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  • TLW
    Liverpool have made positive progress with midfielder Gini Wijnaldum over a new contract.

    The current contract of the midfield workhorse expires at the end of next season, but The Guardian says that both parties are very comfortable with how talks are progressing with an extension to either 2024 or 2025 on the cards.

    The main issue throughout this process has not been wages, but assurances from the club that Gini will remain firmly in the plans of Jürgen Klopp.

    This proposed deal will see the popular Dutchman extend his spell at the club to the best part of a decade after joining in the summer of 2016 for £25 million.

    In that time he has made 132 appearances in all competitions scoring 13 goals.

    It will also see all key figures of the Klopp revolution locked away and ready to ‘go again’ as we move to the next phase of the German's tenure.
     
     


    Wijnaldum has made no secret to the fact that he wants to play the game until well in his 30s and finishing where it all began for him back home in Holland.

    “You want to play at the highest level and win trophies, like Clarence Seedorf. It's my dream to play as long as possible. Like him, Zlatan or Ronaldo.

    “I want to play at a high level until I'm 38."

    And the way the physical specimen looks after himself, you wouldn’t put it past him to do just that.

     
  • Tuesday Jun 2:
     
    Lovren kicks off on social media about littering. This was great. He was out for a walk on Formby beach and was so disgusted by all the garbage he saw that he live streamed his walk and went off on one about how we need to be better. Good for him, I thought it was ace, if a little surreal.
     
    Looking forward to tomorrow when he walks around the local park pointing out all the dogshit and calling out the bastards who didn't pick it up. Say what you like about big Dejan, but he's certainly not dull.
     
    I was browsing youtube today looking at the video uploads by the club and I stumbled across one from a few weeks back that I’d somehow missed. Pep Ljinders interviewing Harvey Elliott. It was great, Ljinders is just such a lively, enthusiastic fella. He’s so positive in everything he says and does and as much as Buvac was well respected and had a lot of success with Klopp, this fella is just so happy and loves his work so much it’s impossible for it not to rub off on others. 
     
    I want to see more of Ljinders this year. Let him do all the league cup press conferences again and give him his own weekly show on LFCTV. In fact, partner him up with my boy Steve Hunter, perhaps the only person on the club’s payroll who’s more enthusiastic than Ljinders. 
     
    Wednesday Jun 3:
     
    The Mirror publishes a result of a survey of fans asked about football’s return. No surprise our fans were most in favour, but what struck me was that the most opposed were not those facing relegation. It wasn’t even Everton, which would have surprised no-one (they were second, on 76%). It was City, the sad obsessed pathetic little cunts.
     
    80% of them didn’t want the season to start again. It’s laughable. I’m just embarrassed for them, the pathetic little fucking worms. Taking their title just got even sweeter.  These are the absolute fucking worst. From top to bottom, that club is pathetic. There are countless reasons to despise United, and I never thought Chelsea fans would be beaten when it came to not knowing how to act like a big club, but City have taken it to a whole new stratosphere. It’s like everything they do just makes me cringe. 
     
    The owners are cunts, the press office are sad obsessed bitter little cockroaches, the manager is a dick, half the team are wankers and the fans… the fans… fuck me. I don’t know what’s happened to them as they used to be alright. Now they’re the absolute fucking worst in the entire country. The kings of ‘whataboutery’. Enjoy choking on our dust you pathetic little crybaby cunts.
     
    Christ, I needed that, I feel like I’ve lightened the load a little now.
     
    Some of the other results were interesting, especially that only 53% of West Ham fans were against relegation. Fair play to them, but then West Ham’s fans have never really been the problem have they? I don’t mind the Hammers fanbase, it’s the vile owners who my beef is with. Mind you, 65%  of Hammers fans polled did want the season scrapped, which isn’t great, so fuck them too I guess. If I could pick one team in the bottom half to go down, then it would be…
     
    *checks table to see where Everton are*
     
    Ok it would be Everton. But if I had to pick another then it would be West Ham.
     
    In other news today, there was one positive test for the virus in the PL. It was from Spurs. Obviously it’s not being made public who recorded the positive test but I think we all know who will be claiming it.

    Thursday Jun 4:
     
    We’ve pulled out of the race for Werner and he’s going to Chelsea. Dramatic representation of me right now....
     

     
    The explanation given by those in the know was ‘financial reasons’ which was taken by many as FSG being mingebags and not allowing Klopp what he wants. God knows I’ve got my issues with the owners, but as I always say in these situations, Klopp is the one who drives the bus in these situations.
     
    I ask myself what is the more likely scenario: 
     
    1) Klopp really wants a player but the club then pull the rug out from under him because of the Covid situation.
     
    Or 2) Klopp wants a player but decides he can’t justify spending that kind of money in the current uncertain climate.
     
    To me it’s scenario number two all day every day. I’m not buying it that Klopp wanted to pay the asking price and salary and was told he couldn’t. If it was Rafa, then yeah, absolutely I'd believe it. Klopp is a different animal though. He’s got a conscience when it comes to this kind of thing.
     
    The long term financial implications mean something to him and it’s not just about wanting shiny new toys to play with. He’s pulled the plug on loads of deals for various reasons, and to me this is just another obvious example of it.
     
    Of course, there is another possible reason for this. Klopp might have been reading this column each week and finally seen the light that Werner isn’t a great fit for us because he’s got no guile and that no amount of running and working hard can compensate for that. 
     
    Listen, to clarify, I’m not saying he isn’t a good striker who will score a lot of goals. He is and he probably will. His record certainly suggests it. I just think people (including Werner himself) jumped the gun in saying what a good fit he is for how we play just because he never stops running.
     
    It’s a bit insulting to our front three really, because working hard and running a lot should be a given. You need more than that though. Much more. You need skill, sharpness, intelligence, versatility and GUILE. Bulls in a china shop need not apply.
     
    Ok I'm being a little facetious, so let me explain it this way. Possibly my favourite non-LFC player to watch right now is Jamie Vardy. I love watching him, I think he’s fantastic at what he does and he’s the closest thing I’ve seen to Rushy. You can’t relax for a second when Vardy is around, and he scores all sorts of goals.
     
    He’s brilliant, but he wouldn’t fit into our front three. Doesn’t make him any less of a player, it just makes him suited to a different style and set up. He knows it himself, which is why he never signed for Arsenal.
     
    So Werner might be brilliant for Chelsea, we’ll see. If he is though, you’re not going to get me bemoaning ‘the one that got away’ because I don’t think he’d have been brilliant for us and I’ve said it all along, so it’s not a case of “never fancied her anyway after being knocked back”. 
     
    It’s funny though because there is a part of me that’s disappointed at today’s news. Not because we didn’t get Werner, but because if Klopp has decided he isn’t going to spend big this summer then it means we’re probably getting no-one. We’re certainly not getting my boy Adama as he’ll be even more pricey than Werner was.
     
    Still, probably for the best that we keep our powder dry for now, as Mbappe will be on the market in 12 months time and we all know how desperate he is to join the Reds.

    Friday Jun 5:
     
    See the Werner story is being spun into us 'losing out' to Chelsea. Werner did everything other than get a Liverbird tattoo and couldn’t have made his preferences any clearer. It was Klopp who decided the deal wasn’t right for us, and Chelsea were there as a consolation prize for Werner. 
     
    Mind you, it does look like they’re going to be the big spenders this summer, as they also want Havertz and Chilwell. Funny really. That whole ‘promoting youth’ change to their policy lasted only as long as their transfer ban. Who’d have thunk it?
     
    Interview with Lovren on LFCTV today and he was asked about how hard it was not being able to play and train and have the physical contact of proper training. He replied ‘yeah it’s hard. That’s why I was tackling my son in the garden”. Hahaha that’s boss. The slow motion clip he posted of him flattening his kid with a slidey was one of the best things from lockdown. 
     
    Of course he should probably be careful not to hurt the poor lad, especially as he won’t let him have any kind of injections because Bill Gates is trying to put trackers in us all.
     
    Tell you what, Barnesy has the patience of a saint doesn't he? He’s been tweeting non-stop since the BLM movement started over in the states and was picked up here. I don’t know how he does it, you look at some of the replies he gets and it’s genuinely fucking repulsive.
     
    Here’s the thing, sometimes Barnes will say something I don’t necessarily agree with but that usually just triggers two thoughts in my head. The first is that my own view is probably wrong if it differs from him, and the second is that who the fuck am I to second guess something John Barnes says about racism?
     
    It’s not for old (or in my case middled aged) white fellas to be lecturing black people about racism. It’s our job to just shut up and listen. If other black people want to take issue with something Barnes says, that’s fair enough, but few things infuriate me more than seeing white fellas telling people like John Barnes what’s what when it comes to racism. We don't know. We don't experience it. We can't even really imagine it, even though we might think we can. Whatever we might think it's like, it's definitely fucking worse.
     
    Digger always keeps it dignified and never rises to some of the shit that is thrown at him. That being said, he scored a fucking huge own goal today when he posted a picture of Trump that he claims someone sent him. It was a screenshot of saved photos / videos and underneath it was a thumbnail of a porno video (which it later turned out was two black fellas being pretty rough with a white girl).
     
    When it was pointed out to him he then had to issue an apology.
     
    “I have to apologise for any offence caused as I posted a Donald trump picture sent to me by a friend.. on the camera roll under was a video of pornography,” he wrote. ”I wasn’t aware that it was there and apologise once again for any offence caused.”
     
    No idea if it was or it wasn’t, but it was an excruciating moment and I was mortified for him. Just think how that must have felt when he realised what had happened? It's bad enough when you put a tweet out with a spelling mistake in it. I can't even begin to imagine the level of cringe and squirm that would have invoked. Brutal. 
     
    Saturday Jun 6:
     
    Roma are chasing Lovren again. Maybe this time they’ll actually stump up some cash and not try and lowball us with a loan offer? If he goes over there he’ll be a fucking superstar and his ‘best defender in the world’ claim won’t be laughed at no more. What am I basing that on? I’ll tell you. Chris Smalling went to Roma and has been one of the best defenders in the league. They think he’s boss. So yeah, if he can look good over there then Dejan can look like a world beater.
     
    Tentative links with my boy Adama today. Much as I’d love to see him here, the chances of it happening are slim to none. He’d cost considerably more than Werner would have and Wolves probably won’t sell regardless of how much they were offered. Loads still aren’t sold on him but I’d be willing to bet that his next move is going to be to one of the top clubs in Europe and he’s going to just keep getting better and better.
     
    The problem is that he’s worth more to Wolves than anyone would be willing top pay for him. Similar to Zaha at Palace in a way. There are loads of top clubs who would look at Zaha and think “yeah I wouldn’t mind adding him to the squad” but there are none who would pay anything like what his worth is to Palace. It’s like that with Traore now I reckon. 
     
    I’d go as high as £50m for him but there’ll be loads of you reading this who think his value is half that. The reality of the situation though is I doubt Wolves would even pick up for the phone for anything under £80m, and no-one is paying that at this moment in time. Except maybe Chelsea. I mean fuck me, Abramovic just paid £95m for a painting! 

    Sunday Jun 7:
     
    Ok, so he hasn’t paid £95m for a painting. His spokesman reckons it’s bullshit. We’ll know soon enough when it shows up on the canteen wall at Vitesse Arnhem or Watford. 
     
    Meanwhile Cafu is singing Trent's praises. He says he plays like a Brazilian and that he could win the Balon d’Or in the future. It’d cut a lot more ice if he hadn’t said pretty much the exact same thing about Jon Flanagan.

    Also, this tickled me today. Remember Bob Bradley, the former USA boss who managed Swansea for a while and used to dress like the Milk Tray guy? Well he used to coach the Egypt national team and he’s taking a bit of credit for how well Mo has turned out.  Bradley revealed that he gave Mo some advice that he’s taken and that helped him to the top. The advice? I’ll let the man himself tell you:
     
     “I told him to watch Messi closely, so he can improve his performance and he took my advice.”
     
    Wow, he’s a real guru. Fucking hell. What’s his advice to budding young golfers? “Watch Rory McIlroy closely and you’ll improve your performance.” What a fraud. Not even Brendan would have the brass neck to make a statement like that. 
     
    Also today, Pablo Dybala was taking on Deli Alli in FIFA and he went the mighty reds. He took the lead and then belted out YNWA to wind Alli up. That’ll do for me. Get him signed.
     
    Meanwhile, Fat Joe Anderson says he’s happy for the derby to be played at Goodison. Oh really? Changed his tune hasn’t he, considering the other week he was saying our fans can’t be trusted to not hit the streets and celebrate when we win the title. Thumb looking tit.
     
    Tell you what, fair play to John Barnes as he hasn’t let the mishap with the porn photo slow him down. He’s been absolutely fucking relentless with his tweets on racism and he’s engaging with all kinds of cunts who are throwing shit at him. I don’t know how he does it, but then he’s been dealing with racism his entire life so this is nothing new. 
     
    I suppose in one sense it’s encouraging that it’s a subject that being openly discussed now and maybe some good can come of it. I doubt it like. Too many cunts in this world, many of whom are so rich and powerful that they set the tone for all this shite.

    Monday Jun 8:
     
    More rumours about my boy Adama, and the Mbappe thing is still rumbling on too. Neither of those are happening in this window. Klopp’s already said he couldn’t justify spending the money it would take to get Werner, so he’s hardly going to be sanctioning deals that are more expensive.
     
    Wouldn’t be shocked if that changed 12 months down the line though and Mbappe gets to fulfil all his hopes and dreams by signing for the mighty red machine. Nike can get him and LeBron together for a big PR campaign and then sit back and watch the dollars roll in. Or he'll end up at Chelsea too because we can't afford him. If that happens, then it's worth kicking off over. Werner though? Not so much,
     
    One deal that has been completed is Lallana signing a new deal to make sure he sees out this season. He’ll probably get quite a few games too, as once the title is wrapped up I fully expect Klopp to just rotate the squad and give everyone minutes. 
     
    Clyne isn’t getting any kind of extension though and he’s off. It’s mad how the last few years have turned out for him. It almost feels like he was never even a Liverpool player as so much has happened since he was last a regular. I liked Clyney though, he was solid and dependable until his body completely broke down on him.
     
    Meanwhile, Fowler has his say on the Werner thing, and the word of God is pretty much the same as mine.
     
    "I’ve heard the noise surrounding Timo Werner in recent weeks – but I’m not a big fan. I realise he’s a talented player, he has moments of real brilliance in matches that underline his quality. But I stand by this: is Werner up to the standard of Liverpool’s current front three? Not for me. I’ve seen the meltdown from some Liverpool fans when they realised he’s probably not leaving RB Leipzig for Anfield after all.
     
    "It makes it seem as though he’s a Marco van Basten, a world-class player who would walk into any side. For the life of me, I don’t know why. I’ve watched him a fair few times and there are things about his game I like and admire. But does he influence games consistently enough? Not for me. Does he match up to the players you are signing him to challenge and replace? Not at Liverpool. Maybe at Chelsea."
     
    Yes Robbie lad. Personally I like my breakdown of him better (the bull in a china shop description completely nails it) but yours is pretty good too.
     
    Hmmm. Barcelona want Gini. Normally this is the point where I’d post an Uncle Junior meme with the caption “and I’d like to fuck Angie Dickinson, let’s see who gets lucky first”, but Gini is the only one we don’t have wrapped up to a long term deal and I wonder if there’s a reason for that. Does he fancy making one more big move and that’s why he hasn’t extended? Hope not, as he’s a massive part of what we’ve done over the last few years.
     
    You know what, talking about Barcelona has just given me a thought. If we’re not going to spend any money this summer (and I’m fine with that considering the uncertainty) let’s go and get li’l Phil back on a loan deal. You know it makes sense, Rodney. 
    Bring him home, Jurgen!
     
    Ole ole ole ole, Coutinho-o-o-o
     

     
    *puts on crash helmet*
     
    …..and that was the week that was
  • 23-year-old Ruben Neves has impressed in England for Wolves since joining from Porto in 2017. The Portuguese youngster is in high demand, and Jurgen Klopp has long been an admirer.
     
    With the Premier League season following the German Bundesliga by restarting behind closed doors, fans have been turning their attention back to transfer rumours, big matches and betting on UK football. And with several other clubs eyeing Neves, is a transfer to Liverpool likely?
     
    Neves has been in inspired form at the Molineux and is one of the first names on the team sheet. He is known for his excellent reading of the game and exceptional passing ability. The youngster isn't a particularly prolific goal-scoring midfielder, but when he hits one, boy does he connect.
     
    He has scored 15 goals for Wolves, the majority of which came from outside the box. Perhaps the most memorable was his volley against Derby in April 2018. That has since been voted as the clubs' goal of the decade. For Reds fans, however, his rocket against rivals Manchester United will stick in mind.
     
    There is no doubt he is a talented player, but does he fit into Klopp's plans? Liverpool aren't in any great need to enlist a midfielder to the ranks with Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Georginio Winjaldum filling a similar role to Neves. In saying that, the Reds did look a little bit less solid when Fabinho was out injured and competition for roles is always something that inspires.
     
    Liverpool were first linked with Neves way back at the end of the 2018/19 season, and the rumours have never fully gone away. A team like Liverpool attract a lot of transfer stories, and some carry more weight than others. This one, however, seems legit.
     
    Another Premier League midfielder rumoured to be heading to Anfield is Spurs Tanguy Ndombele. It has been reported that Liverpool have enquired over a possible loan deal for the French international. Ndombele has fallen out of favour under Jose Mourinho but like Neves, is a highly-skilled player. The chances of the loan deal might be slim though; Chairman Daniel Levy is well known to drive a hard bargain and will not be keen to let Ndombele go for nothing.
     
    It may come down to other movements in the transfer market. Liverpool's red-hot attackers are attracting attention themselves. African player of the year Sadio Mane has been the subject of a lot of interest from Real Madrid. Despite Klopp stating on many occasions that the frontman is not for sale, Madrid have continued in their pursuit. Zinedine Zidane has made no secret of his desire of bringing Mane to the Bernabeu and in this industry – money often talks. 
     
    If Los Blancos get their way and a transfer goes through, Klopp may need to focus his attention on bringing a forward in. Klopp was clearly interested in bringing Timo Werner - the German goal machine from RB Leipzig - but pulled the plug due to the current uncertain financial climate. Werner's £49m release clause made him all the more appealing but ultimately Klopp decided that now was not the time for an outlay so large.
     
    Would that also rule out a move for Neves? Perhaps. Neves signed for Wolves for what is now a bargain price of £16m and is currently valued in excess of £50m with some speculating as high as £100m. Of course, Liverpool would be able to meet the asking price should Klopp give the green light, and the German has shown he likes to invest in young players.
     
    Much depends on what Klopp regards as his main priority. Should the Reds need to bring in a striker then it would be hard to see Neves making the move North. In saying that, if the price is right, we could see Ruben Neves in the famous red shirt next season.
  • Jürgen Klopp has struck a realistic tone when discussing the likelihood of big money transfers arriving at Liverpool this summer.

    The fan reaction to the Reds deciding to pass on Timo Werner has been mixed with the club owners coming in for some criticism especially as he seemed to be a player that Klopp was reportedly very keen on.

    But on the other side of the coin, there were some astute voices casting doubt on whether the striker was all that keen on the move, especially as he was far from guaranteed to be a consistent starter, and indeed if would be a good fit for the side.

    Klopp spoke yesterday to Sky Germany (via The Mirror) regarding Werner and another player who has been linked in exciting midfielder Kai Havertz.

    And he said in the current climate, all best laid plans are out of the window.

    “There are a lot of good players on this planet.

    “Timo Werner is a great player, Kai Havertz is a great player.

    “Right time, opportunity - everything has to come together. Six, seven weeks ago, we didn't know if we could play again this year. 

    “If we hadn't played the second half of the season, we would have thought, 'OK, when can you really play football again?' And now it starts right away.

    “We act as if everything is already settled. It's not settled. 

    “We use this little loophole we've been left to play football again Everything else we have to see the moment it happens. 

    “We can't pretend now that everything's going to be fine in the future.

    “Discussing with the players about things like salary waivers and on the other hand buying a player for £50-60m, we have to explain."

    Klopp raised a valid point when mentioning that Football clubs have a lot more to weigh up other than just comings and goings in the transfer window at this point of time.

    "There are all sorts of rumours in England about who Manchester United are going to pick, Chelsea are going to pick.

    "It's rather quiet here (at Liverpool) at the moment, I think it's safe to say. 

    “If you want to take it seriously and run a normal business and depend on income and have no idea how much you will earn... especially because we don't know when we can start playing with spectators again.

    "At the moment, all clubs are losing money. Without spectators, we have to pay back the season tickets and probably sell none next year. 

    “At least maybe without the first 10 or 15 games. The VIP areas won't be packed and the tickets won't be sold. This will have an impact on other partners and things will look a bit different.

    Going by what the manager said, it seems like the dream of seeing the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Jadon Sancho, or Adama Traore wearing the Red of Liverpool may be on hold for the time being.

    On a more positive note, Klopp signalled the chance for fans to salute their heroes in grand style even if it has to be sometime during next season.

     

     
     
    “There comes a day when life will get back to normal.
     
    “When someone has found the vaccine, when someone has found a solution to the problem, when infection rates are zero or below - that day will come eventually. Then we have the right to celebrate what we want to celebrate on that day.

    "If this is the 12th or 13th matchday of next season and we want to celebrate it - who is going to stop it? 

    “Then we still have the trophy and then we can drive it around town and stand on the bus. If other people then think that we are completely crazy, I honestly don't care.”

    “Can it then still be a special celebration? No question. It's different, but different is sometimes absolutely OK."

    As well as the global pandemic, the world has been unified by the tragic death of George Floyd under the watch of members of the Minneapolis Police force.

    People taking to streets has become the norm and Footballers have also been at the forefront making their views known on the matter including the Reds squad who "took a knee" at training last week.

    Klopp was extremely proud of the stance they took.

    “It's so natural for us that we didn't even think about sending a message at first. 

    "Because it's completely normal, nobody realised that we would have to say it again. But then the boys noticed it. Then they spontaneously decided to do it.

    "I have been very proud of the boys for a long time, but this was another extraordinary moment. When I saw them there and this photo was taken, I was really proud, because it is also an important message. 

    “No question about it."







     
  • John Barnes says he does believe Liverpool will regret missing out on the signature of Timo Werner because he was not fully committed to the joining them.

    Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign the RB Leipzig striker, despite the widely held view that the Reds were in prime position to seal the transfer.
     
    The news may have come as a shock as well as some disappointment to Liverpool fans who were looking forward to have another class forward joining the ranks.

    But it seems the only set of individuals not surprised were the club hierarchy themselves who were not rushed into reacting and engage in a bidding war with the West London club.

    John Barnes believes there is a clear reason for that as he explained to BonusCodeBets(via The Mirror).

    “Liverpool want players that want to play for Liverpool. I'm sure a lot of people were after [Virgil] van Dijk, but he wanted to come to Liverpool.

    "If they don't get a move on and Manchester City, Arsenal or Chelsea come in for him and he decides to go there, that's not the sort of player you want anyway.

    "Because he'll just go where they're going to pay him more money or he wasn't that committed to wanting to come to play for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

    Jürgen Klopp does things in a very measured and strategic way, almost testing the nerve of the player regarding how much he wants to play for the club.

    Patience is the key and when they do sign on the dotted line, Klopp doesn’t just throw them to the wolves, instead he waits for the right time to bed them into the lineup.

    It could be the case that Klopp believed that Werner would grow impatient with that type of process, and therefore he was not the right man for the club.
     


    Barnes believes that Werner may have failed the Klopp test and cited recent examples of World Class talents who were more than willing to join the Reds.

    "I don't think they have to get a move on, they didn't get a move on with Van Dijk or Alisson and a lot of people wanted them to, it's because they wanted to come. 

    “This is a test to see if he really wants to come and play for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

    “Considering how things have panned out it seems Werner didn't pass Klopp's test, but at the same time Liverpool - who didn't meet the deadline - failed the forward's too.”

    Former Liverpool captain Jamie Redknapp agreed with his former club not purchasing Werner and questioned where he would fit in the lineup.

    “Who is going to replace. He’s a really good player, but we don’t know right now, is he better than Mane, Firmino, Salah?

    “It’s one of the best front three in the world right now so he doesn’t want to go somewhere and be a number two or a sub.

    “Will they regret it? You don’t know but that is what he has got to do. He has got to make Liverpool regret that decision, or at least make them think ‘I wish we had signed him.

    “For Liverpool, they have got to look at it and think, if you bring someone like him in it could upset the balance of them and maybe they might think, ‘would it be worth the risk to bring in another player.

    “They have three top-class players who don’t get many injuries, why risk upsetting balance.”



     
  • John Barnes has issued a word of caution for those expecting the next wave of Liverpool youngsters to make a sizeable impression on the first team in the near future.

    Curtis Jones is a player who came to prominence in the FA Cup this season starring in the third round win against Everton and backing it up in the next round against Shrewsbury.

    That has led to some suggestions that the 19 year-old can have a impact in the Reds midfield as soon as next season.

    But Barnes believes it will not be wise to put undue pressure on the talented academy graduate and let him develop naturally.

    The Mirror (via BonusCodeBets) reported Barnes as saying:

    “Liverpool will be quiet in the transfer market. But they’ll rely on the senior players that they have.

    “There are a few young players who we see playing in the cup matches and, in the squads.

    “But there aren't necessarily any Raheem Sterlings, or young Robbie Fowlers or Steven Gerrards.

    “I don't want to put them under pressure. 

    “So, while I expect Liverpool to be quiet in the transfer market – you’ve got the young boy, Curtis Jones, who obviously has made an impression in the first team every now and again.

    "In terms of him forcing his way into the team ahead of the more senior players, I don't think that that's necessarily going to happen."
     


    But fellow club legend Jamie Carragher has a slightly different point of view on the matter.

    “Curtis has kicked on this year, but that’s what young players do.

    "They just make a jump and you’re never quite sure when it’s going to happen but they have to make that jump if they’re going to rise to the ability of the first-team and it looks like he has made that jump now.

    "When he plays in the younger team, it almost looks like he’s a first-team player dropping down to play with the younger players."


     
  • Liverpool are on the brink of breaking a long title drought and according to a new poll, they can also revel in being referred to as the most popular team in the country.

    All football clubs have their arch rivals and general ‘haters’ in the sporting landscape.

    While Liverpool have a deal of animosity come their way due to their historical status in the game, the increase of social media users across various platforms have given berth to some pure vitriol from ‘supporters’ of other clubs.

    The thought of the season being voided and Liverpool being denied their deserved reward for being head and shoulders ahead of the rest this season brought much joy and celebration as rival fans were happy to overlook the shortcomings of their own team.

    Those clear minded folk not blinded by club ties would appreciate that the Reds have one of the most down to earth personalities in charge in Jürgen Klopp,and a group of players which play the game in the right way.

    And perhaps the tide is turning in a more positive direction in the Football community with a YouGov survey saying that the Reds are currently the favourite team across the nation.

    The Mail reports that the YouGov's FootballIndex tracker has Jurgen Klopp's side top with 8.3 per cent of the population ahead of bitter rivals Manchester United who sit second with six per cent of the votes.
     


    The survey was certainly comprehensive in its nature taking 16 different metrics, tracking the opinions of the public every day. 

    These metrics include the public's perceptions of clubs' management, players and coaches, fan culture, tradition and their record of success - even the attractiveness of their football.

    Also.included in the poll was that Liverpool were clearly the most preferred team that neutrals would like to watch on TV.

    Chelsea were a distant third on the overall list with 3.1%, Man City and Arsenal (both 2.0% ) and Tottenham (1.8%).

    Wolves were in seventh place with (1.5%) while Newcastle, Everton and Aston Villa rounded out the top 10 with 1.4%.

    Champions of Europe, Premier League champions elect and the favourite team in the nation.

    Not a bad trifecta to have.

     
  • The long and winding saga regarding a proposed Timo Werner transfer has reportedly taken another twist with rival suitors being told a deal Liverpool is as good as done.

    Metro( via the Transfer Window Podcast) report that Manchester United and Chelsea have been informed by the representatives of the red-hot striker that a move to Liverpool has basically been agreed.

    There was a view that United and Chelsea were growing quietly confident of pulling off a surprising recruiting coup with Liverpool holding fire on any firm commitment in the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic and the financial strain it would bring.

    But it is thought that the German has agreed personal terms worth £140,000-week, five-year deal but the clubs have not agreed a fee as yet.
     


    The much discussed clause in the contract of Werner expires on the 15th of June but because of the pandemic, Liverpool are trying to find a way to reduce the fee.

    One thing that is certain is there is a mutual interest between the two parties.

    The RB Leipzig striker who has scored four goals in as many games since the resumption in the Bundesliga, certainly has his heart set on the move having had three meetings with Jürgen Klopp on Zoom during the hiatus and his skillset would be an added bonus to a squad already brimming with class.
     
  • There may not be fans allowed into stadiums but broadcasters are looking to bring the full experience to the lounge rooms of football lovers across the nation.

    The Mirror reports that Sky Sports are one channel that are considering using crowd noise for games played behind closed doors.

    But if you do not like that artificial experience, the same game can be viewed in its natural format on one of their complementary channels like Main Event.

    The discussion of feeding in crowd noise to break up the monotony of hearing managers barking instructions from the touchline and general echoey sounds reverberating through the empty stadiums had come to the fore when German broadcasters decided to include it in their match feeds.

    In the main the reception to the idea has been favourable with the NRL in Australia also following suite.

    The premier Rugby League competition was the first sporting competition to resume in the country after the Covid-19 shutdown and Simon Fordham the head of broadcasting for the host channel explained how the process works.

    “They’ve written a program where all the sounds go into a synthesiser and they have created a non-repetitive loop or a buzz track at a base level, which is what you hear during general play.

    “As required there is an operator there who uses a foot pedal or a fader from an audio desk, that you would use to increase not only the volume of the crowd noise in the mix but also expand its intensity.

    "As it goes up, more layers and files get added.
     
    "It’s not just the same noise getting louder. It actually - the software that has been written - enables it to increase in intensity or density.

    “Booing? Giving it to the referee? Yep, it's all possible. 

    “The audio operator has the ability to add jeers, boos or whistles if he believes the "home crowd" would have thought a forward pass had been thrown or the away side was offside.”
     


    Fordham also explained that the volume of the cheers for the designated home team were piped in at a extra level to add that extra reality for the viewers at home.

    Back in England and League bosses have set up a special working group to look at several proposals including half-time interviews, dressing room access and post-match interviews which will be discussed at Thursday’s Premier League meeting between the 20 clubs.

    Clubs understand the need for TV Companies to produce content, but several managers have voiced concerns about dressing room access and also half-time interviews especially as they see the dressing room as sacred turf and the battle maybe be extremely difficult for the broadcasters to win.

    Match commentators have been given the green light to be at the stadium along with touch-line interviewers but studio pundits will be based at a location off-site.

     
     
  • Tuesday May 26:
     
    Ok so you know I said yesterday that I’m over all the Istanbul stuff and it does nothing for me these days? Turns out I was wrong. LFCTV had Carra and Xabi doing a watch along of the game together so I thought “I’ll give it a little watch for 5 minutes”. 45 minutes later I’m sat there thinking “that was fucking boss”. 
     
    The thing that I didn’t really appreciate at the time but it stands out massively now is just how much better than Milan side was than ours. I mean I knew they were better, but not to the extent that I see it now. Not only did I go into that game thinking we could win it, but at half time at 3-0 down I was STILL telling people it wasn’t over and if we got an early goal etc
     
    Now fair enough, I was shitfaced and I’m sure without the benefit of alcohol I wouldn’t have been so full of bravado, but it’s only really now when I look back that I realise we shouldn’t have had any chance. They were better than us in virtually every position and some of the all time greats of the modern era in their side. I didn’t see it that way back then because I was in the moment and had a vastly inflated opinion of just how good some of our lads were. 
     
    Classic example being Baros. He was my boy, I loved him and at that time I wouldn’t have swapped him for Shevchenko or Crespo. I look back now and just have to laugh. Gerrard is probably the only player we had that would have got into Milan’s starting eleven. Xabi was great but he was only 22 back then don’t forget. Carra and Sami were top players but Milan had Stam and Nesta.
     
    I thought Carra summed it up perfectly when he said that apart from that six minute spell Milan played brilliantly all night and we were barely able to lay a glove on them. Those six minutes though. Fucking hell.
     
    Meanwhile, Mbappe is praising us again. I don’t know if the financial side of it could ever be sorted (especially now), but this lad would come and play for us in a heartbeat I reckon. I think he’s part of the reason I’m so underwhelmed by Werner you know. That and the fact that any time I’ve watched Werner he’s looked like he couldn’t trap a bag of cement.
     
    We’re being linked with my boy Adama Traore today too. Another player I’d take over Werner all day (which I'm fully aware that in time might make me look like a massive fool). He’s developed hugely over the last 12 months but is still really raw. Imagine what he could be though after Klopp worked his magic on him.
     
    I get that there are a lot of you reading this who aren’t sold on Traore, but look at it this way. Even his critics would surely agree that there are days when Traore is completely unplayable, right? Shit, we’ve seen it against us, Robbo even spoke about it recently. Well Klopp would make those days much more frequent, like he's done with Salah and Mané. So what’s not to love about that? If we signed Adama, I wouldn't just be posting the dancing Van Damme gifs, I'd be acting them out.

    Wednesday May 27:
     
    Liverpool and Cheltenham were among the worst hit areas when Covid descended upon us in March. Can’t think why that would be, can you? The government isn’t buying it, of course. “There are many factors that could influence the number of cases in a particular area, including population density, age, general health, and the position of an area on the pandemic curve.”
     
    Yeah, I’m sure allowing 250k race goers to congregate together in a confined space and then go off to spread it into all the local bars, coffee shops and restaurants had nothing to do with it. Or allowing 3,000 fans from Madrid to fly in to attend a footy match, even though in their own country that was no longer allowed because of the escalating rate of infection.
     
    I’m 99% sure I caught it at that Madrid game. I know without any question that I passed it onto to my wife and daughter but thankfully we’re all ok (although my wife still isn’t fully recovered and has had various other issues as a result of it), but for all I know though I’ve passed it on to someone else who may have died, or who spread it to someone else who did. There’s no way of knowing, so I try not to think about it too much but it is in the back of my mind.
     
    I tell myself I probably didn’t because I work from home and don’t often come into contact with others, but maybe I’ve been in a shop and touched something and passed it on that way? I didn’t show symptoms until five days afterwards so who knows what may have happened in those five days. Thankfully I’d already decided the week previously that we were all staying away from my parents, or I would have passed it on to them too.
     
    How many others like me got it that night and then spread it around? People died as a result of that game being played and because of the decision not to ban the away fans. There have been so many bad decisions taken by those in authority that this isn't even the worst of them, but no-one will ever be held accountable for any of it. They never are.

    Onto lighter things now, and Newcastle reportedly want Shaqiri. He’s better than that, although if he did go there he’d be a massive cult hero and they’d worship him because he’d be their best player. Maybe that would appeal to him, rather than being a little fish in a big pond? Wait, I’ve just realised something. I haven’t seen him in any of the training videos. Is he still injured? 
     
    *sends message to journo mate* 
     
    Yes, he is. This has to be the longest lay off with a calf injury since Pat Van Den Hauwe back in the day. Has Shaq been messing around with the Bennetts too?
     
    Random rumour of the day. We’re in for PSG right back Thomas Meunier. Not having that at all. We’ve got the best right back in the world and behind him we’ve got a kid who looks like he’s got everything it takes to be a great fill in any time Trent needs a rest. 
    If you ignore his age and the fact he’s a kid that’s come through the Academy, and just judge Neco Williams on the performances he’s put in when he’s played in the first team, I reckon he’s not been spoken about anywhere near enough.
     
    He’s been man of the match in at least half of those appearances, and you can make a case for it in all but one of the others too. Neco is going to be a top player, so no, we don’t need an expensive, highly paid established international to act as cover for Trent. 
     
    This is uncannily like a situation I found myself in as Portsmouth boss on Footy manager last week. I’ve got a brilliant young Danish right back (you won’t know him, he’s a regen as I’m into my 12th season now) and I had Brazil’s first choice right back rotating with him. It was a perfect set up, except I had a home grown kid coming through who was class so I reluctantly sold the Brazilian to clear a path for him.
     
    These are the tough decisions us top managers need to make, and I’m sure Klopp is cut from the same cloth as me so Neco’s path will be clear and we won’t be signing Meunier or anyone else for that matter.
     
    Now onto your 'weekly Chico'. Today it's not Stevie Nicol talking bollocks, it's someone talking bollocks about Stevie Nicol. Tony Evans says Nicol was better than Maldini. Fucking hell is it any wonder we get so much shit from other fans?
     
    Maldini is widely regarded as the greatest left back of all time. Stevie Nicol was brilliant and massively under-rated by many, but just stop it, please. Now if he'd said that Andy Robbo was better than Maldini, I think that's something we could all get on board with.

    Thursday May 28:
     
    “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.'”
     
    Eh? It’s not like that at all. That’s a terrible analogy that, Troy. You’re still my boy and that (although you’re skating on thin ice), but maybe stop talking for a bit, yeah?
     
    Not sure you should be talking about integrity either, given that you’ve gone back to training only a few days after saying nothing would make you come back because your son’s safety is more important than anything.
     
    He was right up until he got to the bit about it not being a viable competition. It will always be remembered as the year when footy was stopped because of a global pandemic, and some historical records might even use an asterisk to indicate that, but it’s a bit of a leap to go from that to saying it wasn’t a viable competition.
     
    38 games will have been played by every team, and the results will determine where everyone finishes. Yes it's not a normal situation, but it's literally the same for every team in the league so how is it not 'viable'? Don't make me go back to hating you and bringing out the 'bee sting face' insults, Troy. We don't want to go back to those dark days. 
     
    Meanwhile, the lads were back in ‘normal’ training today. By that I mean it’s back to being one large group. Looking forward to the video tomorrow.

    Friday May 29:
     
    What the fuck? Some games are supposed to be played behind closed doors on police orders. The derby is one of those and both clubs have objected. This is scandalous really. Every game that’s meant to be switched to neutral grounds involves northern teams. Not one London team is affected by it. How the fuck can they justify that? It’s not even the local police that are making the decision, it’s a national thing. So, Merseyside police have no problem with it, but the decision is taken over their heads. 
     
    Honestly, it’s an outrage. How is Newcastle v Man City in need of being moved to a neutral ground? Or Sheffield United v Man United? It seems completely random, like they’ve just said “right, let’s make these northern monkeys play at a neutral ground. Show them who runs the show here.” Honestly, this fucking country.
     
    There’s no way this can stand. It’s insulting in the extreme. I understand to a degree why they’d want to move our games because they’re worried about us winning the title and people celebrating. I don’t agree with it because I have more faith in our ability to do the right thing than they have. I’m utterly baffled why they want to fuck over the likes of Sheffield United and Newcastle though.
     
    As for us, I’ve said before that all it would take was Jurgen doing a video telling everyone to not be dickheads and to stay at home and it’d be fine. Yeah you’d get the odd over exuberant knobhead not following the rules, but you wouldn’t have huge numbers that the police aren’t able to control.
     
    Also today, the video from training was great. Salah and Lovren re-united at last and it was just brilliant seeing them all in a normal training environment again. I say normal, but there are still some things you wouldn’t normally see. For example, they all have their own chair which is distanced from everyone else and I doubt we’ll see much in the way of high fives and hugging.
     
    Some contact is inevitable once they start ‘full’ training but I imagine a lot of these measures will be in place for the foreseeable future now.
     
    To be honest, right now it’s difficult to see an end to any of it, as we’ve seen that whenever the government relaxes any measure you get a load of knobheads going down the beaches and sitting right on top of each other (which is probably the government's plan anyway, so they can shift the blame onto the public). This isn’t going away any time soon is it?

    Saturday May 30:
     
    So there was a load of testing done on PL players and staff over the last couple of days, and not one positive case was reported. That’s brilliant news and shows that the measures taken by clubs is working. If this continues and players stick to the rules and don’t go all Jack Grealish / Callum Hudson-Odoi on us, then this season should be played out without any real problems.
     
    I’m half expecting some cunts like West Ham to go and deliberately get their entire playing staff infected just to put a stop to it. I can just see Sullivan, Gold and Brady dragging the squad into the nearest Covid ward demanding patients cough on the players. Ok, so that’s a tad melodramatic, but they are tories so can you honestly rule anything out?
     
    Actually that’s just reminded me of something I read a couple of months ago. After the Atletico game Diego Costa was walking through the mixed zone at Anfield and was coughing at journalists to amuse himself. That might be the most Diego Costa thing ever. He’s just an out and out villain. He’s the bad guy in the old westerns, dressed in black and sat in the corner of the saloon with his hat over his face, chewing on a toothpick.
     
    He’s lucky he wasn’t arrested. But then again, the authorities weren’t exactly taking it seriously back in March were they? I'd like to think that knowing what he does now, Costa wouldn't do the same thing again, but it's Diego Costa so who knows. 

    In other news today, it’s Stevie’s 40th birthday and Klopp had the squad sing happy birthday to him at training today. Not gonna lie, I got emotional. Don’t even know why as it’s ridiculous when you think about it, but for whatever reason it gave me a massive lump in my throat. 
     
    Speaking of Stevie, he wants Brewster for next season. Not sure whether Klopp will go for that as the standard isn’t great up there. Would he be better off at a leading Championship club or Rangers? I see both sides of the argument but I’d probably let him go to Rangers because there’s a pressure to perform there that won’t necessarily be there at Derby or Swansea or whoever.
     
    It’s a goldfish bowl and he’ll be playing in front of big crowds with a pressure to win virtually every game. And he’d be playing for Gerrard. What better preparation to try and forge a career at Liverpool than that?
     
    Brewster is a strange one really. He’s so highly rated by Klopp and the staff and his youth pedigree is top drawer. The problem is he’s miles away from the level of the current front three, and he’s not really suited to playing wide, which further limits his chances of breaking in.
     
    He’s so good that you wouldn’t want to give up on him so he might be a Harry Wilson type, who will be loaned out until he’s about 23 or so and then a decision will need to made. I'd like to see him make it here but it's going to be really tough for him I think, especially when we sign Mbappe who's virtually the same age as him.
     
    On the subject of Wilson though, he is staying at Bournemouth until the end of the season by the way. Probably the best thing to do. He’s been there all season and he’s done well. Let him try and finish the job by helping them stay up. There is a part of me would have liked to have seen him get a chance in some of our remaining games, but those minutes will probably go to Elliott which is no bad thing.
     
    Sunday May 31:
     
    And speaking of our 'Divine Ponytail', this is great. Turns out that before we signed Harvey, Real Madrid were trying to land him and they invited him and his family on a tour of the Bernebeu. While in the trophy room they stopped to look at a shirt worn by Sergio Ramos.
     
    Madrid thought he was admiring it and offered to arrange for him to meet Ramos. Harvey said “No thanks, I don’t like him after what he did to Mo Salah”. How great is that?
     
    We all knew he was a red but this story was just brilliant. Him and his Dad were in Kiev apparently, so he clearly harbours the same resentment towards Ramos that the rest of us do. I love this kid. Almost every young footy player in his situation - Red or not - would have been made up to meet Ramos. For him to deliver a snub like that is great. Kid after my own heart.
     
    Also today, there was an interview on Sky with Robbo where he was asked about different quotes people have made about him. It was great, he choked up when they read out a quote from Klopp about how great he is and that there are no negatives. He kept it together but you see he was really emotional about it. Fucking love Andy Robbo you know, I think he’s probably my favourite player even though there are plenty of others who run him close. 
     
    Also saw an interview with Trent today on LFCTV, and his hair is getting out of control now. He’s starting to look like Fellaini! I hope he keeps growing it just to see how it goes. Bobby too. His new look is fucking boss, he needs to keep that and not get his barber around as soon as it’s allowed. I fear he won't though. He loves his haircuts too much. This new 'Little Richard' vibe he's got going is ace though.
     
    More Koulibaly bullshit today. £50m plus Origi is the latest rumour. If we needed him I’d do that deal in an instant as he’s worth it. As I keep saying though, I don’t see any way KLopp is going to make that kind of outlay on a player who will force Joe Gomez onto the bench. It’s just not how he operates.
     
    You could splash out on a top forward because you could still play him with the other three as well as rotating them all. You can do that to some degree with centre halves too of course, but Van Dijk plays every game and Koulibaly is very much in that mould too. So no, I can’t see it, although I wouldn’t complain about it as Koulibaly is fucking ace.
     
    Coutinho is looking for a Premier League return. You know how I feel. I’d defo have him back if the price was right, but I understand why plenty wouldn’t. I think part of the reason I would is because I don’t want to see him playing for Chelsea or Arsenal or whoever. Not because I think he’d make a huge difference to them, but just because it would just make me sad.
     
    Part of me wishes he’d never left but then if he hadn’t would we still have signed Van Dijk, Fabinho and Alisson? Highly unlikely, so it all worked out for the best. For us anyway. It’s been shite for Phil. Klopp did warn him though and he never listened.
     
    Monday Jun 1:
     
    Happy Number Six day! Doesn’t feel like a year does it? Mind you, I’ve noticed that since I turned forty everything seems to be in fast forward mode. My daughter is 13. Where the fuck did thirteen years go? It’s quite scary really, I wish things would just slow down a bit but that’s not happening. I mean we’re halfway through 2020 already. Where the fuck have these six months gone?
     
    I watched a few videos today on LFCTV showing the celebrations and it all came flooding back. Not memories from the time, as when the whistle went everyone was going mad in the Echo Arena and I didn’t really see anything on the screen. I remember getting back home and watching it all though. And then the next day soaking up everything. 
     
    It’s weird that one of the things that really stuck with me was on the final whistle Klopp was dived on by Lovren and Moreno. Two players who were left out of the team (and in Moreno’s case who hardly played at all), yet the first thing they did when the whistle blew was to run to him. They could have ran to anyone, but they dived on Kloppo. That speaks volumes about him I think.
     
    Then there was the celebration with Klopp and Hendo. I saw that today and it’s as emotional as it was then. Just a great night. Nothing like Istanbul of course, but in its own way just as special. Barcelona was Istanbul for this generation. After that the final was always going to be something of an anti-climax but frankly who’s arsed?

    Meanwhile, the players all took a knee in the centre circle at Anfield today as a show of solidarity to the anti racism protests in America. It provided the perfect opportunity for Man United twitter to go into meltdown about the Suarez t-shirts. So fucking tedious but so predictable.
     
    Sportsmen and women can’t really win in these situations. If they take a stand some will say they need to just do their jobs and stay out of politics. If they do nothing, others will accuse them of hiding from their responsibilities.
     
    In terms of what they did today, I say good for them although it does leave them open to potential criticism in the future if they don’t take a stand over something else of great importance. Let’s say for example, China kills a load of it’s own citizens again and we don’t see footy players throughout Europe making a stand about it. You’ll get all the whataboutery dicks kicking off about it.
     
    There’s nothing the club can do about it though. In certain situations maybe they can advise players what to do and what not to do, but given their track record of decision making I’d say the players have better judgement than they do anyway! 
     
    When you look at the replies to social media posts showing the photo from today, it’s full of negativity and whataboutery and calls for the club to not get involved in politics. Somehow a gesture of solidarity with the 'Black Lives Matter' movement has been turned into a stick to beat the club with again by its detractors. This isn’t a club thing though, it’s the players. 
     
    The club have got on board with it too because what choice did they have? Imagine a group of white American billionaires telling Virgil and Gini that they don’t approve of their stance. I have no idea whether Henry, Werner and Gordon et al support this or not (I like to think they do, as they seem like decent enough people), but I do know that it was something they could not interfere with in any way shape or form regardless of what they think.
     
    The reason the players were at Anfield was because they were having an 11 v 11 game to help prepare for the resumption of the season. LFCTV should defo show extensive highlights of it as who wouldn’t want to watch that? Doesn’t matter if its only training, we’ve been starved for months and I’d actually be willing to pay to watch this training game.
     
    Finally today, it’s reported that City have failed to convince Werner to join them and that Guardiola think he’s going to us or Chelsea. You wouldn’t turn down City to join Chelsea, surely? So if he moves it looks like we’re the only realistic destination. He’s scored 30 goals and has 12 assists in 39 games this season, which is an incredible record. I should be more excited about this but my keep telling my brain “never mind the stats, he’s a headless chicken”. Hopefully my eyes are talking shite. Wouldn’t be the first time and it won’t be the last.
     
     
    …..and that was the week that was
  • The events of the 4th of October in 2015 remains a distinct memory of Brendan Rodgers.

    It was the day that the Northern Irishman was told his services were no longer required after another below par performance which was symbolic of the malaise the club was in at that time.

    The current Leicester manager recalled his memories to The Beautiful Game podcast(via the Mirror) of driving home after the 1-1 draw in the Merseyside derby when he got the call.

    “There were a few stories but I didn't know a thing. Clearly the decision was (already) made but I wasn't aware of it.

    “The first I spoke to the ownership was with Mike Gordon on the drive back home after the game.

    "When I arrived at the training ground, I got in the car and I was driving home and I got the call from Mike. That was the first time I knew.

    "I thanked them for it, for the experience, I knew where they were coming from and we parted on good terms. We both moved on.

    To this day, Rodgers says he has no axe to grind with the club and instead sees his time at the Reds in a positive light.
     


    "I had a wonderful experience.
     
    "The first two years in particular of building towards that run that we had. We then lost one of the real catalysts of the team.

    "The third year I found, from a coaching perspective, we weren't doing well then we changed it and went on a run and came back into it.

    "But at the end of that season when Aston Villa  beat us (in the FA Cup Semi Final,) I think everyone wanted to finally get a trophy and after we lost that we dipped, then of course the last game of the season (6-1 defeat at Stoke) wasn't a true reflection of how we worked."

    The tenure of Rodgers is hard to define in a nutshell.
     
    You cannot call it a true disaster because there was some glorious and thrilling football played during that 2013/4 season which came ever so close to ending the title run.
     
    Seeing the likes of Luis Suarez in his pomp destroying defences at will, the exciting development of Raheem Sterling, and the rebirth of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho after frustrating spells at their previous clubs are memories that many fans recall with a deal of fondness to this day.

    But it most certainly wasn’t a success either with no trophies, a number of insipid performances and some questionable dealings in the transfer market.

    Then there were questions about how the departures of Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard were handled.

    Carragher in particular was a avid student of the game and many felt he was a manager in waiting.

    However Rodgers detailed why an offer to be on his coaching staff was not forthcoming.

    “It was straight forward.
     
    "I was going in with the intention of asking him to come into my coaching staff rather than the playing side.

    “But when I actually met him and joined as manager and met him before we started pre-season, my communication with him seemed more as though he wanted to be on the playing side and still focus on playing.

    “If that was the case this wasn't going to be the role for him."
     
    Rodgers used a example of what he had in mind for Carragher.

    “A bit like Kolo Toure. You think of what Kolo has done for me.

    “I took him to Liverpool, then at Celtic, and when he wasn't sure what he wanted to do I gave him the offer of coming into my technical team and that's what I was looking for in a similar role for Jamie.

    “He was right he wanted to continue playing but I didn't sort of see the player-coach combination at that time. But he was absolutely first class for me in my time there.”

     
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