Liverpool FC Team Talk, Gossip, Rumours 2020/2021

Agent Coulson

retalivity wrote: »

Andy Lonergan starting against Spurs!

Thought he retired after leaving liverpool

He did retire, He only joined Stoke two weeks ago on a short term deal due to a goalkeeper injury crisis at the club.

Stoke lost 3 of there 4 goalkeepers one of which was already brought in as emergency cover.

1o059k7ewrqj3n

https://twitter.com/DaveOCKOP/status/1286979378337939456

Loved Robbo shouting ANDY LONERGAN here

martyos121

Steyr 556 wrote: »

https://twitter.com/DaveOCKOP/status/1286979378337939456

Loved Robbo shouting ANDY LONERGAN here

Love that video, still watch it regularly.

The absolute best part of it though is watching Trent at around 4:21 while YNWA is playing. Completely overcome with emotion, it just really shows more than anything what that title means to a Scouser.

Vicxas

With things getting so bad in the UK i wonder if they'll stop the PL again.

8-10

Vicxas wrote: »

With things getting so bad in the UK i wonder if they'll stop the PL again.

Think the new rule is 25 games need to be played. Less than that would mean season null and void, 25 or more played when it stops and season will be decided on PPG standings at that point

Damien360

Vicxas wrote: »

With things getting so bad in the UK i wonder if they'll stop the PL again.

Too much money involved to stop the machine. Even with current restrictions, it’s hard to understand how supporters are allowed inside. Yes it’s only 2000, but looking at match of the day, they were all in the Kop instead of spread out.

garra

~Rebel~ wrote: »

This is the bit that bothered me most about it all - we've absolutely no idea how they'd do in the Premier League. Both were in it for 1 season. Aspas played a grand total of 378 league minutes. That's less than 4 and a half matches. Alberto played only 135 minutes - not even 2 games!

Those numbers are not terribly surprising, because the team was very strong and pushing for the league. What's surprising is not at all trusting the analytics and scouting, or seeing how they developed, and instead just sending them packing after that 1 season. As we all know, our team got much worse very quickly, and a wonderkid like Alberto developing at the club might have really helped things in the years after. Meanwhile, Aspas would've been first choice the next season with Suarez gone and Sturridge broken, and who knows how he might have done. Clearly - as he showed both before and after Liverpool - he was an absolutely top level forward, and I daresay might have contributed a lot more than fckin' Lambert and Balotelli.

Rodgers biggest failing at Liverpool was his stubborn refusal to use players recommended by the transfer committee who, as it turns out, are up there with the best in the world at their jobs. Those two players are probably the biggest clearest sign of that (along with the childish insistence of only agreeing to Bobby if he got Benteke as well).

Unfortunately Brendan was not fluid enough in thinking to allow others in a management role in a club to do their job. He wasn't mature enough to take the club by the scruff and build a team with what he was given, while tweaking systems, making us hard to beat then free-scoring too, and waiting for the right players to make us stronger. Unlike his successor, but comparing them is not fair on Brendan - he did bring an end to drudgery for a year. I'll always be grateful.

Fitz*

https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1341823387988094980?s=19

Agent Coulson

Inside Christmas Training.

~Rebel~

8-10 wrote: »

Think the new rule is 25 games need to be played. Less than that would mean season null and void, 25 or more played when it stops and season will be decided on PPG standings at that point

Hard to imagine that they'll do anything more than a short term stoppage (if even that), with the vaccinated-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel ahead, and Prem clubs for the most part managing ok. Could see the lower leagues getting stopped alright though, like from League 1 down perhaps.

And they really should end the fans-at-gams thing for a while.

Fitz*

Coincidentally, both Aspas & Luis Alberto both scored tonight!

facehugger99

Vicxas wrote: »

With things getting so bad in the UK i wonder if they'll stop the PL again.

Not a chance the season will be stopping.

Great to see a live crowd at the Everton v Man Utd match on at the moment.

~Rebel~

facehugger99 wrote: »

Not a chance the season will be stopping.

Great to see a live crowd at the Everton v Man Utd match on at the moment.

Is it though? I mean, these things are normally great to see because they're an indication of the problem being brought under control -- except that's not really the story at the moment, as case numbers hit record highs... the UK's picture has changed massively since fans started getting reintroduced, with numbers having more than doubled since then to 30,000+ per day.

daheff

~Rebel~ wrote: »

Is it though? I mean, these things are normally great to see because they're an indication of the problem being brought under control -- except that's not really the story at the moment, as case numbers hit record highs... the UK's picture has changed massively since fans started getting reintroduced, with numbers having more than doubled since then to 30,000+ per day.

UK numbers could hit 50k a day in the next few weeks, so I wouldn't be surprised to see pressure on sport to stop as well at some stage.

KevRossi

Spurs and Man United both win, so both playing again in SF in 2 weeks time. Both managers under a bit of pressure to win to get a bit of bling in the cabinet. Both played a fair few of their first teams, as did City last night.

Good to see them burning up some energy.

machiavellianme

Hopefully Brentford get a few famous scalps starting with spurs and run them ragged.

Agent Coulson

Here is the website of Redball the group that has been linked to buying into the club.

It really just a breakdown of the who's who in the company.

https://www.redballac.com/

KevRossi

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Here is the website of Redball the group that has been linked to buying into the club.

It really just a breakdown of the who's who in the company.

https://www.redballac.com/

A right bunch of sleazeballs, I'd rather we had nothing to do with them. Their CV's are the worst of the worst. Could end out as Glazers Mk II and just bleed us dry.

if we knew all that we could know about them, most of them would be behind bars.

KevRossi

United at home to City in LC Semi Final so they both will be under pressure to put out full teams.

Means they both have 5 matches in 15 days. We have 3 in 9, then 4 days to Villa in the Cup (U-23's) and then 9 more to Man Utd at home. Give the likes of Robbo a good break and can slowly bleed Thiago back in.

Spurs at home to Brentford, meaning they'll have a final on their hands.

Nice.

54and56

KevRossi wrote: »

A right bunch of sleazeballs, I'd rather we had nothing to do with them. Their CV's are the worst of the worst. Could end out as Glazers Mk II and just bleed us dry.

if we knew all that we could know about them, most of them would be behind bars.

Blank cheque companies are the ultimate expression of an overheated and out of control economy, see https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/07/24/blank-check-ipo-what-investors-need-to-know.aspx

If FSG sell LFC to a blank cheque company not only will it completely destroy their own reputation as responsible owners but it will destroy LFC as the blank cheque company will stuff the LFC Balance Sheet with cheap debt which will line their personal pockets to such an extent it'll make the Glazers look like responsible owners.

~Rebel~

54and56 wrote: »

Blank cheque companies are the ultimate expression of an overheated and out of control economy, see https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/07/24/blank-check-ipo-what-investors-need-to-know.aspx

If FSG sell LFC to a blank cheque company not only will it completely destroy their own reputation as responsible owners but it will destroy LFC as the blank cheque company will stuff the LFC Balance Sheet with cheap debt which will line their personal pockets to such an extent it'll make the Glazers look like responsible owners.

Any potential deal is only to sell a portion of the company thought to be between 15 and 20%. Regardless what happens, FSG will still be calling the shots.

Still not something I’d be terribly happy about, but an awful lot better than an actual sale. And what it does do is get FSG some money out of the club in a reasonably responsible manner, which protects us from even worse potential takeovers like the Saudi’s.

KevRossi

~Rebel~ wrote: »

Any potential deal is only to sell a portion of the company thought to be between 15 and 20%. Regardless what happens, FSG will still be calling the shots.

Still not something I’d be terribly happy about, but an awful lot better than an actual sale. And what it does do is get FSG some money out of the club in a reasonably responsible manner, which protects us from even worse potential takeovers like the Saudi’s.

These people are far worse than the Saudi's. They'll eventually use some crap to leverage FSG out of it. It's a terrible, terrible move if it goes ahead. Utter scum those people.

LFC supports food banks. These people are in their own way responsible for the fact that a developed country like the UK needs food banks.

It will be interesting to see Klopp's reaction if they do buy in. Everything I've ever heard from him would mean he is utterly opposed to them and their 'systems'.

marklazarcovic

Merry Christmas fellow champs,see ye on the 26th

DrumSteve

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Here is the website of Redball the group that has been linked to buying into the club.

It really just a breakdown of the who's who in the company.

https://www.redballac.com/

****ing hell. They've got everyone from Billy Beane to actual real life war criminals. Amazing.

Enzokk

Anybody had a look at City's fixtures for the rest of the year? They still have one match to make up and have a packed fixture list. If they keep progressing in the cups like they did last year, well I don't know how they are going to fit it all in.

If they lose in the next round of all the Cups, then they have 29 more matches to play this year. I have it there are 39 possible open slots they can fit those matches into. Of those 39 possible slots, 28 has been taken by currently arranged fixtures and one still needs to be arranged, vs Villa. If they progress in the cup competitions it takes away one (or two in the CL) slots and adds matches to their schedule.

The horror scenario is them progressing to the same stages as they did last year in the EFL Cup, FA Cup and CL. That means they will have to rearrange 4 matches in total and I see 7 open midweek slots including the 2 slots for the CL semi-finals. If they make to the CL semi-finals, then there is 5 open slots for 4 matches. If they do that it means they will have played twice a week from the 21st November and only had one midweek off until the end of the season. Somehow I don't see City keeping it up in the league if they progress in the cup competitions this year.

Potential Underachiever

Never heard of Redball, didn't know they are being linked to buying into the club. From reading this thread I am outraged though and they can fck right off.

1o059k7ewrqj3n

Richard Scudamore works for Redball, is there not some conflict of interest thing going on there?

Riesen_Meal

https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1342066489873068033?s=20

brevity

That Redball thing seems shady af.

Girly Gal

Enzokk wrote: »

Anybody had a look at City's fixtures for the rest of the year? They still have one match to make up and have a packed fixture list. If they keep progressing in the cups like they did last year, well I don't know how they are going to fit it all in.

If they lose in the next round of all the Cups, then they have 29 more matches to play this year. I have it there are 39 possible open slots they can fit those matches into. Of those 39 possible slots, 28 has been taken by currently arranged fixtures and one still needs to be arranged, vs Villa. If they progress in the cup competitions it takes away one (or two in the CL) slots and adds matches to their schedule.

The horror scenario is them progressing to the same stages as they did last year in the EFL Cup, FA Cup and CL. That means they will have to rearrange 4 matches in total and I see 7 open midweek slots including the 2 slots for the CL semi-finals. If they make to the CL semi-finals, then there is 5 open slots for 4 matches. If they do that it means they will have played twice a week from the 21st November and only had one midweek off until the end of the season. Somehow I don't see City keeping it up in the league if they progress in the cup competitions this year.

City have a huge squad and if they're playing well and winning, the fixture list won't really be an issue, in fact they'll be looking forward to the next game and can build serious momentum in a short space of time. It only becomes an issue if they are out of form, as very quickly their season could unravel. Sometimes playing regularly helps a team rather than having large gaps between fixtures, we've seen that with ourselves, when we have games coming thick and fast we seem to play better, the games almost roll into one, but, when we get a break we seem to lose form.

Akabusi

Girly Gal wrote: »

City have a huge squad and if they're playing well and winning, the fixture list won't really be an issue, in fact they'll be looking forward to the next game and can build serious momentum in a short space of time. It only becomes an issue if they are out of form, as very quickly their season could unravel. Sometimes playing regularly helps a team rather than having large gaps between fixtures, we've seen that with ourselves, when we have games coming thick and fast we seem to play better, the games almost roll into one, but, when we get a break we seem to lose form.

That's fine when the opposition is not great, when you are up against the best and need time on the training ground to work on plays or systems to beat the best is where the problem really lies. Plus there is the greater potential of injury.

Agent Coulson

Agent Coulson wrote: »

The Guardians Top 100 footballers list for 2020 is being released each day this week with the Top 10 released tomorrow here is where Liverpool players rank so far.

Gini 73
Jota 63
Fab 51
Bobby 43
Robbo 34
Hendo 33
Ali 26
TAA 18
Thiago 17



So Salah, Mane & VVD to get appear in the top 10 tomorrow I would imagine.



https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2020/dec/21/the-100-best-male-footballers-in-the-world-2020

VVD 10
Salah 8
Mane 5

Agent Coulson

Looks like Thiago will be back for the Newcastle game.

The White Wolf

Agent Coulson wrote: »

VVD 10
Salah 8
Mane 5

Questionable that they're all behind De Bruyne.

Ronaldo......whatever like, I don't really follow his performances.

mosstin

Lists like that are designed to get people talking and succeed. For me, Mbappé ahead of Salah, Mané (or VVD) is the most questionable. His record in the CL has been really poor in 2020 and that's generally the prism through which voters make decisions in a non-WC/Euros year.



As an aside, I see Poch is now off the market for some of our rivals. They might regret that.

simongurnick

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Looks like Thiago will be back for the Newcastle game.

Looking forward to this so much. Not even from the perspective that he will make Liverpool better, but just to marvel at the skill. That slide rule pass against Everton in the build up to the disallowed goal was silken.

Good times ahead.

Merry Christmas all!

KevRossi

mosstin wrote: »

As an aside, I see Poch is now off the market for some of our rivals. They might regret that.

Kind of glad to see him out of the PL. I know he won nothing with Spurs, but he had potential to do something with Utd if Solskjaer goes.

mosstin

KevRossi wrote: »

Kind of glad to see him out of the PL. I know he won nothing with Spurs, but he had potential to do something with Utd if Solskjaer goes.

Same. I think he would have been a perfect fit with their squad. Tuchel taking over wouldn't bother me at all.

Agent Coulson

In the Echo today.

Jurgen Klopp is under contract at Anfield until 2024 but Liverpool have an emerging option to replace him in former midfielder Xabi Alonso

Liverpool could look to former midfielder Xabi Alonso as their next manager according to those watching him closely at Real Sociedad B - but only if the Spaniard chooses to take a particular step in his coaching career.

So far, the 39-year-old is having a huge amount of success in developing players and his team's style of play although he has been reluctant to move away from the area of Spain he grew up in for a variety of reasons.

Plenty of teams around Europe have made approaches for Alonso, who is incredibly highly-rated as a young coach, but so far, the ex-Liverpool man has turned down anything that has been put in front of him.

Like Steven Gerrard, it is likely that Alonso would have to prove himself at senior level before taking on a job at one of the best club's in the world, such as former sides Liverpool, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

But so far, the appetite for that has not been there, as Spanish football writer Colin Millar explained to the ECHO on a special Xabi Alonso podcast.

"Alonso is in an environment now where he is surrounded by friends and family and the Real Sociedad B role is relatively low-profile," Millar said.

"There is a sense that is what he wanted at the moment. Gerrard always said he would do his coaching badges at Liverpool and then get into coaching early in his career, whereas Alonso is slightly different.

"He has the ability and potential to become an elite coach, if not a manager, if he wants to go down that path, but does he want the added pressure of going to a bigger club?

There have been approaches from other clubs who have made clear they would be interested in taking him on, and he hasn’t accepted that role.

"So it will be interesting to see how long he wants to stay. There is no suggestion that Real Sociedad's first-team manager Imanol Alguacil will depart any time soon and so it will be a case of wait and see.

"The question is whether he is content with the role that he has at the minute, progressing these players into the first team, but will he want to take a role at a club that can give him opportunities at a club that maybe Real Sociedad can’t?

"He has a lot of admirers and it will be interesting to see what he decides to do, because he will have a lot of influence over that."

If Alonso does decide to go into coaching, then the signs are there that he will make a successful career from that, as many might have guessed from watching him play.

Alonso made no secret that a large part of the reason he moved to Bayern Munich was to learn from Pep Guardiola, with some traits of his former manager shining through in the third tier of Spanish football.

But even though he is proving to be an excellent coach, there are no guarantees that he will make a move away, opening up the possibility that he could make a Liverpool shortlist.

"Xabi took a year out when he finished playing to spend it with his wife and children and moving to Real Sociedad was a conscious decision," fellow Spanish football expert Alan Feehely outlined.

"He really took time to think about his next step and strategise - everything he is doing is very considered.

"San Sebastian is his home, and it is his wife’s home too, and it was very important for him to have his children spend a good bit of time growing up there.

"For his short-term future, his contract expires in the summer and he has done a very good job so far, but it will always be capped because the first team take the best players.

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-xabi-alonso-klopp-contract-19505283

KevRossi

Get Xabi into Anfield for the last year of Klopp's reign as an understudy. He can learn from him too and the transition would be easier.

He was always a desperately intelligent footballer, showed through in the few interviews that he did. Much as I like Gerrard, for some reason I'd have more faith in Alonso succeeding as a top manager.

Gbear

KevRossi wrote: »

Get Xabi into Anfield for the last year of Klopp's reign as an understudy. He can learn from him too and the transition would be easier.

He was always a desperately intelligent footballer, showed through in the few interviews that he did. Much as I like Gerrard, for some reason I'd have more faith in Alonso succeeding as a top manager.

If anyone is going to be understudy to Klopp and step into his shoes, it's not someone who's parachuted in in the last year of his contract.

It'll be someone like Pep Lijnders.

KevRossi

Gbear wrote: »

If anyone is going to be understudy to Klopp and step into his shoes, it's not someone who's parachuted in in the last year of his contract.

It'll be someone like Pep Lijnders.

The likes of Pep don't always make the transition to manager. Michael Henke was Hitzfeld's assistant/understudy at Dortmund and Bayern but couldn't cut it as manager. Peter Taylor was an excellent co[trainer to Clough, but didn't make it on his own either.

I genuinely think Alonso has something special, but would he go back to Liverpool is another question. I've no idea how good Pep Lijnders would be in the role.

RonanG86

The potential problem with Lijnders is that a good #2 doesn't necessarily make a good #1. The boot room was more than 30 years ago, and Lijnders was sacked from his only job in the big chair so far.

Pako Ayestarán's career as a manager in his own right hasn't been stellar either, despite being an excellent #2 to Rafa at two clubs.

Given how good Klopp is, I'd say nearly anybody we put there when he goes is a potential risk. Be it Lijnders, Gerrard, Alonso, Nuno, Nagelsmann any of them.

KevRossi

KevRossi wrote: »

Get Xabi into Anfield for the last year of Klopp's reign as an understudy. He can learn from him too and the transition would be easier.

He was always a desperately intelligent footballer, showed through in the few interviews that he did. Much as I like Gerrard, for some reason I'd have more faith in Alonso succeeding as a top manager.

Hopefully neither get it tbh. Well, unless they prove themselves properly. A stint in a glorified league 1 isn't enough experience for Gerrard. Win a real league and then he has a chance.

A proper manager is the most important wheel in the cog. The last 3 decades has shown that. No more half baked appointments, eg Rodgers.

Girly Gal

6 wrote: »

Hopefully neither get it tbh. Well, unless they prove themselves properly. A stint in a glorified league 1 isn't enough experience for Gerrard. Win a real league and then he has a chance.

A proper manager is the most important wheel in the cog. The last 3 decades has shown that. No more half baked appointments, eg Rodgers.

At the time of his appointment we could have done a lot worse than Rodgers, he did bring us from mid table to the verge of the title. I know Rogers' reign didn't end well, but, he did at least bring back some belief that we could challenge for the title. I'd also be fairly sure that that title run and the atmosphere the fans created at Anfield played a part in Klopp coming to Liverpool. Don't forget that it was only a few years on from the misery of Hodgsons tenure.

.red.

How about a joint managerial role? Alonso and Gerrard 50/50.
Cant see how that wouldn't work.............

BorneTobyWilde

Klopp is a young man, Hogdson is 73. If Klopp is having fun then I only see another extension .

plibige

Klopps gonna see out his contract at the very least. And god knows who'll be in vogue then.

It is good to see former players do well managing elsewhere. But what is the correct model for replacing a long serving manager, promoting someone from within, bringing in a total new face or bringing back a previous legend that has managed elsewhere well?

Personally i don't think there is a right or wrong answer but fun to speculate all the same. It won't be until the 2024/25 season that we need to worry about it anyway

Charlie19

So Klopp is here for another four years anyway.

Happy Christmas.

cj maxx

.red. wrote: »

How about a joint managerial role? Alonso and Gerrard 50/50.
Cant see how that wouldn't work.............

I'd be wary of installing an ex great as manager. Souness still stands out as a warning against taking the SPL as a guide,