
He obviously told him lies.

16 Mar 2026 14:16:16
"Wirtz said he joined because of how Slot convinced him of his position & playing style."

So, PB, was Wirtz lying here?

16 Mar 2026 14:55:35
Could you two perhaps enlighten me as to how the arguments follow from one another? As in, if Slot had some say in transfers (and I never said that he didn't), does that therefore mean that he wasted half a billion pounds, and thank God he wasn't given that money the year before? Where's the logic in that, pray tell? Clearly, Slot wanted some help with buying defenders in January, and wanted Geertruida to come in and help us at least.

Did that happen?

16 Mar 2026 11:05:35
Ed001 with your response to me about Gerrard I get he was not a perfect person did the club turn him into this 90% of the players he played with where not good enough for Liverpool and he carried the club like no other player I can think of at any club for so long.
Blowing smoke up his arse from a young lad will change someone but one thing I do know is his love for the club if he played with better players and it was not all on him and had a manager like Klopp am sure he would have turned out differently.
I also i think Ed one thing he would do is not be too loyal to players that don't deserve it like Klopp did I think that sort of ruthlessness is needed and it was one thing that let Klopp down it was the difference between Bill and Bob was quiet but utterly ruthless where Bill did keep players around too long.

Fergy did at United not sure it was always football related like with Bob for us. It is a fine line to get this right it's the thing that makes Bob by far the greatest manager to have ever been his record will never be matched 9 years 6 titles 3 European cups and a UEFA cup. In a league that had two other teams win 3 European in that time.
Sorry for the rant Ed went all round the block there I just feel at my wits end with Slots utter disrespect he shown this club with the way he has handled the running of a top club and it's all down to money because if not he would have walked in the summer as he is quite clearly unhappy but does not want to give up the salary.

{Ed001's Note - I do agree with you.}

16 Mar 2026 10:24:10
Just popping here to say thanks to the messages a few days ago.

I had included in a reply about the death of a family member in the last couple weeks ago. I haven't been on here a lot since, but have popped in and replied to a couple posts and saw a few replies of well wishes to my comment.

Much appreciated from me and our family. :)

He was only 45, fit guy. Just dropped dead on a run. Just caused me to pause a bit and reflect on what is important, how we interact with each other including how we talk about 'x' player and 'y' coach, how we and invest our energy.



Anyways, much appreciated to the community here.

Whatever happens with Slot from here on will be what it is. Besides the head-scratching decisions, I have liked that he has at least seemed to still be trying. Albeit and in all likelihood to be in vain.

Hoping for the best and the players stand up and make themselves counted.

16 Mar 2026 10:49:14
Sorry for your loss, mate.

16 Mar 2026 10:50:01
I'm totally with you on that, Faith. I've just tried to enjoy identifying the positives when we've tried to address problems, though the frustrating things probably exasperate me as much as anybody else on here. I just can't do a whole lot about that besides hope that things turn out better in time, whether Slot is here or not (of course at this point I am inclined to say not, even though Hughes and Edwards have just as much to answer for).



I appreciate having you on here, and am often inclined to agree with you. Hope you're doing as well as you can be in trying circumstances. I just got back from a 20km run myself, reading your message was quite a sobering experience.

16 Mar 2026 11:01:16
My condolences, Faith. A guy just dropping down, losing his life during a run? That is hard, man.

Stay strong, my friend. Peace be with you all during this harrowing period.

16 Mar 2026 11:29:08
Sorry to hear that, Faith. You'll never walk alone, my friend.

16 Mar 2026 11:29:45
Condolences to you and your family, mate. It shows football is not that important sometimes. Stay strong. 🙏

16 Mar 2026 12:16:23
Sorry to hear, Faith. Stay strong.

More to life than Football.

16 Mar 2026 12:43:55
Condolences, Faith, mate. Stay strong. YNWA.

16 Mar 2026 13:12:23
So, so sorry, Faith, mate. I'm sending you a big massive hug from Ireland. 🤗

16 Mar 2026 09:20:22
Ed001 Carra Fields Robbo or anyone else ITK.
I thought I would have got up this morning to see Slot misery was over but it looks like he is going to still be here Wednesday.
The hierarchy of the club is worse than Slot one for letting this go for8 months of this season.
They should also be looking how the player trained under our best manager in the premier era and see how this has changed and how are performances have drastically fallen of a cliff with this manager and all his days off and they should have put a stop to this nonsense and if he does not like it tell him he can walk.

16 Mar 2026 09:53:09
I'd almost be annoyed if he was sacked now. Last night was no different to anything that's happened for the past 5 months.

I've gone beyond wanting Slot gone; I want Hughes and Edwards gone as well.



Make no mistake, this season has been an absolute disgrace. He should've gone in November. It's too little, too late.

FSG need to step in and get rid of all 3. Absolutely shocking from top to bottom.

16 Mar 2026 09:53:59
Those responsible for keeping this Slot rot in place need to be fired for their negligent mismanagement of the club.

16 Mar 2026 10:16:07
I have not posted all season, but this Spurs result has hit the Bs limit - something needs to change. I expect a few players (Gakpo and Salah), plus Slot, to be gone - yes, not getting 3 points can happen, but this is on the back of a string of s*** results and performances.

16 Mar 2026 10:43:46
We do know because ed001 told us he knows Macca and it's no him.

16 Mar 2026 10:51:23
Gakpo actually tried last night in a position that we know isn't his best. If we're going to single anybody out for criticism today, he probably shouldn't be on the list (although that miss of his was particularly awful).

16 Mar 2026 11:02:12
@Kopcat07, that's what I've been saying.

16 Mar 2026 11:07:29
It was an abysmal performance and result yesterday, to say otherwise would be completely dishonest or delusional.

Our back five, except VVD perhaps on his better days, doesn't get into a team challenging for honours right now. Maybe Ali, but he looks past his best as well tbh.

Except for Szob our midfield is of a similar level. That means around four of our first choice defence and midfield starting team yesterday just aren't good enough. This isn't a temporary thing, this has been apparent for a number of years with the likes of Gomez, Robbo, and Macca.

Then we get to the attacking players. It seems that Wirtz just flatters to deceive most of the time, he creates a bit but without a clinical striker up there his better work gets wasted. Gakpo is a decent squad option, but not top class, Mo shows flashes but that's all. His pace has completely gone. Rio looks really talented but a bit raw with limited end product, not a starter in a top team just yet. Ekitike has gone off the boil, again a young player with time on his side. Without a fully functioning attack in front of our mediocre defence and midfield we're always going to struggle, even at home.

We've replaced a core of seasoned players and grafters with power and fight like Mane and Henderson, and the star dust of peak Mo and Trent, with a team full of potential but without the other characteristics you need. It's no surprise that we're struggling and so inconsistent.

Couple that with Dutch style coaching and tactics we've also not got the intensity and passion you need when the other qualities are lacking.

VVD, Mo and Ali led though their brilliance in the past, they no longer have that, and when that dropped in previous years we had Jurgens brilliance and passion to push us through.

It's all gone simultaneously which is where the directors have failed to identify what made us great, and how to sustain it.

Answer is some higher quality experienced players with graft and tenacity threaded throughout the team, to help the young talent develop. We also need more intensity and passion off the pitch to drive them on through the ups and downs, with a coaching set up that helps the younger players thrive under the pressure and expectation of playing for a club like ours.

16 Mar 2026 13:08:51
Slot picked him in that position. So why play a player who isn't great in that position and leave a striker on the bench? Answer that.

16 Mar 2026 09:17:49
ED001, do you have any information regarding how Isak's recovery is going?

{Ed001's Note - I believe he is doing ball work now, so shouldn't be more than 3 or 4 weeks away, without any setbacks.}

16 Mar 2026 10:08:25
Get Isak fit for the new season ahead, as that forward line is in desperate need of a fit and firing Isak.

16 Mar 2026 10:17:04
I look forward to a fit and firing Isak!

On a side note, does anyone think we will ever see a return close to what we spent on Ekitike, Wirtz, and Isak? I find it difficult to think that we will get value for money spent on those three altogether!

16 Mar 2026 10:31:39
They haven't become bad players, @Faith. They are just playing for a manager who refuses to play any kind of positive football in a team that has become lethargic and apathetic. They are still young and will only get better over the next few years once playing in a functioning team.

16 Mar 2026 10:34:52
Absolutely.

Isak is proven and I have no worries about him.

Seen enough of Wirtz to know he is gonna be a rock star. I think a time playing in the same position may benefit him. All this nonsense about sticking out wide is, well, least said the better.

Ekitike, again, I think has shown enough.

If you think what 50 or 60m gets you these days...
I don't think anyone envisaged him playing as much as he has, tho tbf. Think he is showing signs of season burn out, but not to worry. Soon we will be down to one game a week anyway, so may recover.

16 Mar 2026 10:46:30
Can't wait for him to come back, although Slot will no doubt play him at right back.

16 Mar 2026 10:47:21
I think Ekitike has all the attributes to be a high level player, forward playing, moves the ball well. He has the occasional lack of concentration and overconfidence.

Isak. No. Aside from the fact that, personally, I don't think he's a good enough all-round player, I didn't see that as good business. Other options were available that would have improved the team and squad. A Diaz replacement and a Salah successor/replacement was more needed than an injury-prone, average forward, especially as Ekitike was already in the door.

Wirtz. This was an exciting transfer, but, personally, I'm getting fed up with him losing the ball and making bad passes (that's Salah's job).

I can't work out if he's playing on a different level to everyone else, or whether he's consistently trying to pass the ball through players' legs. His control is excellent, and his work rate is high. Positional play is hard to judge at the moment, as we're playing school playground tactics and bulldog formations on and off the ball.

Kerkez, Frimpong. Not good enough as starters. Not good business, no idea why they were signed; they offer little as either successors or replacements. As a simple measure, do they improve the team? No. Do they improve the squad? No.

16 Mar 2026 10:54:55
Wirtz was the most frustrating player on the pitch for me last night. He is a magnificent player, but I'm not sure if he's struggling for confidence or something else. Ekitike, on his day, is majestic, but he has a lot to learn in terms of his off-ball work. His pressing is sometimes erratic; he is often slow to react/read who to jump on, and sometimes plain lazy.

That can be coached, of course, so hopefully he takes that on board, because he has improved a lot of facets of his game this year. Here's hoping we can get Isak to press semi-decently too.

16 Mar 2026 10:56:00
When the team plays with more pace, these players will be much better, leaving Mac Allister as the covering mid and letting Grav go wherever doesn't help either.

16 Mar 2026 11:27:52
Ekitike looks the best pound for pound of the summer transfer business. Like the others though, he's inconsistent, and I don't see much improvement in his game yet. He looks like a fairly gifted individual with a natural talent rather than a hard worker or learner.

Kerkez looked like he was improving, but has then been dropped. Maybe an underlying fitness issue there, who knows. Given his strength is the attacking side of his game, he hasn't created much or scored, so his defensive weaknesses just get highlighted more. Tough first season for him.

The rest of the buys have been underwhelming, injured, or both.



Wirtz is the biggest problem, as we paid a huge fee so we can't sell him on very easily without a big loss. He's lightweight and peripheral a lot of the time, and looks like he'll only thrive in the Premier League playing behind a more clinical striker.

That's where the Isak injury has really hurt us. We've lost his goals but also blunted the impact from Wirtz. Couple that with the obvious failings from Gakpo and Mo, and the lack of end product from Frimpong and Rio as alternatives, and we just aren't scoring enough goals on a consistent basis to secure the Champions League spot.

16 Mar 2026 11:37:41
I think they'll be outstanding next season, Faith - Wirtz & Ekitike have come into a team in disarray where they should have been playing for a team full of swagger & confidence! Not sure what happened there?!

Isak will be fine - proven finisher at the highest level, and if he'd been fit & firing this season, I think we'd be higher in the table.



Ekitike is a slight concern for me, as I get the impression he's a bit temperamental & could be a handful to manage, but that's where the top managers earn their big bucks.

16 Mar 2026 12:01:13
Have you heard anything regarding the injury being worse than expected and it's affected his running? Just a little rumour I've heard.

{Ed001's Note - nothing, but he is already affected by previous issues, hence he needed managing at Newcastle.}

16 Mar 2026 22:55:21
Shirley / Bristol - Totally get what yous are saying, and I'm not making a comment on them as players. I think they're all great!

I was saying this when we bought Isak, as the way I was looking, in particular with Ekitike and Isak, is that they are competing pieces, not necessarily complementary to each other.

So the idea that we'd have two supernova strikers together just slotting in and out easily and performing at close to peak levels all season felt a tad unrealistic to me!

I personally don't think we will see a return in G/As close to what we've paid for, and maybe that's ok.

Maybe 10-15 each is ok? Just not sure that $300-million is what we've paid for.

Maybe they'll pay us back in trophies. :)

16 Mar 2026 08:55:05
Any idea why VVD didn't come out and speak yesterday. Seems like it was damage limitation. Send out the goal scorer. Not a great look, and also was a bit bizarre that slob was struggling to keep a straight face at times. I didn't watch slots media appearance. There are no more excuses.

16 Mar 2026 09:34:47
VVD & Arne Slot had a flight to Ibiza for 1900, mate, and late check-in was 1830, so they had to miss the presser.

Apparently, my airport source tells me when both were asked if they had anything to declare at customs, they both said, 'we ain't winning the CL'.

16 Mar 2026 09:38:52
I think he couldn't explain why the coach decided to leave defenders on the bench when we are winning one nil, and know we are about to be hit with long balls into the box in the last 10 minutes of a game, like we have all season.

16 Mar 2026 09:50:14
We sent out the true captain. The only player who has earned his place in the team all season, and the only one with enough guts to face the media and say it like it is.



Virg has shown that no matter how good a player and how good a leader he was in the good times, he does not know how to lead a team when the going gets tough.

16 Mar 2026 11:05:14
@Ship, You prolly saw what Szobo said when he said that we would be lucky to get Conference League. Just let that marinade, a little bit.

16 Mar 2026 12:04:30
I did @Oli and I hope the rest of the first team heard it too. Everybody at the club needs to wake up to the reality and do it quickly, and that includes the players who are not helping matters.