Liverpool banter 6

16 Feb 2026 22:41:10
For those interested the official Liverpool site are taking votes here for the greatest 100 players in our history.


Everyone gets to select 25 players.

16 Feb 2026 23:07:16
I remember when I was a lot younger, they did this before. I believe it was called 100 Players Who Shook the Kop, and they announced each player one day at a time after the voting. King Kenny won, if memory serves me right.

16 Feb 2026 23:59:55
King Kenny will win again. That's why he's called King Kenny.

17 Feb 2026 06:47:37
Ramsey or Darwin to clean up, followed by Nat Phillips.

17 Feb 2026 07:09:02
Rhys Williams.

17 Feb 2026 07:19:07
Slot chose Gakpo and Mac.

17 Feb 2026 08:42:51
Weird, it won't let me choose only Divock Origi.

{Ed078's Note - Being older than most, I've seen Dalglish play, as well as being humiliated by him when he came home early and I'm snogging his babysitter on his couch, and as such, I put him up there with the best I've seen. John Barnes for flair and grace, Fowler for pure impudent finishing, Souness for the monster he was, Beardsley for his joyful genius (contentious), Gerard for how he lifted and drove a team of his lessers, Bobby for his talent and generosity.

17 Feb 2026 09:07:04
I picked: Alisson Becker, Tommy Smith, Andy Robertson, Virgil Van Dijk, Alan Hansen, Mo Salah, Graeme Souness, Ian Rush, Kevin Keegan, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Ray Houghton, John Aldridge, Kenny Dalglish, Ray Clemence, Phil Thompson, John Barnes, Bobby Firmino, Billy Liddell, Roger Hunt, Ron Yeats, Ian Callaghan, Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson and Ronnie Whelan.

I'm quite clearly far too young to have accurately voted the top 25, as there's some blatant recency bias there! Even those I picked from the older generations I realised, afterwards, I was biased towards those I've met at legends events! How'd I forget Phil Neal, though? That's unforgivable. He grew up around the corner from where I grew up and is our most decorated player in history.

17 Feb 2026 09:31:13
Could not argue with any of those giants, Ed78. Great story about the babysitter, too!!. ??

{Ed078's Note - I forgot to mention Keegan.

17 Feb 2026 09:49:20
Joey G all day long. Oh, wait.

17 Feb 2026 11:47:21
I too am old enough to have seen the King play and Keegan before him. But, unfortunately, I never got to snog Kenny's babysitter. ED078, legend.

{Ed078's Note - I crapped myself when they came home early. Still gives me the shivvers.

17 Feb 2026 12:12:42
I had a tough moment: Clem or Alisson? I included both in the end. There were 3 players before my time that had to go in (Liddell, Cally and Hunt), the rest was tough. So many great players left out.

Massively weighted in the 70s and 80s. No room for Xabi (Molby got the nod for me). Post 80s, I have Fowler, Bobby, Stevie G, Mane, Salah, Suarez and Virgil (as well as Becker).

19 Feb 2026 07:19:37
Clem, Ali, Phil Neal, Ron Yeats, Alan Hansen, VVD, Sami Hyypia, Gerry Byrne, Stevie G, Souey, Ronnie Whelan, Ray Kennedy, Cally, Steve Heighway, Digger, Sir Roger, Kevin Keegan, King Kenny, Rushie, God, Torres, Suarez, Salah, Sadio and Bobby.

{Ed025's Note - no Fowler?..

19 Feb 2026 09:32:50
In the list as 'God' @25. ?

{Ed025's Note - sorry mate i missed that, one of my favourites..

15 Feb 2026
New image uploaded to the
Liverpool Player Sightings page entitled,

Click picture for larger image

15 Feb 2026 22:32:11
Wow, if those numbers are accurate, Chiesa has the best job in the world, even Man City's legal team won't earn GBP150k for 10 minutes' work. And, to be fair to Konate, if you're working next to a guy and he's on five times your wage, you'd expect a pay rise.

15 Feb 2026 22:50:41
Gakpo's agent is a genius.

15 Feb 2026 22:53:58
Gakpo on GBP250K, wow. I'm getting my Gola boots out the attic n popping down to Melwood in the morning. Looks like we're giving money away.

15 Feb 2026 23:51:30
Can understand why Dom, Jones, and Konate want a pay rise.

16 Feb 2026 00:47:13
Ekitike's agent did a good job, in fairness, too. He's ended up worth it, but last summer, I don't know how he got that.

16 Feb 2026 01:12:10
It is the Edwards way, Florian. We were saddled with players on high wages the last time he was with our club, too. Thankfully, it worked out with Ekitike, but it could have easily gone the same way with Ox, Keita, Williams, and Phillips, where we are stuck with them until they leave on a free or for a very low price.

16 Feb 2026 03:45:57
How accurate is this? I struggle to see us paying these wages to the likes of Rio. Also, with Ekitike, surely no way on 200k a week.

16 Feb 2026 05:49:29
It's not coming out of our pockets. But we get a reasonable offer for Gakpo and he should go. That's ridic.

16 Feb 2026 06:18:02
Rio is on 52k a year.

16 Feb 2026 08:00:49
Chiesa must be one of the best hourly-rate players in world football. He had around 12 mill in wages for 19 and a half hours of football.

16 Feb 2026 09:00:07
Robbo has been just as good of a servant to the club as Van Dijk. For him to be circa 200k lower in salary is ridiculous and shows that we either don't respect him or went way overboard in an effort to keep Virgil. Whichever of those it is, Edwards has had a shocker.

16 Feb 2026 09:05:50
Exactly, Drac. That is one of the reasons why many on here (myself included) believed that Edwards was not a good Sporting Director. Now, he doesn't hold that role anymore, so clearly these wage packets were offered by Hughes, who, in this context, is just as good as Edwards. Not a good look.

16 Feb 2026 09:24:53
Gakpo is the worst one. GBP 250k a week for what he offers is ridiculous. Please try to sell him in the summer, but I don't know who will be stupid enough to pay him anything like that. Hopefully he has a great World Cup, and someone gets World Cup fever.

16 Feb 2026 09:58:33
These are probably fictitious, but let's just say, for argument's sake, they're not. If you did this same list for any team in the Premier League, you'd get the same response. In many cases, a worse response. This is not because of Hughes, Edwards, Klopp, or Slot; it's just how football is. Players like Ekitike and Gakpo had other suitors, so you have to offer a bit more to secure them. Players like Curtis love the club, and so you can get away with paying them less.

Like I said, this list is probably all nonsense anyway, and it certainly doesn't take into account bonus structures, but it would be the same at any club. All things like this really do is give people with confirmation bias another opportunity to tell everyone how bad Edwards and Hughes are, even though they have no idea what they do.

16 Feb 2026 09:49:21
Stromsgodset you might find the team don't train at melwood any more. Unless you want to play womens football!!

16 Feb 2026 10:16:12
No way can I see those figures being accurate.

16 Feb 2026 10:22:16
Albeydered, for GBP250K, I'll play for any team, women's included. Extra bonus is when I get changed and showered with them instead of hairy arsed men.

16 Feb 2026 10:28:11
Gakpo's salary seems very unlikely to me. If it is true, they will have made a rod for their backs with the renewal negotiations of Ibou, Curtis, Gravy, Macca, and Szobo, while also making it impossible to sell Gakpo.

16 Feb 2026 11:34:49
Wouldn't be surprised to see Gakpo have a good WC in fairness. He did well at the Euros.

16 Feb 2026 12:04:55
Gakpo was originally in GBP120k per week, but was offered a higher contract last August as we wanted to keep him. GBP200k is not unbelievable. Hughes has wasted way too much money to not get fired. People moaning about Chiesa, but GBP280k for Isak, who has shown zero effort and has been shocking (and injured) on top of a GBP150m transfer fee, is ridiculous.

If I was Konate, I would be sticking two fingers up and saying "thanks but no thanks" to any contract offer. Salah and Virg played a blinder! I thought it was Klopp who awarded big contracts out of loyalty, but these guys are handing out high wages like confetti.

16 Feb 2026 12:32:02
So what wage do you think Isak should have been offered after his GBP125m British transfer record move? With the common consensus that he was 2nd only to Haaland in the league.

16 Feb 2026 10:11:23
Ed1, is this a true and legitimate list? Is it normal these days to pay a 17-year-old £25k per week? Gakpo is on £250k a week, Chiesa is on £150k and barely plays, and our backup goalkeeper is on close to £100k per week.

Who negotiated all these deals? So the news about us having the biggest wage bill in the EPL is true then.

{Ed001's Note - it certainly looks close enough.}

16 Feb 2026 12:54:26
Regarding Edwards. First of all, I'm indifferent towards him. How much players are getting, I couldn't give a flying fish. He seems to be the latest whipping boy on here. Again, whip away, he's no relative of mine. What I will say is, and I may be wrong, but didn't he oversee the transfers of Alisson, VVD, Robertson, Fabinho, Salah and Mane? If he did, shouldn't he deserve some credit for that? Sometimes, and I may be wrong again, folk pile in because Ed01 has an opinion on someone.

I respect Ed's views, but I don't always agree with him, and I will say so on here.

16 Feb 2026 13:21:54
I tend to look at how many contract or squad misfits we have, rather than worry too much about salaries. When we win a big honour, like the PL or CL, the wage bill inflates with the bonuses. We are very lucky not to have any senior or expensive players kicking around, earning a lot of money without playing a role.

From that perspective, we are efficiently run. What I don't like is that they are happy to take risks with known problem positions in the squad, which results in a season being written off (20/21, 22/23 and this season).

16 Feb 2026 13:32:52
@mfahmee2, We already had the biggest wage bill in the PL all the way back to 2020 after we won the title specifically. There was a whole expose about it by the Swiss Ramble all the way back then, already.

16 Feb 2026 15:10:02
Sorry, but I do not buy into the idea that the Isak transfer fee warrants a high salary, second only to Haaland. Crap. He is another player who we bought off the back of one good season (and because he played well against us).

And we did not need him! But instead, Edwards or Hughes, I do not care which, blew the transfer record out of the water. Fair play to the lad, because I do not think he is ever going to live up to the fee or the salary.

16 Feb 2026 16:19:23
One good season, StEtienne? Lies. And who had to start through the middle vs Brighton because Ekitike was knackered? Are we meant to go through the season with one striker and Hugo starting sixty games? I don't see how anyone can have a problem with the club having two CFs. It's not even what big clubs do, it's the absolute minimum for even a relegation-threatened side.

16 Feb 2026 17:01:16
Wow. I thought I would post a reply. FM, I agree with you! Two top players for every position is what is needed. Squad of 25. Giving a sprinkle of youth.

16 Feb 2026 18:24:45
While I acknowledge that Gakpo has been far from his best this season, I bet over the last 18 months he's in the top 3-5 in the world for goals from the LW position. Some don't rate him, but I do.

As I say, I know he's been subpar for a lot of the season, but in terms of numbers, he's a prolific winger in the best paid league in the world. I don't think he's massively overpaid by us.

16 Feb 2026 18:29:28
He'd have to be. Even this year, when he's been awful, he'll probably get between 12 and 15 goals.

16 Feb 2026 20:17:44
Callum Wilson. He would have arrived on a free, on wages of GBP50-60K, and played more minutes and scored more goals than Isak. :-)

16 Feb 2026 20:50:33
I am not saying we don't need two strikers. I am just saying one of them does not need to be Isak. And yes, including his magnificent last season. He scored 54 goals for Newcastle in 86 appearances, over 3 seasons, 18 goals a season as the main man. Terrific numbers! Gakpo gets 12-15 and he isn't even a striker.

33 in 105 appearances for Real Sociedad, better stats for Sweden, but when did strikers yield so little for so much? Sorry, I don't think he is worth the transfer fee or the salary. He is not in Haaland's league, for a start.

16 Feb 2026 21:04:42
Only Salah and Haaland have more Premier League goals than Isak since he came to England.

16 Feb 2026 21:06:34
Haaland would be a hell of a lot more than GBP125m if he was sold.

16 Feb 2026 21:27:28
Isak had 27 goals last season and 25 the season before that. Then, the one before that, he got 11 in 29 games across 4 comps, as he had a thigh injury. Gakpo had 18 and 16 goals last 2 seasons.

16 Feb 2026 21:38:12
Florian, you're absolutely spot on. Isak is one of the top 5 strikers in the world, and so if you want him you have to pay him as such. I think some people have never actually watched him play. When fit and on form, he's lethal, and he'll prove it in the next few years.

I agree with Rome. All I see on here is people who follow what Ed1 thinks. Ed1 has some fantastic insights, and I enjoy his articles and reviews, but that doesn't mean you have to agree with every opinion he has.

17 Feb 2026 00:28:05
I honestly didn't expect much from Isak this season after he had no training all summer. It was always going to be a rocky first season for him. Shame he got the injury, but he will come back firing. People forget just how good he really is. Worth every penny.

17 Feb 2026 07:02:55
If everyone gets their wish and we offload the players expected to be offloaded in the summer, then over a million a week (ignoring transfer fees) will be released for either new signings or consolidation if this season goes Pete Tong.

17 Feb 2026 07:46:03
He isn't in Haaland's league? How so? Are we talking about pure goal output? For the way that we play, I would choose Isak every time. For that matter, I would choose Ekitike as well.

17 Feb 2026 08:06:15
So if "the money isn't coming out of our pockets", where do people think the (legal - waves at Manchester) money does come from? It absolutely does come from our pockets in the form of TV subscriptions, tickets, and merchandise. Sure, a chunk comes from sponsors and advertising, but the majority comes from fans.

{Ed001's Note - even the money from sponsors and advertising, where do they get the money from and why do they spend it on football advertising? They do it because football fans pay them the money. It all comes from fans, none of it comes from fresh air or new money etc.}

19 Feb 2026 07:46:20
A lot of it comes from oil. I'm not sure that everybody who puts fuel in their car is a football supporter.

{Ed001's Note - and why do they invest oil money? They don't do it for fun or out of the goodness of their hearts.}

15 Feb 2026 20:43:40
I miss Jurgen Klopp.

15 Feb 2026 21:12:27
You, me, and many others, my friend.

15 Feb 2026 21:22:05
Everybody would miss Jurgen, but he's in the past. Slot is not Jurgen, and no other manager we get will be another Jurgen. He was totally unique. At the same time, I assume we are all grown men, and it's a bit cringy still pining for an ex manager nearly two years after he's left. Transient employees and all that.

15 Feb 2026 21:30:19
We all missed Paisley, but we moved on and we will do again.

15 Feb 2026 21:39:29
I missed the King. That was so hard to take. My mum misses Klopp though.

16 Feb 2026 06:57:19
I miss Shanks. He is the soul of the club.

16 Feb 2026 09:07:31
I don't. The man has run his race and is having the time of his life. That is what I always wanted for him and his fam, esp. as he is a grandfather now. All good with me.

16 Feb 2026 08:54:21
I miss Alicia Silverstone. Luckily she's just popped down the shops for some fags and she'll back in 10.

16 Feb 2026 09:51:49
Listen, I am still pining over Shankly, Paisley, Joe and The King. It never goes away now Klopp has been added to the list. YNWA.

16 Feb 2026 10:49:20
Nice one, 1jj. ?

16 Feb 2026 13:33:48
1jj, Ever seen the movie "Crush" with Alicia Silverstone?

16 Feb 2026 18:04:42
He has grandkids now, Oli? I wasn't aware of that. Good on him. He'll find out now that a couple of hours entertaining them will leave him as knackered as a week of training sessions, and his living room will look like a cartoon Tasmanian Devil hit it.

19 Feb 2026 07:47:31
Amen to that Flash.

15 Feb 2026 17:24:35
I am going to sound like an old man here, but the FA Cup should not be behind a paywall. It should be the gateway to get kids in love with the sport, the 'water cooler' conversation and celebrated as the oldest cup competition. Instead, it's hidden away (for most) and put down the pecking order as a distraction. Sky sports didn't even have it as its headline earlier!

I see people online complaining it isn't cared about any more. Well a big part of that is access to it, make it feel special by allowing as many people to watch it.

And while I'm on the topic of FA Cup, make the final the all day, season closer, it felt like 15-20 years ago. It felt like every football fan had it in their calendar regardless of teams involved. Now, it's sidelined due to the money in the game. Hopefully something changes before it's seen in the same light as the league cup, although it's a long way being seem like that anyway.

15 Feb 2026 18:04:49
I think the biggest thing that has happened to the FA Cup is that years ago there wasn't much live football on TV, so FA Cup final day was massive as there was coverage all day leading up to the game. Regardless, if your team was in it r not, u were glued to it all day.

15 Feb 2026 18:20:04
Clubs, unfortunately, started fielding weakened teams in the FA Cup a long time ago, and that's been a major kick in the nuts for the competition.

15 Feb 2026 18:21:50
I agree. Not Anfield, obviously, but I've noticed all the half-empty stadiums all over the country this round of the cup, also.

15 Feb 2026 18:33:21
Totally, LiverpoolFC8, with Hill Dickinson being the biggest culprit.

{Ed025's Note - i dont know how you work that out Thunderbird? the Hill Dickinson is sold out every game...bitter much i think..

15 Feb 2026 18:52:56
Imo, the FA Cup appeared to lose its grandeur when Manchester United pulled out of it; they refused to field weaker teams. It happened when they returned from playing the Club World Cup; they deemed there was insufficient time for recuperation. However, it should be noted that Real Madrid had less time for recuperation (I believe 24 hrs less), yet played.

As far as I'm aware, no fuss was made, although, if memory serves me correctly (or more knowledgeable ppl), Fergie was the driver of the pull out; from that point the FA Cup lost its special status.

15 Feb 2026 19:46:47
Manchester United tarnished the FA Cup when they moaned about it because they had to go to the World Club Championship, and the FA, being the cowards that they are, allowed them to miss it. Don't think it's ever felt the same to the big clubs since.

15 Feb 2026 20:00:54
I don't have an issue with teams fielding weaker teams, there needs to be rotation. However, you don't take the pee like Slot did last season. Early rounds can be managed. Although, it does annoy me when the mid tablers do it; what else is there to go for? Personally, the FA Cup was huge as a kid.

And I think it's exactly that digger, football was rare, or rare for most. Before Sky was commonplace. It was our way to watch stars we wouldn't normally watch. Hopefully TNT lose the rights and it heads back to BBC/ITV and the country can treat it like the special trophy it is.

15 Feb 2026 20:09:26
Get the camera crews on the bus as the teams head to Wembley, like the good old days. Can't imagine the modern day players are as interesting as the old guard, though.

15 Feb 2026 21:29:38
In fairness, a front three of Diaz, Jota and Chiesa should be enough to beat Plymouth. With other internationals like Endo, Tsimikas, Gomez and Kelleher named as well, along with a coupla kids everyone wants to see getting chances.

15 Feb 2026 21:43:11
Well, I'm going to blame the money in the game - specifically the Premier League and the Champions League. The FA Cup could never compete once it became such a multibillion-pound industry.

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

15 Feb 2026 21:56:01
Tell you what I've always thought damaged the FA Cup. All the corporate tickets for the final. I think at one point it was 25k tickets each for the 2 sets of fans. Ridiculous, really.

15 Feb 2026 22:05:30
The same should be true for international sports, the Cricket World Cup, for example. Alas, money makes the world go round.

15 Feb 2026 22:13:12
The Hill Dickinson had empty seats because Everton are already out of the cup. ??‍♂️

{Ed025's Note - fair point..

16 Feb 2026 00:08:33
Agree, @Ron. Good to see a good old fashioned FA Cup pitch for the Grimsby v Wolves game - a good long time since I've seen a PL side not playing on a carpet. I have to say that I was particularly keen to see how Mane went, given his strong following on here.

I have to say, I didn't see much to warrant the need for a box of Kleenex. Must have caught him on a bad day.

16 Feb 2026 09:10:19
@WYred, when you see that in 2018 Chelsea did not make the top 4 and Willian said that he would rather make the top 4 than win the FA Cup before the FA Cup final vs United, that just tells you all you need to know about the state of the FA Cup in the eyes of players, clubs, and even many fans of this era.

It is what it is.

16 Feb 2026 10:03:18
When I was a child the biggest day of the year was FA Cup day. I would be up with the lark and out kicking a football, then come in when the start of the TV coverage began, and I would sit there until it was all over.

I did not care who the teams were; I just enjoyed the day so much.Nowadays I will only watch if Liverpool are in the final; it is just not the same. It has dropped below the League Cup, which gets more coverage.YNWA.

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

16 Feb 2026 10:19:49
I'm going to sound like a big fat meanie, but if fans want to keep demanding that their clubs build bigger stadiums, buy more expensive players and pay more out in silly wages, then ultimately, we as the football fanbase reap what we sow. Football will keep moving behind bigger and bigger paywalls until the crazy money involved stops increasing exponentially.

Yet, when club owners try to run things responsibly and spend less/pay less, the fans get on the owners' backs. You can't have your cake and eat it. If you want to see players like Wirtz and Isak signing for 250m, pay your Sky/TNT Sports subscriptions and get over it. Anyway, I told you I was going to be a big fat meanie!

16 Feb 2026 12:18:32
You may be a big fat meanie, MKS. But, unfortunately, you are a correct big fat meanie. Money makes the world go round, and owners cannot just fund clubs like a plaything anymore; otherwise, Newcastle would be the Madrid of the EPL, full of Galacticos. It is a sorry state of affairs within the industry, but it is what it is.

Football has become a business: some things have become better, some are to its detriment. Football sells, fans pay. Without fans, football is nothing. But, unfortunately, we are all replaceable by another bank card in the eyes of the very people running the game.

16 Feb 2026 12:25:55
Sky TV brought the big money into the game. Agents saw an opportunity. It became a race to see who could spend the most. Fans don't demand silly wages; most fans feel disgusted by the wages. Agents and players demand the wages, and the money essentially comes from TV subscriptions.

16 Feb 2026 12:42:32
Ron Keague, that's simply not true, though, is it? I've seen many people on here moan about us not paying the wages to keep players. People spent all of last season complaining that we let the Salah, Virgil and Trent negotiations drag on. "Just pay them the going rate" was bordering on a universal viewpoint and a huge stick used to beat Hughes with. Spurs fans are currently at loggerheads with their ownership for not breaking their wage structure to try and compete. In the January window just gone, people were livid that we didn't sign a fourth right back to cover injuries. Others were livid we let Guehi go to Man City instead of paying the GBP20m early, instead of waiting six months to get him for free. Others were bemoaning that we didn't match Man City's offer (fee and wages) for Semenyo. I think you might be burying your head in the sand a bit; if you can't accept that fan pressure is a huge part of the reason for the costs of running a football club increasing, even if you want to argue that the fans applying pressure has no significant impact on the decision making at clubs, you still can't deny that posts like this are very hypocritical.

We'll moan when the clubs are not throwing money around for fun, but also moan that the price of following football is increasing. Go figure! Agents are the biggest issue, I totally agree on that. They bleed far too much money out of the game. But we have to own our part in this as football fans, or as a bare minimum, be mindful that we're subconsciously contradicting ourselves at times. The reason why the English Premier League teams can afford to spend so much money compared to most teams around the rest of Europe is because of these massive TV deals. If we want to live in a world where Florian Wirtz will choose to sign for Liverpool over Bayern Munich because we offered GBP116m and GBP200k/week, then there's really not much we can moan about.

16 Feb 2026 16:06:42
What is it with playing the semi-finals at Wembley? Also the 5:00 k.o.? As was said above, Cup Final Grandstand would start at 12:00, and I would watch every second of it even if Liverpool weren't in it.

1987 Cup Final, Spurs v Coventry, what a final that was, or United, with my brother and me shouting for Everton. Now, unless Liverpool are in the final, I won't watch it, and it shouldn't be like that.

16 Feb 2026 19:37:44
MK, but if we never had Sky money /sponsorship, then we'd have to produce the next Dalglish, Rush. In this day n age, Rush would still be in the old 3rd division because no one would take a chance on him when there is a shiny foreign player to choose from. I reckon there are plenty of Vardys languishing in the lower leagues.

17 Feb 2026 07:30:07
I remember having a street party for the 1971 Cup Final, which we lost to Arsenal. I was only young, but I remember the party starting at the same time as the match. I remember all the dads coming out at the end of the game, drinking home brew, mostly to drown their tears. My dad was smiling, though, because he was a Blue.

15 Feb 2026
New image uploaded to the
Liverpool Player Sightings page entitled, I made a new graph comparing our last three managers, taking into account the quality of the team they started with. I had to cut the graph off at 5 seasons

Click picture for larger image

15 Feb 2026 11:34:51
This is getting ridiculous now. What exactly is the point of these graphs and comparisons other than to find another thing to moan about? You're comparing apples and oranges. Why compare it to Klopp when he's had triple the seasons Slot has had? It's the same with why compare to Rodgers; he's had one more season, I believe, and the comparison stops immediately for me.

Slot actually won the league.

15 Feb 2026 11:39:08
Comparing managers on a single metric is the simplest way to produce 'evidence' to back up whatever argument you are pushing. It means nothing.

15 Feb 2026 12:32:19
I like it. It shows how tough an act Klopp was to follow. Nice one, Jake, it's not something I could do on a computer.

15 Feb 2026 12:38:06
Just curious, how did you take into account the quality of the team they started with?

15 Feb 2026 12:56:54
Jesus. I thought my GBP2.40 share price in Lonsdale had rocketed then.

15 Feb 2026 13:36:53
It's how many points per game we were on prior to them joining, I presume from the previous season. Klopp had the longest reign, and over that time the highest points per game. It shows how difficult it is to follow on from Klopp. Rodgers inherited the worst starting ppg, so his line looks favourable.

15 Feb 2026 15:22:56
I think comparing the points per game vs inherited is a good way of doing it. It doesn't quite show the squad inherited, but anyone with any knowledge of LFC over the last 20 years will know we were in a really bad place when Klopp joined, whereas Rodgers inherited Gerrard and Suarez, and Slot inherited a team of winners.

It is incomparable, and it shows just how good Klopp was. I never thought I'd miss the man so much.

15 Feb 2026 15:46:58
Just an interesting graph. I didn't mean to offend anyone. I guess people just don't like to look at data the way I do. I mostly find it shows just how impressive Klopp was, and I think Slot's line has a strong correlation with how confident the fans seem to be in his position. If anyone is interested, the y-axis represents the points accumulated above or below the previous manager's PPG (points per game).

For me, it just shows an interesting thing for each manager. Klopp was able to continuously improve season after season. Slot was able to take a good team and get a lot of points, but he seems to lack the same ability to continuously improve. Rodgers had a great impact from a very bad initial team, but stalled after that one good season.

15 Feb 2026 16:02:19
I liked the graph, though it only essentially confirms what I thought.

15 Feb 2026 16:07:36
Does the graph show us what Klopp won in his last season vs what Slot did with the same squad?

15 Feb 2026 16:21:48
Boydy, no, it shows Klopp's first five seasons. His last four were also pretty good. Between 2018 and 2020, he had an average points per game of 2.58, which is completely unheard of. I believe the best ever ppg for any Premier League manager over two seasons was 2.6 for Pep between 2017 and 2019.

The fact that these two managers coincided is pretty incredible, and thinking about the difference in net spend during that time only shows how incredible Klopp really was.

15 Feb 2026 16:23:57
Kloppers, I think this is the new trend in town for those who are bored of this season and have very little to look forward to, so they produce such rubbish (esp. without any context) just to stir things up. Complete waste of time, imo.

15 Feb 2026 16:36:34
Oli, if you're that bored, you could always go to a game.

15 Feb 2026 16:54:06
JK23, you're not still going on about having a season ticket. ? Remember, you have a privilege that some can't get. Stay humble, my friend (all meant in jest). I remember we had a laugh about this before. I hope you're well, mate. ?

15 Feb 2026 17:06:55
Hahaha, at this point, JK, I think you may well be on his block list. ?

15 Feb 2026 17:17:10
All good, SzSz. I've given up my ticket, mate. I'm a big NFL fan now. My team won the Super Bowl thingy a few weeks ago. I can't remember what the teams were called, or even whether I watched the game, but they won it, and I celebrated like it was 1999.

I now just go online and talk down at any of their other fans. Hopefully Salah, mate. ?

15 Feb 2026 19:39:09
I feel like the kid of the going-through-a-bitter divorce between JK23 and Oli. I just want them to get along. Both of you, JK23 and Oli, should come up to Inverness, and we'll drink whisky until we're all friends, or we go blind.

15 Feb 2026 19:49:07
It's a banter site. It's all tongue in cheek. I actually offered Oli tickets a couple of years ago. I give Beckers some needle as well, but I also think he's a cracking poster. It's easy to get offended in this day and age if you're constantly looking to be offended.

15 Feb 2026 20:03:57
Would 100% have a beer with you, Rugby. I'm a big f##ny on the shorts, so I'll give the whisky a miss, mate.

15 Feb 2026 23:39:06
Thanks for explaining, Jake. I'm not a data person, and the graph flew right over my head.

16 Feb 2026 00:28:01
Premier League must have been the strongest in history if Klopp improved the team year after year, but we still missed out on the Champions League in 2023.

16 Feb 2026 07:51:35
JK23, I love the NFL, it's such an amazing ice hockey league, but I never knew they had something called the Super Bowl! I will see if I can buy one on Amazon. ?

15 Feb 2026 09:32:39
Ok I have to say sth
So the media and fans and pundits have said how reserved Salah has been (despite them overlooking how many chances he creates for others who don't finish ) that he's slow and laboured. I always felt he was playing in a different position as we have new players to play upfront

So did anyone see yesterday how he blew away that Brighton player for speed!

The man still got it!

15 Feb 2026 09:55:24
Salah had a good game last night. I thought his second half was especially good. He got a goal and a lovely cushioned assist.

15 Feb 2026 10:04:43
He has one goal and four assists since AFCON. I think that's enough tbfh.

15 Feb 2026 10:42:41
Let's not get carried away post-Klopp. He's been awful for about a year and a half. One good game doesn't make up for that. If anything, last night should show that we can still get a good amount of money for him, because we have to sell in the summer; otherwise he goes on a free after that, mate.

15 Feb 2026 10:55:52
Could have easily won the Ballon d'Or last season. Have to say I thought he'd lost the pace, but a few times against Sunderland and Brighton he was lightning. Fair play.

15 Feb 2026 10:56:22
Awful for a year and a half? Didn't he break records last season?

15 Feb 2026 11:27:42
There's been a huge difference pre-contract and post-contract. Pre-contract, he was consistently brilliant. Post-contract, there have been flashes, but not the level of consistency.

15 Feb 2026 11:33:44
"Let's not get carried away post-Klopp." He has a point. I mean, 29 goals and 18 assists in the league is absolutely woeful, isn't it?

15 Feb 2026 12:02:06
Longthing, awful for a year and a half? He practically won the league last season when he was on fire. Short memories people have.

15 Feb 2026 12:16:37
Doku has 7 PL goals in three years for comparison. What are you on?

15 Feb 2026 13:42:37
I honestly think we are comparing Salah to his golden years. Age has definitely changed him, but he is still a danger, and teams double up on him a lot, so it should allow other players to benefit. The problem comes when, unfortunately, Gakpo's form has fallen off a cliff and cannot take up that advantage.

15 Feb 2026 13:48:09
The month of Ramadan starts this week. Just as his form was returning, he's now going to have to go a couple of weeks acclimatising to the fast.

15 Feb 2026 16:05:40
Salah has always been an output-based player. Last season, he was barely involved, but what worked so well was that he was receiving the ball in areas where he could make a difference. This year, his touch and finishing have not quite been to his usual level, which then highlights how little he is involved in the overall play.

This isn't anything new with him, but right now he has hit a bad run.

15 Feb 2026 16:21:19
Man.of.todd, The biggest difference is that he doesn't get the early balls from Trent. That usually found him one-on-one. So far this season, the buildup has been so slow that he was double marked by the time he got it. There have been signs in recent games that the tempo has been stepped up, which will help Salah.

15 Feb 2026 16:28:20
@Todd, Salah led the league in assists last season, so you can argue that he was always involved. Also, he is being used as a winger, with chalk on his boots, holding the width instead of him being played closer to goal in the inside right channel, which has been his bread and butter since he arrived.

Now, I'm not saying that Mo has not had a bad run, because clearly he has and needs to get better. Just saying that the position he has been put in now has stifled him a bit, esp. with no overlaps to help take away the double teams he sees a lot more of right now.

15 Feb 2026 17:41:30
Salah has been poor this season, to the point where he's a hindrance rather than a help. He played well last night, but I can't help thinking it's because Chiesa played up front and was dropping deep, like a false 9, giving Salah more pace to play.

Now we've signed Isak and Ekitike, who are more traditional 9s and will stay up front, and it does tend to crowd Salah out a bit. He should still be able to control a football, though.

15 Feb 2026 18:09:19
Salah has been badly affected by Arne Slot's change in playing style. It's as simple as that.

16 Feb 2026 07:02:38
I thought the assist was top drawer. One excellent touch, brilliant technique and execution. Nice to see Mo looking like he wants it in the past two or three games.

16 Feb 2026 09:21:44
My point exactly, @Shanklys Ghost. That has not helped him, even tho, it is also true that he is in poor form. Both things can be correct.

14 Feb 2026 22:23:25
Watching the game v Brighton and i'm sure the fan dressed as the Seagull was in fact Ed025, we all know he is a secret red. Come on Ed confess.

{Ed025's Note - the only similarity to me and a Liverpool supporter strom is that i moan a lot and think im better than i really am mate.. :)

15 Feb 2026 01:03:01
Hahaha Ed025.

15 Feb 2026 09:11:04
I was watching highlights of the Villa game v Newcastle. One point I'd like to discuss is: I'm not a fan of Chris Kavanagh regarding the penalty incident with Lucas Digne. When he gave the free kick outside the box, the one to blame is the assistant referee; that was his job, yet he gets no blame.

Howard Webb needs to speak to him. Instead, I'd like to hear his spin on that. Let's see how he defends him, proving what a clown the man is.

15 Feb 2026 09:18:11
Wow, so quick, mate. Excellent. I speak as an Ex referee myself, who had to retire at the end of last season due to arthritis in both knees. Not that I was at that level, and I still enjoyed getting out of the house on a sat afternoon, and got less grief on the park than I did from the Mrs.

15 Feb 2026 08:36:46
Aren't we all like that Ed? As we get older, we moan a lot and think we are better than everybody.

{Ed025's Note - not Evertonians Mfahmee.. :)

15 Feb 2026 10:08:57
Ed25 following on from Strom's post, what would a Toffee Head look like, as a Neverton fan? Serious question, btw.

{Ed025's Note - Evertonians are born not manufactured Oli, we are a proud and loyal people who have been through the mill in recent times but the support of the fans has never wavered, we have the best away fans in the country as per a recent survey and thats why in the main Scousers are usually Blue..they have a bond with the city you see mate..

15 Feb 2026 16:39:38
Rubbish Ed0025. Some of Liverpools best fans spend up to 10 minutes looking for the YouTube highlights despite the fact they couldn't find Liverpool on a map of Liverpool it still makes them the self proclaimed best fans in the world.

14 Feb 2026
New image uploaded to the
Liverpool Player Sightings page entitled, Slot vs Klopp Vs Rodgers

Click picture for larger image

14 Feb 2026 22:10:54.
Rodgers' last 38 games: 17W-10D-11L. Slot's last 38 games: 19W-9D-10L.

14 Feb 2026 22:12:25
Mmm. Slot inherited a ready-made team that went on to win the PL with ease. Klopp inherited chaos on all fronts, not just the squad. He completely turned around the trajectory of the club.

14 Feb 2026 22:14:24
Rodgers was a buffoon, and Klopp inherited an unbalanced team from a buffoon. Slot didn't. Comparison is irrelevant.

14 Feb 2026 22:14:49
Maybe someone should list the squad that all 3 managers had within their first 2 seasons in that timeframe.

14 Feb 2026 22:19:55
If Slot leaves, then Rogers in. The graph doesn't lie.

14 Feb 2026 22:29:25
I am aware that Gordon may not go down too well with most on this site. He seems an obvious choice to me. He is a red, and wants to play for us, so why not welcome him with open arms, especially if we can get shot of Gakpo. Mo seems to be on his way. Take the money and put it towards Anderson and/or Wharton.

{Ed025's Note - Gordon would fit in well Hunter, him and MacAllister could form a synchronized diving team that would rival Daley and Williams mate.. :)

14 Feb 2026 22:41:21
I've got my coat on. I'll be there in a bit. ??

14 Feb 2026 22:49:38
Diomande and Fofana are Reds.

15 Feb 2026 00:59:50
Hunter64, If he didn't literally try to break one of our players' legs every time we play him, I might be persuaded. Besides, even if we did go for him, Newcastle would charge mad money and drag it out all summer, Isak 2.0. Best to steer well clear of Newcastle for the foreseeable, I think.

15 Feb 2026 08:37:58
Maybe they will accept a straight swap for Isak?

15 Feb 2026 08:42:29
Klopp is the modern Shanks.

15 Feb 2026 08:43:44
I like Gakpo as a squad player. I also like Gordon, but he'd be very expensive, and, although a good addition, I'm not sure he's worth the money being touted.

15 Feb 2026 09:06:40
They'd want near 100m for him. I'd rather spunk that on Anderson.

15 Feb 2026 09:17:22
Pamela?

15 Feb 2026 10:05:43
Loni.

15 Feb 2026 10:11:12
I'm worried by the curvature of Slot's line. You can see from the graph that even though Klopp had amassed fewer points than Slot at this point in his career, the curvature of the line shows continuous improvement, which is the most important thing here.

In Slot, we see the opposite: as time goes on, his point accumulation is slowing. Getting points with a good team is one thing; being able to continuously improve your team is another. Slot could do the first, but he is struggling with the second.

15 Feb 2026 10:11:32
Indeed, Gregarious and @SR, talk about comparing apples to pineapples just because the word "apples" is included in both fruit names.

16 Feb 2026 07:07:12
@Gregarious, how come Klopp didn't win the league in his last season, yet it was the same squad that Slot won the title with the following season?

14 Feb 2026 20:02:03
Given my age, I wasn't alive during the Paisley era but was surprised to see he didn't win the FA cup during that successful period.

Any reason for this such as resting players at the time and not deeming it a priority or was it the case we had bad luck/ tough draws during that period?

14 Feb 2026 21:03:01
I think because we were winning the league most years under Paisley, we prioritised it, but the FA Cup back in the day held a lot more prestige than it does today, had full day TV coverage of it, so everyone fought to win it. We were unlucky a lot of times, though. Now it's only the 3rd biggest trophy to win.

14 Feb 2026 21:11:36
Nobody rested players back then, really. You played your strongest 11 most of the time, especially under Paisley. It was just the way football was, as in, you can't win everything. Like Paisley said, we had bad times too. One year, we came second.

14 Feb 2026 22:02:17
Bob was winning three European Cups, so he was not worried about the FA Cup, and in between he was also winning the league. YNWA.

14 Feb 2026 22:10:29
Was beaten in the final by United, wasn't he?

14 Feb 2026 22:11:01
Yes, as per Albey. Generally speaking, the FA Cup final was always sandwiched between the final league game and the European Cup final. The FA Cup ranked number 3 in priorities.

14 Feb 2026 22:53:41
Paisley was also busy winning the League Cup 81/82/83.

14 Feb 2026 22:57:14
Denied the treble by a United team that we had beaten a week or so earlier in the league.

15 Feb 2026 00:09:41
Jimmy Greenhof with the winner? Correct?

15 Feb 2026 00:22:50
Yes, SG. A few days later we won our first European Cup. Rome 1977.

15 Feb 2026 00:27:39
It really was a prestigious competition back then too.

15 Feb 2026 07:30:18
TV coverage would last almost all day, following the fans, with cameras on the team bus on their way to Wembley.It used to be a high point in the football calendar.

{Ed025's Note - it really was Willo..

15 Feb 2026 09:14:32
I always felt we were unlucky in the cup in the Paisley era, particularly the MU final, where it felt as though we expected to win and were caught out by a team playing out of its skin. My Dad also had a theory about playing at Wembley in white being hugely unlucky, having seen us lose there twice before.

Also, the European Cup was hugely different to the Champions League, so the team should have been fresher. That said, there were only 12 in the matchday squad in that era, which made big tactical changes impossible. Happy days all-round, though: then and now, on reflection.

15 Feb 2026 09:18:12
Did YouTube do extended highlights?

15 Feb 2026 10:13:19
Crazy, right, Bobcat? A guy that was so successful domestically and in Europe did not win at least one FA Cup. Well, I guess you can't have it all, can you?

15 Feb 2026 14:52:32
Still one of my favourite competitions. I've been lucky enough to hold the cup itself. People don't realise how many little dings and marks there are on it. Pure history.

14 Feb 2026 19:24:59
With it being FA cup, watched a few games and find myself wanting whoever cheats less to go on to win.
My biggest bugbear at the moment (and there's many) is players who fall to the floor (so dramatically) as soon as they feel a hand in their back. (everyone does it ).

14 Feb 2026 19:48:51
MacAllister is Hollywood at it!!

14 Feb 2026 20:55:25
They get away with it because referees are absolutely crap. One of the worst at Anfield tonight is Stuart Atwell.

14 Feb 2026 22:11:04
Yeh, he had a mare.

14 Feb 2026 15:49:53
Ah wasn't that hard
RODGERS RECORD

P166 W84 D40 L42 F290 A198

that's the comparison.

14 Feb 2026 15:45:54
So I thought I would check on this myself

Jan 25 onwards last season (all comps)

P29 W15 D6 L8 F55 A33

This season
P38 W20 D6 L12 F69 A49

to me that doesn't scream of a successful team. Did from January as we seem to agree we fell off after the PSG/ league cup final but thought I would do calender year as not to seem to biased!

Maybe if I get really bored. I may compare that to a certain mr Rodgers.

14 Feb 2026 16:22:23
Sometimes when I'm bored, I cover myself in Vaseline, lie on the grass, and pretend I'm a slug. Still better than comparing Slot to Rogers' records, mate.

14 Feb 2026 16:28:42
Beware, LFC8! Hedgehogs eat slugs.

14 Feb 2026 18:34:51
Rodgers' last 38 games: 17W-10D-11L. Slot's last 38 games: 19W-9D-10L. No slugs or hedgehogs were harmed during this process.

14 Feb 2026 21:05:44
We should be glad Rodgers never won the league, otherwise we wouldn't have got Klopp, silver lining n all that.

15 Feb 2026 10:14:55
Did BR win a title? No. Comparison over.