Liverpool banter 2

08 Sep 2026 17:53:33
Ed033 a poll please.

DOF do we really need one?

Yes

No

{Ed033's Note -


LFC DOF poll

08 Sep 2026 18:27:36
I would say yes, Barry Iraola worked with one at every club he has managed.
So it’s what he knows and with all the media commitments managers have now Barry they need the help and support. We don’t want Iraola away from the training ground doing stuff that others can do.

08 Sep 2026 23:23:39
Yes, Iraola has always said he prefers to stick to the training side of things.

08 Sep 2026
New image uploaded to the
Liverpool Player Sightings page entitled,

Click picture for larger image

08 Sep 2026 18:19:59
Looks like Gareth Keenan’s haircut (from The Office).

08 Sep 2026 20:41:14
Brilliant.

08 Sep 2026 21:01:19
Did Trump get a hair cut?

08 Sep 2026 21:59:03
More like Peter Beardsley - we’re Adidas now not Nike.

08 Sep 2026 17:46:00
Ed1, hope all is well your side. Question regarding the vacant sporting director role. It seems inevitable that the 1892 Consortium will take over shortly.

1) Do you think Amit Bhatia will have a major say in who is appointed? Surely FSG shouldn't be making such an important long term appointment if they're going to be parting ways with the club within the next 12 months.

2) Would you favour appointing a sporting director from outside the club, or would you prefer us to promote from within? Personally, I'd like someone who isn't currently tied to the club, and especially not Julian Ward.

If we do go down the internal route, I think Pedro Marques should not be overlooked. Externally, there are a number of standout candidates, with Tiago Pinto and Markus Krösche being two that stand out to me. The dream would be Luís Campos, but I think that is just that, a dream.

{Ed001's Note - the consortium will want a say, they didn't buy in to let others make the decisions for them.

I just want the best candidate for the role, whoever that is. Clearly that is not Ward.}

08 Sep 2026 18:21:58
Ed1, completely agree. Just get the best candidate for the role.

For me though, there are a few areas the new sporting director really needs to address.

Firstly, we need to become much more decisive in the transfer market. We seem to take an eternity to close deals for our primary targets and that needs to change.

Secondly, we've become extremely poor sellers in recent years. We need someone who can maximise the value of outgoing players and manage the squad properly so that we aren't continually leaving ourselves incomplete or imbalanced.

Another big one for me is getting back to identifying and signing talent at source. Too often, we seem to scout talented young players, watch the likes of Brighton and Bournemouth take the chance on them, and then come back two or three years later looking to pay three or four times the price. If our scouting department identifies the talent and we believe strongly enough in the player, we need to be prepared to act earlier.

Lastly, we need to stop being such a soft touch when it comes to contracts. Allowing valuable players to continually get into the final stages of their contracts, leaving the club with very little leverage, cannot keep happening.

None of this sounds particularly revolutionary, but I'd like a sporting director who is decisive, plans ahead and builds a balanced squad rather than constantly leaving obvious problems to be addressed further down the line.

08 Sep 2026 19:02:21
Alonso, the problem with saying buying players at source Brighton, Bournemouth and Brentford, who seem the best 3 clubs at doing it, is a totally different expectation on them players going to them clubs.
They have a time to develop something players don’t have at bigger clubs.


We do sign younger players as well. I would say Jacquet, Laoni, Munoz are all them players. Even Will Wright, Rio Nyoni, as well as the two young CBs we signed and keeper all come into that.

09 Sep 2026 06:42:19
Agree on most points. For a club like ours though, we can't afford to be giving too many minutes to unproven kids. Regardless of price, we have to focus primarily on players that present the least amount of risk in terms of them developing quickly and having a positive impact on the team.

Players like Barcola, Wirtz, Anderson, Rice, etc may be labelled by some as too expensive, but they were all not yet in their prime and already performing. On the flipside, you have players like Munoz or Sangare who are priced way cheaper than their current output, I'd argue Bouaddi as well due to experience vs age.



Signings like Brughmans worry me because we are purely paying for potential. Letting players leave for free is a massive problem. The way wages are distributed needs addressing, some players are overpaid compared to the rest of the team and this doesn't represent their value to the team/output. We did used to be quite good sellers though, idk what has happened lately in that regard.

08 Sep 2026 17:17:01
Ed001 is it true that Gravenberch is on £280k a week and signed a 6 year deal. If so that has got to be one of the worst decisions this club has made up there with not signing Nicolas Anelka and signing El Hadji Diouf.


He is not disciplined enough to play the 6 role and not good enough to play the 8 and I can't see anyone touching him on them wages unless the Saudis come in.

{Ed001's Note - that seems about right, yes.}

08 Sep 2026 19:02:27
Well, this is what makes Mac Allister sad. So we should double Macca's wages to get a happier guy.
Our wage bill is far too inflated for what's there, both in quality and commercially.

08 Sep 2026 18:57:31
What wally gave him that. Let me guess, dickie boy?

08 Sep 2026 19:39:13
Did he sign it around the time the hype was all-time high? Remember he was playing great for those 8 months or so and everyone was taking notice.

08 Sep 2026 14:47:34
Don't want to sound patronising, but it's absolutely criminal we don't get to see Salah’s last dance for us under Iraola.
Come to think of it, in the end we got rid of all three - Salah, Slot and Jones and then fired the decision guys in Edwards and Hughes.

08 Sep 2026 17:06:42
Edwards and Hughes weren't fired.

08 Sep 2026 17:25:09
They def weren't in their last year of contracts. Terminated, relieved, fired, whatever you may call it.

{Ed001's Note - both Dick and Ted both left before completing their contracts, so people can draw their own conclusions.}

08 Sep 2026 14:28:57
Hi diddly Ho,

I’m quietly - well, not so quietly now - optimistic about this season.

We might not win any silverware, but with each game week it feels like we’re seeing improvements somewhere, whether that’s across the squad or from individual players.

Really happy to see Gakpo finding some form, and even showing a side to his game that I don’t think we’ve seen enough of before. He had a very difficult summer and, from what I know, he wanted to leave even before the City interest came about.

We’ve also brought in players who haven’t necessarily hit the ground running, but we know what they’re capable of because we’ve seen them do it before they joined us. Sometimes it takes time. It’s been a turbulent period for the club, both at squad level and beyond, and I think that context gets forgotten a little too easily when judging individual players.



Iraola was brought in for a reason, and I don’t see why he can’t get the best out of this squad. Not just the obvious starters either - I think there’s every chance he can improve the fringe players and turn a few of them into genuinely useful options over the course of the season.

It’s also worth remembering that our players should have our support whenever they put on the shirt and represent the club.

I’ve seen a few comments suggesting players need to do something special before they ‘earn’ the support, and I just don’t agree with that. We should be behind them when things aren’t going well too, so that when they do produce those big moments, the support feels genuine rather than like everyone suddenly jumping on the bandwagon.

If they’re struggling, they should know we’re behind them. If they’re flying, they should feel that support even more.

Diddly out.

08 Sep 2026 16:42:24
Well said.

08 Sep 2026 16:55:27
I still curse our luck. That our luck had Pep on the opposition end and we didn't win 3 PL titles under Klopp.
I don't think we will see the Klopp squad back again ever. Grateful to have witnessed that football and hopeful that Iraola does a Paisley in terms of success.

08 Sep 2026 17:27:42
One of the first things Jurgen wanted was the Twelfth man returning. You only need to look at the Newcastle game; the crowd got that draw, not the team.

Andoni in his first ever PL match day programme notes wanted passion from the crowd. In fact, he said he was looking forward to witnessing the effects of it as one of us.

The last time he was here they were looking good for a 2-2 draw, then Chiesa scored and whoosh the whole crowd were up for it. There has never been a record of how many times the Twelfth man has won a game for LFC, the reason being there are far too many to count in the past and in the future!

YNWA Andoni

08 Sep 2026 17:42:19
Well said, Ned.

08 Sep 2026 14:24:07
Ed001 It was good to see Macca play a little better against Ipswich mate, how do you think he played? Looked much more disciplined on the middle and covered lots of ground.

{Ed001's Note - he offered positional discipline, which is badly needed. It blocks up passing lanes and forces the opposition to play wider. The only issue is that he lacks the mobility to get out there, but I would rather have him in the middle with that lack of mobility, holding position, than Gravy wandering around aimlessly. The centre is the most important position to control, as it is directly in front of the goal.}

08 Sep 2026 17:52:08
I'm a bit annoyed he chose to air his contract issues in public today though just before a big game. Poor that.

08 Sep 2026 18:18:58
Macca is a very good player, very good at what he does. Last year on the pitch playing Slotball, he on occasion was visually frustrated with the fluidity of the midfield and the lack of positional discipline.

Every team needs a Macca, people moan about his rolling around, he is nowhere near Madrid or Chelsea level play acting. I am surprised that the club haven't at least offered him parity with others. I hope that the contract renewal system will improve.

We've lost players and fees because of the lack of timely engagement in contract talks. Hopefully the new management will get a grip on things, whomever they may be.

I take his comments about transfer options as a positive. Yeah, probably clubs ended up taking other perhaps preferred options. The man said clear and loud that he wants to stay!

He's a World Cup winner! With the current squad, he would be one of the first names on my team sheet.

08 Sep 2026 21:07:07
Indeed, Macca. Macca is not my cup of tea in a mobile system of play but what he does have is awareness and great passing ability to make those penetrating passes that break the lines and get us moving in buildup.

Now regarding your input in saying that he has been a lot more positionally disciplined in CM and able to force the oppo.

to play their balls out wide despite having the athleticism to get out there, do you think this is a wrinkle AI has put in to compensate for his lack of mobility in the press?

Cheers, man.

08 Sep 2026 11:34:04
Ex-player and loan watch: Trent was out of breath after coming on for 10 minutes. RM fans on Reddit despise him almost as much as some on here.

Konate: clumsy, tall but cannot win a header. Lowest ranking of all RM players against Betis (who got spanked 5-0 by Levante).

Jones: doing well at Inter. Came on at half-time and helped turn the tide in a remarkable comeback v Napoli.

Harvey Elliott: endured a nightmare result on his debut. Thrashed 5-0 by Barca. Although the media commented on his lack of pace and fitness (lack of), they did state that he had more quality than 99% of the squad.



Ndukwe: spent the entire match on the bench.

Lucca Brughmans: ending on a high note, the young GK was awarded MotM. He did, however, finish the game at 6’ 8” …

As an aside, Yann Diomande is struggling badly and is currently being labelled the €140m nobody. The Bernabeu is a cauldron and he may wilt under pressure. Finally, Camavinga is terrible and Tchouameni is injured (again). Be careful what you wish for.

08 Sep 2026 11:43:55
Really don't think we need an ex players watch just opens up the door for spite and negativity when people should just move on.

Appreciate the effort! I did watch the Barcelona game and, as you said, Elliot does look very unfit but leaps and bounds of more quality in his boots than all of his teammates; he'll do really well once he gets his match sharpness back.

08 Sep 2026 12:14:12
Agreed, Kloppers. Not required in the slightest.

08 Sep 2026 12:15:04
Appreciate the effort - nice to hear that Jones did well. Think it was the right call for him to move on given he wouldn't fit AI's style, IMO, but still wish him the best.

08 Sep 2026 12:33:33
Thanks St.EA, really enjoyed this. 6'.8" - love it.

08 Sep 2026 12:46:59
Well I have to say I don't despise Trent at all. I know that might be unpopular on here. And

Real fans aren't the poster boys for loyalty towards their players.

I feel a little sorry for Trent.

08 Sep 2026 13:16:19
Ok, won’t do it again. Plus I missed out on Salah, schoolboy error. He seems to be adapting very well and is already breaking records.

{Ed001's Note - I disagree with those saying not to do it, I found it very interesting. If people want to spout hate, they will do so anyway regardless of what you or I say or do.

4 goals in 3 starts for Mo I believe?}

08 Sep 2026 13:24:40
Great stuff St Et. ?

08 Sep 2026 13:26:12
I appreciated that post, Etienne mate, don't mind the naysayers, post whatever interests you, there will always be those that agree or disagree, can't keep everyone happy, nobody's forcing them to read it.

08 Sep 2026 13:30:12
Good on you for posting this. I enjoyed it.
If people want to moan about something like this then they must have more issues at home then enzo Fernandez.

08 Sep 2026 13:36:17
I watch most Madrid and Barca matches. I gave insight about Jude and Trent last season. It's always interesting to hear how certain players are doing, especially if it concerns England as well.
Conor Morton, I know, did well last season.
On Madrid and Diamonde.

It will be very interesting how that works out. It currently looks a terrible move for the player. He'll be on the cheap in two seasons. There's no room for him in that team ATM because you can't split the front 3 of Mbappe, Vini and Bellingham.

08 Sep 2026 13:42:20
Why would you feel sorry for a footballer in Spain on a tonne of money a week? He certainly wouldn't feel sorry for you. At the end of the day, it's a game. Boo hoo he's a bench player for Madrid. He chose his path out years ago.

{Ed001's Note - you really are a hate-filled person aren't you? So sad.}

08 Sep 2026 13:28:41
Im with Ed001 there, something I occasionally look out for is our ex players or loan players but sometimes forget so its always nice to see it in a quick summary like this

Cheers St Et!

{Ed001's Note - same here. I always look out for them, even those I didn't like or rate.}

08 Sep 2026 13:45:19
I enjoyed reading your post, Saint. Please do continue if you want.

08 Sep 2026 13:46:22
Enjoyed the post myself. Thanks.

Always interesting to see how the boys that left are doing, good or bad. Doesn't take anything away from our current team. Especially the likes of Trent, Salah, Konate, who were an integral part of our successful years.



And Elliot on loan so still our player, isn't he?

Tempted to watch the Inter game tonight just to see how Jones gets on.

Thanks again.

08 Sep 2026 14:22:02
Odds on Mourinho making it through the whole season? It's a ticking timebomb and will explode if it looks like they are not in with a shout for a major trophy this season.

08 Sep 2026 14:23:36
St. Etienne, please
Keep it coming. The Liverpool Alumni info is probably juicier, so don't leave that out. After the disappearance of Desperate Scousewives, this might be the juiciest info on these pages!

08 Sep 2026 14:32:13
St. Etienne,

Posts like yours are why I am on the site constantly even outside of the transfer window.

Keep em coming mate.

08 Sep 2026 14:51:02
Loved the summary, Fabinho plays with Salah again so... ?

08 Sep 2026 14:58:56
I actually really enjoyed that Etienne. Keep posting it. Haters gonna hate, can't change them.

08 Sep 2026 15:01:59
Seems like some pretty biased commenting here. Curtis came on but didn't really change the game, played similar to Joe Allen and still took too many touches. The result changed when Inter threw the kitchen sink in with Neres and KDB coming off for Napoli.

Trent wasn't out of breath in that game, I can't even comprehend where that's come from. He's looking bigger but certainly not unfit. He came on and played about 30 minutes, not sure where the 10 mins came from.



Konate. I get in his last few seasons he wasn't great. Quite frankly that Betis game was an indictment of how Madrid are too greedy going forward and their egos. Konate barely had a thing to do.

Elliot has always lacked pace and why I don't think we ever should have bought him as his shooting, passing and control never made up for that shortcoming.

Diomande did OK, there's a lot LOT more Madrid need to worry about with regards to their attack, it's not Diomande.

08 Sep 2026 15:05:57
Good to hear StE, fair play!

Disappointed to hear that about Harvey though, looked it a bit in pre-season as well, which is unusual as he never lacked energy even if he was always a bit lacking pace-wise. Hopefully he can sort himself out and get a bit of confidence as he always came across as a nice kid.

Never disappointed to hear Konate and Trent struggling and lovely to hear about Diomande...

Horrible club Madrid and while I understand why certain players are attracted to it... I just despise everything they stand for. The Ballon d'Or actions alone show how petty the club is for all its history. Classless to say the least.

Could have been a hero here, hopefully Barcola proves to be the better of the 2. ?.

08 Sep 2026 15:21:10
St Etienne, just keep posting knowing that there are some people who appreciate what you do. What you’ve seen is just what some of the guys were getting when they tried to supply us with up-to-date transfer information. You just can’t please some people, so just try to ignore them.

08 Sep 2026 15:32:09
So Trent isn’t getting his Ballon d'Or then? Oh dear. Must mean more being on the bench.

08 Sep 2026 15:34:54
I think it’s great to see what ex players or youngsters that didn’t make at Liverpool are getting on. ?

08 Sep 2026 15:46:58
Cheers StE!
I like these posts. Once a red always a red! If anything, I'd like more posts like these and more detailed ones. I second what Irish rovers said! It's nice with an update on transfers and performances of old academy graduates as it is a credit to the club if they manage to get a nice career even though they might not have turned out good enough for the Liverpool first team.

08 Sep 2026 15:54:57
Nice post St. Etienne. Ta.

08 Sep 2026 16:07:33
I enjoyed it, OP. Don't listen to naysayers.
I'm a bit gutted for Trent to be honest. He could have been a legend, but he traded it in for a few extra quid and some sunny weather. I said at the time he would be found out at RM and not get the backing and support a local lad would at this club, and now he's thrown it all away.

He'll either regret his decision or doesn't care enough to even try anymore. Either way, we move on.

08 Sep 2026 13:56:49
I agree with Ed001. It is good to read how ex players and those on loan are doing.
Carry on saint. If you don't like his updates just ignore the post. Also regarding negative comments. Maybe just don't comment at all.

08 Sep 2026 15:52:29
Ed, it is 4 goals in 3 starts plus an assist I believe. Then you consider him going to Turkey and us getting that Turkish Airlines deal, all in all not bad.

{Ed001's Note - yes, I forgot about the assist.}

08 Sep 2026 16:35:00
Etienne, I enjoyed it too. I've been reading up on the loanees and ex players too. If it's not a hardship for you, I'd love to read your weekly reviews.

08 Sep 2026 16:44:45
StE really enjoyed the read for me. Keep doing these, enjoy it.

08 Sep 2026 17:12:18
It takes all sorts. I’m in the middle. I liked it for probably the wrong reasons (I am a C*** tho). I enjoyed hearing Trent’s nightmare continues, ha. Made up for Mo. Hope Harvey and Curtis do well.

08 Sep 2026 18:18:27
Thanks StE. Very interesting, especially Diomande.
As for Trent, the lad spent 20 years at our club, and as far as I know, he never put a foot wrong and was an integral part of our most successful period in recent decades.


I will always respect him for that.

His departure was disappointing but it doesn’t change history, an academy product who won it all for us.

08 Sep 2026 22:37:16
I enjoyed the post mate, including the ex players part, it's original, so keep it up.

08 Sep 2026 22:53:02
Yeah I appreciate the effort as well.

I remember a poster doing a loan players round up every week a few seasons ago. (Was it Carra who used to do it?)

It’s nice to hear how our loanies are doing. Plus I don’t mind hearing how our ex players are doing either. (Especially misery guts on Madrid's bench haha.)

09 Sep 2026 01:20:30
It was a different poster, Mikey. I think his name was Carragold or something along those lines. Used to like reading the loan updates and hear how our loanees were doing.

09 Sep 2026 01:46:21
StEtienne, mate, I really enjoyed your post too and appreciate the time and effort it took. Please see how many people feel the same and ignore the minority. It seems whatever good someone does there'll always be people who are negative.

08 Sep 2026 10:57:28
Question for any of the Ed's. With Turkish Airlines becoming the new kit sponsor in 2027, is this any indication that FSG might be stepping back? Standard Chartered was always something that I associate with FSG's take over

{Ed001's Note - no, it is just an indication they were willing to pay more than SC.}

08 Sep 2026 11:08:30
Standard Chartered are also remaining as sponsor, just not on the shirts anymore.

08 Sep 2026 14:52:11
Turkish airline the second worst airline i have flown. No1 worst airline is indigo from india.

08 Sep 2026 17:30:47
And a Free haircut for all, in any Turkish Barbers (if you can find one LOL).

08 Sep 2026 19:47:28
Fair enough. Thanks for your reply Eds.