The Liverpool Thread

[Scouseinthehouse]

But Brentford deserve it a bit more i think. Swansea gave good fight but it is hard league and even harder playoffs.

Defo.

The Championship is well arguably the hardest league in the World to get out of. If there's one more competitive with the rewards at stake every year and more a test of ridiculous endurance I'd like to hear of it. MASSIVE respect to anyone that does gt out of it every season. Yourself and Leeds the latest example along with West Brom.

Signs are there for Swansea to continue progressing given the genuine youth movement there under Cooper the more experience they get as they grow together.

Ta for the view on Brentford. Honestly seen nottin of them.

 

[Theatre of Dreams83]

How did Brewster do on loan?

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

No stone left unturned .....

https://twitter.com/x/status/1288740411654189057

Brilliant to have his consultancy extended given the major statistical difference he's made in that regard.

It's the attention to the small details keeping us ahead of the curve and every other football club on the planet by a large margin.

 

[dilakh2]

How did Brewster do on loan?

Started of slow I mean the championship was the perfect loan as it means he gets used to the physicality of mens football quicker. Has been one of the best players post lockdown and I kinda wished Swansea won the playoffs but I would keep him there for another season.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

New contract. New shirt number. And now the new PL2 POTY-

'I'm buzzing' - Curtis Jones on winning PL2 Player of the Season award

Curtis Jones was 'buzzing' with another milestone in his development as he was presented with the Premier League 2 Player of the Season award for 2019-20.

www.liverpoolfc.com

Tops of a superb first season as a senior in the men's game.

Pep nailed his worth perfectly here - https://fm-base.co.uk/threads/the-liverpool-thread.65903/post-2492786

'' ..... Perhaps the presence of young players – Curtis Jones, Neco Williams and Harvey Elliott – will help the process. Lijnders’ eyes light up as he discusses Liverpool’s trio of gifted teenagers.

Our future looks really bright,” he says. “We have, in three positions, players who can make us better.

“Don’t tell them that, but they have something. They have Scouse blood, their heart is in the right place and they will run through walls for us. They will try things a more experienced player will not try. That’s what I like. It gives colour to our game.

“Everyone is seeing Curtis in the last half-year, but we have been busy with him since the Talent Group, four years ago. We try to bring these players through, to force them into our way of playing.

“There are three good examples at the moment; Neco dominates a wing in a very creative way, Harvey in the final third is like a little diamond – he’s cheeky but at the same time he’s responsible - and Curtis, who gives us risk in one-v-ones and a last pass like few players we see on the market.”

I've mentioned this before, but I can't tell you the pride when one of your own, off the same streets as you, makes it at your shared passion. And just how vitally important it is for the football club to always have at least one Scouser in the side whenever possible. It reinforces our whole identity and gives you that connection to a lad on the pitch that totally understands and 'gets it.'

This very special ones is fixing to be career lifer in Red and with the ridiculous schedule of literally a game every three days next year, he could well become a fixture to the general football public at large the opportunities he'll get. Save's a packet on replacing Lalllana when we have a top-quality youngster we've developed to slide straight into his squad position and not miss a beat.

Oh yeah, in a ridiculously historic league season that ended a 30-yar wait to get back to the top of the mountain, he scored my favourite goal of the season in my favourite game of the season too against Everton in the third round of the Cup-

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1289107288050016256

Can't say as I'm sorry to see the back of him at all.

Can't quibble with what he's done for the football club per se, but he more than anyone, being a fellow Scouser, disappointed me the most through the furlough carnage as he should have been the one banging on the table telling them how spectacularly wrong a decision it would be and the scale of the local backlash they'd face. He's been away from L'pool for way too long and has completely lost touch with the ethos of the City.

But then the one constant problem, through all FSG's good, that they still haven't got right, is fan relations. And it's not improved much under Moore even though he has been approachable on social media.

Billy Hogan doesn't fill you with much hope in that regard either. He'll make the club money which from FSG's viewpoint is naturally his main remit. But he's not got a good track record on PR.

On the plus side, I guess he'll finally have to move up to L'pool now rather than working out of the London office.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

Interesting to note, that we poached Utd's Matt Scammel, who was their 'Head of Global Sponsorship Sales', last month into the Commercial Director role.

Presumably, he'll take over Hogan's role which should see a big uptick in maximising the revenue stream even further.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

Here's to the memories of this phenomenal gang of Reds in Nike over the next 5-years being as plentiful and life lasting as they were in NB.

 

[dilakh2]

Here's to the memories of this phenomenal gang of Reds in Nike over the next 5-years being as plentiful and life lasting as they were in NB.

Kit looks wank tbh. NB for all their supply problems at least made some lovely kits, Nike is generic as it gets.

 

[Theatre of Dreams83]

Started of slow I mean the championship was the perfect loan as it means he gets used to the physicality of mens football quicker. Has been one of the best players post lockdown and I kinda wished Swansea won the playoffs but I would keep him there for another season.

Nice

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

Kit looks **** tbh. NB for all their supply problems at least made some lovely kits, Nike is generic as it gets.

Utterly. Some of the casual clobbers nice but the strips not so much. But then I'm a 'too cool for school' Scouser who thinks any kit not made by Adidas is jarg haha.

The bottom line is putting the financial side back in our own hands with that superb deal that's fixing to net £100 million a year or so over the next 5-years and put us right up there with Barcelona and Madrid in terms of the Worlds top kit deals.

 

[dilakh2]

Utterly. Some of the casual clobbers nice but the strips not so much. But then I'm a 'too cool for school' Scouser who thinks any kit not made by Adidas is jarg haha.

The bottom line is putting the financial side back in our own hands with that superb deal that's fixing to net £100 million a year or so over the next 5-years and put us right up there with Barcelona and Madrid in terms of the Worlds top kit deals.

Not a kit person myself personally think it's daft to be spending 100 or so quid every year for something so trivial as a new kit especially if the sponsors or the kit manufacturer is the same. If you were going to be savvy just pick it up at the end of the season for less than half price as I did with this year's kit and save yourself some dosh.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

Not a kit person myself personally think it's daft to be spending 100 or so quid every year for something so trivial as a new kit especially if the sponsors or the kit manufacturer is the same. If you were going to be savvy just pick it up at the end of the season for less than half price as I did with this year's kit and save yourself some dosh.

Same. The only ‘colours’ you’ll see me in are one of the fan t-shirts that have become a big part of our fan culture over recent seasons or maybe a cap.

Can’t honestly remember the last shirt I bought it’s been that long.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

Nike and Liverpool FC Launch Bursary for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Coaches in the City as Part of New Partnership

Nike and Liverpool are laying the groundwork for progress ?

versus.uk.com

If Nike and the club are fully committed to this as a long term project then superb and massive kudos to them.

6 out of 92 managers through the professional game is beyond a disgrace. And it gets even worse when you get to boardroom level.

The game is endemic with institutionalised racism and the authorities do the bare minimum to pay it lip service. Can’t see as we’ll ever get on top of the situation until football accepts the problem from within. And as we’ve been at it for the past 6 decades and more, and still aren't on top of the racism issue, the LGBT sector have zero chance of ever being accepted and fully integrated.

A player/ coach/ official's colour, race or gender should be of complete irrelevance. It's their professional ability and quality as a human being they should be judged on. Which patently isn't the case when only 6.5 % of coaches through the 4 divisions are of BAME ethnicity. Good enough to be play. But not good enough to then coach? I don't know how else you'd not conclude there isn't serious discrimination going on.

Hopefully, even incrementally at the local community level, initiatives like this to give them the same opportunities and training that everyone else gets will start to make an impact and any disparity will eventually level out on merit. Exactly the way it should be.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

it's the way that UEFA have treated it over the years that have diminished a lot of credibility it originally may have head. Admittedly the CL reward now makes it more appealing for the winner. It's like how they constantly rename certain trophies for money, the Carabao Cup was before the Carling Cup or the League Cup or whatever the **** it keeps being called. How can fans take it as seriously when they keep just changing it on a whim for more sponsor money?

The bolded (Part of a wider discussion in the Arsenal thread earlier on how certain trophies are viewed) got me thinking as to just how important winning ANY trophy should be to a football fan IMHO. Or else what's the point?

L'pool, on and off the field, has never been as healthy in every facet as the club currently is. To think of the absolute carnage FSG inherited, to now being one of the very few self- sustaining clubs in World football who only spend what we earn, whilst putting together one of the best quality squads, on and off the pitch, in World football. All that, along with all the brilliant infrastructure going on in bricks and mortar, is a phenomenal turnaround that's culminated in what we currently are ....

Champions of every major going as I type.

You'd think the only acceptable way to be happy would be to do it all again or win more right?

I've never subscribed to that as we have NO divine right to expect success. That has to be earned, from afresh, at the start of every new season regardless of how successful you were the season before. The same way as we have no divine right to win ANY game of football. The opposition are trying just as hard to do the same and without putting the same application and work rate in to earn the right, you get whatever loss you deserve.

Personally speaking, as regards next season, I'd be absolutely made-up if we, presuming we enter it which is no given right now given the ridiculous schedule in a truncated season, 'only'won the league cup. (I say 'only' like it's not a fantastic achievement to win ANY trophy given there's so few of them to go around. You start the season in England with a chance to win what, 3? More if you're fortunate to qualify for Europe and have the CS opener. Sidenote- THAT should be the aim at the start of every season as it always used to be. To be in the following season's Charity Shield. If you achieve that, then you've invariably had a successful season.).

City, and this current gang of Reds matching and surpassing them over the last couple of seasons, have completely skewed peoples views on what's 'acceptable' today to utterly mad levels-

90 plus points to win the league is the complete exception to the norm. Chances are that will fall back to more normal mid-80's levels. (Unless City and L'pool madly push each other to super-human heights again.).

Winning 2 or more trophies in one season is the complete exception to the norm. You can count on less than two hands the number of teams to win 2 in a season. And less than one the number of teams to win 3 or more in a single season. And that's through over 130 years of professional football in England. The completely unreal expectations of people thinking that you should have a top-class squad capable of winning everything is just that. Outside the realms of realism. Just winning ONE trophy is a fantastic achievement in a season. Whatever that trophy may be.

And that's all I ultimately want from a L'pool side. To have the memories of the Reds constantly picking up trophies and days out at finals that just can't be topped as a fan. Do I want the really big ones? The PL and CL? Naturally. But they're both ****** hard trophies to win and all you can ask is for L'pool to be seriously competing for them year-on-year. Whether you ultimately win them is down to the one factor outside of your control. Luck. A bounce of the ball going in your favour here, a refs decision favouring you there. Easier cup draws against weaker opponents. Injuries et al.

Give me that. A L'pool side that consistently competes for major honours and wins ANY silverware as we go. Whatever the competition may be, One that strives to improve itself season-on-season. However incremental. Whether that ultimately leads to a trophy-winning season or not. Give me that and I'd happy every year.

That's all you can ask for from your side.

 

[dilakh2]

Quick question Scouse do you think Wiji will sign a new deal? Considering its been on the table for a year now imo he will either be sold this year or leave on a free next year.

 

[dilakh2]

I see various reports linking Matip with PSG I know it will go against the contrary, this is nothing against Matip who has developed into a top class defender but I would take the money and run. Matip is incredibly injury prone and cant be relied upon to stay fit with the money we could replace him with Diego Carlos who weve been linked with.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

Quick question Scouse do you think Wiji will sign a new deal? Considering its been on the table for a year now imo he will either be sold this year or leave on a free next year.

I'd not even been thinking about Wijnaldum entering his final year until you posed the question mate but yeah, I think you answered your own question. If he's still here after this window then he'll be extending. Edwards isn't losing out on him. My gut is he'll extend to give us the safe-guard of the sell-on value the next few years whilst still having his worth to ourselves now like they do with most everyone. Lovren being the most recent example.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

I see various reports linking Matip with PSG I know it will go against the contrary, this is nothing against Matip who has developed into a top class defender but I would take the money and run. Matip is incredibly injury prone and cant be relied upon to stay fit with the money we could replace him with Diego Carlos who weve been linked with.

'If' those mad rumours were to be true, you snap their hands off in a heartbeat. A £50 million profit on a lad who turns 29 in a week you can't rely on to stay healthy and be of use? Complete no-brainer. Regardless of whether it left you with just 2 senior CH's or not. We'd find a solution if need be. Be it an addiction, or even Fabinho/ Wijnaldum filling in if need be or one of the Dutch kids. It'd be totally to our detriment to turn such crazy money down. ****, if they offered £30 million or so I'm snapping their hands off.

Sadly, I don't see any truth in it at all and put it down to the usual madness of transfer rumour season. Not even the Qatari's at PSG would be mad enough to spend that all things considered surely?

Although they tell me the Utd thread that spending upwards or more of a £200 million package in this COVID age is a 'bargain/ great business' so who knows what certain clubs would do? As a side note to that, the reaction on L'pool twitter toward FSG again, following on from Werner, is beyond laughable. I know, let's go drop ridiculous sums on either, as future-proofing projects, being as neither would displace any of the front three right now, on wages that would blow our structure out of the water. (If you could sway either to be happy to play second fiddle to Bobby, Mo and Sadio to start with.). All in the current climate where club income is severely affected along with the moral responsibility as to the Worldwide picture. Yeah, brilliant idea lads. Let's go do that! *Eyes' not only rolling but positively spinning!

It's utterly mad how we get this every summer, isn't it? FSG have worked tirelessly to make the football club totally self-sustainable to be in little fear of navigating these unprecedented, and massively uncertain, financial times that we're liable to be in for a good time ahead. Yet STILL people have utter meltdowns if they aren't buying ex-player like its some mad video game being played out in real life.

Funny how short memories they have to the last few summers huh? When similar meltdowns over the like of Pepe and Fekir were leading to doom and gloom and the 'FSG OUT!' brigade shouting the loudest on SM .....

How'd that work out for yers aye lads?