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  • TLW
    With the much discussed move for Timo Werner seemingly on the back burner for now, Liverpool have switched their attention to Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele according to reports.

    The move of Werner to the current Champions League holders seemed to be a lock a few weeks ago, but with RB Leipzig insisting any club has to pay his £50 million release clause, that has put the Reds off who value the striker at £30 million in the post-coronavirus market.

    Metro (via Mundo Deportivo) has led to Liverpool casting a eye at Dembele who Klopp is a big fan of.

    The young French winger joined Dortmund the season after Klopp departed the German club and the current Reds manager has taken a interest in his career path since which had taken him to Barcelona on a deal worth £135.5 million.

    His potential led to Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu to say last year:

    “We are happy with what we have, as Dembele is better than Neymar and he is a good professional player.

    "He is a young guy who arrived at a huge club and that's not easy, but he has adapted and he is much better than Neymar."

    However the relationship has not worked out with the 22 year-old suffering a catalogue of leg muscle injuries and when he has been fit, the performances have not been up to the standard that was expected.
     


    This has led to mounting frustrations by all parties and Barcelona belting that they can cash in on their asset with a figure as low as £40million being speculated.

    If the winger who has only made 74 appearances and 19 goals in his three year spell with the Catalan giants was to come to the Reds not only would he need to work on his fitness but also his off-field discipline which has also been lacking.

    Klopp is a master at getting the best out of his players and if Dembele is willing to put in the work, it can be a win-win for both parties.
     
  • John Barnes believes the term “selling club” is applied to every Football club not just a certain few.

    Pre the Covid-19 pandemic, the transfer market was seemingly out of control with ridiculous salaries on offer, not just for the elite footballers but mediocre ones as well.

    Club loyalty is seemingly a thing from a bygone era with players hopping from one club to the next with increased frequency.

    However, the Liverpool legend believes that it something that everyone needs to come to grips with.

    Metro (via WION) reported the Liverpool legend as saying:

    “Every club is a selling club in modern football. A club like Barcelona was forced to sell Neymar.

    "What attracts footballers today is the salaries that they are going to get.
     
    "Whoever the player may be, whether it be Sadio Mane or Mo Salah, if anyone is offered a million pounds per week by any club, then they will join that team regardless of their quality or standing, that is the reality of modern football."

    Barnes alluded to the fact that the Reds have had to let quality players in the past go,  but the current level of success that the club is having can be a positive factor.

    “We have had so many fantastic players leave the Liverpool – Fernando Torres, Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho.
     
    "It is great that Liverpool have a bit of muscle now because of the on-field success, but ultimately players come and players go.
     

     

    Barnes who is one of the most articulate former players in the media says the days of falling in love with one particular player is over and the club will always remain the most important thing.

    “I always tell the fans to support the club and not the players.
     
    "A player must not be compelled to stay at a club against his own will, because that will make the player feel more powerful than the club and hence it will make him less accountable for his performances on the pitch.

    “The good thing is that I can guarantee that such a situation will not arise under Klopp because of the control he has over the players and the club. 

    “Players know they cannot overstep their mark with him in charge.’

     
  • Footstock is currently booming right now, with interest in the platform higher than ever before. 
     
    UPDATE: New Users will receive 50 Bonus Cards when they Register at Footstock. 
     
    A big part of this is due to the entertainment factor that footstock brings. There's so many features & games to play on Footstock. But first, let's take a step back.
     
    What is footstock?
     
    Footstock is a relatively new product which has been live since April 2019. The game itself if a hybrid of Fantasy Premier League (Fantasy Football), A Trading Marketplace & a Games area. 
     
    Footstock Trading Platform
     
    If you love Football Manager, footstock will be your thing. If you have a good feeling about a Youth Player, or have found value in the market, you can purchase players to add to your collection. In this aspect, it's similar to Football Index 
     
    Once a player hits their peak, or has a great run of form, other traders will be alerted and want to buy that player too. Take Trent Alexander Arnold for example, he's one of the most exciting defenders in World Football and now he's the Second most expensive player on the platform.
     
    Who's the next Youth Talent to come through the academy? Here's a small sample of Youth & Established players.
     

     
    While it's true you can grab a bargain, you need to move quickly. Curtis Jones is one of the highest tipped players, but you won't find him available for less than £7.50.
     
    Playing Footstock
     
    It's vital that you understand Footstock before jumping in, as it will set you up better for success. The whole game is based upon building the best collection of cards that's possible. 
     
    Every Card has a rating, between 1 and 5 stars. (Basic, Common, Rare, Epic & Legendary are the class names).
    The trading market is ran using an order book, so it's all dependent on other traders Bids and asking prices. Footstock don't control player prices, it's all user based.
     
    FootStock Tournaments
     
    What we really like about the Footstock tournaments is the variety. Footstock offer Freerolls, for all to enter. They also offer £0.50 tournaments, all the way up to £20 per tournament. The prize pots are absolutely phenomenal!
     
    I prefer these to making an accumulator bet, as watching your player on the pitch and hoping that he scores or assists, in order to win you the tournament prize pot, which is usually between £5,000 to £10,000.
     

     
    Footstock Trading
     
    If you don't want to enter tournaments, but like buying and selling players, this is achievable. You can do as little or as much as you like on Footstock. 
     
    Buying Packs
     
    You don't have to purchase from the market, instead you can buy player packs. When you buy a player pack, you'll receive a random selection of cards, so fingers crossed you get a Legend card!
     
    If you are new to Footstock, it costs nothing to sign up and you'll receive 50 Bonus Cards.
     
    You can also read a Footstock Review, which offers their thoughts on the platform.
  • Troy Deeney says that he feels sorry for Liverpool for having their season spoiled by the coronavirus outbreak but believes all integrity has been lost from the season.

    Yesterday saw the announcement which every Liverpool fan was waiting for regarding the resumption of the Premier League after a three month hiatus.

    As has been previously stated, there are to be no fans inside Football grounds for the foreseeable future meaning it will be somewhat of a empty existence for players, managers and officials alike.

    Jürgen Klopp and his players were masters in keeping their emotions in check whenever they were asked about winning the title.

    But it would have only been natural for them to let their mind drift and envisage the complete joy and euphoric scenes that would have taken place at Anfield come the end of the season.

    Watford captain Troy Deeney has been one of the main voices from the players expressing doubt on the resumption of the season.

    Now that a return looks virtually guaranteed, the striker feels that the title win will always come with an asterisk attached.

    Football 365 (via CNN) reported Deeney as saying.
     


    “I believe that when it comes to the integrity of this season anyway, it’s already gone.

    “I feel sorry for Liverpool because no matter how it plays out, they deserve to win the league. They deserve to get the trophy.

    “But no matter how it plays out, even if we play all the games, it’s still going to be the year spoiled by the pandemic. It’s not going to be that year that Liverpool won the league being the best team and, you know, it’s 30 years they haven’t won for.

    “So I do feel sorry for Liverpool and their players and Jordan [Henderson], but in terms of integrity, there’s no way you could say that this is a viable competition.

    “It’s like running a marathon, 20 odd miles, stopping for two months and then sprinting the last bit and going: ‘Ah, that was a good time that.'”

    As Liverpool fans know all too well, it’s not over until the finishing line is crossed.

    There are two wins required until the Reds are officially crowned as champions.

    And as we have seen during this hiatus, there will be those who try to pour a level of doubt on the achievement or in case of Deeney, deliver a level of faint praise.

    In terms of the marathon analogy of Deeney, there will be no team to emerge from the pack and therefore no sprinting required.

    Simply because, Liverpool are way out in front, the hard work has already been done as they have broken the back of their challengers.

    We live in a democracy and opinions like Deeney's are more than welcome to be noted.

    But the cold hard truth is asterisk or not, Liverpool have more than proven themselves as a class above this season.

    And when it is all said and done, this trophy will sit very nicely amongst all the other pieces of silverware in the Liverpool trophy cabinet.


     
  • Thomas Meunier is the latest player to be linked to the club according to reports.

    The PSG right-back has a vast level of experience both on the international stage with Belgian(40 caps) and at club level with Brugge and the current French champions.

    French publication Le10(via Football 365) say that the Reds have opened up talks to sign the 28 year- old on a free transfer in the summer.

    A number of English clubs including Man United, Arsenal and Tottenham have been linked with Meunier in the past.

    And it seems this might be the moment for the well-built defender (190cm-88kg) to be on the move as he has been out of favour with manager Thomas Tuchel making just 16 league appearances in the 2019/20 season.

    The scouting report on the former winger says describes him as taking that attacking mindset into his defending with his forward runs and he has a quality touch.

    While being right-footed, the full-back also possesses a strong left foot with adept control and, although his speed is not a strong point, his close footwork is a major asset.

    While seen as a ‘future star’ on arrival in Paris, it hasn’t been a smooth ride for Meunier, competing for the starting role with the likes of Serge Aurier and Dani Alves and averaging just over 20 league appearances during his four season stint.
     


    Meunier also has a reputation for speaking his mind and never was this truer than when he praised the support of Marseille (a bitter rival of PSG) after a Europa League clash with RB Leipzig in 2018.

    Despite being asked to formally apologise by the Collectif Ultras Paris> (Paris Ultras Collective or CUP), he stood his ground and branding some fans "pseudo-supporters" and "12-year-olds" who told him to "'get the f--- out of PSG.'"

    He also attacked fans who booed Neymar for not letting Edinson Cavani to take a penalty in the final stages of a 8-0 rout against Dijon.

    The fans were in uproar because if the spot-kick was converted it would have been the 157th goal for the Uruguayan at PSG, which would have made him the club's all-time top scorer.

    During this particular game which also occurred in 2018, Neymar had scored four goals while setting up two more and his actions were certainly defended by his teammate.

    "I understand the disappointment but I find this very disgraceful from the fans.

    "If you want to boo him, why do you clap and cheer him when he goes past four defenders to score?"

    In keeping with his nature, Meunier is remarkably relaxed about his current situation telling a tv station in his homeland last month.

    “A free, international player, who plays in the FIFA ranked world’s No1 team (Belgium) and who is 28 years old, it cannot be a bad buy, even if I get gangrene and I have to cut off a leg!

    “Clubs don’t have much to lose in the investment, and I think they know it. They have everything to gain.

    “Everything that circulates on me on social media versus Dortmund, I don’t understand: I’ve seen so many articles linking me to Tottenham or Inter.

    “I don’t understand this craze. My main objective is always to stay in Paris, but for the moment it’s pretty calm.”

    Young academy graduate Neco Williams has been earmarked as the understudy to Trent Alexander-Arnold and has shown in his first team appearances to date that he is not affaid of the big stage.

    But if Jürgen Klopp wants a bit of experience as cover, Meunier could be a shrewd signing especially with budgets tight in the footballing world due to coronavirus pandemic and not much spending expected.
     
    And prepare for some more straight talking if the Belgian does join the Reds.
     


     
  • Online gambling is a flourishing industry nowadays. Catching up to the hype is online sports betting where more and more sports fans are getting in on the action.
     
    Although sports betting has been around for longer than we can remember, the online version seems more appealing and provides better options for betting. While it may seem like there are many online casinos and betting sites offering opportunities to bet on your favorite sports and win, not all sites created equal and not all are legitimate. Thus, it is wise to choose a sports betting site that is legal and legit.
     

     
    Local Online Gambling Sites
     
    One of your best bets in finding a legal site for online sports betting is just within your home country and probably within your state. Local gambling sites are monitored and licensed both locally and internationally, so they follow your country’s gambling regulations and the international standards for operation. You can be guaranteed that your betting games are legal and the payouts are fast and flexible.
     
    In Asia, Indonesia has one of the most enthusiastic online gambling and betting scenes. They have trusted ball agents or agen bola terpercaya, which is their local version of sports betting. Although they come in many names, the rules, principles, and procedures remain basically the same. They follow money line odds, decimal odds or fractional odds and follow the common types of bets such as 2nd half bets, money line bets, head-to-head bets and more.
     
    International Gambling Online Sites
     
    Surprisingly, the United States is not yet fully open with its policies when it comes to online sports betting. It is still considered illegal in the US to operate sports betting business, much less online sports betting ones. However, there are states that have exceptions, but are still limited to brick and mortar establishments. These are Nevada, Delaware, Montana, and Oregon.
     
    In the United Kingdom and most countries in Europe, sports betting businesses, both land-based and online, are legal and regulated. Thus, when it comes to safety and efficiency in betting on sports in European online betting websites, you can be ensured that you are protected as a player and that your winnings are easily accessible. European-based online betting sites have been in the business for a while and have established their own distinct reputations. Some offer free betting games before transitioning to real money betting. Others offer additional bonus bets and free trials while others offer signup bonuses and promotions.
     
    International gambling and betting sites cater to a wide variety of players across the globe. However, when it comes to sports betting, there are some betting sites, who do not offer their services to US players. Even gambling sites stationed as far as Asia is also offering international betting games, so there are still many options for players who may be restricted from other online betting sites.
     
    Land-Based Casinos and Betting Establishments
     
    Brick-and-mortar or land-based casinos have offered sports betting services for the longest time. Thus, you can be sure that the betting games are well regulated and that you can request payouts at your convenience. While the opportunities for free plays are very limited, you still have the chance to watch and observe the ins and outs of sports betting. You also get to personally interact with a lot of people and you can get helpful tips and advice from tenured and experienced sports bettors.
     
    Mobile Gambling and Sports Betting Apps
     
    The gambling industry has effectively adapted to the modern way of life of today’s generation. Internet access is now getting predominantly mobile, with more and more users preferring to access the internet through their smartphones rather than PCs and laptops. Thus, online gambling industries have incorporated apps and downloadable content to mobile devices in order to catch on to this trend of internet access.
     
    Mobile casino and betting games have a wide variety of game options and also offer free games to users, much like their online counterparts. When it comes to real money wagers, mobile gambling apps are also secured as they follow the same strict security protocol from the main website or land-based establishment. Developers of both the online and mobile versions have diligently worked on ways to keep their games secure and safe from threats.
     

     
    With the emergence of many websites offering online sports betting services, it pays to be careful and to do some research on the sites that you are about to enter. Make sure that they are legit and are legally operating and have the necessary licenses and permits.
     
    Money and personal information are the two things you need to protect when accessing the internet, and you should select a betting site that shares the same security priorities as yours. That way, you can rest easy knowing that your betting site will be there to provide you games and changes for a big win.
  • Newcastle are the latest team to show interest in Liverpool winger Xherdan Shaqiri according to reports.

    The Magpies are set to go on a major spending spree once their proposed £300million takeover from a Saudi consortium goes through.

    The Mirror via the Daily Mail says that Newcastle have made contact with representatives of the Swiss star to see who keen he is to make the move to the North East.

    The 28 year-old has been linked with Roma and Sevilla in the last few months but this is the first time a Premier League team has shown an interest.

    The popular utility played a more than handy role in the Liverpool team that went step for step with Man City atop the Premier League table and were successful in winning the Champions League.

    But this year has been far more of a struggle only making 10 appearances in all competitions with his standout performance coming in the Derby when he scored his only goal of the season.
     
    .

    Muscle injuries namely his groin and calf have been a real frustration leading to this classic take from Jürgen Klopp earlier in the year.

    “It is not cool, absolutely not cool but maybe there are different reasons [for his injury].

    "He is a very special player in different departments. His physique is different to all others I ever saw, his muscles are unbelievable."

    A much travelled footballer with stops in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and England, Shaqiri will provide much experience and a winning pedigree to a team in Newcastle that certainly needs both qualities.

    Shaqiri is just one senior player likely to depart in the summer with Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren also regularly linked with moves away.

    A fresh report says that Burnley have thrown their hat in the ring for Lallana’s signature but Leicester remain the firm favourite.

     
  • Tuesday May 19:

    Last week I mentioned how my Boy Troy was against footy coming back. Initially I lumped him in with the rest of the relegation threatened clubs just out for their own self interest. That disappointed me as he’s better than that. There’s a lot to like about Deeney I think. It was only today when I read about his reasons for not wanting to play that I think he’s probably right. His kid is in a high risk group and he isn’t prepared to put him in danger. I wouldn’t either if I were him. 
     
    He also said that he doesn’t care if he doesn’t get paid, his only concern is his son. What are his options here? Just going back and playing would be crazy, unless he is prepared to then completely stay away from his son. Training is fine, he can stay completely safe at the training ground where precautions are being taken, but when it comes to being a contact sport again, how can he be completely sure he won’t be infected. Short of being tested before and after every session / game I don’t think he can. 
     
    Even then I’m not sure how effective it is because how does this even work? I mean, if you pick up the virus and get tested five minutes later, does it even register that quick? If Deeney doesn’t want to play then unlike most he’s actually got a valid reason for it and I respect that.
     
    There will be others in this position too, but it’s only really valid if they live with the at risk person, otherwise they need to just do what the rest of us have been doing and stay away from parents, grandparents, the vulnerable etc until it’s safe to see them.
     
    Well, most of us have been doing that. Callum Hudson-Odoi was pictured going to his brother’s house last week, which is against the rules as we all know. I sort of understand where he’s coming from though, because he’s had the virus and is now clear of it, so he feels like he doesn’t need to lockdown. I’m in the same position but I’m still following all the guidelines anyway.
     
    Still, going to his brother’s wasn’t the worst crime in the world. Inviting a bird he met online round to his gaff on the other hand, well that’s not good is it? Especially when she ended up phoning the police at 4am claiming he raped her. Fucking hell. Some of these footy players have really lived up to the stereotype in this lockdown haven’t they? Grealish, Walker, Keane, now this. 

    Wednesday May 20:
     
    The boys are back! How heartwarming was it seeing those pictures from Melwood today. Bobby showed up as Jules from Pulp Fiction while Lallana looks like a fucking monk, with his Dumb and Dumber barnet.
     

     
    Then there’s Sadio, who looked like he had left his hairline in lockdown. Either that or he showed up pretending to be his Dad. He looks 20 years older. Like in the Nutty Professor when Eddie Murphy plays all of his different family members. I’m half expecting Sadio to turn up tomorrow as Nana Mané dressed in a fat suit and wearing a grey wig.
     

     
    The photo I really wanted to see was Hendo. Someone who takes so much pride in his hair, hows he going to look having not been the barbers for 9 weeks? He’s gone back to his Sunderland haircut by the looks of it. Bet he’s missing his barber more than anyone else is. Robbo probably cuts his own hair, he's the least vain footballer of all time I think.
     

     
    Meanwhile, scanning through newsnow to see if anything else interesting is happening today. Clearly there’s not, because the Echo actually ran a story about the results from when they ‘signed’ some Brazilian wonderkid for the Reds on Footy Manager. They simulated two seasons and posted up screenshots of his stats, including how many dribbles he had and how it compared to Salah and Mane. 
     
    This is completely mad. I love a game of Footy Manager as much as the next man (only this morning my Pompey side beat Arsenal on pens to bring the Champions League trophy home to Fratton Park) but it seems bizarre to me that a newspaper would waste their time on shit like this. Still, it could be worse, they could have used FIFA stats instead I suppose.
     
    Thursday May 21:
     
    Lovren tweeted about how happy he was to be back at Melwood in the sunshine with all the lads and the staff and said how much he appreciates it. In reply he had a load of knobheads telling him to hand in a transfer request, to leave, or to tell him that Klopp is going to get rid of him. For what feels like the millionth time in 2020 I find myself asking “what the fuck is wrong with people?”.
     
    It’s fine if you think he’s shit. It’s fine if you don’t like him because of things he says and does. We’re all entitled to feel however we feel about whoever, but who you respond to a harmless tweet by saying stupid or nasty things, then you’re just a fucking cunt.
     
    Meanwhile, remember last week (may have the week before actually) when I mentioned about that coach who said Turkish keeper Ugurcan Cakir was signing for us? Well a journalist over there is now reporting that we’ve bid €25m for him. Smells like bullshit to me. 
     
    I believe what the coach said, but I expect that was before all this madness ensued. Let’s be realistic here, there’s no way we’re spending that kind of money on a keeper to sit on the bench.

    Friday May 22:
     
    Great quote from Andy Lonergan today about Alisson. “However great you might think he is. He’s better than that”. Alisson has completely redefined how I judge goalkeepers. I used to be swayed by great saves and incredible reflexes. While you get both of those from Alisson, you don’t get them very often because he rarely needs to. It was only when I asked myself why he rarely has to extend himself when other keepers are flying all over the gaff, that I realised what makes him so great. 
     
    Unlike outfield positions where it’s easy to form an informed opinion on a player, I think with goalkeepers it’s only really other goalkeepers who know how to judge them properly. Ok actually that’s not strictly true, as we can all see when a keeper is shite and making gaffes all the time. It’s more difficult judging the best ones though. 
     
    So here’s a question for you. How good is De Gea? Or let’s put it another way. Before he went shit and started throwing goals in regularly, how great was De Gea, or was he actually great at all? I thought he was amazing and I hated him for it. He’d make save after save, some of them miraculous. Now I’m thinking, if he was actually as good as people thought then would he have to be making such spectacular saves all the time? Would a better goalie just be making a routine stop and not getting any recognition for it?
     
    It also made me wonder about David Seaman. I always thought he was massively over-rated. I never saw it with him at all. Everyone said how great he was but I rarely remembered seeing him doing anything especially impressive. Now I think that’s probably because he was so fundamentally sound he made everything look routine. 
     
    So it’s also possible I have a rose tinted view of Big Nev, who I’d say is the best I’ve ever seen because some of the saves he made (usually from Rushy) were unbelievable. He’s such a top fella though that I’m not going to revise my opinion on him. He’s still the man in my eyes.
     
    Also today, Klopp says that no player will be forced to come in and train if they don’t feel safe, and that anyone who refuses to do so will not be thought any less of. I wouldn’t expect anything else from him, he’s just a top bloke. If Deeney was his player I’m sure he’d completely back any decision he made and there’d be no consequences for it.
     
    None of our lads are going to not go in though. The only reason you wouldn’t is if you had a wife or kid who would be in an at risk category, otherwise I reckon they’ll all be desperate to get back. These lads are used to routine. They’re used to be surrounded by team-mates all the time. It must have been really hard for them to be cooped up at home all this time. For some of us it’s easy. 
     
    Things haven’t been that different for me as I work from home anyway. The only difference in my life is my wife and daughter are here 24/7 now so I don’t have the house to myself, meaning I can’t nap in the afternoon or spend hours on the X-Box. For a footballer though this must be really hard and I imagine they can’t wait to get back in to Melwood. 
     
    Besides, those training grounds are going to be the safest places in the entire country, as there’ll be staff there spraying everything with disinfectant and social distancing will be enforced. You know what’s mad though? Thinking back to a few weeks ago when Mourinho decided to get some of his players together to train in the park! I defo feel like not enough was made of that craziness.
     
    It was stupid and irresponsible, but I do grudgingly respect the desperation he had to get things going again. Mind you, the players he had training were the ones he didn’t like, so maybe he was hoping they’d catch it? 

    Saturday May 23:
     
    Adrian says the Atletico defeat still eats away at him. So it fucking should. Worst goalkeeping display since Karius in the final, but Adrian didn’t even have a concussion to blame it on. Wait, I’ve just read the quotes and it wasn’t his own performance that eats away at him, it was the fact we lost a game in which we battered the opponent.
     
    “The first days you eat away at yourself," Adrian said. "You don't accept that was the last game, you get that bad taste in your mouth, quite sour from having lost a tie. When it seems that we have it pretty well on track at home, a game where we had thirty-plus shots on goal, but we lose. The man of the match was definitely Oblak.”
     
    Mate, why do you think we lost a game in which we had thirty plus shots (scoring twice)? Need a clue? Ok, do you have any mirrors in your house?
     
    This kind of thing winds me up. It’s fine for his team-mates to talk like that and not single anyone out, but when you’re the one who fucked up you should be saying “it eats away at me because I was shite that night and cost us a couple of goals. I feel like I let everyone down.”
     
    Not gonna lie, I’m annoyed.
     
    The Bundesliga was on again today and I didn’t watch even one second of it. That novelty wore of pretty quickly. I’m glad it’s back but I’ll be damned if I’m sitting and watching any of it, especially when it’s sunny outside. For the record, Werner scored a hat-trick. Of course he did. He’s great when I’m not watching. If I tune in to his next game though he’ll be running around like a bull in a china shop like he has every other time I’ve seen him.
     
    My complete lack of interest in the Bundesliga tells me that I’m not missing footy, I’m just missing the Reds. La Liga is back soon too but I won’t be watching that either. I did spend half an hour today watching LFCTV’s ‘inside training’ video over and over. Why? Because after I’d watched it once I realised I hadn’t seen Pedro Chirivella. 
     
    So I watched again to check. Still no Pedro. So to be sure, I watched it a third time, with a notepad and pen, and I wrote down all of the individual training groups. Pedro wasn’t in any of them, which would suggest he’s made up his mind to leave when his contract runs out and is therefore unlikely to be getting any playing time when it all starts again. Or he’s injured or stranded in Spain or there’s some other explanation. 
    That’s not really important. The biggest take away from this is that I’m clearly a proper sad cunt with too much time on his hands.

    Sunday May 24:
     
    Pochettino is asked to name the three best PL players he came up against while at Spurs. Aguero and De Bruyne were his first two picks, then he went for Bobby. Bet he’s one of those who’ll tell you that Scholes was one of the all time greats. Nothing against Bobby, but that kind of pick screams out ‘look at me, I’ve got a far more sophisticated football brain than you peasants’. Although in fairness, Poch does have a far more sophisticated brain than us peasants, so if he says Bobby rather than Sadio or Mo or any of the other great players he coached against, then fair play to him I guess.
     
    Time for your weekly ‘Chico’ now. Today my man Stevie has hit back at Michael Ballack for throwing shade at Big Virg. “Virgil van Dijk is very lucky to play in an era where there is no Drogba, [Frank] Lampard, Alan Shearer, Henry, [Wayne] Rooney, [Robin] Van Persie, [Carlos] Tevez, [Emmanuel] Adebayor and Diego Costa in the Premier League. No wonder they think he is the best defender in the League.”
     
    Michael Ballack? More like Michael Bollocks, am I right? Eh? Am I right?
     
    Anyway, Nicol set him straight. "Well I'm interested to know which part of his game he's not happy with because if you're looking for a physical battle, are you telling me that Van Dijk couldn't beat anybody up physically? Even Drogba? It would be great to watch but don't tell me that Drogba would walk all over him physically.
     
    "Pace-wise I don't remember seeing anybody, whether it's the Premier League or the Champions League, running past this guy. So that's not a problem. Can he pass the ball? Yes he can pass the ball. I'd love to know which part of Van Dijk's game he thinks would be susceptible to any of these strikers that he was talking about."
     
    Pretty funny though really, because Ballack is basically doing what the likes of Stevie and a lot of other legends do and giving it the “it was better in my era” spiel. Unlike tens of thousands of Arsenal fans, however, Nicol has clearly forgotten about the time when Virg was ‘left for dead’ by Pepe. I think that was the highlight of their entire season so far, even though it never actually happened.
     
    Speaking of Arsenal, Lallana has been strongly linked with Leicester for months but today the Gunners' name was thrown into the ring. This is funny because he’s exactly the kind of player Arsenal would sign. They love a silky-skilled, injury prone, ball playing midfielder don’t they?
     
    If they ever remember what made them good and go back to it (powerful, fast, skilful, physically dominant players like Vieira, Petit, Gilberto, Henry, Campbell, Lauren, Kolo etc) then we might have to worry about them. Until then, we can just continue to laugh at the lightweight fannies.
     
    Monday May 25:
     
    Happy Istanbul day. Have to be honest, I’m fairly bored with it now. I’ve heard all the stories so many times that I have no appetite for any content that is churned out on the anniversary. Maybe that’s just me and I certainly don’t begrudge anyone who still laps it all up, more power to them I say.
     
     
    At least now when it’s brought up we don’t look like sad, desperate fucks clinging to past glories. The fact we’re now successful again at least makes this kind of nostalgia more acceptable and less embarrassing. It was beginning to get extremely cringey when we were dining out on that while bumming around in 6th place.
     
    Also today, I was watching the ‘inside training’ videos from yesterday with my notepad and pen again and it was nice to see Robbo and Milner re-united. I didn’t like how they’d been kept separate so far. Didn't seem right that. I also feel like Sadio should always be there keeping Naby company, seeing as how Naby hasn't been arsed to learn English and can only speak to the French and German speakers.
     
    If you could be in one of those groups of four, whuch three players would you want with you? For me it's defo Robbo and Milner, and then after that I'd be struggling. I'd probably go for Bobby as we're similar types of players and he always seems to be laughing and joking so I reckon he'd be great company. Not easy overlooking Big Virg or Hendo though.   
     
    My eagle eye spotted also Yasser Larouci out there. I’d completely forgotten about him, but now I’m wondering why he wasn’t with the group until now. Did someone have to drop out to make room for him, because adding one extra would mess up the numbers, surely? And where’s Pedro? Yeah, I’m going to have to watch it again now to try and figure this shit out.
     
    Ok so I’ve rewatched (twice) and there were 22 outfield players. Four groups of four and two groups of three. Previously there were 21 (four groups of four and one group of five) so Yasser is the extra one. Still don’t know where Pedro is though, or Hoever and Van den Berg for that matter, who were training at Melwood prior to all this.
     
    They must be at the Academy or maybe they’re coming in to Melwood later than everyone else, because when footy comes back we might need them. And what of Brewster? He was on loan at Swansea but could we not cancel that and give him some playing time?
     
    It’s going to be weird I think, because let’s say we pick up those two wins pretty quickly and have the title sewn up. Then what? We owe it to the rest of the league to continue to take it seriously but there’s just no way the intensity is going to be the same with nothing to really play for. With crowds there it would be different, and there’s also the small matter of trying to break the points record, but I just don’t think that’s going to be on anyone’s minds now because of all this shit. 
     
    Maybe I will be proved wrong, but the feeling I’m getting now is most teams just want to get it over with. The teams at the bottom have it all to fight for, and the CL spots are still up for grabs, but everyone else will kind of see this as just an inconvenience and just want the games completed.
     
    I’m going to be fascinated to see just how much (or little) intensity our lads play with, especially when they’ve picked up the six points they need. It’d be great if they went out and won every game and shattered the record, but I can’t see it somehow. Not without crowds in the stadiums. Can’t wait to find out though. These games can’t come back quickly enough now.
     

    …..and that was the week that was
  • This week marks 15 years since the greatest ever comeback in the history of the European Cup.

    And with any game packed with as much drama as the 2005 Champions League Final, there are many great stories to be told and this anniversary is no different.

    Firstly, Rafa Benitez the man in charge on that fateful evening recalls what went through his mind when Liverpool were 3-0 down at half time and how he tried to keep the confidence up within his squad.

    “We weren’t favourites because their players were top level, but we got there with a lot of confidence and we were convinced. Despite the fact that things weren’t perfect from the beginning because we made a mistake which led to a foul, and they were up 3-0, I tried to transmit confidence during the interval.
     


    “I tried to keep the competitive spirit in the team and I thought that with any luck we could end up being the better team. 

    “For their part, players like Jerzy Dudek and Djimi Traore were thankful that the manager gave such a measured message and didn’t rant and rave like many would in his position. 

    “Rafa is always calm, that was his big strength,” Dudek said.

    “Even when we were losing, he always gave us advice without any panic or shouting. Some coaches were mad during half time, on fire, shouting and pointing. He was always calm. He said 'OK, no more discussions, this is what we do'.

    “Our heads were down but one thing I remember is we said we need to go out and win the second half for us, for the fans, our family and everyone who believed in us," Traore recalled.

    “So if we won the second half then OK, that is the way it is. And the last words, we said if we scored inside 15 minutes then maybe we could come back. But no-one believed that, really.
     
    Benitez made some subtle tweaks during the break and was confident they would come off.

    “We improved when we switched to three at the back, which gave us more control in midfield. 

    “And then when it went to penalties, that was a result of luck and hard work because of the five penalty takers Milan had, we knew about four of them very well and where they usually shot”

    One of the many heroes for the Reds on that evening was Dudek and he explained how he struck up a relationship with one of the players that he had a personal battle with on that evening in Andriy Shevchenko who still could not believe the performance of the Polish keeper.

    “We were in Cardiff, working together as part of the joint bid of Poland and Ukraine to host Euro 2012.

    “We had got to know each other quite well during the campaign, and that day Sheva finally popped the question.

    “F***ing hell Jerzy, you can tell me now – how DID you make that save in extra-time?’
     


    Dudek’s response was first class.

    "I smiled at him. ‘Don’t worry, mate,’ I told him. ‘You had your five minutes against Juventus in 2003, and I had my five minutes in Istanbul!’

    Dudek says his heroics throughout the penalty shootout and extra time remain a blur to this day.

    “The truth is, I can’t explain how I saved it.

    "It is one of those split-second things, where you rely on instinct, reflexes and, of course, a little bit of luck as well.

    "Do you know, for a long time after the final I thought that the initial header was from Jon Dahl Tomasson?
     
    "I knew there had been two Milan players free in the box, but after that it was just a blur.

    “When I watched it back, I saw that Sheva had headed the first ball and then the rebound, and I think that was what gave me the chance to save it.

    “He wanted to put all the power into it, and I was able just to get my hands in the way.

    "I never saw a ball fly so high in the air, and when it landed on the roof of the net, I said to myself, ‘F*** me, we needed that!’"

    Meanwhile, the brilliant former Milan and Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo gave a fascinating and typically frank account of his emotions.

    “I thought about quitting because, after Istanbul, nothing made sense any more.

    “The 2005 Champions League final simply suffocated me.
     
    "To most people’s minds, the reason we lost on penalties was Jerzy Dudek – that jackass of a dancer who took the mickey out of us by swaying about on his line and then rubbed salt into the wound by saving our spot kicks.
     


    “But in time the truly painful sentence was realising that we were entirely to blame. 

    “How it happened I don’t know, but the fact remains that when the impossible becomes reality, somebody’s f***ed up – in this case, the entire team. 

    “A mass suicide where we all joined hands and jumped off the Bosphorus Bridge.

    “When that torture of a game was finished, we sat like a bunch of half-wits in the dressing room there at the Ataturk Stadium.

    “I’ve tried with Istanbul and haven’t managed to get beyond these words:
     
    "For f***’s sake."







     
  • The much discussed transfer of Timo Werner to Liverpool has taken another positive step according to reports.

    The RB Leipzig striker continued his scintillating season on Sunday by scoring his third hat trick of the campaign in a 5-0 rout against Mainz.

    The Mirror reported that Jürgen Klopp held a virtual meeting with the 24 year-old during lockdown and well connected German journalist Rafael Honigstein confirmed that plans are in place but the Covid-19 pandemic have made things a little bit more uncertain in a financial sense.

    “I think it depends on what Liverpool want to do because Werner's been on the record saying he wants to go there and he is available because of a release clause which at the worst would cost about £55m.

    “So far Liverpool have been linked closely and there has been a meeting between him and Jurgen Klopp, at least a virtual one over the last few weeks.

    “I think they're a bit hesitant to pull the trigger because they haven't quite figured out how much of a financial problem the coronavirus will present itself to football, coming over the next month in the Premier League.

    "I think he's waiting for things to fall into shape and it could be that the transfer window is much later than usual."

    “This kind of deal would have been announced in April/May, this time it could be August or September, but I still think there's a very strong chance he'll end up at Liverpool."
     


    The summer transfer targets of Liverpool have been something of much discussion during this halt to the season.

    While the name of Werner has been extremely prominent, so too has Adama Traore with Klopp a known admirer describing him as “unplayable in full flight” and Andy Robertson recently saying that the Wolves winger has been his toughest opponent this season.

    “Traore this season ripped me apart, to be fair."

    “He’s ridiculous. Without a doubt [he’s the fastest in the league].

    "I think he could give most Premier League defenders a 15-yard start and he’d still win the race.

    Club legend Graeme Souness said in his Sunday column that Traore is the most intriguing player in the Premier League.

    “Traore has improved and let’s hope he keeps on improving because he gets you on the edge of your seat.

    “At the moment I would say he is, pretty much, unplayable. I’ve said it now a couple of times and it is still true.

    “He is now not only a winger anymore, he keeps the ball, holds the ball and sets up goals, obviously. That makes it so difficult, each ball you lose is 100 per cent a counter-attack and half a goal.

     
  • Loris Karius could be close to finding a new home with Hertha Berlin registering an interest in the goalkeeper.

    The Daily Mail (via Goal) reports that the Bundesliga club are one of a number of clubs interested in the services of the 26 year-old.

    Karius is desperate to find a home where he can start to enjoy his Football again after a period of great uncertainty.

    Headlines regarding the keeper have switched from error-prone performances on the pitch to a level of personal fury off it with the German in a dispute with his on-loan club Besiktas over unpaid wages.

    Karius initially took his complaint to FIFA after going four months without pay before his parent club stepped in to assist.
     
    Besiktas then went public with the matter as they looked to portray Karius in a poor light which further antagonised the gloveman and led him to terminate his contract.

    The Turkish giants ended up paying the German goalkeeper £400,000 in outstanding salary.

    The contract termination happened earlier this month but not before Karius issued a full explain to the fans of the Turkish giants.

    “It’s a shame it comes to an end like this but you should know that I have tried everything to solve this situation without any problems.

    "I was very patient for months telling the board over and over again. Same things happened already last year. 

    “Unfortunately they haven’t tried to solve this situational problem and even refused my suggestion to help by taking a pay cut.
    "It’s important to me that you know I really enjoyed playing for this club a lot. 

    “BESIKTAS can be proud having such passionate fans behind them always giving amazing support.

    "You always supported me in good and bad times and I will always remember you in the best way!

    "Also I want to say thank you to all my teammates, coaching staff including all people working for the club.
     
    "You welcomed me with arms wide open from day one.
     
    "Thank you so much! Champion Besiktas".

    In all, Karius made 67 appearances for the Turkish club across two seasons.
     


    The report also claims that Karius who is currently at home in Germany has been asked to not return back to Liverpool pre-season training hastening the need to find a new club.
     
    There is an unwritten law in Football that custodians stick together and that is certainly the case with Champions League hero Jerzy Dudek who believes Karius has plenty more to give.
     
    "I think he is absolutely a great goalkeeper, I have no doubt about this.
     
    "But he wanted to go to Turkey to be a little bit out of sight.
     
    "I had been to Kiev and when you speak about him [in that final], I feel a little bit sorry for him because he didn't deserve that.
     
    "He is a great goalkeeper but things can happen. When that happens, you want to move and open another door to make another chance."

    Any deal with Hertha could be a good fit for all concerned with the clubs striking up a sting working relationship due to the two-season loan of Marko Grujic who has impressed observers with his level of play.

    While certainly being a player who caused Liverpool fans great frustration during his spell at the club, he seems to have a good heart and is certainly young enough to recover from the personal turmoil and make headlines for the right reasons. 


     
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