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Sunday Apr 5: Man City wasted no time sticking the knife in, announcing today that they won’t be furloughing their staff. Their press office will have been running around like a dog with two dicks when they saw that clusterfuck from LFC yesterday, but they have no moral high ground here considering how much they were charging the NHS to rent their building. I say ‘they’ because although it’s technically not Man City, it’s Abu Dhabi which is the same thing. Well if LFC are tarred by the decisions of greedy bastard owners then why not City? In truth though I’m not even mad at City’s opportunism here. LFC gave them the open goal, all they did was take the tap in. I’m angry with FSG, not Man City. They’ve played us like a fiddle here, especially as I heard a whisper that at the Premier League club meeting the other day they intimated that they’d be using furlough for their staff. That may or may not be true, but if LFC hadn’t gone fucking diving in head first and had sat back to see what other clubs did and what the reaction was, we wouldn’t have this mess now. I don’t get why they felt the need to a) furlough so soon, and b) announce it before all the other big clubs had declared their intentions. History tells us that the reaction of the fans will probably force a u-turn, but this is such massive, unnecessary PR own goal. Monday Apr 6: Well at least when they fuck things up they aren’t afraid to admit it and back-track. It would be nice if they didn’t get things so wrong to begin with that they have to climb down and apologise, but there’s something to be said for the fact that they will admit when they’re wrong and they don’t just dig their heels in. The statement about not furloughing staff was as good as we could have hoped for. They misjudged the situation and are “very sorry”. Fair play, I suppose. Last week Jack Grealish was guilty of one of the most tone deaf, stupid acts I can ever remember from a footballer. I didn’t think that would be topped, but then up pops Kyle Walker hosting a sex party complete with hookers. I’m almost impressed, as that’s some next level don’t give a fuckery. What an absolute cunt. Stories like that make all the headlines, but there is so much good going on too. For instance, an elderly Everton season ticket holder had his house burgled and the cunts nicked his telly. Duncan Ferguson heard about it, rung the fella up for a chat and bought him a new telly. I like to think he promised to track down the burglars too so he could complete that particular hat-trick. I like Ferguson. There, I said it. There’s something endearing about how much he understands his hero status at Everton and the way he responds to it. It’s easy for us to laugh at the fact he even has legend status (the example I often use is it’s like us making Andy Carroll a hero), but the fact is they love him and he lives up to what they want him to be. I hated him when he was playing, but he comes across as a genuinely decent fella these days and this was a great story. Well in big man, nice one. Tuesday Apr 7: So I’ve been thinking more about this situation the club found themselves in with the furlough thing. I’m glad they saw sense and opted to pay the staff themselves, but having listened to some alternate viewpoints to my own I can sort of see why they did what they initially did. Cubs have no money coming in currently, but they still have to meet all of their outgoings, and by far the biggest outgoing is player salary. While I maintain that they should have enough to cover the reported £8-10m cost of the non-plying staff for three months, there will be some clubs that don’t have the finances to do it. Clubs make a shitload of money but most spend it as quickly as it comes in. From what I was told today, LFC spoke with the players and put forward two ways to do this. The first, was they continue to pay everybody and nobody is out of pocket. To help finance it, they’d take the 80% furlough for the staff on less than £2.5k a month and they’d cover the other 20% themselves. The second option was the players took a pay cut. The players apparently told them to go with option one, so they did. Then the shit hit the fan and if you read the statement carefully you can join the dots about the different ‘plans’ they had and that now they need to have a rethink on how to do it. The problem here is the players won’t do anything unless it’s backed by the PFA and the PFA are not going to agree to mass salary cuts. Where this is complicated is that every club is different. Players at Rochdale or Plymouth are probably not in a position to take a 30% cut, but equally those clubs can’t afford to pay them anyway. Another big sticking point is that players don’t want the money they aren’t being paid to go into the pockets of the owners. Again, not all clubs are the same. As much as I take exception to some of the things FSG have done (or at least attempted to do), it’s not like Henry and Werner have their hands in the till. They don’t take anything out, so if our players took a 30% cut it wouldn’t be to help out the owners, it would be to help the club during a period when no money is coming in. If you’re a player at Newcastle though, it’s entirely different. Any money saved could just as easily go into Ashley’s pockets so you can see why they wouldn’t want to agree to that. Then there’s this thing about players being expected to help out the NHS. I liked this idea initially. They all donate a percentage of their salaries and it goes towards getting all the equipment the doctors and nurses need to save lives (including their own). It seemed like an honourable cause and it was good hearing that the captains were all in discussions to see what they can do. Then I thought about the money they’re already paying in tax and it doesn’t seem right that they’re ‘expected’ to prop up the NHS. The NHS isn’t a charity. The taxes paid to the government should fund it, but the government chooses to spend it elsewhere. If I’m on 100k a week and I’m paying 50k a week tax, I’d be pretty fucking pissed to see that Hancock cunt on telly asking me to ‘do your bit’. They are doing their bit, they’re paying massive amounts in tax, unlike most of Hancock’s mates and party members and donors with their offshore accounts. I have no idea how this is going to play out now. With the PFA involved the players’ hands are tied somewhat. And the clubs don’t have the spare cash lying around that people seem to think they do. They could take out loans to cover the salaries until footy is back, and that might end up being the best outcome for the bigger clubs. For the lower leagues it’s going to be a massive struggle and some might go under. I don’t have the solution here, it’s a completely fucked up situation. Wednesday Apr 8: The club are still putting out entertaining content even during lockdown. Today they had a yoga session featuring the whole squad all in their homes connected to each other online. It was Harvey’s birthday so Klopp went throgh the usual ritual of having all the squad sing Happy Birthday in their own language, only this time there was a twist as Ox joined in all of them. He’s obviously been spending his free time learning the words to Happy Birthday in all sorts of different languages, and the lads were all pissing themselves. They should probably put more stuff out on their own social media accounts but I suspect they’re keeping it low key because of how dire things are with this fucking virus and how many people are dying. Maybe they think it would be in poor taste to be putting out funny stuff on their instagram accounts, but anything that puts a smile on people’s faces is a good thing, surely? I say that, but no doubt there’d be some gobshites who’d cane them for it and say it’s inappropriate. Thursday Apr 9: So Rio Ferdinand has been banging on for weeks about how the season should be voided, yet when BT suggested to their pundits that with no games to show they might need to work something out in terms of reduced pay, Rio & co were straight onto the lawyers. If the season is voided though, then those games effectively didn’t take place so any that Ferdinand worked on and was paid for, he should refund his wages to BT. Seems only fair, right? This is the thing that all these ‘void the season’ dickheads don’t understand. Luke Shaw is another one, the fat prick. “Just scrap it and start again” fails to take into account one massive, game changing factor. If the games are wiped from the record, then effectively they didn’t take place. So fans will be entitled to demand refunds, TV companies will want money back, sponsors and advertisers likewise, and therefore clubs will be entitled to take back money from players. You can’t simply pretend that 3/4 of a season didn’t happen. The season needs to be finished, no matter when that is. Even if there’s no footy for two years, when it returns these games need to be completed before a new season can start. Friday Apr 10: Charlie Nicholas says Van Dijk has been “sluggish and cumbersome” at times this season. When’s that then, Charlie? The only time Big Virg might be sluggish and cumbersome is when he first gets out of bed in the morning, and even then I imagine he’s as fresh as a daisy. It’s hilarious really, he’s held to so much higher a standard than anybody else. There are compilations out there of times when he was apparently made to look stupid, and most of them are incidents that you wouldn’t even think twice about. Like when he was ‘beaten by Pepe’. Remember that one? Pepe booted the ball down the line and chased it, while Virg chose to stay goalside and cut off the angle. It came to nothing as Pepe ended up having to pass the ball, but this is shown as a sign of Virgil’s vulnerability. Hilarious. Charlie Nicholas is a fucking joke, and not just because he still wears an earring. The only positive thing I can say about him is at least he isn’t Matt Le Tissier. Now there is a massive twat. Meanwhile, reports today have us as favourites to sign some kid from Villa who is billed as “the best 16 year old in the country”. Sounds great, except the man who gave him that billing is well known talent spotter Christian Purslow. Still, I love these kind of transfers. It’s probably the ‘Footy Manager’ fanatic in me, but you can’t beat signing a wonderkid. I’d do one of these deals every summer if it were up to me. Last summer we got Elliott and that’s turned out alright. He never looked out of place whenever he played, so any more deals like that one and I’m right on board. Besides, given the financial state of play after all this is over, these might be the only deals we can afford. and that was the week that was….

The Premier League season for 2019-20 hasn’t yet reached its final stages, but the break due to the Coronavirus means that we can start to begin to look towards the future. It is expected that Liverpool will be the outright favourites in the betting to win at least one more trophy next season, but could back-to-back honours be their preferred piece of silverware? Liverpool began the 2019-20 season as the second-favourites for the Premier League title behind Manchester City, but they have blown the reigning champions away. Most of the sportsbooks have now settled bets as winners for wagers on Liverpool to win the title, which means eSports betting, free bets and more at freebets.co.uk are the only way for those gamblers to get returns between now and next season. It is incredibly hard to see Liverpool going into next season as anything other than favourites for the league title, but could the summer hold the key for the Reds? A title next season would be a landmark occasion as they would tie with Manchester United for the most league championships in England. We believe this type of bet will be an interesting one to try, with good odds from bookies when they are published. Therefore when the time comes keep this in mind if you are a thriving punter. Summer Business The transfer market has been a constant source of positivity for the Reds over recent seasons. The signings of Virgil van Dijk from Southampton and Alisson from AS Roma has helped shift the tide in their direction. However, the secret to reclaiming a title is by strengthening when you are at the summit. Jurgen Klopp will be aware of that, and he will already be identifying potential players to bring in over the summer months, with Raheem Sterling also teasing a return to Anfield in the future. Philippe Coutinho is looking like a player that will attract a lot of attention from around Europe, as Barcelona want to get the Brazilian off their wage bill and it is unlikely that Bayern Munich will make his loan permanent. A return to Anfield would be a huge signing for the Reds, and would add a new layer into their attack, but whether Klopp will make a move looks uncertain. The most likely signing appears to be Timo Werner from RB Leipzig. The German has enjoyed a stellar season this campaign as he has scored 21 goals in 25 games. He is a completely different striker to Roberto Firmino and can also operate on the flanks. He would be a landmark signing that would indicate that the Red will be the favourites in the betting for the league title. Possible Contenders As is the case with every transfer window, the summer gives the chasing pack a chance to catch up on the Premier League winners. Manchester City will be looking to strengthen their defence, while the departure of David Silva will leave a question mark. Phil Foden looks the most likely option to fill the Spaniard’s position, but keeping hold of their players will be essential following their ban from UEFA competitions. Chelsea have already brought in Hakim Ziyech, while the Blues will also go head-to-head with Manchester United for the signing of Jadon Sancho. Whichever club manages to bring the winger in will have a better chance of competing for the league title, but there are still questions in other positions for both sides. Tottenham will be hoping for a better season with Jose Mourinho at the helm, but the future of Harry Kane will impact their chances. At present, it’s difficult seeing any of the chasing pack closing the gap on the Reds, which means they will begin the 2020-21 season as the outright favourites for the league title.

Sunday Mar 15: There’s been a lot of talk of how we might or might not be crowned Champions and that even if we do it will be an anti climx. Big Virg is having none of it though: “Will it be an anti-climax? What do you think? No! We should enjoy it even more because of the wait. “To win the league here is something that we can all be remembered for and will be remembered for. We should just go for it and we are very close now. Just enjoy it. We don’t play for records, we play for trophies. "I have been here now almost two-and-a-half years and been very blessed and happy to have experienced two Champions League finals. We won one of them and I was very close to the Premier League title last year and now very close to the Premier League this year. "Obviously you want to deliver the Premier League to this club. It has been so long I wasn’t even born and is something the club is definitely hungry for. So let’s just go for it and see what happens in the next weeks and months and be positive.” Nice sentiments but it will be an anti-climax. We were on course to not only win it, but to break every record in the books and be viewed as the greatest team of all time. Now that’s not going to happen. Not this season anyway. So yeah, if and when we eventually get it there is going to be a sense of disappointment mixed in with the joy. Right now though there are more important things to worry about, because by the time the footy does come back people’s lives are going to have been turned upside down. Scary times. Monday Mar 16: Steve Nicol describes Mo as the ‘most frustrating player in the Premier League’. Predictably it didn’t go down well. Nicol does talk a lot of shite but I don’t have it in me to let that bother me. He was known for being a loveable dope as a player so it’s hardly surprising that he talks a lot of bollocks now. I’m biased towards him though as he had my back on ESPN last year when some slapdick pundit they had on was ridiculing my player ratings because I gave Robbo a 9 after we lost 3-0 in the Nou Camp. He was being a right smug prick about it but Stevie put him straight, so I’ve got his back now. “Winning is the deodorant of the game, but it covers all bad smells. Winning covers a lot of bad things. You can say it with Salah. Salah’s form this season, is there a guy that frustrates you more in the Premier League or anyone else with the things he does in a game? Then all of a sudden he will produce something. But again, he plays every game and why? Because they win.” Anyone who says they haven’t been frustrated watching Mo is lying. It just seems a bit ungrateful to say it given everything he’s done since he got here. It’s not just Nicol though. Don Hutchison said this - “You watch Mo Salah and the guy does genius things but he does the most basic things so bad it's untrue. He can’t pass a ball five yards. He does the basic things really, really badly, yet his numbers are frightening and he scores a ridiculous number of goals.” They both could have worded it better, but Mo IS frustrating as fuck and then yes, all of a sudden he will produce something. He’s a complete paradox. Two years ago everything he did came off and the results were spectacular. Since then he’s been more erratic but he’s a victim of his own success. Take away that 44 goal season and I doubt he’d be judged quite as harshly as he is. I mean, take Aubameyeng for example. He’s erratic as fuck too but no-one ever says anything about him other than he’s a great striker. Mo’s numbers compare favourably with his but because he’s not hitting 44 every season some of us view him more harshly than we probably should. Tuesday Mar 17: Spurs and Arsenal reportedly want Lovren. I have so many questions, but the biggest one is why the hell is this story coming out now? With all that’s going on, are we seriously expected to believe that the staff of Arsenal and Spurs are sat around planning transfer moves. And for Dejan Lovren of all people? No disrespect to the big man but the world is being turned upside down, the idea that there are people out there trying to plot a transfer for Lovren while all this is going on just seems too outlandish for me. Still, it seems to have provided some cheer to a number of our fans during this miserable time, so at least there’s that. Meanwhile, Phil Thompson says we still need a player like Coutinho. I disagree. We don’t need it, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like it. Thommo admitted that getting Coutinho himself back is unlikely but says ‘someone like him’, as well as a striker and cover for Robbo is what we should be looking for. When should we be looking for them though? Not gonna lie, I don’t see footy coming back any time soon and when it does everything will have changed anyway in terms of player contract expiry, transfer windows and the season schedule. How’s any of that going to work out? Are contracts going to have to be redone? Timo’s Werner’s release clause needed to be activated in April, but that seems unlikely now, so how will that affect his value? If the season resumes in the summer then Lallana will be out of contract. Not a huge problem for us, but what of other teams who have key players out of contract? Can they just leave or will they go on week to week? The whole thing is completely up in the air and because nothing like this has ever happened before we have no point of reference. Fuck knows how any of this is going to play out. Wednesday Mar 18: Something came to me today. I was reading an interview with Big Virg and the thought randomly came to me that if he were anyone else his nickname would be ‘Dick’. Thank about it, these are footy players were talking about here. They aren’t exactly creative with their nicknames. Darren Potter was known as ‘Harry’ and James Norris in our u23s is called ‘Chuck’. Yet no-one has made the Dick Van Dyke link. The only explanation for it is respect. Virgil is just too cool and too well respected for that shit. Yeah this is what I’m being reduced to with no footy. I’m scraping the barrel for content here. Ok, I found something work commenting on. A really good piece in the Athletic today by Simon Hughes, where he’s interviewing Carra about local grass roots footy. Some of the stories from Carra’s youth when his arl fella managed Merton Villa were absolute gold, but the bit that really jumped out at me was this: “I don’t think my Dad was a cheat, but he liked to bend the rules a bit”. Why did that jump out? Because literally the sentence before he’d said that Philly once told his number two to “go and bend the crossbar” during a game in which they were 1-0 down so they could get the game abandoned. The assistant duly obliged, went and swung on the crossbar (while the game was still going) and he broke it! Game abandoned. Sorry Carra, that’s not ‘bending the rules’. It’s not even breaking them. It’s taking the rules, smashing them up with a hammer, setting fore to them and then putting the fire out by pissing all over them! Philly makes Simeone look like Snow White! Society has definitely lost something though in recent years. The advancements in technology (internet, netflix etc) along with gym’s popping up on every fucking corner means people just don’t play footy like we used to, and it’s pretty sad really. Thursday Mar 19: The PL meets and the outcome is as good as we could have hoped for. Basically, next season won’t start until this one has been played to its conclusion, but there's obviously no way of predicting at this stage when that's going to be. Meanwhile, all three of us here are in bed sick today. I’ve had mild symptoms since Sunday but they went away with pain killers and I thought nothing of it. Then today it just completely floored me. Might be the virus, might just be a heavy cold. We’ll see..... ............ Monday Mar 30: Yeah it was the virus. They say you have it for around five days before you start showing any symptoms and I’ve worked back from the first time I felt anything and that takes me to the Atletico game. Klopp said it was criminal that game was allowed to go ahead and looking back he’s right. Given the choice though I wanted the game to be played and I chose to go knowing there was a risk. That’s why we need to be saved from ourselves really. Decisions like that need to be taken out of our hands. I mean fucking hell, we had a game called off back in the day because Diana died in a car crash, yet they let this go ahead? Mad when I look back now. Letting 3,000 Spaniards come over when their country was about to go into lockdown is massively irresponsible. PSG - Dortmund was played behind closed doors the night before too. Today is the first day since I was confined to my bed that I could even face opening up the laptop to write anything. I could have just scrapped what I’d written above and started a new week, but I’m not a bad fucking tory like Karen Brady or a selfish twat like Harry Kane, so I’m going to finish what I started. So yeah, Harry Kane eh, what a cunt. Wanting to void the season because he and Spurs did fuck all. Will he be so willing to hand back all the wages he was paid or have his goals wiped from the record books? Doubt it. Big chinned slobbering fucking moron. I had made a pledge earlier this season that I was really going to try and tone down the Kane abuse, but I think I’ll just void that now. When things start up again I promise to be even more savage towards the selfish ugly cunt. Fuck Harry Kane. There is not a single redeeming feature about the twat. Ok, one redeeming feature is that at least he isn't Jack Grealish. Just wow. In terms of the stupid things done by footballers, this might be top three. Not the act itself, as drink driving is fairly common place and we’ve seen far worse examples of it than this. But fucking hell, to do that now of all times? Especially when you’ve just been on social media giving it the ‘stay home, protect the NHS’ spiel. This is right up there with the stupidest things ever. Grealish had won me over this season too. I always thought he was a twat and I’ll admit it was based entirely on the way he looks. Recently I’d changed my mind on him but there’s a lesson to be learned here. Always judge a book by its cover. That’s what I usually do and it’s generally served me well for 46 years. I’m rarely wrong and it turns out I wasn’t wrong on Grealish either, not until I broke my own rule anyway. Tell you something funny about this. I rang my mum this morning to check in and I mentioned the Grealish thing. She knew nothing about it but when I told her this was her exact response: “Not surprised. You can tell by the way he wears his socks that he thinks he’s above the law”. Honestly, that’s exactly what she said. Apparently because he wears his socks rolled down and nobody else does it, that means he has no respect for authority and thinks he can do what he likes. Mad thing is she’s been proved right. She hated Grealish from day one but unlike me she never wavered. She hated Jack Grealish before he was Jack Grealish. She hated him when he was Lee Hendrie. For the record, she hates James Maddison too because he has a “horribly wispy whiskery face”. And let's not forget she hated Son Heung Min ("sly little thing him") before the rest of us realised that behind the friendly smile was a massive shithouse. I can't wait for footy to come back just so I can nail some of these fuckers in the round ups. Tuesday Mar 31: Spurs and Newcastle furloughing their non playing staff and not paying their 20%? This is hideous. It’s literally a drop in the ocean to them, and the bad PR really isn’t worth the peanuts they’ll save by doing this, so why do it? Because they’re cunts, that’s why. Not all billionaires are absolute fucking scumbags but most of them are. One week’s wages for Harry Kane would cover the cost of the regular staff for the length of this thing. Now I’m not saying Kane should give up a week’s wage to cove… actually yeah I am. If your club are gonna be cunts about it, then fucking step up Kane you big slobbering goon. NBA players have done this. Not all of them, because surprisingly a good number of pro sports teams in the US have not been absolute greedy bastards about it and a lot have done the right thing. Those that haven’t, the players have generally taken care of it to ensure everyone got paid. Our lads haven’t needed to do it because the club haven’t shit all over their employees. Let’s face it, there’s no way they’d be able to even if that was their intention as Klopp would never accept that in a million years. No staff at Liverpool will have to take less money because Klopp (and the players, to be fair) would ensure they're all looked after. It genuinely does blow my mind though that clubs that pay millions of pounds per week to players will balk at paying a few thousand to regular non playing staff (loads of them - including LFC - wouldn’t pay the living wage for ages). It’s a fucked up world we live in but hopefully when this is over people will remember who the shithouses were. The likes of Wetherspoons, Branson, Spurs, Mike Ashley etc Wednesday Apr 1: Ok I know what date it is, but what’s all this Raheem Sterling wanting to come back here shit? It’s been mentioned a few times prior to today so it’s not an April Fools, although I’ve seen April Fools gags that were more believable. It seems to have started last week when he was asked if he’d ever come back to Liverpool. The appropriate response would have been “I’m a Man City player and Liverpool are our big rivals so that would be pretty difficult”. Something along those lines anyway. Instead he went on about how he’ll always have a place in his heart for Liverpool and blah blah blah. Don’t forget, this is the same tit who said not so long ago that “nobody wants to see Liverpool win the league”. Then one of ‘his people’ is quoted in a French publication going even further. I don’t get it. There’s zero chance of it ever happening. The bad blood when he left is something that could possibly be overcome, but he’s a knob and Klopp doesn’t sign knobs. That in itself would be enough reason to dismiss this but when you take into account the financial aspect of it is the biggest non-starter ever. He’s on 300k a week at City (although only a third of that will go through their books, obviously) and that’s double what Sadio is getting. As if we’re bringing in an inferior player and paying him more money than Sadio. So what’s all this about then? There’s definitely a reason for it, and it’s probably trying to scare City into giving him a new deal with a nice pay rise. Don’t forget a couple of weeks back he was posing with a Real Madrid scarf. Thursday Apr 2: Good interview with Hendo done by Carra today. The skipper was in good spirits but it felt really weird listening to them talking about the ‘season so far’ and going through games that were pivotal to getting us in the position we’re in. It almost felt like they were discussing a season from the distant past, when it’s only actually been a few weeks since it was paused. Who knows how long it will be before it starts again? There are more important things going on in the world right now but I’ve got to admit that watching this really made me feel bad for Hendo and the lads, not to mention us as fans. They were so close and they were 3/4 through what was on course to be the greatest season in the history of this country. And then just like that it stopped and now none of us have a clue what will happen. It’s beyond cruel. It reminded me that a few months ago I was saying to a mate how the title was done but he wasn’t having it. When I accused him of showing a lack of faith in Klopp and the players he said it wasn’t that, he was just worried that something mad would happen to prevent it. He suggested a plane crash or world war 3 (this was before Corona was a thing) and while I scoffed at the time, it is hard to get away from the notion that we are indeed cursed. Even if the fixtures are completed it’s not going to be the same is it? There’ll always be an asterisk next to our name even though we will have been the most dominant champions ever. As I say, I’m aware there are more important things going on and I feel uneasy even discussing this, but it fucking sucks. Friday April 3: So that Hancock twat emerged from isolation (after six days, not seven, so he’s either disregarding his own instructions or he didn’t have it in the first place) and attempted to deflect the scrutiny on the shitty job he’s doing by calling for Premier League footballers to take a wage cut. Who the fuck does he think he is? There’s so much wrong with this it’s difficult to know where to start. Why footballers and not bankers, CEO’s, hedge fund cunts or all the other numerous Eton educated millionaires (and billionaires for that matter) he could have called out? Well we know why. Footy players are almost all working class lads who’ve made their money through talent rather than privilege. Can’t have that now, can we? The sheer stupidity of this idea is what gets me though. If players wages are reduced all that means is they pay less tax, and therefore less money goes to the NHS. Who profits if players don’t get paid? The clubs. That’s who. No-one else. So Mike Ashley and the twat at Spurs for example, those fuckers who are trying to get the taxpayer to pay their staff, will be trousering even more cash because they’re not having to pay their players the full whack either. I’m all for footy players using their wealth to help out, but I don’t understand how this would help. The more I think about it, the more I don’t think its about them helping at all. It’s about getting everyone to talk about this rather than the criminal negligence of the government in failing provide tests, ventilators and masks. The players won’t take it lying down though. Contrary to how they’re often portrayed, for the most part footy players are good lads with a strong social conscience. The other day one of our lads sent 25k to Alder Hey. We don’t know who it was because he didn’t want it made public. My first thought was Trent, but it could be any of them really. The “do your bit” line from Hancock has got me fucking seething to be honest. Players are doing all sorts, some we know about but loads we don’t. Marcus Rashford - who’s only a young lad himself - is making sure that kids in Manchester don’t go hungry. Robbo sent a load of cash up to Scottish food banks and Wilf Zaha has been doing his bit for his community. There’ll be countless more examples we don’t even know about. So to have some fucking Tory call them into question bothers me massively, especially when it was reported today that Hendo has spent this week speaking to all the other top flight captains to organise a big fuck off whip round to raise millions for the NHS. I’d have been more surprised if the players weren’t looking to do something like this, but that Hancock twat better not try to claim it was because he called them out. The players are having their wages cut though. The clubs met today and it looks like there’s going to be a 30% cut right across the board. The clubs are apparently using the money to help out the lower league clubs who are struggling (great idea and something that should happen more often) and there’s going to be a million quid per club going to the NHS. So, footballers are doing their part. Now how about getting that Amazon cunt to pay some tax (and give his staff sick pay) and let’s have pay cuts for MPs and all their rich mates. I won’t hold my breath. Saturday Apr 4: Well that’s just fucking great isn’t it? Liverpool are furloughing non playing staff, but it’s ok apparently because they’re paying the extra 20% to make sure the staff aren’t out of pocket. Fucking hell, this is just so disappointing. They’re really only marginally better (20% better to be exact) than Spurs and Newcastle. Just because they are entitled to take the 80% taxpayer contribution to staff salaries doesn’t mean they should. It wasn’t brought in for multi million pound big businesses to protect their profit margins, it was brought in for the smaller businesses to keep them afloat. Legally the clubs can do this (and most probably will) but morally they should be above it, especially as they’re cutting player salaries by 30% which would cover non playing staff salaries for the next fucking decade. I'm ashamed of them. Disgusted. Yes, there are companies with even more money that are doing the same or worse, but so fucking what? That doesn't make it ok. Be better than them. Act in a way that makes your supporters proud, not embarrassed. They had a chance to do the right thing (at little actual cost to themselves) and instead they acted like the hedge fund cunts they are. The other week that Peter Moore tit was saying that before they do anything they ask themselves 'what would Shankly do?". Well he wouldn't have fucking done this. and that was the week and a bit that was….

You are probably a major football fan and that means that you have a great amount of knowledge on this popular sport. However, you’ve probably found yourself only using it to discuss matches with your friends. But did you know that you can make plenty of money with your knowledge of football? You probably already did know that but you didn’t know how to properly start making that money. This is your year if you want to get some profit and finally use that knowledge for something great. Yes, you guessed it, you can use it to bet on matches and get some serious wins. Betting on football has been here a while, but this year and with the availability of stats and betting sites, you can carefully pick yours and make some serious cash. However, before you start, you should get some advice on football betting if you want to be successful. Avoid Rookie Mistakes When you first start betting you might be unaware of the most common mistake you’re about to make. Most rookies believe that their favourite team is unbeatable and that you should bet on them. It is perfectly fine to use passion when betting, but you have to be realistic and follow your mind over your brain sometimes. There are people who follow their hearts and place bets on their team, but as you do have a significant amount of knowledge on football, you will know that if the other team is doing better, that that’s a safer bet. Put Your Efforts in Research Even though you possess enough knowledge, you should do some thorough research before placing bets. You probably already follow enough teams that you like or every game played and their stats, but further research won’t hurt you - it will only lead to a safer bet. This is important because the information is power and just when you think you know everything, something could suddenly change. You need to keep up-to-date, analyze the stats, read the news and record everything that might be helpful when betting. Make Use of the Football Index Football index is a great way to make some extra money using your knowledge of your favourite sport. Football Index is a stock market where you can trade players instead of companies. Plus, it is really easy to use and it is a lot of fun, especially if you are a clever football fan. What is more, with the Football Index you can bet on the success of a player from real-life by simply purchasing shares in them. The more people buy the shares of the same footballer the more their value will go up and thus increase your reward. And you can sell them at any time or simply keep them to build your portfolio. For more information and tips on how to utilise Football Index, you can visit this site and get the best advice. Learn to Place Bets Besides trading players and buying their shares, you can simply bet online and use your knowledge towards winning. Once you’ve done enough research and predicted the right scores, you can place the bet. You can look for trustworthy sites that you know are good and definitely make sure to check their guidelines and FAQs. Also, make sure to understand the odds and types of bets they offer in order to create a profitable combination. Lastly, you can make use of bookmakers’ offers. Most online bookmakers will create all kinds of promotions and bonuses that you can use. They do this in order to attract new bettors, but with your knowledge, you can really take advantage of them. Most of them will offer you a certain amount of bonus money that you can easily use to play a few games, but there will be some conditions of use or wagering requirements. So, before you accept anything be sure you are able to meet those requirements and take advantage of the bonus. The times of only using your football knowledge to discuss games with your friends are over. If you are methodical enough you can easily use it to your advantage to make some serious money through bets and trades. So, do your research to make sure to support your knowledge, be careful and you will manage to gain profit in no time.

Betting, in general, is a high risking game, but it can get even riskier when it comes to football. No one can correctly predict the behaviour of players if they are going to get hurt, miss a shot and whatnot. That is why you should be careful and only be loyal to trustworthy betting sites and companies. However, besides loyalty and trust, you will need some help and knowledge before you register on a site and start spending money to earn it. Listen to the Statistics Statistics don’t lie. Yes, there can be occasional anomalies, but when it comes to football betting the stats are on your side. You can look for stats at your trustworthy sites or even check Bettingmetrics. No matter which site or program it is, they will digest a huge amount of data every day and will provide you with the best odds and calculations. Also, you can follow the stats for your team and look at their past performances, scores and odds, and if you’re good at maths you can know which one is the safest bet. Educate Yourself on the Categories If you are a beginner and you’re about to make your first bet, make sure to gather as much knowledge as you can beforehand. Look through several betting sites, read up on betting reviews, check the terms and conditions and how the site works. You can even find a lot of sites that do reviews, such as soccerbetting365.com and go through reviews of many different betting sites. Among others, they have a detailed review of Betfair Sport, which can be of great help for your first bet. Then, learn about the categories and principles of betting. There is always something new to learn and you should learn about the entire world of betting and the subtleties. Those are often gained from experience, but as a football gambler, you should have knowledge of the basics before you start betting. Utilise the SMART Method SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed. When betting on football, you have to act like a businessman and know that there are no shortcuts to easy money. And this means that your approach to gambling should be methodical and scientific if you want to earn a decent profit in the long run. Establish Your Earning Target If you are planning on getting the profits in the long run, you have to establish the amount you want to earn - the goal. Every businessman knows that without a goal there is no clear plan and great execution, and this is why you need to have a goal. Determine in advance what you are shooting for, whether you want to make sure to have big profits that will last or you simply want a quick way to earn a little extra money. After that, you can come up with the plan, utilize the knowledge you gathered and move on to placing the bet. Discipline and Patience Your strict discipline and a lot of patience are paramount in betting. The sooner you realize that there are no shortcuts to getting rich, especially from betting on football, the better. If you wish to secure constant and consistent incomes from your activity, you have to refrain from taking risks and taking the dangerous road with high payoffs. Your best bet is to stick to betting on events that can be predicted with statistics with a high degree of certainty. Plus, you need to discipline yourself to follow news and events related to football because these will be a valuable source of clues about what you can bet on next. Gamble ONLY with a CLEAR HEAD If you want to make money and not lose too much of it, it is crucially important to only bet when your head is clear. If you’ve had a few too many beers, and if you think you are getting that “gut feeling”, it’s probably the beer talking and avoid placing any bets. Also, if you’ve had a hard and exhausting day, refrain from logging in and placing your bets. Your tired mind is not clear and there could be miscalculations or bad decisions which can only stop you from reaching your goal. Gambling is an activity that should be reserved for your prime hours, so don’t rush and be realistic. Most people think that football betting is their shortcut to success and fortune. However, that attitude will only lead you to much lost money. What you need to do is approach this as a businessman and be very methodical about everything. Be smart, keep a clear head and discipline and you will manage to reach your profit goals.

Liverpool were surprisingly knocked out of the Champions league, which meant they failed in their defence of the title. The reds were also looking to reach their third final in succession but on this occasion could not get past Atletico Madrid in the round of 16. They went into the second leg at Anfield, looking to overturn a 1-0 loss, so were strong favourites to progress through and very well supported by punters using offers at bookmakers.tv. Georginio Wijnaldum scored the only goal of the game, which meant the match went into extra-time. Roberto Firmino then added a second and his first goal of the season at Anfield, which it appeared would be sending Liverpool through to the final eight. However, the visitors responded minutes later through Marcos Llorente, who then added a second just eight minutes later. This meant that Liverpool now needed to score two further goals, which they were unable to do, as former Chelsea player Alvaro Morata then added a third on the night for the Spanish side. The result meant that Atletico Madrid progressed through to the final eight, winning 4-2 on aggregate and both ties. This was a tough result to take, as Liverpool dominated the second leg with 72% possession and creating 34 shots, with 11 on target. Despite this result, Liverpool are still in the process of producing a memorable season, as they draw ever nearer to picking up the Premier league trophy. However, the league has now been postponed due to the coronavirus, which is now being stated as a global pandemic. It has now resulted in endless sporting events being cancelled, with the European championships also being postponed until next year. The Olympic games have also now been postponed and will now take place next year. The Premier league are now looking at a solution in order for this current season to be completed, with Liverpool just a few points away from the title. From 29 matches played, Liverpool have picked up 82 points, winning 27 matches, drawing one and losing just one. This meant the side have built up a lead of 25 points over defending champions Manchester City, who do have a game in hand. Liverpool are now just two wins away from the title, so it is simply a matter of times until they are crowned the champions. So the big question now is, when will the current Premier league season be finished, with the continued postponement due to the coronavirus.

These are challenging times for everyone. But for Liverpool fans, there is an extra layer to the frustration caused by the world going into lockdown and the sports calendar frozen in time. It’s been 30 years since Liverpool last won the league, but the title for the 2019/20 season is so close we can almost touch it. Of course, it will mean double the celebration when life gets back to normal and the season resumes. But just what are we supposed to do in the meantime? It’s easy to spend the day staring at that Premier League table and slowly going stir crazy – but here are some better ideas. 
 Work out 
 It’s frustrating for us, but imagine what it’s like for the players. Many have been sharing updates on how they have been staying fit under lockdown conditions. Getting some exercise is good for both physical and mental wellbeing, and World Athletics has provided some tips on exercises that anyone can do – even if you don’t have a Premier League budget and a home gym all to yourself! 
 Try your luck 
 An important aspect of the Premier League season for many fans is putting a pound or two on Liverpool and sharing the rewards of victory in a tangible way. Of course, sport grinding to a halt has been terrible news for the major bookmakers. However, those that also offer casino-style games are still very busy. They are offering various promotions to tempt new members during these unprecedented times. It’s worth consulting Best Live Casino to get a rundown of what’s on offer across the various platforms and make an informed decision. 
 Start your own season 
 It’s not just the casino sites that are booming right now. Gaming in general is hugely popular, and for Liverpool fanatics, there are two obvious choices. If you’re into arcade-style action, there’s never been a better excuse to settle down to a FIFA tournament. Alternatively, if you want something a little more cerebral, Football Manager is the perfect choice. Sure, it can drag you in and eat up hours, but time is one thing most of us have in good supply right now. 
 Relive the glory days 
 You might be surprised at just how many documentaries there are about Liverpool. They are available across various platforms, including Netflix, YouTube and even the Liverpool official website. The latter has recently released Klopp’s Journey to the Kop, which is free to stream. Others worth looking out for include Being: Liverpool, a six-episode series from 2012 and the amazing Liverpool FC: Champions of Europe 2005. 
 Do your bit 
 The most important thing at times like this is to keep your sense of humour. But to finish on a serious note, those in the healthcare and retail sectors are working tirelessly to keep things going. Liverpool FC is providing support to local supermarkets, while half a million volunteers have stepped up to the plate to help the NHS protect the vulnerable. So let’s all do what we can.

Free bets are one of the more commonly found bonuses available at online betting venues. Typically, these will be found within the sportsbook section of a website, but they can also be found in live casino sections too. They are a useful way by which you can bet on your favourite sporting event or live dealer game without the need to wager your own money. If you are based in The UK you can take a look at Betpal.com which is dedicated to explaining all about how these free bets offers work and how they can be claimed so you can get out there and start enjoying betting for free today. What Types of Free Bets are there? There are two varieties of free bets you can find at online betting venues, these are: Free Bets The way a free bet works is pretty straight forward with the name being a big giveaway for how it works. Essentially, it will give you the chance to place a bet using funds that are provided by the casino as opposed to the value coming out of your account balance. Either they will be given to you after you make your first deposit, or can also be given to you just for registering your account with your new online betting site. They will either be given to you in the form of a stand-alone free bet, whereby you can place just one bet up to a specified amount, or you could claim A Value of free bets. In the case of the latter, what will happen is the bookmaker will say you have $50 worth of free bets, and you can spread them out over a variety of different sporting events or live casino games. However, the same principle remains and that all these funds will not come from your account balance. Risk-Free Bet A risk-free bet uses a similar concept because they will require you to have placed a bet first before the bet comes into play. When you place this bet, which will usually be limited up to a certain amount, the event you have placed this on will then pan out. Once the bet has been settled, if the bet hasn’t come home, rather than losing that money you put down to wager it, the amount will be refunded to you. As such, you have come off the bet with the same amount that you lost which you can bet again. Thus there is no risk involved. However, if the bet does come home then the risk-free bet will not be activated. Instead, you will simply claim the winnings as they would have payout anyway. As such, it ensures that in the worst-case scenario you have still not lost any of the funds you spent, while in the best case scenario you would be taken home the payout as usual. How to Claim a Free Bet? The method by which to claim a free bet is, like their concept, very easy to comprehend but it can vary based on the type of deal. A lot of the free bet deals will be in the form of a welcome bonus so this is the most useful method to understand. If it is a no deposit free bet, then you will need to simply register your details and, if it is required, opt-in to the free bet bonus. This is super simple. However, in the case of a standard free bet, then this will usually require you meet the sportsbook or live casinos minimum deposit once you have signed in to claim it. Sometimes a deal may offer you a higher number of free bets or higher amounts, reflective of the value of your deposit. While some may also give you more free bets for each of your first couple of deposits to your site. This will be the process for most welcome bonus free bets. However, if there is a free bet deal after the initial welcome deal then it can vary greatly. One of the most common occurrences is that free bets will be given on certain sports. For example, some sportsbook might give you a free bet to use on the final of a football event, such as the Champions League Final. This will then only be eligible to be used on these events. This is just one example of a free bet, and they can be offered for any number of reasons, or just given to you randomly as a reward for being a loyal customer to their site or for achieving something on their site. The best free bet sports betting sites will offer free bets across the calendar year on a regular basis as a way to give back to their clientele. Other betting venues may be a bit more reserved in this area. This is why it is important to always check the online betting sites promotions section prior to signing up and committing to their service. Why Should I Use Free Bets? The reason for using free bets is simply that is gives you an extra chance at glory without needing to spend so much money. When it comes to free bets, they essentially give you the option to benefit from more profit with less concern about the bet coming home. As such, if you lose, it is not such a big deal, as you haven't lost any money, while if you win, it is just a nice extra sum on top of the funds. This is particularly true if you haven’t had to invest any money to claim in the no deposit free bet deal, or if the number of free bets is significantly higher than the deposit you had to make to claim it. For example, being given $50 worth of free bets for a $10 deposit, will be mean four times the chance to win without concern as opposed to just one. Risk-free bets are beneficial for exactly the same reason. If you lose while a risk-free bet is in play, then that concern about losing your money is eradicated as you are destined to get it back anyway, even in the worst-case scenario. While if you win, maybe you have spent the same and won the same regardless, so you will still be contented with the result while also having been able to benefit from peace of mind and could relax while the action unfolds. Odds and Limits of Free Bets Before you go out into the world of sport betting websites and start making use of the many free bets on offer, you should know a few things concerning odds and limits imposed on free bets. When it comes to odds, for example, there will usually be a set minimum odd imposed on the free bets. This means that you cannot just bet on match-ups that are a “sure-thing” and there still needs to be some level of risk involved when you are using free bets. Another thing that will quite often be in place with free bets is the fact that there will be limits on the amount you can win. As such, if you were to place a free bet with the limits being $1000 then it will mean that even if the odds and bet you have put in place exceed that amount that you will not be able to actually claim that. Also, like any other bonuses, you must also get wagering requirements attached (this is a requirement from the UKGC) or any number of other commons T&Cs which you should always be aware of before you claim them.

Liverpool’s hopes of winning the Champions League back to back might be over. But looking back over the last couple of years, few teams have been able to achieve what Jurgen Klopp and his men have done. First, it’s a plethora of records that range from the most away wins in a premier league to most wins after 21 matches. Then there’s the seventh UCL trophy last year, and inspiring developers to created games inspired by the club. That’s right. If you play casino games, there’s a new machine called Liverpool Football Club slots and some sites are willing to let you play the game free of charge. But first, here’s a review of the game. LFC Slot: Overview LFC Slot is a machine with five reels, four rows and 50 pay lines. The game feature’s the iconic Liverpool logo and Anfield stadium as its primary image. If you look closely, you can see the club’s players lined up to match to the stadium. However, the game’s developer, Aspect Gaming doesn’t have the rights to show images of real LFC players. Instead, it uses images of fictional players wearing Liverpool jerseys. Players aside, the logo, scarves and all other references to the club are true. Low Betting Limits You can bet on the game with as little as fifty cents and even adjust your coin sizes whoever you see it fit. Precisely, you can configure coin sizes from 0.01 to 10 although you can only wager one coin per line. On the flip side, you can bet as much £500 per spin. But before you do, this game has a 94.24% payout rate and a medium variance. So, while you might want to hit the jackpot and change your life for good, the game pays moderately. Tour Around Anfield to Win For a game inspired by LFC, you can’t escape a tour around Anfield. And sure enough, one of the features you need to find the Anfield’s gate. Trigger three of them and you’ll get ten free spins instantly. Trigger them again and you’ll get five more spins. The game's wild is not constant. Precisely, you need to spin the player's wheel to determine which player gets to be your wild. For reference, these are some of the featured players: Van Dijk James Milner Adam Lallana Simon Mignolet Robert Firmino As mentioned, the game uses fictitious images, and as such the image used to represent Van Dijk, for instance, doesn’t resemble the real him. That said, the wild symbol replaces all other icons to help you form winning symbols. The slot machine also features a stats section where you can view your recent gameplay, wins, bonuses triggered and the number of losses. It's an excellent feature to help you keep your budget in check. Spin the Reels of LFC Free If you are excited to play the new LFC slot machine but you don’t want to gamble your money, you have nothing to worry about. You can still play the game for real money without risking your cash. Here’s how that works. First, you need an account at a casino offering a no deposit bonus. Of course, you want to join a site that provides the LFC slot games. Once you login to your new account, head on the bonus section and claim the welcome offer. Most casinos with no deposit offer also tend to provide bigger rewards when you make your first deposit. But let’s say you’ll cross that bridge when you get there. In the meanwhile, try playing the game with a no deposit offer. How to Find a Casino with LFC Slots In case you are wondering, you can quickly find a dozen casinos offering the LFC games online. Unfortunately, very few of them are based in the UK. So, to ensure you find a reliable platform, use these tips: Verify Available License Aspect Gaming, the company behind LFC slot, is based in Shanghai. It’s not licensed to provide games in Britain but it works with many casinos based in Malta. The MGA is a trusted casino regulator. However, ensure you verify licenses listed on casinos by clicking on links attached to each license number. If it doesn’t direct you to the MGA website, it’s not a genuine license. Use Trusted Review Websites The easiest way to find a casino that offers the LFC slot is to search on search engines. Precisely, read the reviews of these casinos to objective casino comparison websites. You’ll get recommendations of the best platforms quickly and save your time. Online forums can also help you know which casinos to join and which ones to avoid. What’s more, they can enable you to learn about many games before you play them. Read Crucial Bonus Terms As mentioned, you can play LFC slot game free of charge. But to avoid casinos that take advantage of new players, don't pick just about any bonus. Be selective by choosing offers that have favourable terms. To expound more, avoid bonuses that require you to spend large amounts of money to withdraw the money you win playing a bonus. Also, generally avoid casinos that have high minimum withdrawal limits. Games Library You might want to play more games besides the Liverpool FC slot game. As such, also find out what other games you can play at a casino beforehand. If you love football, find out if the site has more football-themed slots. If you prefer to play bingo, poker or roulette, ensure these games are provided. It’s essential that you can also play casino games on your smartphone. You might be a fan of desktops, but you can’t rule out using your mobile devices entirely. To Conclude The new Liverpool Football Club slot machine everyone’s talking about is the product of Chinese developer Aspect Gaming. It’s a regular video slot with five reels and four rows. But as you would expect, it’s made by someone who loves the reds targeting LFC fans. You can play the game free but use the tips mentioned above to pick the right game.

If you’re looking for the most convenient way to find football betting tips for today, Twitter might just be the right platform for you! With over 200 million active users on Twitter, it has become a powerful social media platform able to reach millions of people around the world with the news, trends and personal thoughts—in just an instant. You can get the latest betting tips of the day on an hourly basis on Twitter as well as compare the betting tips given with other football betting tipsters on the platform. To find the best football betting guide, here’s a lineup of the best Twitter accounts that you should follow: 1 @FootySuperTips First in our lineup is one of the best football prediction sites, FootySuperTips, a platform aiming to inform sports fans of the latest news and give expert insights and predictions on all things football. Just like their main website, FootySuperTips’ Twitter account aims to give frequent updates on the daily football betting tips through live streams, Twitters posts and threads, helping their audience to gamble responsibly. 2 @footballtips If you’re looking for free football betting tips from experts, following Footballtips’ Twitter account is a must. Receive notifications on the latest tips and predictions on all things football on a daily basis and successfully place your bets on the winning team! 3 @FreeBetTips Interested in basing your football predictions on computer algorithms? FreeBetTips’ AI-generated football predictions and tips are a great way of keeping up to date. Follow FreeBetTips’ Twitter account to get hourly updates on football the latest news and plan your next bet strategically. Rather than betting hard, it’s better to bet smart! 4 @JamesMurphyTips Professional gambler and expert football betting tipster, James Murphy, has his very own Twitter account named JamesMurphyTips is a great way to keep up with daily football predictions. With a proven success rate, following James Murphy’s well-researched football betting tips is a great way to learn the trade and gain insights from a seasoned professional football gambler. Claiming to have turned “£25 into £1k more times than Cristiano Ronaldo has had his eyebrows waxed”, following JamesMurphyTips can be your best bet on winning big. 5 @FootyAccums FootyAccums, the #1 free football betting community in the UK brings has a Twitter account under the same name, posts the latest football news, forecasts, tips and trends on a daily basis. FootyAccumes helps facilitate the online football betting community as well as aims to ensure everyone’s safety by promoting responsible gambling. Throughout the years Twitter has become a widely used online platform to share the latest and newest trends and information. As a result, football tipsters have utilised this platform and successfully built football betting channels that are incredibly helpful for football fans out there. To learn how to strategically place a bet, all you need to do is follow these football betting tipsters. And remember, to get the best betting tip of the day, cross-check between different Twitter accounts to ensure that all bets are safe!

Saturday Mar 7: L 2 Bournemouth 1 The result we needed if not the performance we wanted. It wasn’t bad and we deserved the points, but on the way home I was thinking how mad it is that a team that is so far ahead and has such an incredible record, has hardly battered anyone all season. We seem to win by a single goal all the time don’t we? I’m not complaining of course. I just think it’s funny how things have worked out. I think we all expected that when we finally won the title it would be dramatic, heart stopping and would probably go down until the final kick of the season. That’s how we tend to do things after all. So this is weird. The biggest lead any team has ever had at the top. The title could even be wrapped up already in the unlikely even that City lose their next three games. So, from that perspective it’s been a stress free ride, right? Wrong. We don’t have the stress of the overall race (just the stress of whether we’ll all be allowed to finish it) but we’ve had a shitload of games that we haven’t been able to enjoy because they’ve been tight! We needed the heroics from Milner to preserve the points today, although I do feel that had that been a goal we’d have rallied again and won it. This shouldn’t have been as close as it was, especially as I was under the impression that VAR was brought in to help us win the title. Where was it today when Wilson shoved Gomez in the back? Absolute farce. Thankfully we forced a couple of mistakes and that was enough for us to overturn the deficit and record our 22nd straight home league win. What an incredible achievement that is. These last couple of years have been unreal. Man City set a bar that was higher than anything we’d ever seen, and Klopp just pole vaulted right over it. Three more wins now. Two actually, as City won’t beat United tomorrow. We’ve broken City, they’ve given up and aren’t playing with any intensity at all in the league now, plus United’s negative, counter attacking style has given City kittens twice already this season. Almost there now. Almost there. Also today, there was a good interview with Harry Wilson on BT before the game where he spoke about the decision he’s going to have to make this summer. Ordinarily I’d be happy for him to make that decision himself and for the club to just go along with his wishes. I don’t think it’s that straightforward though because of some unusual circumstances. Firstly, if Mo goes to the Olympics then we’re short on the right wing. Shaqiri will probably leave and Elliott is probably a year or two away from pushing for that starting spot. Secondly, we’ll be without Mo and Sadio for 5-6 weeks in the winter due to AFCON. We’re going to be short handed and personally I’d keep Wilson around even if it means he won’t play much when everyone is available. It’s not fair to him but needs must I’m afraid. Something else from today that I didn’t notice until watching the highlights tonight. The handshake thing was excrutiating to watch because the players didn’t know what to do. Instead of scrapping it altogether they made them go through the whole routine only without shaking hands, so what you got was a load of lads looking really uncomfortable and not knowing whether to make eye contact with each other or just walk past. The Bournemouth keeper was wanting to make eye contact and you could see him looking at all our lads as they went past, and if anyone looked at him he gave a little nod. Everyone else just looked embarrassed. I was telling Adrianna about it and she said “that’s nothing, you should have seen what happened at our game this morning”. Her footy team played but I couldn’t watch because I was at Anfield. So she tells me what happened and it’s fucking hilarious. Just like the PL teams, they didn’t do the handshake, but just like the PL teams they still went with the charade of one team having to walk past the other. Where they differed was instead of just walking by, they were told to touch boots instead of a handshake, and it made for absolute carnage, as they had to hop from player to player and half of them ended up losing their balance and falling over. I wish I’d gone to her game now instead of Anfield. Sunday Mar 8: As I expected, City lost again, meaning it’s now just two wins required. Unless Arsenal actually do something worthwhile for once in midweek and beat City, which would mean we only need one more win. So yeah, two more wins then. Always nice seeing City lose, but not so much when it's United beating them. I'll take it of course, but I was enjoying the misery of United fans and this little run they've had has got them all chesty again. Meanwhile, Werner is dropped by Leipzig amid claims it’s because he keeps fluttering his eyelashes at Klopp. Surely a more likely explanation for them leaving out their top scorer is that they’re keeping him fresh for the Champions League game with Spurs on Tuesday? That doesn’t make for a juicy headline though, I guess. Monday Mar 9: Sterling is getting stick for dismissing the notion that the Reds are going to dominate for years to come. What do people want him to say? Look, I know he’s a bad tit and there are plenty of things to pull him up on, but this is just silly. He says City will have a massive response next season and it’s going to be more difficult for us. If he said anything less than that he wouldn’t be doing his job. The only thing that made me raise my eyebrows was him talking as though he’ll still be at City. The only way that’s happening is if Aidy can’t talk anyone into buying him and matching the salary he gets at City. Actually, thinking about it, he’s probably not going to have a choice about staying there. No-one is paying the fee and wages it would take to land him, so for once he isn’t going to be able to jump ship at the first sign of bettering himself. He’s David De Gea’d himself hasn’t he? Speaking of De Gea, his future has been called into question after Solskjaer said he wanted Dean Henderson back at United next season. He’s been better than De Gea this season, no question. But that 350k a week salary is going to be difficult to shift, especially for a keeper who has been a bit shit for the best part of two or more years now. Meanwhile, Werner is talking again. Not just about us this time. Fuck me he was hedging his bets. Publicly discussing the pros and cons of moving and using different teams for examples of what he’s thinking. He also mentioned the possibility of staying put. Not gonna lie, he’s annoying me now. Just shut up as you’re coming across as a right attention seeking tit. And speaking of attention seeking tits, Solskjaer reckons United’s performance yesterday would have been good enough to beat Liverpool. Shame you weren’t playing us then, eh? Why is he even talking about us anyway though? United are fucking embarrassing these days, constantly trying to claim these tiny little victories. Their fans were bouncing round twitter with their dicks swinging tonight because Carra described Wan Bissaka as the best one v one full back in the world. When’s the parade, you fucking losers? Funny how the protests have stopped in recent weeks though isn’t it? Guarantee the next time they lose, it’ll start up again. In all seriousness, I think it’s probably for the best if that entire club just gets closed down now to save them further embarrassment. As a fanbase they just aren’t equipped to deal with not winning. They can’t cope and they’re just making everyone else cringe at how pitiful they’ve become. Tuesday Mar 10: I watched the Leipzig game tonight to run the rule over Werner. I decided before the game I was going to watch it and make a definitive judgement one way or another as to whether I want him or not. And my verdict is…. *drum roll* avoid him at all costs. Not good enough. Ok, I’m not entirely serious as it’s too small a sample size for me to be making sweeping statements about a player who everyone seems to think is quality. However, tonight was the first time I’ve watched him since the World Cup when he was massively underwhelming. Apparently he’s come a long way since then, but tonight he looked exactly like the player I remembered - Dirk with pace. Some would see a faster version of Kuyt as being a dream player and in some teams he would be. Not this one though. I want us to sign a player as good as or better than what we have, and Werner isn’t even close despite his goal record. Now, if Klopp has plans to tweak the style or system then maybe he would be as good an option as what we have, but I don’t see how he comes into this team right now and improves it. Why do I say that? Because he’s not very good technically, hence the Dirk comparison. He’s not bad, but he’s a bit too ’bull in a china shop’ for me. That approach in most teams, but we’re faced with blanket defences every week and to break them down takes skill and guile. It gores without saying I’d prefer Mbappe but I think Sancho is a better fit for us too. Of course I look forward to you all being able to drag this up in a year’s time to poke fun at me when Werner hits his 30th goal of the season for us. I’ll take it on the chin happily. As of now though, he’s shite and I don’t want him. In other news, the corona virus has hit it’s first Premier League as tomorrow’s game between City and Arsenal is off. Now, while this is a serious issue and I shouldn’t be making light of it, I have to say that this is the most Arsenal thing ever. All the talk has been about postponing games or playing them behind closed doors to protect the fans but it ends up being Arsenal’s players who brought football to a halt. I made a quip in a group chat that Ozil is no doubt locked away like the boy in the bubble, sat there in a fucking deep sea diving suit complete with helmet. I was well pleased with myself, until one of the lads (Browny) completely trumped me by saying “Ozil will have rung Kolasinac and asked him to fight the virus for him”. Upstaging bastard. Maybe he should be writing this diary seeing as how he’s such a funny cunt. Wednesday Mar 11: L 2 Atletico 3. Fucks sake. What a massive kick in the balls. Not so much the going out part, but actually losing the game. If we’d gone out on away goals then ok, but to actually LOSE a game in which we played like this is really hard to accept. That was a brilliant performance. Almost perfect. Right up until the moment Adrian gifted them a goal this was such a mature, dominant, accomplished display from the lads. We bossed the game and never lost our composure or patience. We just kept playing our footy, kept knocking on the door and eventually we put ourselves in position to go through. Ox was sensational and Gini was like Superman. Everyone was good but those two (and Mo) were on another level. It was shaping up to be another great Anfield night that we’d remember for years to come, and then Adrian happened. I feel so sorry for the players who have been absolute heroes for years in this competition but instead of having three winners medals they have one because of inferior goalkeepers undermining all their good work. I don’t want to dig out Adrian too much as he’s the back up to the world’s best keeper and that’s a difficult job. He did well for us at the start of the season and if he’d not been called upon again then he’d have left a favourable impression. Unfortunately he’s had to play again and he’s been found out. He cost us against Chelsea in the cup and he’s the reason we’re having to relinquish our crown as Champions of Europe. Usually I’d take the view that it’s a team game and there’s always plenty of blame to go around, but not this time. It’s him. Just him. No-one else. I don’t like saying that but there’s no getting away from it. We’d fought tooth and nail against the most resilient opponent we’ve faced in years and we finally got ourselves in front, and then Adrian does THAT. Under no pressure. The kick was terrible on two counts. Firstly the kick itself was crap, but even worse was the decision to even kick it away first time when he had time to take a touch. It just looked like panic. That was bad enough, but the pitiful attempt to save the shot was something else entirely. All keepers will have kicks like that from time to time, but the basic lack of fundamentals in that attempted save says much more about him. That’s not a mistake, it’s just awful technique, which tells us he’s just not very good. What can you do though? Really good keepers don’t want to sit on the bench, especially when there’s no hope of winning the shirt because of the quality of the number one. Who actually has a top class back up? City’s back up isn’t all that. Spurs have been moaning about Gazaniga all season. Caballero at Chelsea is shite. I don’t even know who Arsenal’s back up is. Romero at United is meant to be the best, but if he can’t beat out the mess that is De Gea these days then he’s not that great is he? Loads hated Mignolet and thought he was shit. I didn’t, but it doesn’t matter anyway because he was too good to sit on the bench and we couldn’t keep hold of him. I don’t know what the solution is other than to hope that Alisson never gets injured again. I hated losing this game but I have a weird feeling about going out of the competition. I wouldn’t say it’s relief, as I wanted to go through. But I am thinking that going out relives us of the headache of what’s to come in terms of completing the competition. Put it this way, there’s absolutely no way people are going to Istanbul for the final and we wouldn’t be having any special Anfield nights either as it’s only a matter of time before we won’t be allowed in. Thursday Mar 12: Ok this is starting to look bad now for our title bid. Most of us assumed we’d go to the behind closed doors option before the games stopped altogether, but now players are getting it and so Arteta has too. Initially the PL declared that games would go ahead but after the Arteta news they’ve ordered an emergency meeting tomorrow. There’s no way games are getting played any time soon, and with players now getting it then the behind closed doors option isn’t there anymore either. 30 years we waited for this and we get within touching distance and a fucking worldwide pandemic gets in the way. And there we were thinking the Gerrard slip was the worst way of having a title taken away from us. I can’t get my head around this, it just doesn’t seem real. I dread to think what we have ahead of us for the next few months. I just hope that our title bid is the main thing I have to worry about and nothing more serious happens. Friday Mar 13: So they had that meeting and footy is suspended for a few weeks. Virtually nobody thinks it’s starting back up at the proposed date though and the general consensus is it will be months before we’re in a position to resume. What a fucking nightmare. 18 clubs said they wanted to play the season out to it’s conclusion whenever that is possible. Two clubs wanted to just void the whole thing. Spurs and West Ham. Absolute fucking “I’m alright Jack” Tory cunts. Fuck both of them. Spurs want it scrapped because if this season doesn’t exist in the record books then it means they’d be in the CL when the new season starts. West Ham obviously want it abandoned to save their fucking worthless Tory arses. I badly wanted West Ham relegated anyway solely because of their owners and that Karen Brady twat, but after this I reckon most of the country will want them down too. It shows them up for what they are when you have other clubs like Bournemouth, Brighton etc who would benefit from that but they instead wanted to do the honourable thing. I saw one of the lads from the forum make a quip on Twitter that he wants footy to restart asap because he now wants to see West Ham relegated even more than he wants to see us win the title. He was joking, but I can relate to it because them going down is now a close second to us being crowned Champions. I feel bad for West Ham fans as it’s not their fault, but as long as that cunt Brady is there along with the Dildo Brothers, I wish them nothing but misery. This may be the last diary for a while because I don’t know if there’s going to be anything to write about. I’ll play it by ear and if stuff is still happening that’s worth commenting on then I’ll do it, as with no match reports or round ups on the horizon I need to do something to keep myself busy. and that was the week that was….

Not the most interesting of weekends this, but City lost again and Everton were humiliated at Chelsea, which was nice. Both of those were on Sunday so I’ll get to them in a bit. On Saturday Arsenal had an undeserved 1-0 win over West Ham at the Emirates. The Hammers were the better side and even Arteta admitted that. So far I don’t mind him, he seems alright considering some of the dubious company he’d been keeping before taking the job. There’s absolutely zero chance his hair is still naturally that colour though. It’s so black it’s almost as shiny as his mate Pep’s chrome dome, albeit in a different way, obviously. West Ham were coming off a much needed win last week but they’re still in big trouble at the bottom. They could have really done with a result here and if they knew how to finish they’ve have got one as they had so many chances. Bowen hit the post, Haller wasted a great opportunity due to a dreadful touch and my boy Antonio somehow put one wide from a yard out. He was also denied by a great save by Leno and all those misses would come back to haunt them as substitute Lacazette converted an Ozil nod down. Initially it was given offside by Sian Massey but VAR correctly over ruled it and gave the goal. Moyes said afterwards, “we had one of the best referees in Europe and two excellent linesmen (his mates Keys and Gray will be proud) who had very good games today, so I’d have been happy to trust their decision and I don’t think we needed to go to someone else”. WHAT??? He wasn’t joking either, he was deadly serious. What a piece of work he is. That’s one of the most ludicrous, not to mention hypocritical statements made by any manager all season. Let’s just completely disregard the VAR if it means the wrong decision goes in your favour, eh? We’ll see how happy he is to ‘trust their decision’ when it goes against him, the crying twat. How come Lacazette is only on the bench these days? He’s lost his place to that Eddie Nketia kid, which seems odd as it’s not like Nketia is some wonderkid is it? He’s alright but he’s not that good. Obviously Lacazette isn’t either. He should be so much better than he actually is. He’s underachieving massively, so he’s at the perfect club really. Arsenal’s midweek game at City was then postponed because some of their players quarantined themselves amid fears they’d contracted corona virus. I know this isn’t a joking matter but I’m not even joking when I say if you’d told that there’d be one team unable to play a game because of a situation like this, then Arsenal would have been number one two and three on my list. Someone probably sneezed at training and before you know it Mesut Ozil is like the fucking ‘boy in the bubble’. Turned out the players were all fine but Arteta has it, which was a bit random like. Several players throughout the league have since tested positive for it, which seems a bit disproportionate doesn’t it? There aren’t THAT many cases nationwide, yet there are about half a dozen premier league players / managers with it. Kind of suggests that football is quite high risk, yet they don’t seem to want to put the league on hold for $om£ r£a$on. Newcastle picked up a huge three points away to Southampton. The Saints were up against it when Djenepo was red carded early on after a VAR review. He over ran the ball and left his foot in on Hayden. Not malicious but it was dangerous. The ref gave him a yellow but VAR recommended he take a look and after checking the pitch side monitor he upgraded to a red. That’s how it should be. The VAR ref could have given it but it’s much better this way. So why then, a bit later, did VAR award Newcastle a penalty for a debatable handball? Surely you’d once again just ask the ref to take a look? It probably was just about a pen but surely everyone would be much happier if the ref on the field was making that call? At least when that happens fans know who to yell at and Conor Coady doesn't look like a massive ballbag by bitching to officials who had nothing to do with the actual decision. Matt Richie (facing Southampton as a Pompey fan and former Pompey player) saw his spot kick brilliantly saved by McCarthy. Newcastle must have been thinking they were never going to score as their last goal came back in September (or something), but with ten minutes to go Saint-Maximin robbed Valery and found the bottom corner. I like him. Exciting player (albeit erratic as fuck) and he’s got a good sense of humour based on his tweets after that fan whipped his lash out. The Geordies are virtually safe now and Steve Bruce deserves credit for what he’s done there. It’s not been very pleasing on the eye but considering loads of people thought they’d be relegated he’s done a good job. The best description I’ve seen of it was on Twitter when someone said he’s like a replacement bus service, in that he’ll get you where you need to go but it won’t be an enjoyable experience. There was nothing more nailed on than Watford losing this weekend. Having beaten us 3-0 I knew they’d shit the bed at Palace. Its a recurring theme. We’re getting everyone’s best effort even though the games before and after they do nothing. In fairness to Watford they should have got something from the game as they weren’t bad, but Ayew got the only goal of the game and Watford are still right in the relegation mire. Palace are well out of it now though after three consecutive 1-0 wins. The league is so mad that three wins just completely changes everything. You go from relegation candidates to being on the cusp of the top six. MOTD posted up some stats from since Hodgson got to Palace, and in that time they’re ninth in points total. Don’t ask me why because they’re very clearly shite. Meanwhile, Sheffield United continue to grind out wins and stay in the hunt for a CL spot. They just about edged out Norwich at Bramall Lane thanks to a Billy Sharp header and needed a heroic triple save from Dean Henderson to preserve the victory. How shit are Spurs? And how shit is Hugo Lloris? And how shit is Mourinho? The answer to all three is “extremely shit”. Mourinho went the full Mourinho at Burnley and selected five centre backs. FIVE!! And they still couldn’t stop Chris Wood from scoring. They equalised from the spot when Lamela was clumsily brought down by Ben Mee and Dele Alli put away the pen. Burnley should have been awarded a pen of their own when Sanchez went through the back of Wood, but Fat Jon Moss wasn’t interested. He loves Spurs, the fat fuck. Mourinho threw Ndombele under the bus afterwards. There was much discussion about whether he was justified in doing so or not. Doesn’t really matter does it? It’s what he does these days. Always deflecting blame from himself by pointing the finger at certain players. There was a time when his players would have run through walls for him, but at his last three or four clubs he’s ended up being hated by everyone, the obnoxious twat. Wolves were well below par in their goalless draw at home to Brighton. My boy Traore has been in and out of the side lately with a shoulder injury and when he’s not playing they miss him. He came off the bench and sparked a late flurry for it wasn’t enough and Brighton picked up a really valuable point in their fight for survival. The manc derby was bittersweet. Sweet because it’s always funny seeing City lose, but the flip side of that coin is that United winning isn’t pleasant, even when it helps us. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted City to lose (and expected them to) but United's fans are getting a little too chesty for my liking of late. They deserved this win though as once again City found it really difficult against them. United's style is suited to playing City as their strength dovetails nicely with City's weakness. It helps when the opposing keeper goes the full Adrian though. For once the horror show involving Ederson had nothing to do with his face. His performance was as brutal as his grid. He was beaten at his near post for Martial’s opener, then he almost did a Peter Enckleman and was incredibly lucky to get away with it, and finally he threw the ball straight to McTominay who stroked it back into the empty net. Aguero had a goal disallowed and it was just about the right call. There was a penalty incident too but VAR stayed out of it and just went with Mike Dean’s incorrect decision. Otamendi kicks Fred on the shin. Fred went down. Mike Dean produced a yellow card for a dive. I can see why Dean thought it was a dive but VAR needs to be overturning that as probably a penalty but it’s defo not a yellow card. City losing was great for us because it brought our ‘wins needed’ down from three to two, but United are starting to get a little full of themselves and need bringing down a peg or two again. This run they’re on looks better than it actually is as they’ve played some shite in there and they really ought to have lost to Everton a week ago. It’s a house of cards but it’s enough to make them jib the protests. “Green and Gold, unless we’re good”. Fucking sad cunts. One of the many things I hate about United fans is the way they’ll come up with some fucking awful song, and then sing it repeatedly on a loop for half an hour in their boring, droning, nasal manc voices. There’s no worse sound in the world than a smug Man United crowd. How funny was that Everton game though? They got snotted everywhere by Chelsea and 4-0 flattered them massively. Mount set the ball rolling with a lovely turn and finish. Pedro and Willian increased the lead before big handsome Olly added a fourth. He’s a sexy big bastard isn’t he? I honestly reckon if I was Olivier Giroud I’d just walk around naked all the time and just encourage the world to marvel at my magnificence. The best player on the pitch was that Gilmour kid who got man of the match against us in the cup. It’s been a great season for Chelsea on that front. Mount, Abraham, Tomori, James and now this lad. The season of rebuild with a novice manager couldn’t have gone much better for them, as the teams who they should have been battling with a top four spot have mostly been a disgrace. If they qualify for the CL in a season of transition then it’s a huge win for them. The Blues though, fucking hell. You can tell they’ve got the derby coming up because none of the cunts even broke sweat, let alone put a tackle in. All their focus was on next week’s clash with us and you know they’ll be all fire and fucking brimstone and will be everything they weren’t in this game, the fucking phoneys. The reaction to it on EFC twitter was comedy gold. Those Paddy Power Fan Denial videos are great but the best ones always involve Everton. They must love it whenever the Blues have a bad result. Michael Keane seemed to be the target for most of the criticism, with the best one being “is Michael Keane buffering or is he actually that slow?”. Bet he finds an extra yard of pace for Monday night though. They’ll be like men possessed, especially if City lose this weekend and we have the chance to win the title at Goodison. I don’t think we’ll be in that situation, but if we are then it’s going to be fucking carnage there. Imagine how big this game would be if we hadn’t lost at Watford. Finally, Monday night. Villa look fucked now don’t they? They got battered by Leicester and when you see the run of games they have coming up it’s entirely possible they’ll be bottom soon. Pepe had an absolute nightmare, but the only surprise to me is that people are surprised. Because of his popularity no-one seems to want to say it but the truth is he’s been shite for an entire decade now. Villa were hard done by with the penalty against Mings though. Sick of seeing players punished for being hit on the shoulder. It's a fucking joke, but at least that's one thing that the authorities are going to do something about for next season. Whenever next season will be. Because come what may, they need to complete this one before starting another. You can't just scrap this season because there'll be legal issues all over the fucking place. You can't have no promotion or relegation for a start. Then what happens with the CL places? Then of course there's the issue of our title. A number of clubs might be in favour of scrapping the season and starting again, but they won't be so keen when supporters and TV companies / sponsors ask them to return all the money they made from a season that 'doesn't count'. So take a break for as long as is necessary, and then let's get back on with the business of seeing us crowned as Champions and Villa sent back to the Championship with their tails between their legs. It's a shame we're going to have this delay because I'd have loved to have seen them relegated on Stevie's birthday in May.

It’s hard to wrap my head around this one. To play as well as that and not only go out, but to actually somehow lose the game, it’s hard to believe. Ultimately it was a tale of two keepers. They had one of the best in the world and we didn’t. The performance was everything we wanted and the only thing lacking was that we couldn’t get the second goal in normal time. It wasn’t for the want of trying. We had chances but we had to work really fucking hard for them. Atletico didn’t buckle or wilt under the intense pressure they were put under by our team and the crowd. They stood firm and made us fight for everything. And fight we did. We threw everything at them and every outfield player was bang at it. We couldn’t have asked for more and this game had so many ingredients that you’d normally have in one of those legendary Anfield nights. For instance, if we’d come away with the result we deserved then we’d be talking about the performances of the likes of Wijnaldum and Oxlade-Chamberlain for a long time to come. We didn’t get the result we deserved though because shit happens, especially when you don’t have a reliable ‘keeper. It’s one of those things. I just think we were unlucky as nine times out of ten we go through with that performance. This was the one in ten where we didn’t but we can’t complain too much after the run we’ve had in Europe under Klopp. In four years of playing in Europe under Klopp this was the first time we’d lost a two legged tie. It was always going to happen eventually, and unfortunately we came up against the most awkward bastards in Europe. It was always going to be tough and we needed to play much better than we have done of late. We did that. The performance was fantastic. Atletico had a chance after just 20 seconds when Costa shot just wide but after that they offered virtually nothing until extra time. It was one way traffic and it never let up. Constant pressure, probing, dominance. We needed to do something different to the first e.g. where they held us at arm’s length, and we did. Even to my untrained eye it was obvious that we were targeting their left flank and working overloads. Trent pushing forward, Mo hugging the touchline and Ox pushing wide to give us a third man out there. On the other side it was the opposite. When Robbo got the ball he often had to go back to Van Dijk because Sadio was playing quite centrally and Gini was trying to get into the box. It was definitely a deliberate tactic, as was peppering them with crosses. We sent cross after cross into the box and although they’re particularly good at defending them, if you keep putting dangerous balls into areas and getting players to attack them, eventually it will pay off and it did. We’d gone close on a number of occasions and Wijnaldum had already had one headed effort saved by Oblak before he stole into the box to meet a brilliant cross by Ox and give us the breakthrough we needed. Ox was great. So positive and aggressive with everything he did. Wijnaldum getting the goal from a cross by Ox was fitting given how the pair of them played. Gini is always immense in these big games though, he just seems to develop an extra yard of pace from somewhere. He was like a man possessed. Scoring right before half time was just what we needed as it was beginning to feel like we were banging our head against a brick wall. The goal was huge because we knew if we’d done it once we could do it again. And so did they. And 45 minutes attacking the Kop end to get it? No problem, surely? We laid siege to the Atletico goal but the fucking ball just wouldn’t go in. We pushed and pushed, and they barely got out of their own half. I can only remember Adrian having to save one shot. A routine stop that he made a meal of and then had to bravely dive at the forward’s feet to stop him seizing on the rebound. Oblak on the other hand was working over time. Making saves and pushing away crosses, he probably touched the ball more than any other Atletico player. Salah was brilliant all night but Firmino only really began to get into it after the break. He was abysmal in the first half but he stuck at it and played his way into the game. Sadio was more influential after the break too and I honestly can’t find fault with the performance at all. It just needed a goal and sadly we weren’t fated to get it. Robbo heading against the bar at the Kop end. Imagine if that had gone in. Just imagine. Fucking hell. Robbo scoring the winner in front of the Kop? The roof would have come off. When I think about how close we came to such an iconic moment it’s just so incredibly frustrating. They defended well though and it would be sour grapes to suggest otherwise. I don’t like how they play but they do it well. The shithousery is far more of an issue than the defensive style. They can play whatever style they want but the other shit is hard to stomach. In fairness I expected it to be much worse than it was. The number ten was a bad cunt and a couple of the others made the most of nothing tackles (Costa was well behaved though, surprisingly), but by and large it wasn’t THAT bad. Simeone though, he does my fucking head in. Jumping around all the time and waving his arms and just being a busy bastard. Most of it is just bollocks. There’s no way his players are paying attention to it and he’s just doing it for effect. It’s like Brendan and his little notepad. Just for show. I nearly shit a lung when they had the ball in the net from that last gasp free-kick though. Simeone was on the pitch and it would have been heartbreaking if that had counted. Losing the way we did was bad enough but that would have been much worse. Thankfully the linesman’s flag went up and VAR confirmed the decision. We lived to fight another day. Or another half an hour anyway. And wouldn’t you know it, as so often happens, extra time starts and within a few minutes there’s a goal. Whenever that happens you can’t help but think “why couldn’t that have happened five minutes earlier”. It should have been Bobby’s night. I said in the Bournemouth report that I expected him to get his first Anfield goal in this game and when he did it was all set up for him to be the hero of the hour. His initial header hit the post but the rebound came back to him and he tucked it away. The run and cross from Gini was phenomenal. Like I say, he just seems to be supercharged in these games. Like when you’d make three baskets in a row on NBA Jam and you’d get that power up where you become faster and stronger than everyone else. That’s Gini on a big European night. I thought we had them then. We’d done it. Another great Anfield comeback and a performance we could all be immensely proud of. And the it all went to shit in the blink of an eye. Alisson’s injury ultimately proved to be our downfall. Many feared it would. I did not. Not because I’m under any illusions about Adrian’s ability, but because it was Anfield on a European night and these occasions often throw up the unlikeliest of heroes. David Fairclough, Mike Marsh, Neil Mellor, Florent Sinama-Pongolle, Divock Origi etc Why not Adrian, I mistakenly thought. As it turned out, we didn’t even need him to be the hero. We just needed him to not be Loris Karius. Sadly he couldn’t oblige. He gave away one goal and even the other two goals weren’t good. Neither were specifically his fault, but there’s no way Alisson lets them in. What makes this so difficult to take is that the performance was close to perfect right up until the moment Adrian gifted them their goal. That changed everything. Having fought tooth and nail to finally get in front, we really needed to just hold onto it for a little while and force them to come out. They don’t like chasing the game and forcing the play and if we could have made them do that it would have gotten a lot easier for us. I don’t think they would have been able to break us down on their own and if they’d tried then they’d have left gaps. The mood we were in we’d have exploited that. Unfortunately they never needed to come out of their shell because Adrian gift wrapped them a goal and that gave took the wind out of our sails and gave them renewed determination to dig in. I’m sure we would have rallied and gone again as there was plenty of time, but we conceded again and that was a hammer blow. Even then though, all shouldn’t have been lost. The ground went silent and the crowd never really got back into it. That disappointed me because the situation wasn’t THAT desperate. 15 minutes to score twice at the Kop end. We’ve done that before, no big deal. Yet it felt to me like the crowd just gave up. It needed a goal to get them going again and if we’d score in the first ten minutes of that second half of extra time then the last few minutes would have been manic and I suspect we’d have done it. We didn’t score though and Atletico rubbed salt in our wounds by actually scoring a third and winning the game. That really fucking stings. Going out would have been one thing, but to actually lose a game in which we’d played so brilliantly is really hard to take. I don’t begrudge Atletico going through but I’m proper gutted they won the game as they didn’t deserve that. It was daylight robbery. The celebrations after their goals were the worst thing for me. The subs and coaches and everyone just piling onto the pitch and the ref allowing it. It felt like it took two minutes to restart the game each time. Yet from what I recall there was only one minute added. The ref was quite good on the whole I thought, but he was weak as fuck on that. I’ve never seen celebrations take that long. I’m not mad at Atletico for over-celebrating because it’s a compliment. We’re the biggest scalp in Europe and they went through absolute hell in that 90 minutes, hanging on and defending with everything they had. I don’t begrudge them celebrating like that, but I’m irritated as fuck at the ref for allowing it. I’m not angry with Adrian either. As I said, he can’t help the fact that he’s just not that good. As far as back ups go, he’s alright. He’s not as good as I thought he was but he’s not shite. The drop off between him and Alisson though is understandably huge. That’s always going to be the case though as how can you have a second choice keeper that’s anywhere near as good as the world’s best? I don’t like scapegoating Adrian for the loss but it’s hard to get away from the fact that it is pretty much on him. Everyone else performed heroically and he had fuck all to do. Yet he conceded three goals. The all important first goal was an absolute horror show from him. The poor clearance was bad enough but I can overlook that as it happens to every keeper. What followed was just absolutely damning of his poor fundamentals though. The kick was bad and it seemed like he panicked because he had time to take a touch. Clearing it first time is ok but you need to get underneath the ball. You can’t do what he did, but like I say, it happens. The best keeper in the world with his feet (Ederson) did it last weekend. So the kick is not something I’d judge him too harshly on. The risible attempt at keeping out the shot though is something else entirely. Firstly, he’s actually jumping in the air when the lad takes the shot. He’s off the ground and not in position to plant his feet and dive. By the time he lands the ball is almost past him anyway, but just to top it off he slips as he tries to push off. It’s just piss poor goalkeeping. I’m not even going to comment on his part in the other two goals as what’s the point? The first goal is enough. That was the turning point that we never recovered from. The performance up until that moment was as close to perfect as we could have hoped for and I just feel bad for the lads more than anything. I don’t feel bad for me. I’m sad we lost but not as gutted about going out as I thought I’d be. All the shit that is going on at the moment has definitely had an impact on how I feel about the Champions League. What did we have to look forward to by staying in? Games behind closed doors. Big Anfield nights with no fans. A final that no-one would be allowed to go to. I’m not glad we’re out but staying in would have been a massive pain in the arse so I can shrug this off quite easily. I’m not going to say good luck to Atletico and that I hope they win it because I don’t. I won’t be wishing for them to lose either though. The truth is I’m not arsed either way. Their fans were chanting “Liverpool’ afterwards and some of their players (especially Oblak) were warmly applauding the Kop as soon as the final whistle went. It doesn’t make me overlook some of their antics, but I’m just not that arsed about it, which is unlike me as generally I’m not one for letting grudges go. If we weren’t so far ahead in the league or hadn’t won number six last year I daresay I’d feel differently, but this doesn’t feel like the end of anything as we’ll be back. I don’t know what happens next though as everything is up in the air. We’re supposed to be playing at Goodison next but who knows. We’re so close to clinching the title but there’s every chance we’ll have to wait a while. But we’ve waited 30 years, so what’s a little while longer. Star Man is Gini. Team: Adrian: Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson (Fabinho), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Milner), Wijnaldum (Origi); Salah, Firmino, Mané:

Back on track then. Kind of. It wasn’t vintage by any means but perhaps it was unrealistic to just expect the lads to go from horrible to brilliant in the space of a few days. Maybe the return to peak form is going to be a more gradual process? This was miles better than Watford and considerably better than Chelsea too. Granted, that’s a low bar, but still, improvement is improvement and this was a step in the right direction. Not the giant leap we wanted, but it’s a start. We’ll need to step it up considerably if we’re to beat Atletico but you could see by Klopp’s reaction at full time just how important he felt this win was. He even brought back the triple fist pump. And he did it TWICE. So yeah, we can play much better than this but the three points are most welcome as it nips in the bud some of the absolute bollocks being spouted about us after a few bad results. We went from being “the greatest team ever” to “not being as good as everyone thinks” just because we lost to Watford. I’m not even exaggerating. That debate was taking place in the media. “Maybe they aren’t that special” just because we lost a game. So we weren’t able to emulate Arsenal’s “Invincibles” but this team already has more points and more wins than they managed, and we’re only at the start of March. This win set a new club (and top flight) record of 22 straight home wins. That’s incredible. Yet it would seem that the lads have become victims of their own high standards. Talk that just winning the league isn’t enough and they need to do it with a record points tally and by retaining the Champions League or the season would be ‘disappointing’. The world’s gone fucking mad. I sort of understand the sentiment a little bit, because if we were to lose every game between now and May but won the title because City also dropped points, then yeah I’d be disappointed to some degree. But the season would still be a roaring success because we’d have ended the 30 year wait. Being disappointed with ‘how’ we won the title is something I’m sure we’d get over pretty quickly! The players are obviously aware of the talk because Virgil commented on it this week. I imagine they’re pretty baffled by it really, and rightly so. We’ve lost three of four but to add context to that, one of the defeats is only half time and one of them was with an under strength line up in a competition that frankly, if we’re being honest, Klopp really doesn’t give a toss about. So the Watford defeat is the only one that really counts as a genuine loss. It was a bad one and it was humbling, but we’ve played 29 league games, won 27 of them, had one draw and only suffered one defeat. So you can take you “maybe they aren’t that special” talk and stick it right up your hoop. No team plays their best football for an entire season, which is why Arsenal are the ones to go through a season unbeaten (and even they had a million draws). Form comes and goes and recently it's deserted us, but Watford are the only opponent that has been able to take advantage of us being below par. We’ve got a 25 point lead over Man City in second. TWENTY FIVE FUCKING POINTS. Imagine if someone told you back in August that as we hit the beginning of March we’d be 25 points clear of City and would have won NINE more games than them. It’s beyond all of our wildest dreams. Once again we saw why the talk of a weak league is an absolute steaming fucking pile of Zlatan. I’ll say once more, it’s really fucking hard winning games in this league because the teams at the bottom are capable of beating anyone. Norwich have beaten some of the big boys, Watford beat us and some of the other sides down there like West Ham and now Bournemouth have given us really tough games as well. Brighton at Anfield was hard too. We’re dominating without being that dominant, if that makes sense. We’re running away with it points wise but it’s not as though we’re smashing everyone all over the place. If winning games in this league was so easy, then why isn’t anyone else other than us doing it? Bournemouth were incredibly defensive but when the opportunity to counter was there they did so and at times they caused us problems. They played quite well but there’s no doubt that we deserved to win. The only reason it was as close as it was is because the inept referee gave them a head start. I thought I’d have no voice today because I absolutely lost it with Tierney and spent a fair bit of that first half jumping up and screaming abuse at him. Usually when I’m screaming like that I can’t talk for the next day or two but surprisingly was ok this time. Maybe my throat is getting used to it, as I feel as though I’ve gotten worse for this as I’ve gotten older. Instead of becoming more calm I’m finding that it’s the opposite. Not even a 22 point lead has taken the edge of it. It’s happened a couple of times this season but this was something else entirely. I genuinely couldn’t control myself. The Kop was probably full of people doing likewise, but where I sat, in the Main Stand, it felt like I was the only one reacting like that. This must be how Hendo feels when he's out on the pitch in the ref's face while his team-mates say nothing! Klopp often loses his shit and then says afterwards how he’s embarrassed and doesn’t like how he acts. I think if there was a camera on me and I saw how I was acting during this game that I’d be mortified, as I was up and down like a fucking jack in a box, frothing at the mouth and just yelling expletives as loud as I could. I guess this is what being an Evertonian must be like, only without the winning. I think it says more about how bad Paul Tierney was than it does about me though, as I'm generally a mild mannered, easy going fella. It’s not like I do this every week so it must be his fault, right? My anger with him actually started about 5 seconds into the game (although I didn’t jump up and swear at that point). A long ball played forward, Gomez went to clear it and was barged over by Wilson. Tierney gave nothing. Virgil looked incredulous and shouted something at him. I sat there thinking “who’s this tit?”. I hadn’t given it any thought until that point, so then I’m straining my eyes trying to figure out who it was. When I saw it was Tierney I knew it would be a long day as he’s fucking hopeless. I don’t have any particular memory of anything he’s done against us previously (although I’m sure there will be plenty) but I know from doing the PL Round Ups and watching MOTD every week that this fella is an absolute disaster zone. If he isn’t the worst ref in the league he’s defo in the bottom three. We’d actually started the game well and looked quite sharp, but then out of nowhere we fell behind thanks to the incompetence of Tierney. It went to VAR but I knew it would stand because it wasn’t offside (although it was much closer than I initially thought) and I knew they wouldn’t go back far enough to over rule Tierney on the foul that started the whole thing, because they never do, do they? Origi at Old Trafford for example, although this was far more clear than that one. It was just a staggeringly shit decision by Tierney. The shove in the back was obvious to everyone in the ground except him. The Main Stand lino defo saw it as he had the same viewpoint as me, but he gave nothing either. Not surprising really. I’m sick of the ‘assistants’ not ‘assisting’ because they’ve been told not to by the refs. They should be working as a team but they rarely do. Linesmen don't even give throw ins these days. It was as clear as anything that Wilson nudged Gomez in the back as he was about to play the ball. Not a huge shove, but it was forceful enough to put Joe off and cause him to miss the ball. It’s as obvious a foul as you’ll see, but Tierney wasn’t giving anything like that at all in the first half. I counted that Wilson fouled Gomez four times in that half and only the fourth one was given. I don’t know if Tierney didn’t give it because he wasn’t sure and he knew there was the safety of VAR to fall back on, or if he just didn’t think it was a foul. If it’s the latter then the fault lies with him. If it’s the former then I actually have a shred of sympathy with him as it shows a major flaw in the current system. It’s human nature that refs and linesmen might give less decisions now because they don’t want to get it wrong when they know VAR is there to sort it out of they miss something. The problem is that VAR isn’t always clearing up their mess. It’s this whole ‘clear and obvious’ bullshit. Refs don’t give a decision because they’re not sure, and then VAR doesn’t make the right call because they hide behind the ‘clear and obvious’ and won’t over-rule the on field decision. It’s a farce and this is why the referee himself needs to go to the screen. I’d like to think if Tierney went and looked at that he’d see the shove and disallow the goal. There’s no way of knowing of course, but the bottom line here is that goal should not have stood. What annoyed me almost as much as the non-decision was how easily our lads accepted it. Gomez should have been right up in the ref’s face demanding VAR go back and sort that out, and Milner and Virgil should have been there too. Hendo defo would have been. We just seemed to accept that terrible call far too easily. In a way it’s a good thing because Klopp has drilled it into them to not let decisions get to them and put them off their game. Sometimes though, when a ref is taking the piss like this, you really need to stand up for yourselves. Milner must have said something not long after because after awarding us a free-kick Tierney then called him over and lectured him over something he’d said. If I remember rightly it was for a foul on Gomez by Wilson (the fourth one he did but the first one to be punished). Maybe Milner said “about fucking time you useless turd”. The only consolation was that the goal was so early in the game that we had plenty of time to recover. And recover we did. Going into half time with the lead was huge really, as coming off the back of two straight defeats there was a danger the crowd might get edgy and it could get to the players as well. Thankfully we didn’t have that situation and for that we can thank the injury to Steve Cook. We might have come back anyway, but there’s no doubt that Cook going off completely fucked Bournemouth up. The lad who came on was useless, particularly as he’s one of the most one footed players I’ve ever seen. He was all left foot but was playing on the right of the two centre backs. I don’t think he touched the ball with his right foot once all day. I noticed it early in the second half and pointed it out to my Dad, and I watched him closely after that just waiting to see if he touched the ball with his right foot. I didn’t see him do it even once. This is why you never see two left footed centre backs partnering each other. Having two right footers is fine, but two lefties just doesn’t work. In theory it shouldn’t be any different to having two right footers, but it is and our equaliser came as a direct result of it. Simpson wouldn’t use his right foot and he got himself into trouble and was dispossessed by Sadio. Salah and Firmino were both up in support but Sadio's pass was horrible. It looked like the chance had gone but Mo shifted it onto his left foot and squeezed a shot into the bottom corner, no doubt much to the relief of Mané. Soon after we had the lead. Bournemouth gave it away cheaply on halfway and Virgil took one touch before immediately releasing Mané into a big gap between the young right sided centre back and the young right back. Again, if Cook is on the field it might have been different. But he wasn’t, and Sadio ran clear to finish confidently. How good was that from Van Dijk though? Imperious. Having come back from being behind I felt as though the second half was a really good opportunity for us to build up our confidence ahead of Wednesday. To do that though I felt that we needed to score early just to get everyone relaxed and loose. Bournemouth’s spirits will have been flagging after losing their lead so a quick goal might have opened the floodgates. If it stayed 2-1 for any length of time though then the worry was that we’d get edgy and end up hanging on. That kind of happened, but to say we were hanging on would be pushing it as it always felt quite comfortable to me and it would have been a major shock had Bournemouth scored, especially as in the last ten minutes or so it looked like they weren’t even trying. I think they lost heart when Milner denied them with that amazing goal-line clearance. That was the only real chance they had, but it was a great one and they should have scored. It was Fabinho’s fault. He made two mistakes in the space of a few seconds and before you knew it Fraser was clean through. He lobbed Adrian but Milner dashed back and volleyed it away from under the bar. What a man. He can’t provide the same attacking threat Robbo does but he’s worth his weight in gold that fella. How lucky are we to have Milner to bring in to fill whatever gap we need him to? He was great and really set the tone for us with his attitude, physicality and professionalism. I didn’t think we did enough in the second half really. We had a few chances but given the amount of the ball we had in their half I’d say we didn’t create anywhere near enough. Mané was a bit casual for me, but he did produce one stunning 30 yard curler that would have been goal of the season if it had gone in. Sadly it came back off the angle of post and bar. Firmino tried his best but it’s just not happening for him. There wasn’t much space for him to operate in and he found it difficult to make any real impact. A lot of what Salah tried didn’t work either, but he was a constant problem for the Bournemouth defence and tormented Adam Smith throughout. The only frustration with Mo is he keeps trying that thing where he cuts inside and tries the give and go. It hardly ever works anymore as there are just too many bodies in there and they’re waiting for him to do it now. Maybe if Bobby was in better form the chances on it working would be better. I don’t know what to make of Ox’s performance though. Most people seem to think he was terrible. Maybe he was, I don't know. During the game I wasn’t really thinking that. I didn’t think he was having a stinker but it was obvious that he wasn’t making much of an impression either. It was weird because I thought he looked sharp and he had some nice little touches and runs, and at times he was the only one who seemed to be trying to inject some pace and urgency into the game. But he just didn’t really do anything, did he? The midfield has looked shit without Henderson. It might not just be as simple as that and there are probably others factors contributing to it, but it’s a fact that since he went out the midfield has looked worse both with and without the ball. His case for Player of the Year was strong while he was playing and when he picked up that injury I thought it might hurt his chances. It’s probably strengthened them. The closing minutes of this game was strange. We were knocking it around just playing out time, nd Bournemouth seemed content to let us. At one point there was a stoppage in play for a free-kick or something, and they were in no hurry to get the ball back and restart the game. Like I said, I think the Milner clearance sucked away any belief they may have still had. The win was huge but ideally we’d have produced a more convincing display than this ahead of the Atletico game. The performance was patchy but I saw signs of improvement, both individually and collectively. I’m concerned about Fabinho and to a slightly lesser against Firmino too. Fabinho just hasn’t regained top form yet since his injury. He seems slower than before and I feel like he loses the ball in dangerous areas at least once a game these days. Hendo is back in full training now but whether that means he can start this week or not we’ll see on Wednesday I suppose. If he can start, there’s a good argument to be had that it should be at Fabinho’s expense, although I doubt that will happen. Not least because Ox hasn’t seized his opportunity and we can’t trust Keita either. Maybe we’ll see Milner moved into the middle with Hendo and Gini? I’d lean that way if I was picking the team but it’s a big call leaving out Fabinho. As for Bobby, I think you have to pick him regardless of form because he’s someone who can just click back into top gear at any moment. He’s a big game player and he’s so important to how we play that I doubt there’s even the tiniest shred of doubt in Klopp’s mind about selecting him. He hasn’t scored at Anfield all season and it’s probably playing on his mind. That pitiful late miss just reeked of a lack of belief. Away from home he’d have buried that without even looking. Literally. I just have a gut feeling he’s going to be the key for us on Wednesday. If he plays well we’ll win. I expect him to play well and to score. Let’s hope I’m right. Star man is Milner, by some distance. I liked what Mo gave us too and Virgil was also very good. It’s Milner though, the big fucking hero. Final word concerning the atmosphere. Once again I keep seeing loads of comment about how quiet and flat it was, whereas the players and Klopp are once more praising the fans and saying how much it helped. I’m with Klopp and the players. I thought the atmosphere was good and I’m baffled at the criticism. Ok, so it wasn’t the manic, intense, European night type of atmosphere, but you never get that for a league game anyway, especially one that kicks off at 12.30. I’m not sure what people are expecting to be honest. The Kop looked great prior to kick off, flags everywhere. There was a fucking huge roar when the players were waiting for the game to start and when we went behind the fans didn’t panic. It was a bit quiet at times in the second half, but you’re not going to have everyone on their feet roaring while Virg and Joe are knocking it around on the halfway line, which is what happened for a lot of the second half. All in all, the atmosphere was fine, but obviously it’s going to be cranked up several levels for Wednesday night. Team: Adrian; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Milner; Fabinho, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mané:

Saturday Feb 29: Watford 3 L 0. Wow. If you’re going to lose an unbeaten record, may as well do it in stye I suppose, with an absolutely fucking brutal performance and a 3-0 spanking to a team in the relegation zone. I wasn’t shocked we lost because this was a tricky looking fixture given our current form. I never dreamed we’d lose like THIS though. Every single player was shite. That’s really hard to do as even in the worst performances there’s usually one or two who you can say were alright. Not this time though. They were all shit. Even Virgil. Even Robbo. Pure shit. So what does that mean? There has to be an explanation why everyone is out of form as that just doesn’t happen without a good reason. It’s no co-incidence that any time we have time off we come back looking like shite. Usually we get knocked out of the cup and go for warm weather training, and when we come back we start dropping points all over the gaff. This time is wasn’t warm weather training, it was the winter break. It’s the same result though, we come back looking completely undercooked. Watford smashed us everywhere today. They were faster, stronger, hungrier. That hardly ever happens to this team but we were shit against Norwich, Atletico, West Ham and now today. What I can’t really process is that we’re getting worse. If we’d put a performance like this is as soon as we got back it would be easier to understand, but we’ve had four games to sharpen up and instead we’re getting worse. Thankfully we’ve built up such a huge lead that it doesn’t matter, but the Atletico game is next week so that’s a worry. The unbeaten record going is a bit of a bummer like, but on the bright side it will make the rest of the season far less stressful now that we’ve got that defeat out of the way. And far better it be Watford beating us than City or Everton. They’d have loved to be the ones to ruin the record, but tough shit. Sunday Mar 1: What’s this shit with Besiktas’ twitter account taking little swipes at us? The other day they were taking the piss about the time they knocked us out of the Europa League and today they’re going on about how they (and Arsenal) are the only 'invincibles', and they’re tagging LFC into their tweets. These are the same cunts we beat 8-0. Get back in your box your fucking nobodies, trying to make a name for yourself at the expense of the Mighty Reds. Meanwhile, we’re being linked with “Eton Educated Jack Grealish” again today. Lallana is attracting interest from a few clubs and it seems to have all but been confirmed that he’s off at the end of the season, so the press are putting two and two together and coming up with Cantwell. I’ll say it again. Fuck that. In other news today, City won the League Cup again. Surprisingly Villa put up a fight and made a game of it, but it wasn’t to be as the football Gods are still paying them back for this…. Monday Mar 2: Neil Critchley leaves to take the Blackpool job. Good for him, he deserves a crack at it. That club seems a bit of a shambles though. They change managers all the time. I expect Critch will be back within six months like Ljinders and Michael Beale (who came back after a spell in Brazil only to leave and join Stevie at Ibrox), but hopefully not as it would be nice to see him make a real go of it as he’s widely regarded as being a lovely fella. Best of luck to him. In other news today Sturridge cancels his contract in Turkey after his ban for betting was increased to four months. Unless there are details we aren’t privy to, that’s a fucking scandal as there was nothing wrong with what he did. It makes no odds to us as he’s not our player anymore, but I don’t like injustice and this appears to fucking stink of it. Also today, Ancelotti is charged by the FA over his conduct at the end of their draw with the Mancs yesterday. From watching the video it doesn’t look that bad and he’s certainly not someone with a reputation for that kind of thing. The condescending way the ref was talking to him probably tipped him over the edge. We’ve all been there, whether it’s with a parent, a teacher, a bouncer, a copper, a traffic warned or a spouse. Sometimes people talk down to you and it’s fucking infuriating. I lost it with a traffic warden a while back. Not because he was going to unfairly give me a ticket (well not JUST because of that) but because of the way he was speaking to me. I saw Carlo with that ref and I could relate to it entirely. No-one likes being talked down to, especially by some little jobsworth fucker. My Dad is the worst for shit like that though, he just won’t tolerate it at all. One time he got pulled over by a copper for what was a relatively minor and completely unintentional traffic offence. He tried explaining but the copper was being a complete arse about it. My Dad knew he was getting done regardless, so he says “Everyone makes mistakes officer. Your Mum and Dad made a massive one when they had you”. Be ace if that’s what Ancelotti said to Swarbrick. Tuesday Mar 3: Chelsea 2 L 0. A game of two halves. We were alright in the first half and didn’t deserve to be behind. Then it all just went to shit and we looked desperate and clueless. It’s weird seeing some of these players who have looked completely imperious for two years suddenly look vulnerable. I don’t think Klopp is helping himself either though. Why the fuck does he insist on playing Origi wide left? How much evidence does he need before accepting that he’s a centre forward? Play him in the middle and he scores goals. Stick him on the left and he just pisses everyone off. It’s reached a point now where it isn’t Origi who pisses me off when he’s shit. He is what he is and can’t really help it. Klopp can though. He can do something about it by playing him in his best position. Fair enough when he’s being kept out by Firmino, but tonight we had Minamino through the middle. He was alright for a bit and then vanished. It’s going to take him a while before he’s ready to make a significant contribution because he just looks like a kid playing in a grown ups game. That’s natural, as it takes most new signings a while to get up to the physical levels of the rest of the squad. He’s also a good example of why signing players in January isn’t really Klopp’s style as 99% of players couldn’t just come in and go straight into this side. Van Dijk is the 1%, but everyone else (other than Salah) has taken time, even those signed in the summer and who had a pre-season to adapt. It’s not going out of the cup that bothers me. I’ve said all along I don’t really care much about it. I’d have continued to pick some of the young lads like Hoever and Chirivella if it were up to me, but the waters were muddied by us losing two of our previous three games. Going with a strong line up and trying to ‘stop the rot’ so to speak made sense, but only if it actually worked. It didn’t, and now we’ve lost three of four. Had we picked the kids tonight we could have dismissed this defeat as ‘not counting’, like the Villa one. We can’t do that now though, it’s a legitimate defeat and it doesn’t feel good. This is how fans of everyone else must feel. Wednesday Mar 4: Rafa is talking about how hard he had it here again. Some bollocks about what his transfer budget was when he was trying to win the title. “We had no money. Our transfer budget, in my last year, was €17m. So, with that you could not compete. We had to try to sell to buy and when you sell Javier Mascherano, Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres. It was the only way to try to get closer to the rivals. This Liverpool team has two or three years of very good investment and a lot of success in signing. And then, a coach whose opinion is valued by the owners.” Turn it in man for fucks sake. You did good, you got close, but you couldn’t get over the line (and you didn’t “have to sell” Torres or Mascherano, that was Hodgson. You did CHOOSE to sell Alonso though because you wanted to buy Robbie Keane and Gareth Barry). Klopp has done what you couldn’t and he didn’t do it by outspending everyone else. Honestly, this does my head in. He doesn’t need to be so fucking insecure about his legacy here. He won a European Cup. His legendary status is secure. For the love of all that’s good and pure, just stop it Rafa. Thursday Mar 5: “After tonight I can get back to supporting United” said Rooney. You know what they say, once Everton has touched you…. Rooney’s Derby side lost 3-0 to United tonight but that wasn’t enough for some United fans who decided to yell all manner of foul abuse at Jesse Lingard as he boarded the coach. Even before they dropped the “N bomb” on him it was fucking sickening, but when I heard that I genuinely couldn’t believe it. It’s bad enough they felt empowered enough to be yelling that with so many other people around, but it looks as though nobody did anything. Now in fairness I don’t know what happened after the video stopped and maybe someone took the vile cunts to task over it. I suspect not though. It’s easy to use something like that to score points and say “look at the state of these United fans” but it’s not about United fans. The overwhelming majority of them will have been as sickened by it as the rest of us, more so in fact as it reflects badly on them all, even though it shouldn’t. Cunts will be cunts and they follow all manner of different clubs. Even if you take the outrageous racism element away from it, those fuckers deserve a massive hiding. Yelling “Fuck off Jesse, you’re shit” and then quoting stats at him “No goals and no assists in 27 games” or whatever it was. Honestly, I’d happily see the cunts publicly flogged. How did we reach this point where people think it’s ok to act like that? It’s fine for United fans to think Lingard is shit, because he is. It’s fine for them to voice that opinion too. We’re football fans, it’s what we do. Voicing it directly to him though? When did that become ok? It’s bad enough when it’s some faceless fuck doing it from behind a keyboard, but yelling at him as he’s getting on the coach (after a 3-0 win!!) is just incomprehensible to me. Lingard is dealing with some serious family issues and he has to listen to this? I never thought I’d see the day that I felt sorry for Jesse Lingard, but I do. This is fucking appalling and I just hope it doesn’t affect him too much. Friday Mar 6: Alisson injured? Of course, oui. It wouldn’t be a big European week without some kind of fucking drama. It’s a setback but I can’t say it’s shaken my faith too much. Why? Because last year we lost Salah and Firmino immediately before Barca when we needed to score four fucking goals. We did that, so forgive me for not pissing my pants in fear about us not having Alisson. If Origi can make himself a legend then there’s no reason why Adrian can’t. Meanwhile, some mad quotes from the deluded Dusan Tadic who is convinced Ajax should be European Champions. "If Ajax had gotten what it deserved against Tottenham, we would have defeated Liverpool in the final. We would not play as badly as Tottenham and be much more inspired than Liverpool. The confidence of the Ajax players was so powerful that Liverpool would not have been able to cope, period." Mate, you couldn’t beat Spurs so shut up. Not just that, but Tadic couldn’t even beat Nathan Redmond out of the Southampton team, and he’s talking about handling the Mighty Reds. They shit the bed against Spurs and it was entirely they’re own fault. When you flop like that, you don’t get to talk smack about what you WOULD have done. Stay in your line, knobhead. and that was the week that was….