Featured: That was the week that was (Jan 27 - Feb 2 2018)

[tlw content]

 
Saturday Jan 27… 
 
L 2 West Brom 3. Fucks sake, that was shite. I’m not sure what upsets me most, the terrible performance or the fact that it’s almost certainly going to be another year without a trophy. I mean fucking hell, we laugh at Everton but since 2006 we’ve won one trophy and needed a penalty shoot out against a Championship side to do it. We need one soon as otherwise you wake up one day and realise its been 20 years. 
 
The top four is obviously important but it isn’t an either/or situation. There’s absolutely no reason why we can’t be adding a cup or two to the collection while also competing for the Champions League places. Arsenal haven’t had a problem doing it and everyone - us included - takes the piss out of them. 
 
Any time we’ve gotten close to winning anything in recent years we’ve bottled it and not been able to get the job done. The more that happens, the worse it gets and the harder it is becomes to get over the hump. Winning an FA Cup isn’t going to suddenly make us ready to to challenge for the title, but not winning anything and frequently losing in finals and semi finals sure as hell makes it harder. 
 
Sunday Jan 28… 
 
Klopp does an interview with a German TV station and there were a couple of interesting snippets from it. Firstly on Can’s contract. “Emre is still a young lad but he has developed into a great player and is very important for us. Sometimes a player just wants to sit out his contract. That’s not cool for the club, but there are moments in which you have to accept it. And as long as the player behaves like Emre does, then I have absolutely nothing to complain about. He gives everything he has and identifies with the club.” 
 
Doesn’t sound like there is any way he signs a contract here until he sees exactly what his options are. We might actually be the best option in the end, but he’s going ‘test free agency’ as they say in US Sports. 
 
Secondly, on replacing Coutinho. 
 
"Of course It's been a bit difficult at the moment with the injuries of Jordan and Adam [Lallana]. The team is growing together but it still needs more input from outside. If a player leaves you have to replace him adequately as a minimum." 
 
The key line there is; You have to replace him adequately as a minimum. How does that tie in with not signing anybody then? Especially when Lallana is about as fucking durable as a quaver. 
 
I understood why the club decided not to pay the £20m or so extra that Leipzig wanted for Keita. That’s a lot of money for basically what amounts to a four month loan. But not signing anyone would be a massive risk given the lack of creativity and goals in the midfield Coutinho left behind. 
 
We have to get in the top four, not just because of the financial implications, but because it’s where we need to be and if we’re in there then it is at the expense of one of the other members of the ‘Big Six’. In strengthening ourselves we’re weakening a rival. Alternatively, what if we miss out and let Arsenal sneak back in? 
 
It looked like they were a fading force and we were going to leave them in our slipstream, but they will end this window with Mkhitaryan and Aubamayeng and perhaps a renewed sense of purpose, while we end it without Coutinho and our chins on the fucking floor. Imagine playing the rest of this season with the midfield we’ve seen in the last couple of games? 
 
Meanwhile, Ovie Ejaria (remember him?) scores a late winner as the u23s increase their lead at the top of their league. Klopp loved him not so long ago but he seems to be completely out of the picture now, which shows just how hard it is for youngsters to make it. He got relatively close, but a career elsewhere awaits for young Ovie. 
 
In other news, Mourinho makes a crack about Sanchez being ‘cheap'. “A free transfer, not bad eh”. Just fuck off you annoying short arse trolling cunt. He’s costing half a million a week wages and a player that YOU paid £30m for 18 months ago but didn’t have a fucking clue how to use because he couldn’t play right back in a back six. Yeah, a real bargain that. Tit. 
 

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[A_S]

Bobbycam would be a guaranteed hit.

[Paul]

No fucking way would six weeks be long enough for you to get fit.

[sir roger]

I think you need to acknowledge that Mrs Usher Sr. was well ahead of you in rumbling Lallana, Dave.

[Captain Turdseye]

I wish I could unwatch that carpool thing. Christ.

[Anubis]

Speaking of which, Markovic is said to be close to joining Swansea for £15m. I know we take the piss about him being shit, but he’s not really. He’s a good player, he’s just not good enough for us.

 

 

 

 

Just because Mr Unflushable had a brief period of success at Sunderland (or what would amount to adequacy at a mid-table PL team), does not, I repeat NOT, make him a good player.

[Jenson]

Didn't Markovic score against Spurs once, or did I dream that?

[sir roger]

Didn't Markovic score against Spurs once, or did I dream that?

 

I remember him scoring a belter at Sunderland.

[dave u]

 

 

 

Just because Mr Unflushable had a brief period of success at Sunderland (or what would amount to adequacy at a mid-table PL team), does not, I repeat NOT, make him a good player.

 

He was good at Hull. He's good enough to get in at least half the teams in the Premier League.

 

Didn't Markovic score against Spurs once, or did I dream that?

 

Think you dreamt it.

 

I remember him scoring a belter at Sunderland.

 

Didn't it hit the bar? He may possibly have scored in the same game, but the belter didn't go in.

[an tha]

That comment about Markovic being good enough to get in half the sides in the premier league says more about the state of half the premier league than it does about Markovic being alright.

[sir roger]

Just checked and Markovic scored 3 goals for us , all within a 2 month period before and after Xmas 2014.

 

Bournemouth , Sunderland & Spurs.

 

Vaguely remember the Sunderland one being decent , don't remember the other ones at all.

[dave u]

Just checked and Markovic scored 3 goals for us , all within a 2 month period before and after Xmas 2014.

 

Bournemouth , Sunderland & Spurs.

 

Vaguely remember the Sunderland one being decent , don't remember the other ones at all.

 

Me either. I sort of remembered him scoring at Sunderland, think it may have been deflected, but it was the acrobatic 25 yard volley that hit the bar that stands out.

 

The only other thing I remember about him is how well he played against Sanchez when he was wing back when we beat Arsenal. Oh, and I remember him getting one of the harshest red cards I've ever seen in a European game.

[sir roger]

Me either. I sort of remembered him scoring at Sunderland, think it may have been deflected, but it was the acrobatic 25 yard volley that hit the bar that stands out.

 

The only other thing I remember about him is how well he played against Sanchez when he was wing back when we beat Arsenal. Oh, and I remember him getting one of the harshest red cards I've ever seen in a European game.

 

If he had bitten his nails before the game he wouldn't have got sent off it was that light a touch.

[DaveT]

Me either. I sort of remembered him scoring at Sunderland, think it may have been deflected, but it was the acrobatic 25 yard volley that hit the bar that stands out.

 

The only other thing I remember about him is how well he played against Sanchez when he was wing back when we beat Arsenal. Oh, and I remember him getting one of the harshest red cards I've ever seen in a European game.

Compare Markovic's fingernail very lightly touching the nose of the Basel(?) player, resulting in a red card, versus Dembele sticking his hand in Can's face on Sunday, not resulting in even a free kick. Funny old game.  (Struggling, still, to see anything vaguely humorous about Moss's performance). Good player, Demebele, but he'd lose 50% of his effectiveness if refs clamped down on his hand-offs and general arm-waving whilst running with the ball.

[Jenson]

Just checked and Markovic scored 3 goals for us , all within a 2 month period before and after Xmas 2014.

 

Bournemouth , Sunderland & Spurs.

 

Vaguely remember the Sunderland one being decent , don't remember the other ones at all.

So I didn’t dream the goal against Spurs. Pretty sure it was in the Kop end and Lloris should have saved it as well.