Liverpool banter 2

09 Nov 2026 12:25:50
10 games in. 5 wins. 18/30 points.

Positives:
- Best away record in the league, including tricky Brentford, Bournemouth and Palace - games we lost last year
- We look a lot fitter than last season
- Jacquet has settled far quicker than we could have imagined
- Big Ron is a cult hero
- Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha are developing nicely and could find themselves as starters sooner rather than later
- Araujo, Jacquet and Macca's willingness to battle and put their bodies on the line is a breath of fresh air for the team.

Negatives:
- Poor record at home so far
- No sign of Iraola's relentless pressing yet
- Lack of midfield balance
- Attacking fluency lacking
- Distances between defence and attack is too big
- Fullback position looks technically poor
- Endo, Chiesa, Marma, Frimpong not offering any use.

Excuses:
- The 3 massive refereeing mistakes probably leaves us 4 points behind where we should be
- The midfield and fullback problems can only really be solved in the market.

Overall, I think things are going pretty well under Iraola so far. The concern is that we might not see Iraola-ball until we've addressed a couple of positional weaknesses in the market. Are we all patient enough for that if they defer all business to the summer, as the club usually does?

09 Nov 2026 12:31:32
Good post that mate.

Trying to get my maths brain working but 3 mistakes and 4 points. Is that Liverpool beat Forest and draw v City and Arsenal?

09 Nov 2026 12:49:25
Yeah JK, that's right. Just an approximation.

09 Nov 2026 13:01:13
Agree with a lot of that FPF.

I'm not sold on Rio being a regular starter though and think he's still a distance from that (which is perfectly fine given his age).

He had I think a 2 or maybe 3 game spell on the RW where he showed some huge promise and has since regressed to his former self. Again, inconsistency is perfectly excusable as a kid.

One habit he needs to cut out immediately is trying to dribble his way out of trouble on the edge of our own box. It drives me crazy and will cost us a goal soon enough.

I know it probably sounds like I'm being harsh on him. I think he has huge potential but is still some way off being considered a regular for a team with our ambitions.

Hope he gets there, because if it clicks he could be frightening.

09 Nov 2026 13:37:38
Good read FPF.

Only thing I would maybe disagree with is "No sign of Iraola's relentless pressing yet".

I think we are seeing signs of it. We are pressing much higher up the pitch (see VVD pressing up high in the opposition half to win the ball back before they can counter).

More work to be done definitely but seeing signs of improvement IMO.

09 Nov 2026 13:56:58
Yet I wouldn't be surprised if Rio starts for England during the International break.

09 Nov 2026 14:05:01
Good post Fly but I still think Rio flatters to deceive. Yes he has great feet and can beat a man but he is very little threat as he doesn't really use the ball well enough.

I think our best 11 on what I am seeing and in terms of balance is:
Ali
Araujo, JJ, VVD, Kerkez
Trey, Macca
Wirtz
Munoz, Isak and Barcola.

09 Nov 2026 14:06:21
Getting players back to some level of fitness, international breaks, injuries, 3 games a week etc has forced a lot of rotation so far IMO - that causes imbalance and inconsistency.

Not sure what some fans where expecting to be honest - squad isn't fit enough yet to play AI ball and we've had injuries and international breaks to deal with - once the players are fit enough we will be in a far better position to judge.

So far so good for me, lot happier watching us this season compared to last - far from perfect but trending in the right direction.

09 Nov 2026 14:21:14
I think we started to close the gaping hole in the middle of the park by closing the distance between the back and front lines which led to us looking much more defensively sound but I agree Fly that in the last couple of games Virgil has reverted to running backwards again leaving a huge hole in front of the back 4 begging to be exploited.

It didn't help against Palace that we couldn't string 2 passes together so as soon as the back line started to push up we lost the ball so they just retreated again.

For me, will still don't pass the ball forward enough and when we do we are very loose with our passing. There were a few moments yesterday when Wirtz played simple 10 yard passes 5 yards behind his intended target then after that he was too scared to play forward so just started going backwards and sideways.

It's strange because he obviously has the ability to play accurate passes but he seems to tense up every time he gets the ball.

There are quite a few of them that look uncomfortable in their own skin right now and at times look like they don't want the ball and just lay it off backwards as soon as they get it.

That causes me to question the manager. A truly good manager could get the embarrassment of riches we have playing with confidence and cohesion.

So far I'm a bit underwhelmed with Iraola to be honest.

09 Nov 2026 15:57:47
What is the underlining rule to get these professional elite athletes fit.

Is a pre season and 16 competetive club fixtures and 3-5 international games not enough?

{Ed666's Note - My point exactly. It should take more than 1 month tops to get match fit. Enough of the excuses already.

09 Nov 2026 19:47:24
Also how long should it take a group of men who are playing football all their lives to be able to understand how to press? Like is Iraola's press a mad Alien press far far different from every other professional coach these guys have played for?

10 Nov 2026 03:12:37
Excellent post @FPF, spot on summary from my view of the season so far.

On the positive side the thing I would add is that we are getting closer to Bradley, Leoni and Ekitike back which, all things being equal, will make the squad stronger and we are already paving the way for the next season with Ndukwe getting his permit (perhaps he may be back in January) and the planned arrival of the Belgian GK and the young French CF.

On the (potentially) negative side - AI will be in the second year of his two year contract at the end of the season. I think he is going about the Job well and the ship has turned and is heading in the right direction even if the sea is still a bit choppy every now and then. I really hope that he is invested enough in the club, the city and fans and the project to make him want to extend. It'd be a real shame if the team was to go through another transition again.

{Ed666's Note - Without any evidence I can safely say AI will sign an extension with Liverpool if we give him the profile of player he needs. It’s obvious we haven’t got the players to play his system because we play nothing like Bournemouth used to play like under him. The intensity is not there yet and hopefully that will come with the profile of the squad evolving. I agree with you and FPF lots of positive things are on the horizon and we just have to out this year down to transition although I still think we could have won the title had we got draws against Arsenal and City. Oh well can’t cry over spilt milk.

09 Nov 2026 11:37:00
Has anyone seen a pano given for a head clash before. I actually can't remember seeing it before yesterday. I might be wrong ?.

09 Nov 2026 11:57:55
I can't recall any in the box but if it happened anywhere else on the pitch it's a free kick since Kerkez came in late after the other player won the ball.

09 Nov 2026 13:14:30
Arsenal defender William Saliba conceded a controversial penalty against Brighton & Hove Albion on January 4, 2025, after a head-to-head clash with Brighton's João Pedro.

09 Nov 2026 14:27:59
Head clashes happen all the time and it's very, very rarely given as a foul but almost never given as a penalty.

I saw ref watch claiming that the fact they gave it shows consistency, citing the Saliba one almost 2 years ago. What about the other 10, 000 incidents in the 2 years since then though?

Just like the pen given to Forest at Anfield, I'm ok with these things being given as penalties as long as they are always given as penalties but quite clearly they are not.

Lammens took out Alysson after his shot went wide yesterday just like Ali did on Williams but no pen. In fact you see that a lot and it's never given as a pen but it was against us.

The only consistency is how inconsistent they are.

09 Nov 2026 17:16:54
"Lammens took out Alysson after his shot went wide yesterday just like Ali did on Williams but no pen"

I noticed it as well. That being said, the Referee Incidents Panel did say that that pen call was an error from a certain VAR named Michael Oliver.

And you wonder why he hasn't done our games since Sham City got convicted.

As for the pen call, that was an absolute shambles of a call esp. from the standpoint of both players going for a 50/50 aerial ball hence, a literal coming together, as they like to tell us.

09 Nov 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - The fox has posted a new article entitled, Manchester United After the SJR Investment

09 Nov 2026 03:04:31
I'm having an identity crisis and I thought this would bring a bit of lightness to the banter page to solicit advice. I'm an American and a huge Liverpool supporter. When I was young there were not that many games openly available to watch in the USA or at least not that I was aware of. One of the first Liverpool games I watched was the miracle in Instanbul and I fell in love. Next season was the FA Cup final against West Ham when Stevie scored the 35 yard rocket. I fell more in love and idolized Gerrard. It defined the position I played and how I wanted to play.

During my first 10 or so years as a fan Pre-Klopp, I didn't hate anyone more than I hated Man U. The American fans were obnoxious, Man United was obnoxious, Sir Alex was obnoxious, I hated them and still do. And they were a tough 10 years. Konchesky, Voronin, Hodgson, etc, and hence.

Regarding Everton. I didn't grow up in Liverpool or England, I understood the rivalry as I understand the Jets & Giants or Mets & Yankees in New York. But Everton had Tim Howard. My brothers played against him, he was an idol in our area and an idol for American soccer. Then Landon Donovan played for them, he was another idol. I liked Leighton Baines, and coleman, and even Pienarr. I never really held grudges against Everton.

Is it wrong that I don't hate Everton? That I'm happy to support them when it's not against us? Will I walk alone in this feeling? I've already ingrained in my children the hate for Man U, do I need to do the same for Everton? Please help.

09 Nov 2026 03:12:55
40 years ago Liverpool and Everton fans would go to games together and there was almost no animosity.

You don't have to hate Everton ??.

09 Nov 2026 03:52:18
I grew up just outside Liverpool. My mates are all a mix of red and blue. Personally I want everton to win something for their sakes. But everton fans do dislike Liverpool more than Liverpool fans dislike Everton. That's why they're called the bitters.

09 Nov 2026 05:40:45
It's not hatred amongst the normal ones, families are split and everyone is mates for the most part. We just enjoy each other's football related misery and I wouldn't have it any other way

Besides, it's different if you weren't born into it. I always liked Barcelona as a kid because I loved Ronaldinho but I can't say I ever kept myself awake at night thinking about Espanyol.

09 Nov 2026 07:14:06
I don't hate Everton, their fans can be a bit angry. A few seasons ago when they nearly went down I was chatting to a blue in work and I said I didn't want them to go down he asked if it was a pity vote, I said no, when the fixtures come out the first two I look for are the derby and united.

It's part of the season without it the season would be a bit emptier.

{Ed025's Note - i dont get the hate thing myself Barry, why would you hate someone for supporting another team or come from a different city?, i just dont get it mate..

09 Nov 2026 07:45:22
The derby is never a good game to watch though, barryw, I don't hate Everton but a lot of the time I fear that they are going to injure somebody in red in the derby. Beyond the trauma of Pickford's scissors takedown of Virgil that set us up for the most horrific season we have had to go through in recent memory, I will always remember Funes Mori pointing at the badge when he got sent off for a horror tackle, and bluenoses in the stands cheering for him.

I'm sure they were probably a minority of fans, but that is an unforgettable image.

09 Nov 2026 08:54:04
I don't hate Everton. Sure, they have some insufferable fans but so does every club.

09 Nov 2026 09:08:38
I am magnanimous regarding Everton. I'd like to see them finishing fourth from bottom every season.

{Ed025's Note - how magnanimous of you IDOG.. :)

09 Nov 2026 09:13:15
I feel similar but I do remember Everton fans vehemently supporting Man City at goodison in 2014 despite the fact they still had Euro qualification hope at the time. Bitter.

09 Nov 2026 09:19:32
Hate should never be used in relation to football, and meant. However, I take absolute great delight in seeing Man United suffer, having listened to so called United fans rub my nose in it for 2 decades.

Regards to Everton, not coming from Merseyside, I've never had a problem with them. Blue is also my favourite colour, so I've always liked their kits!

I can testify that having been to countless derby's, both at Anfield and Goodison, the atmosphere is toxic. This isn't unique and is replicated across Britain and the whole world. Where I'm from the "hatred" between the Albion and Wolves is just the same. Nowadays it's obviously stirred by social media, which has added to the problem. Unfortunately, I can't see a solution to this problem.

09 Nov 2026 09:28:00
The fact you feel compelled to ask the question says everything about modern day football.

Rivalries, especially in a social media charged world, really have turned to hate and it's all rather unpleasant and sad quite frankly.

This is by no means a dig at you btw.

{Ed025's Note - i grew up in a different world Wassa (thankfully)..

09 Nov 2026 09:51:47
I don't hate Everton. Never really have.

Do I like to banter them when we beat them or do dumb stuff?

Of course.

But to hate? Nah, there are things that deserve to be hated. Everton (and even to an extent Utd) ain't one of them.

09 Nov 2026 10:00:56
Personally would like to see Everton do well so long as it's not as well as Liverpool! Would sure make the rivalry more excited if we were both challenging for titles. Imagine how good derby day would be.

They also represent the city of Liverpool and do such great things for the community and their charity work is brilliant. Can't hate a team like that.

09 Nov 2026 10:06:16
This page would turn upside down if they beat us after the break. All those "i don't hate them" would change their tune as usual.

09 Nov 2026 10:27:40
Sonic, if they beat us after the break, most folk will turn on our players, not Utd.

09 Nov 2026 11:07:40
Nobody hates Everton as much as Everton fans. Booooo.

{Ed025's Note - have you not heard Liverpool fans Booing MM?, you need to go to Anfield a bit more mate..

09 Nov 2026 11:12:05
I don't hate any of our rival clubs and I don't understand why anyone would. I love to see United struggle and beating them, likewise I love our obligatory 6 points against Everton. But there is no room for hate it is just a game and a bit of fun.

I like Everton and would actually like to see them do well. I would genuinely love to see Liverpool and Everton be the top two teams in England, how great would that be for the city.

{Ed025's Note - we have been there in the 80,s MOT and they were great times mate...especially for the city..

09 Nov 2026 10:57:13
People underestimate how strong of a word "hate" is. Nations have started and gone to war using this word.

I'm the eldest of 3 brothers. The other two support ManU and ManCheats, respectively. Since many many years. We work together (family business) and we sometimes watch games together when our teams are involved. We go wild when our teams score, we taunt the brother that is on the losing side and the knives stay in the kitchen drawer. Once the game is over, we go on with our lives.

I'm not saying it should be like that with everyone, but there's clearly something missing. The realization that it's only sport, it's only entertainment, and there's a need for tolerance and civil respect, especially when the entertainment is done and you're outside of the stadium (the "arena" of the Roman days). I've lived through the insufferable Ferguson ManU years, and then the equally frustrating Emirati owned ManCheats years, with my brothers. It's actually fun. I've yet to go and hire hitmen to go after them. ?.

{Ed025's Note - i feel the same ArAy, my two brothers are staunch reds and we have heated discussions over the games and we all laugh when the other ones lose...but its just banter, it would never get to the stage where it got nasty or i would just pack it in, you hit the nail on the head mate when you say "respect", its a word that is sadly missing these days in society..

09 Nov 2026 11:32:05
I would hate United if they were actually still a good football team. Now they're so pitiful I don't really see the point. I grew up with smug United fans in school who would take the p*** out of Liverpool every chance they got, now they're so depressed and angry about their football club all the time I actually have to go out of my way to console them.

All of them show a lot of respect to Liverpool because of Klopp, that's what an epochal coach can do for your team's reputation. I'd still love to see them go down just so I can witness the meltdown in person (I'd still probably have to make my friends feel better after the fact).

09 Nov 2026 11:40:25
"People underestimate how strong of a word "hate" is. Nations have started and gone to war using this word."


This!

09 Nov 2026 11:42:30
The "hate" word is saved for Arteta, PGMOL/Pro Ref, Real Madrid and City's owners.

After that comes "strong dislike" for Man Utd, Gabriel and his cheating team mates, Millwall/Chelsea/Leicester/Forest fans and Jordan Pickford's cowardly tackling.

Everton features after those, alongside Bournemouth's ground's TV camera viewing position. Perhaps "annoyance" is the right word :)

{Ed025's Note - Hate is a terrible word FPF, it should only be used very sparingly to describe the likes of Hitler, Putin, Pol Pot..and Alexis MacAllister mate.. :)

09 Nov 2026 11:49:47
Impressive classification system, Pelican. You have life very well organized and structured. ?.

09 Nov 2026 11:23:04
Ed025, we live in an age of "entitlement'. People think everything is automatic and within their rights. Everybody has lost sight and track of the fact that so much of what we live through on a daily basis is actually "privilege".

It'll hit hard when one day we go back to the Stone Age. ?.

{Ed025's Note - are we out of the Stone age yet ArAy?, you might want to tell that to Millwall supporters mate.. :)

09 Nov 2026 12:02:07
it's better for the city and the community if both clubs are successful. i want everton to win every match except against us.

09 Nov 2026 12:08:18
I hate hate speech.

09 Nov 2026 16:47:51
I grew up in the 80s on the Wirral and went to every home game from the age of 6. I remember going to Anfield in '85 and Everton beat us 2-0 with Lineker scoring both goals (I think). They went on to win the league that season and I don't know a Liverpool fan who had an issue with that. In fact we applauded it. It showed the dominance Merseyside had over what seemed like the footballing world.

A year later was the all Merseyside FA Cup final when we all sang 'Merseyside' instead of chanting our own team's name.

Those were the days.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I despise social media and what it's done to people's minds.

The team I don't like at the moment is Arsenal and I've never disliked them before in my life (not even in '89 when they pipped us to the title). Arsenal's team of the late 90's and early 00's are one of my favourite Premier League teams ever. They really were something else.

This Arsenal team though are just cheats. I can't stand how they get applauded for mastering everything that is wrong with today's game. They fall down at every opportunity, they grab, pull, push, they delay, they do anything they can to gain an advantage other than actually play football.

I hate what they have done to our game and how they have got away with it so much that most other teams are having to do the same in order to compete. I hate how the officials are enabling it by giving them every free kick when they fall over yet not punishing blatant infringements they carry out themselves.

I heard someone say the other day that Arsenal are a blueprint of how to be successful in the Premier League. God help us all.

09 Nov 2026 19:23:53
I'll second that Beckers ?.

10 Nov 2026 03:34:20
I grew up in the same world as @Ed25. Liverpool and Everton fans used to go to the match together and would happily 'extract the urine' at our opponents discomfort or loss and they would happily do the same to us. It was a bit like members of a family, good natured banter.

Society in Britain started to change on the 4th May 1979 when Margaret Hilda Thatcher became Prime Minister, or, as they say 'came to power'. When she was finally forced out the door 11 and a half years later society had changed for the worse and things have never been the same since. I'll have to stop here - 36 years ago and she, and what she did, still makes me so angry.

It is a real shame that the younger generation can't experience what we had and did. @OP, Cher Everton on whenever they are playing mate except when they are playing us and just remember to make jokes about them at every opportunity and expect them to make jokes about us too ?.

{Ed025's Note - all is fair in love and football WDW, a bit of stick never hurt anyone mate but there are so many snowflakes nowadays that see banter as a punchable offence..different world im afraid..

10 Nov 2026 08:11:43
I'm still mates with and drink with lots of Everton fans including on match days.

Some posters sound like their experience with Everton fans is like a weekend in Helmand Province.

{Ed025's Note - i do the same with my red mates JK and we have a great craic, we are of a different generation mate..

08 Nov 2026 19:13:59
Some random thought after today's game. I know Iraola might be thinking long term in trying to get Barcola to work on the left but I thought this even before he joined. In my mind Barcola has always been far better on the right. He is actually a good crosser of the ball and can set up a lot of chances from there. For PSG he scores from there also. It seems like he has less pressure to look for the goals and is very dangerous setting up chances from that position.

Add to that Gakpo is miles better on the left.

I really hope we look to keep Barcola on the right. We look far more balanced in attack with that combo.

We saw it against brighton then some reason he reversed them to opposite wings. I still think he is exploring stuff but I could see Barcola as a long term RW option personally. LW I just think his cutting in and finishing on his right or left foot crossing is not at the level. On the right side, that speed and crossing causes problems.

Munoz is very dangerous off the bench too. He is a good sub.

It's something Rio really needs to work on. He should be an absolute terror off the bench late on but he is no where near as good as when he starts.

It was not all that great today but I'm hoping Iraola got some good learnings from it and most importantly we got the win.

Also quick shout out to Nyoni who was terrific off the bench again and showed even more strings to his passing bow. He is an impressive kid. Hopefully we sign him up soon.

08 Nov 2026 23:57:09
Daventry spot on, Nyomi is for me our best player, he is improving every match.

09 Nov 2026 01:08:18
Barcola is going to be the most expensive Jacob Murphy in history.

09 Nov 2026 06:52:12
all 4 of them have had, to some extent that effect playing on the right. gakpo was also effective on the right. its likely that we'll just see all of them swapping depending on the opponent and game, and that's not a bad thing at all.

09 Nov 2026 07:01:46
In other words We have signed Jemaine Pennant for £125 mill Davey?

09 Nov 2026 07:39:41
Not sure why you think that Barcola has 'always been far better' on the right Davey, considering he played a grand total of 6 times for PSG on the right (10 times if you include the CL). In those 10 appearances he has 2 goals and 2 assists. For Lyon he played 11 times on the right, with 2 goals and 4 assists.

09 Nov 2026 08:10:48
Surprised that's all he played Patrick. I watched one against Chelsea and one for France and I thought he was going to be our RW option when we saw no left footer was bought.

For me the combo with him on the right is something we should explore.

Most expensive Jacob Murphy was good and funny but if it's effective, that's all that matters ?.

09 Nov 2026 08:23:43
I think he probably can play right but it would be a bit odd to pay 100m+ for a natural left winger thinking that he'll play right wing long term. I know Mane switched wings permanently but Mane was an absolute freak of a player and one of the best wingers in world football over the last two decades. Barcola is still a raw player, I said it when he joined and he still has aspects to his game that need ironing out, his finishing is still scruffy at times and his game against a set defense still leaves something to be desired.

At the same time on the break last night when he pointed at where he wanted it and sprinted into space, you could see that he relishes opportunities like that and you can see how devastating he is when he has a bit of space to run into. At PSG even with the limitations in his game (which he still has ample time to address), I would say that he was one of the most dangerous players in Europe in terms of goal threat, purely because of how direct he is and how easily he just eats up space with his stride, he is so fast without and even with the ball.

I get that he can be inconsistent still with his final product (like that terrible miss when he was facing a virtually open goal yesterday), but I would actually say he has been less inconsistent than I was expecting, some of his final balls and decision making after generating separation have been genuinely excellent, and a few of them just haven't been finished off (or like the Isak non-penalty, left unrewarded because of an injustice). Sometimes even when he has space to attack behind a defender, he chooses not to take on his man, which can be equally frustrating. Still I am optimistic with him, and I'm not somebody who wanted Barcola at all initially.

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

Click picture for larger image

08 Nov 2026 22:42:54

Amazing that we average 931 empty seats per game yet tickets are like rocking horse s***

09 Nov 2026 02:43:37
I'm hoping someone with more time or energy will work out the % vs max capacity of stadium please.

09 Nov 2026 10:41:03
Barry a poster was trying to give two tickets away for the Villareal game the other week and there was no takers.

Strange that.

09 Nov 2026 12:16:32
How can there be an average of 931 seats empty at anfield when tickets are like gold dust??? We are 4+ and still struggle to get tickets.

08 Nov 2026 20:35:46
Given the recent scrutiny that refs are under, it was probably not the best of timing for Mike Dean to come out and confess he used to play little games when reffing. eg see how long he could go without blowing a whistle for a foul, how long he could stay in the centre circle without moving out of it etc. Apparently he initially implied that he wasn't the only one but then backtracked on his comments once other refs complained he had thrown them under a bus.


BBC still has an article up referencing the comments.
Ive reffed games and have to say I've never had time to event think about stuff like that. It was all I could to ensure I was keeping an eye on everything whilst trying to manage the muppets who want to push the boundaries. And I wasn't getting paid a huge salary either.

08 Nov 2026 21:01:01
Wasn't that a couple of months ago and he's already done a massive back track on it.

Biggest issue with refs at all levels is it's clear they've never ever played the game to a certain standard. In an ideal world ex players would be doing it but I imagine unconscious bias would be the biggest issue then.

08 Nov 2026 21:28:05
Mike Dean is a clown! He hasn't had a consistent thought in over a decade. I think he goes on Sky and makes controversial statements for views because any ref worth there salt would argue that the pull on Havertz was more of a waste penalty than the Isak foul.

If that is his genuine professional opinion and it's not just for clicks then we know exactly why we have such issues with refs decisions now because Mike Dean was seen as a top level ref in his day and if that's the cream of the crop god help us all. It's the same with Howard Webb when he goes on Micd up, defending the indefensible, you'd have more respect if they just admitted a bad decision rather than gaslighting fans.

As a fan who watched football way before VAR I personally never expected perfect decisions and can accept human error but with all this technology it is eroding refs ability and an over reliance is placed on technology and messy rules are only muddying the water, my biggest hate is the catch all get out of jail term 'clear and obvious'.

scrap subjective decisions from VAR, use it for factual decisions like offside and give each team captain/coach 3 challenges a game. If you don't challenge a decision then the on field decision stands. All subjective decisions should be made by the on field ref at the monitor. 60 seconds to review at the monitor with no slow motion or freeze frames, show each angle and make the decision.

Post match refs should give there rational for the decisions without interference from PGMOL.

08 Nov 2026 21:40:38
The broadcasters literally hire these retired bellwhiffs to continue to gaslight fans. Honestly we don't want their opinions, never mind their pathetic attempts to cover up the incompetence and bias.

{Ed666's Note - Try watching a game with Clinton Morrison doing the commentary. It’s like watching an episode of Top Boy for 90 minutes…so annoying.

08 Nov 2026 21:51:18
@FPF, why do listen to them or read what they have to say? Genuine question.

08 Nov 2026 22:15:38
I don't go out of my way to listen to them but they are invited into co-commentary, sit in studios alongside pundits and even have a show on Sky called Ref Watch which runs clips on repeat. These fill your timelines.

Forget to mention the Michael Owen hosted show where Howard Webb is invited to light the touch paper again weeks after the controversial or incompetent calls.

I can ignore of course but doesn't mean they aren't there polluting the discourse.

08 Nov 2026 22:59:13
Ha Ed, Clinton can be forgiven for co-commentating on a Palace game. To be fair to him, accent aside, he was pretty balanced today. First time I've heard him on co-comms.

{Ed666's Note - He does my head in mate. There’s no insight, tactical acumen, charisma or appreciation of what’s going on within the game.

08 Nov 2026 23:26:51
At this point I would love a week where a controversial reffing decision doesn't go against us. Its just absurd that it keeps happening.

It's also crazy because it just makes you realize how good Klopps teams had to be to win by enough that the terrible (corrupt? ) refs couldn't stop us from winning. Today's PK obviously didn't affect the result, but the $ity and Arsenal games definitely did.

08 Nov 2026 23:44:36
A referee was caught on camera saying how much he hated the Liverpool manager. If he was happy to talk so openly to people not involved with his job imagine how they talk to each other.

Then we have the added bonus of certain referees taking jobs in the UAE mid season.

The refereeing set up at the top level is either inept or bias, either way it needs scrapping and starting again.

09 Nov 2026 09:59:01
Indeed, Sailor. Mike Dean literally snitched on all the refs a couple of years back on how they give or not give decisions to a team because said team had given his buddy a "hard time" in the game.

We also saw the ship show that was on display in real time during the audio of the Diaz situation.

In additions to refs (who ref City v LFC/City v Arenal games) going on a Jolly to the UAE to reg games in a league that the City owners run and everyone seems to be shocked that City rivals get screwed over in such games.

And anyone who thinks David Coote is a one off then, they are blatantly deluded. If there is one? there are others.

08 Nov 2026 20:02:17
A gutsy ball winning midfielder for Endo and a better left back than Kerkez and this team really could be something.

We were better than City and Arsenal for large parts of those games, when things click a bit more and we have a destroyer in CM we will be challenging again. Hope both come on Jan.

08 Nov 2026 20:22:45
Not totally getting the Kerkez hate. Sure he needs to improve and personally I think he will.

{Ed666's Note - it’s because he’s shite

08 Nov 2026 20:29:45
Not sure what player will take Endos minutes.

08 Nov 2026 20:51:39
I think we're at that level under the elite. And that's not a dig, just an honest observation

We've had teams in the best 3/4 in the world recently and I don't think we're anywhere near that

But can we qualify for Europe again and pick up a domestic trophy? Yes we could, and that would be a good season, something to build on.

08 Nov 2026 21:47:35
I think the Premier League champions are at a level under elite too though LFC8 so I do believe this title is winnable. Arsenal are scraping by unconvincingly but that can't go on forever, they will go on a bad run and we need to be there to take advantage.

We'll certainly have to play better than we did today I reckon 2 thirds of the league would've beaten us today we were just lucky it was Palace and they're rubbish. We got away with one.

I'll take Endo's minutes JK for half his salary. I guarantee the team won't be any worse.

08 Nov 2026 21:49:23
Kerkez has been better defensively for the most part, not without flaws, but I'd say only 1 out of every 5 crosses actually gets passed the first man, his delivery is awful most of the time.

{Ed666's Note - he literally can’t get worse. The man is a liability at best. The opposition target him because he’s softer than a fudge Sunday

08 Nov 2026 21:51:22
Hopefully Julian Ward can make a couple of changes to the squad in January. Iraola deserves that.

{Ed666's Note - I agree mate…AI does deserve that

08 Nov 2026 21:58:40
@LFC8, agree totally with your view.

In recent games that we lost, we were holding our own against City, we huffed and puffed against Arsenal and never threatened then and we were dismal against the Turks.

I'd say we are about 30-40% off where we need to be to get back to the level that Jurgen's team were playing at their best (which I think was from September - December 2019).

If we carry on going in the right direction, which by and large I think we are, CL qualification and, perhaps a League Cup or FA Cup trophy is achievable imho.

{Ed666's Note - That’s fair mate.

08 Nov 2026 22:15:02
BP ? I'll let the club know.

Fully agree on Arsenal. They seem to be efficient over entertaining. I hope they can't carry on like this but I'm sure I saw the other day that they top the table of the last 3 PL seasons combined.

When you compare last years CL finalists PSG and them they could not be polar opposites of how they play or approach the game of football.

08 Nov 2026 20:29:52
You make a far point ed666 LOL.

{Ed666's Note - I agree mate ?

08 Nov 2026 20:40:36
I've been a big advocate for Kerkez and really want him to do well because he is full of energy BUT defensively he just doesn't smell danger. He is caught out of position time and again, now I know that's sometimes because of tactics and the manager pushing him high and wide to receive the ball but as a defender you need to be constantly on the swivel and tracking your man and far too often he leave players drift over his shoulder.

The question is do we give him time? He only turned 23 so there is 100% room to grow into the role AI wants him to play and he showed it under AI before but the question is can he do it at the highest level and not mid table.

One thing today rightly pi**ed me off where his man ran off the back of him and he jogged back, never got close to tucking in and just pointed to the danger. I'm sorry but I want my defenders chasing back at the same speed our attackers go in the opposite direction.

I'm willing to give him time but mainly because we don't have an alternative with Tzimikas as back up.

{Ed666's Note - what is it with him and those slide tackles? There more annoying than Rio’s stopovers!!!

08 Nov 2026 23:20:06
the only midfielder in the middle (not 10) that we need to keep is nyoni. if we get the right one, in the mould that AI wants, its not endo that should be moved on for it.

endo can leave without a purchase, he hasn't played, really.

09 Nov 2026 06:52:02
We need a few signings if we have to be top four, but we also need to sell some bad signings and players who the manager does not trust. Chiesa and Endo really need to go unfortunately as they are wasting what few years are left of them.

Now to the bad signings, we really need to get rid of Frimpong. Leave everything aside and focus on getting him a new club in January. ;)

Kerkez should be replaced in the summer. We can either have Kostas as a backup or promote an academy left back if we have any good ones.

We need a central midfielder destroyer. Not sure if Camara is the one.

We need a left footed right winger. In my opinion we should have kept Salah for a year if we were not able to find any option in the market.

Roland is a warrior and a fan favourite, but if he is not going to be used as a CB, and we have Leoni coming in too, we need a proper RB who can deliver crosses.

09 Nov 2026 07:07:40
Was this Title winnable last year as well @Ris. because I am dead sure you beat the same drum "Arsenal are winning by unconvincingly and this won't go forever" last year too.

09 Nov 2026 07:46:03
Yesterday was one of the first times Araujo has been caught out a lot defensively. They were continually finding space and dangerous crossing positions on the left.

While he's done very well we do need to be looking at both fullback positions. Kerkez isn't great in defence or attack, and Araujo offers little offensively.

I'd like to see if either could improve with a settled winger in front of them. Barcola or Munoz on the right, not sure who deserves the left wing slot as no one's really played well there this season. Maybe Gakpo just edges it.

09 Nov 2026 07:51:27
Exactly what makes you think that Arsenal will go on a bad run, Rio? They are custom built for today's prem, they don't need to win convincingly, they can go ahead through a set piece and then defend for 89 minutes no problem, they enjoy doing that, they have been drilled to do that and they have the squad to do that for 90 minutes.

It doesn't really work in the CL but it does work domestically. Sometimes we have to give credit to their template of success even if we hate watching it, they have chosen a way of playing, built the ideal squad to do it and do it extremely well.

09 Nov 2026 08:43:02
The ability to defend as Arsenal do says a lot about the resilience of the team, and their mentality. It says more than a team that can attack but not defend well.

Unless there's an injury crisis I can't see them folding. They have enough squad depth to easily maintain their defensive form, and in midfield the same applies. They may lack a bit in attack, but they have enough to get a goal or two which is all they need.

09 Nov 2026 08:49:26
It doesn't really work in the CL

Didnt they get to the CL final last season after finsihing first in the league phase. Sounds like it worked ok.

09 Nov 2026 10:07:43
Clearview70, Stoke were known to be resilient as well, under Pulis, as well.

Hence to me, Arsenal play a very defensive system (with up to about 5/6 defensive outfield players) akin to Stoke City and they do not have a good defence because for the most part, they do not throw players forward. In fact, Arsenal fans were peppering Arteta for not throwing more players forward but since they won the title, that has gone away now.

Personally if you play with a majority packed defence in a defensive system, do you really have a good defence?

I don't think you have a good defence when compared to a team that plays a very attacking, open system and yet, finished with the best defence in the PL with 33 goals conceded and won the title at a canter with 99 points with the second best attack behind Sham City.

Like we did in 19/20.

09 Nov 2026 10:34:19
I don't like them or watch much of them Oli, but I do think they're very effective and good defensively. Unfortunately I think they'll win the league as well, it seems to be their time right now.

09 Nov 2026 11:15:19
Oli come on, they are an elite defensive team, I didn't know that you had to be good at attacking to be a good defensive team? In 19/20 we had the best defensive midfielder in the world, the best left back in the world, the best right back in the world, the best center half in the world next to one of the other best defenders in the league in Matip, and the best goalkeeper in the world, along with the most intense and coordinated high press in world football. Of course we were going to be elite at the back.

At the same time, other than City I would say the quality of the rest of the league wasn't as strong as it is now, we could go full throttle for 20 minutes in games, go 2 up and then just stroke the ball around penning teams into their own half, and those teams would just give up and hope for the best. That just doesn't happen in the Premier League anymore, no team dominates 90 minutes of football the way we did or City did.

Arsenal are under the cosh a lot in their games despite at the moment being the 'best' team in the Premier League, and they have to do a lot of defending, which you can't say we really had to do a lot of in 19/20, whenever teams bypassed our press Fabinho would be there to win the ball back or Virgil could behave like an entire back four on his own, and even when Virgil got beat Alisson was almost never getting beat on a one on one. We had the individual players to bail us out every time, whereas Arsenal's defensive approach is much more system based, plus their players down to a man are just really focussed on their job off the ball, they relish it and they love the dirty side of the game.

You have to commend them for custom building a team to suit the prem of today with all the man to man marking all over the pitch with big strong athletes in all 11 positions who have the technical ability to play football too.

08 Nov 2026 19:39:44
I really don't understand all this negativity around Isak. Lets be honest Haaland stands about about not doing much and yet we would love him to be at Liverpool. Salah did nothing unless he had the ball at his feet and even then he was past his best last season.

He didn't press or defend. As long as Isak is scoring goals that's what he was bought for.

08 Nov 2026 19:43:15
Stop all this logical wizardry talk Alwaysred ?.

08 Nov 2026 20:07:07
Thought he was Orite today me. Looked sharper than usual. Should've scored that 1on1 tho.

08 Nov 2026 20:08:01
7 in 9. Second only to Haaland. Going at just under a goal a game; will be 30 in all competitions at this rate. Isak is doing exactly what it says on the tin. Notable that Haaland and Isak don't have a single assist between them but, like I said, what it says on the tin.

I was thinking about this; it seems feasible he might score 20+ in the league and get close to 30 in all competitions and yet still not receive full approval from fans.

{Ed666's Note - he’s score more if he remembered what movement was

08 Nov 2026 20:43:53
Today was an odd game for Isak, at times he seemed more mobile than usual however for much of the game his movement was poor. It's hard to criticise when his goal return has been so good but I'm watching him play and I don't see the movement enough.

Where are the runs off the shoulder of the defender, he certainly doesn't bully the defenders and his hold up play is pretty poor. Again, hard to criticise when the goals are flowing but I want more.

08 Nov 2026 21:15:37
bit of chicken and egg, but if Isak can do nothing but score 30 league goals a season for multiple years then I guess he would have justified it lol

my sense is that he isn't the type of striker that we need for this system. But hey, happy with the goals lol.

08 Nov 2026 21:33:11
I saw Isak running back and defending against Palace. He put in a decent cardio shift for once. It was his forward runs that were missing.

{Ed666's Note - that’s like saying I went to see Oasis in concert and they were on stage but forgot to sing!

08 Nov 2026 21:53:15
Isak looks like that because the pressing structure is not there yet. Our average defensive line is still way too deep. The whole formation needs to push up more. The distances are massive at the moment.

{Ed666's Note - I’m not quite sure how the press is not mastered by now? They’ve had plenty of time to learn when to trigger and hunt..it leads me to believe the players are at fault because they can’t fathom the tactics.

08 Nov 2026 22:09:29
Because people recognise that if he was more active we would create more opportunities, which is pretty key because we're majorly lacking in creativity across the front line, we just don't look dangerous the majority of the time. Personally this is exactly what I expected from Isak and I don't see it changing too much right now. He's very much a fox in the box and always has been.

I think people need to realise this is also by design, Isaks is very much under instruction. We've got just 1 fit and capable striker at the moment and a ton of matches still to play. Let's not forget that he's really not that long back from breaking his leg (in the grand scheme of things), this is essentially his first properly competitive run of form since the 24/25 season, and our only other striker won't be properly match fit for a few more months.

We simply cannot afford Isak picking up unnecessary injuries, the club will protect its investment, and Iraola will protect his star player. I'm surprised he's not running around out there head to toe in bubble wrap.


Not to mention with hm being injury prone his output has always been tailored, even at Newcastle, there was always lots of walking between plays.

I agree, very similar in practice to Haaland but he can get away with it because of how physical he is.

09 Nov 2026 06:58:24
Isak is a very good goalscorer but isn't suited to the way the team should play. He probably cant' get stuck in and press aggresively and make the dangerous runs at pace the team wants and needs because of his susceptibility to injury and stop start acceleration is probably the main cause of his injuries.

Hopefully his run of scoring continues and maybe a big team come in for him in the summer, although as European football stands right now there aren't many with the funds to sign him at a price near to which we paid.

09 Nov 2026 07:40:11
Our press hasn't improved, which suggests the players just can't do it effectively, not that it's not being coached. Palace played through it easily yesterday which sort of renders it pointless. I'm not sure you can play a true press with Isak in the team, but I'd rather him in the team so I'd prefer we adapt the tactics.

09 Nov 2026 10:09:00
Spot on, Clearview. Our press is very disjointed at m so might as well ask Isak to just stay up there so we can find him.