dchogs

1 hour ago, Corcaigh said:

Mo, Bobby and Sadio did remarkably well without Coutinho.

 

Just like the song from above:

oh Salah

Mane, Mane

and Bobby Firminoooooo

so we sold Coutinho...

that cat has the third sight.  Rightly calling 3 of 4 goal scorers and that we wouldn't miss Phil (okay, that's a stretch short term)...

Reds be hummin'!

don't click on this unless you want to have it in your head for a while:

14 hours ago, Berggy9598 said:

Does anyone else play Football Manager?

question about FM-- is it an "active" game where you're controlling the players in games, a la FIFA?  Or is it more "managerial" where you run the team, but the games are simulated and you just get the results?

i think i would really, really enjoy it, but i also know that it is a huge time-suck, which is probably not a good idea for me at this time.

4 hours ago, Gibbs Hog Heaven said:

But at the least, Suarez gave us that last great season where he left NOTHING on the park every game. Phil ciuldn’t even do that. 

He talked about the special nature of L’pool and its fans when he signed the last contract. How you couldn’t beat that fan passion anywhere. Statues built and all that. Yet Luis Suarez, for all his faults, remains a fan hero and would be welcomed back tomorrow with open arms tomorrow by the majority. Phil Coutinho, for the sake of 4/5 short months, and doubling down twice over by stopping playing to force that, now, sadly, never will be.

You could have left on the best of terms mate and been looked upon as a modern day great. 

Instead, you’ve left a terribly sour taste in the mouth that will linger for ever in how you’re ultimately viewed by Liverpudlians.

 

Hail.

to be honest, i had never thought that suarez did the biting in the WC to force a move... maybe just naive of me, but with his history, i just assumed he lost his head again.

in any case, i largely agree with you here, especially on why suarez will be always be a red and not phil.  that said, football is a business, and clubs are cold and calculating in dealing with players all the time-- players have to look out for themselves.  phil could have tore his knee in march and have lost the chance to realize his dream of playing at barca.  where phil loses me, though, is the BS injury crap.  don't lie to the fans, phil, especially when you and everyone else know you're lying to force a move.  that was a breach of trust that he isn't going to be able to mend.

i was expecting something more explosive in that article... there wasn't anything that screamed "he had to play at barca" to me other than he's always dreamed of it.  I wasn't sure if the explosive reason would be pro-barca or anti-liverpool... and it turned out to be nothing.  meh.  certainly nothing that made a mid-season transfer mandatory.

3 hours ago, Gibbs Hog Heaven said:

FA probe into Mason Holgate's allegation Roberto Firmino racially abused him to see all parties quizzed this week - Mirror Online

Had to be investigated as soon as Holgate decided to deflect from what he did. Just an absolute joke that it’s been brought about with absolutely no evidence to corroborate the accusation.
 

The worry now is you can never trust the FA to do the right thing in anything. So the threats still there on Firmino.

I just hope it then switches to Holgate if they do.

Again, racism should be taken seriously and relevant sanctions handed out.

As should anyone that trivialises racism and flippantly pulls out the race card to deflect away from what they’ve just done with nottin’ to back up the claim.

 

Hail.

should be as simple as asking the ref... he was standing right there between them. 

8 hours ago, DC9 said:

Here's the thing - they haven't said they aren't INTERESTED in Mahrez or that we aren't buying him... they've said he isn't a Coutinho replacement.

that was my thought (and hope) too.  honestly, they should say phil is essentially irreplaceable-- no one we bring in is his "replacement."  will help those that come in if they don't have to fill anyone's shoes and just be their own player, regardless of who it is.

2 hours ago, FanboyOf91 said:

 

Dortmund players:

A) Pulisic

B)?

 

Just saying...

Who's the second kid?

Where does Mahrez line up, though?  is he a forward, winger, CM?  wouldn't hate that signing, and for relative peanuts. 

pair him with a keeper (i'd agree @DC9 on alisson being the pick if the other cat has that large of a release fee) and get one of Goretzka, Suso, Lemar, Pulisic, etc--- that's good business.  hell, if he's motivated to play in liverpool and not heart-set on ManC, sanchez would be nice now too.  that's getting greedy, though.

lol, don't break your shoulder patting yourself on the back, brother...

to add to my post above, liverpool also need a keeper, but that money should be above and beyond the coutino money.  sell off some of the excess players (sturridge, ings, mignolet, etc), and look to a legit top flight keeper.  i keep seeing alisson and oblak mentioned, which i'd be more than happy with (but again that part about not believing 5% this time of year). 

gotta grab two for one with coutino's fee.  i don't watch enough footie from other leagues to know which players fit the following bill, but i'd think liverpool need to go for one more mature now-ready player and one that is young and full of promise (not unlike coutino when he came to 'pool).  i don't think they need another pure forward in sanchez (though adding him for relative peanuts in the window before he'd be a free wouldn't make me mad).  I don't know that they need any more wingers, but if they can adapt to playing through the middle, who knows.  the reds definitely need creativity-- someone that can go 1v1 or slip a pass behind the bus.  the midfield as it currently stands is full of high motor, high effort guys-- an important thing in klopp's system; but we need to replace that bit of magic (or even the threat of magic) that phil brought to the side.

i don't believe 5% of what the transfer rags (and at this time of year, they're ALL transfer rags) put into print and have no idea who to even dream about. 

if the VVD deal is for January and Keita is successful at working his way out of Leipzig this winter window, that'll be a nice boost for the back half.  hopefully VVD can deal with the inevitable weight that comes with being the most expensive defender on the planet. 

now, a new top flight keeper and an established DM this summer...

god, i'm glad the VVD saga is over... and glad he went red.

That's a nice comfy performance vs a bottom table team.  Was hoping Dom would get one...

1 hour ago, Gibbs Hog Heaven said:

 

You don't rate Karius mate?

 

Personally, I think he's looking better every game he plays the more confident he gets. You can certainly see the potential of a solid, dominant 'keeper there. 

 

Hail. 

Yes and no.  He has the potential to develop into a solid keeper but he is sti the #2 behind Migs- which doesn't say much for where he is now or how long it'll take him to grow into wearing the "green" for the reds.  I don't think Liverpool has time to wait for him to develop and hope they're more ambitious than having just a solid keeper by the time he gets there.  

18 hours ago, Gibbs Hog Heaven said:

 

Funny how we all see things differently. 

 

FWIW, I'd pay £70 million or more straight up in a heartbeat for van Dijk. 

 

Personally rate him as good as any centre-half the PL and I fully believe he'd thrive at being at one of the biggest clubs in the World to go on to be one of the best in the World at the position. 

 

I just don't see a flaw in his game. 

 

At 6'4 he's an almost unbeatable beast in the air at both ends of the park with the physical frame to match. Rarely if ever do you see him get muscled off the ball. (And he's real strong the tattle to match.). Or done for speed. The big Dutchman is deceptively fast. Real comfortable on the ball with a great range of pass. Still not in his prime at 26. And the leadership qualities he'll bring is something we sorely lack right through the side. 

 

The perfect, cultured, rapid ball-playing defender who fits perfectly into what we do under Jürgen and what's expected out of the CH's.

 

Which is why Klopp's not settled for less knowing he only wants to play one place. 

 

Hail. 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas everyone!

i don't disagree totally-- I still want VVD here, and another quality CB too for that mater.  I just think that a quality keeper covers the mistakes of a defense and negates the oppo's quality up top.  Quality CB's are still going to have shots get through, and if the keeper is poor...

i asked santa for a new G/CB/CB or G/CB/DM or (if I'm allowed to be honest and greedy) G/CB/CB/DM. 

I'd rather drop £70m on a goalie than a CB.  A top keeper makes Lovren/Klavan/Matip all better.  VVD doesn't make Migs better, and VVD is far from perfect... I've seen him switch off on goals recently, much like Gomez did yesterday. 

Since it it isn't my money, I'd gladly take both though. 

roll out that side on sunday, and it would have been 3-0 or 4-0.  again, though, if sadio had just played a square ball across the 6, it would have been 2-1 (or worse if that broke the blues' backs and spirits).  selfish footy never wins.  suarez and sturridge (and sterling) were at their best when they were passing to tap ins and you couldn't just key in on one.  the fab four are close, but their ego is still showing.

ings??? wtf

****, soft ass penalty.

Mo's so good! 

selfish play by mane with ox and mo standing in front of an empty net...

Eff this NBC Sports Gold crap.  Such BS.  Not sure I could have watched it anyway, but damn.

from vis's post of twitter stuff on the last page:

Corker said the lack of this information makes his policy demand even more important.

“That’s one of the reasons we need a trigger, because there’s no way they’ll have a score in time,” he said. “We’re bypassing that step, which is one of the reasons we need a backstop.”

(rhetorical question)... and why is this MASSIVELY important issue being pushed through at breakneck pace without the proper scoring and analysis?  why?  for the "small government" right-- those that think the government is wasteful and inefficient and not to be trusted with "my tax dollars"-- WHY are we rushing into this?  what is the hurry?  if these taxes score out to be a net positive for the country (with reasonable estimates... a debatable issue, of course), let's move forward into prosperity for all Americans.  If they score out to be generating significant deficits, why plunge the country further into debt while robbing the poor to feed the rich?

this makes no sense.  is the R wing of the government only rushing into the breach to give Trump a "win?"  at all costs?  really? 

any good streaming recs?  this is the first time i've run into NBC sports gold and needing to pay.

2 minutes ago, Long n Left said:

Can, Henderson, Milner as plodding a midfield as you'll see this level.Spurs running circles around them.

that was my first thought at seeing the lineup.

and wtf is lovren doing out there.  JV player out there.

holy crap.

what a dumpster fire. 

very little quality on display... the fruits of an MLS-centric approach by US players.  be big boys and go play internationally, if you can.  if you can't, USMNT is truly screwed.

flipping international games during the regular season.  there HAS to be a better solution that what currently goes on.

Glad I turned that off at half. 

Looked like some lazy defending in the highlights. All four defenders looked shakey... Moreno, Klavan, Lovren- which of those are truly deserving a start on an ambitious side.  I'll give AA time to get better and Matip has flashed, but the defense continues to be the glaring weakness. Criminal to have not shored it up this summer-- VVD or no.