Featured: That was the week that was (Jun 15-21 2019)

[tlw content]

 

Saturday Jun 15:

 

Paul Joyce RT’d something from Mbappe and LFC twitter got a mass collective hard on. Joycey was actually trending, such was the traction it got. Bet he was pissing himself. He’s probably on holiday, bevvied, and just decided to do it to see what happened.

 

Mbappe is in LA at the moment. He just met LeBron James and they posted some pics of it to their social media accounts. LeBron was rocking his LFC cap, which you’d assume will have been a topic of conversation as it would be weird if it wasn’t.

Does it mean anything? Nope, almost certainly not. But you never know. Fabinho is in California too, and him and Mbappe are boys from their time at Monaco. Jurgen is in the US too, running wild in Vegas. I’m talking myself into this now. 

 

We should sign Mbappe just to show that we can. Flex our muscles a bit, you know? Show Madrid who’s the new sheriff in town. He’s their dream signing so let’s go and get him to show everyone that we’re the hottest gig in town now.

Ok ok, not going to happen, but if he does come on the market this summer then it will be interesting to see if we do try to make a pitch for him.

 

Speaking of Madrid though, today’s reports have them trying to get Pogba. He’s made some noises about needing ‘a new challenge’ and Madrid have apparently expressed an interest, providing certain conditions are met. Wage cut, transfer request, no agent fee and various other things that have as little chance of happening as Pogba stringing together three good games on the bounce.

 

It got me thinking though. Madrid are massively in debt yet they’ve spent around £300m already this summer. Their squad is huge now and they’ve got all kinds of dead wood they want to shift to raise some cash and to reduce the wage bill.

 

You know what should happen? Every club in Europe should get together and agree not to sign anyone from them. Leave them with that enormous wage bill and don’t let them recoup any of the massive fees they’ve spent this summer. Then complain about them to UEFA’s FFP crew. How funny would that be? 

Sunday Jun 16:

 

Newsnow is awash with stories of Salah rejecting a £150m move this summer but that he plans to reassess in a year. It’s getting boring now. This isn’t news, it’s just stating the obvious. There’s not a chance in hell he goes anywhere this summer, but in a year he might feel like he fancies a change, or he might not. 

 

You know the mad thing about it though, I’m not even arsed either way. For years I’ve lived with the dread of our best players leaving and whether we’d be able to cope, but now, I’m just a lot more chilled about it. Stories about Salah or Mané leaving just make me shrug. Partly because I don't think there's any chance of it happening, and partly because if it did we'd be fine.

 

As great as our front three are, I have no doubt whatsoever that if any of them left we’d replace them with someone just as good or even better. 

 

The idea of Van Dijk leaving terrifies me (he can't be replaced), as does the idea of Robbo leaving (because it would break my heart). As much as I love all the other lads, I’d feel confident that we could replace them if needed. The real issue is whether they would do as well somewhere else. A lot of Klopp’s players have looked like world beaters under him and then been bang average after leaving.

 

Sahin, Kagawa and Coutinho all immediately spring to mind and there's probably loads more. Goetze would be another high profile one. Lewandowski and Hummels did alright but more often than not when you leave Klopp things ain't getting better for you.

 

So if Mo decided next year he wanted away, so be it. Get a massive wedge and go and get someone else to fill the role. That’s what we always used to do and it’s what we’d do now. Hopefully Mo's smarter than that, but if not it would be his loss.

 

Other reports today link us with Wilfried Ndidi and Alex McCarthy. The Ndidi link makes no sense and has to be bollocks. He’s a good player and his style would probably suit us, but with Fabinho, Henderson and Gini all able to play that holding role why the hell would be splash out on a lad who wouldn’t play? 

 

United are also being linked with him, as well as Harry Maguire. Again. Honestly, the pair of them should stay put because Leicester will finish above United next year if they keep their squad together. The whole ‘big six’ thing has become tiresome and it would be good to see someone gatecrash it. 

 

I wouldn’t want it to be Everton (not that they have a hope in hell anyway) and Wolves can fuck off, so that leaves Leicester. I’d like to see what Brendan could do with that squad, as there’s a lot of talent there. They need to resist the stupid money United will be desperately throwing around though.

 

So yeah, I’m not having the Ndidi thing at all. McCarthy though, I could see that happening. He was linked with us once before and everyone went mad because it looked like he was going to be coming in as number one, which would have been daft but not unlike us at that time. Ian Ayre was pictured having dinner with him or something, and LFC twitter hit the roof. Not sure we ever did find out what the whole thing was about.

 

This time though, I reckon he’d be seen as a shrewd acquisition as it’s not easy filling the back up keeper role. You don’t really want a kid, as you need young keepers to play and gain experience. You don’t really want someone over the hill either, but getting someone who still has a bit left in the tank is tricky because what pro worth his salt wants to sit on the bench? That’s why we can’t keep Mig because he isn’t a Carlo Cudicini or that Romero chump at United.

 

Like Mignolet, McCarthy is too good not to play, but at the same he could do a year or backing up Alisson and maybe picking up a medal or two and making good money. This would suit all parties, except Southampton fans who are sick to death of us taking their players. They should be glad it’s only their back up keeper and not…. I’m struggling here. Who have they got who’s any good?

 

 

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[Dr Nowt]

We should erect a statue of Origi outside Goodison.

[Jurgens Red Army]

Great read Dave, loved the Eddie Howe comment and the Benitez kid.

[A_S]

'Norbert' might be a bit more subtle. 

[suzy]

First time I’ve bothered to click on that Lingard video, what a knob head!

Love the kid Benitez, surely they’ll be a few Jürgens running around soon!

[rb14]

Usher in "buy my t-shirts so I can fill up my private jet" shocker.

 

Love the Benitez thang. That's SO fucking ace. 

 

More importantly. "...unlike those three he is genuinely funny, irrespective of whether he means to be." Did you accidentally or deliberately leave out the "or not" after "whether"? Proper bee in my bonnet over that. Everyone, and I mean everyone (usually including you), adds "or not" automatically when they've said "whether". And 99% it's unnecessary. This is the first time I've noticed you use "whether" properly. 

 

Yours, 

Tedious Pedant. 

 

[deiseach]

Jesse Lingard is 15 months older than Andrew Robertson.

[A_S]

The real estate agent that sold our previous house was a born and bred Red. His daughters were named Shankly and Paisley. 

[dave u]

4 hours ago, rb14 said:

Usher in "buy my t-shirts so I can fill up my private jet" shocker.

 

Love the Benitez thang. That's SO fucking ace. 

 

More importantly. "...unlike those three he is genuinely funny, irrespective of whether he means to be." Did you accidentally or deliberately leave out the "or not" after "whether"? Proper bee in my bonnet over that. Everyone, and I mean everyone (usually including you), adds "or not" automatically when they've said "whether". And 99% it's unnecessary. This is the first time I've noticed you use "whether" properly. 

 

Yours, 

Tedious Pedant. 

 

 

Trying to decide whether 'or not' to neg this post for rampant virginary.

[deiseach]

8 minutes ago, dave u said:

Trying to decide whether 'or not' to neg this post for rampant virginary.

[Tj hooker]

Hahaha brilliant read that 

[m0e]

One of my absolute favourite pieces of work, Mr Usher. 

 

And I've read everything you've produced since 2005. 

 

Take a bow.