Liverpool FC - Talk /Gossip/Rumours 25/25

Damien360 · 12-05-2026 06:21PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124462802#Comment_124462802

But it is a popularity contest. Every manager has fallen when the crowd turns against them. If your home and away support is booing it's own team then you are gone. The next step for fans is not turning up or not buying the merchandise. I can't remember if loss of PL position impacts your TV income or not. That's all money lost and then the board has to care.

SodiumCooled · 12-05-2026 06:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124462996#Comment_124462996

I think the other teams being “off it” card is over played to be honest. Arsenal can only get one more point this season than Liverpool won with last year so if we replicated last years performance we would possibly win the league still or be in a serious battle at the very least.

It’s looking like we are just returning to these points totals as being the norm which is no bad thing as the leave is much more competitive overall.

Arsenal would be much “worse” winners this year imo if they win it (hopefully they won’t) than we were last year. Just messy crap corners and long throws, time wasting, benefiting from awful ref and var decisions etc etc. You could take 10 points of Arsenal very easily with a few correct decisions.

Girly Gal · 12-05-2026 07:23PM

Whatever way you look at it Slot is running out of rope, I don't really know who should take over, would go with Alonso myself, no guarantee that he'd succeed, of course, but, I do think we need to change. There are other options out there too, some we are not even aware of, no one would have picked out Slot 2 years ago!

Girly Gal · 12-05-2026 07:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124463432#Comment_124463432

I wouldn't see them as worse champions, we weren't that impressive ourselves last season, and I think Arsenal will put up a better defence next season than we put up this season. They also had a close competitor in City, we didn't last season, not because we were an outstanding team, but, more that the other teams were way off it last season. Had we a close competitor last year, who knows if we'd have got over the line.

mosstin · 12-05-2026 07:37PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124463504#Comment_124463504

They had a close competitor in a much poorer City side this season. Arsenal were similarly inconsistent last season so it's much of a muchness. Style wise, we were the superior team to what they've served up this season. Not often you see the team that's about to win the league whose best player is their keeper. Southall for Everton the last time I can remember that.

Girly Gal · 12-05-2026 07:50PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124463525#Comment_124463525

In the first half of the season we were better, but, from around mid January on we weren't really any better than Arsenal are this season. Having a close competitor, leads to more pressure, something we didn't really have last season as Arsenal never took advantage any time we dropped points. Having a close competitor completely changes the dynamics of a title race.

54and56 · 12-05-2026 07:58PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124463366#Comment_124463366

It's simply not true that every manager has fallen when the crowd turns against them. Crowds applaud managers (Slots name was being sung by the crowd early in the season) and for sure the crowd are not only not singing his name any more but they are booing and leaving early etc.

If Slot is allowed to complete the planned team transition and the team he produces starts both playing better and winning the crowd will just as easily start singing his name again.

Fans who have paid for season tickets won't sit at home and regardless of how the team is playing spare tickets will be snapped up by travelling fans making a once a year or even once in a lifetime trip to Anfield so I wouldn't hold your breath that fans won't turn up or buy merchandise.

A drop down in PL position will cost the club money but nothing material. Far more important would be not qualifying for the CL but as we can see, even in a disastourous season where his own fans are booing him somehow Slot looks like he'll achieve CL football this year to add to his PL last year so I don't see FSG sweating too much over whether the crowd are singing or booing him as both positions are temporary and can change like the wind depsnding on results.

dogbert27 · 12-05-2026 07:59PM

The fact that we are the only team that Chelsea outran this season, AT ANFIELD!, speaks volumes as to what is going wrong with the coaching set up.

Slot can say all he wants that the players are not playing the way he wants them to but then he's already admitting he's not the man for the job.

We are going in to United territory where it's becoming certain players and fans vs the manager and who are the board going to back?

I've said it before in posts but Slot's personnel life also must be having an affect. His family still did not move with him and it's now 2 years done, with 1 year left they're not going to move and it will be more of the same with time off and going home.

I understand for the first year he said his kids were doing their final exams and they didn't want to upset them but he also dedicated himself to being in Liverpool more.

This season after winning the league he might have thought he can relax more and be home more often. That wouldn't be seen as a problem if he was getting results.

Even if we were a competitive 3rd this season may not have looked so bad and the reasons of Jota, etc. would have been more accepted.

Change a few results and things would be looking different for Slot -

Burnley at home - 3 points reduced to 1

Leeds away - 3 points reduced to 1

Fulham away - 3 points reduced to 1

Wolves away - 1 point reduced to 0

United at home - 1 point reduced to 0

Chelsea at home - 3 points reduced to 1

Spurs at home - 3 points reduced to 1

Man City at home - 3 points reduced to 0

Bournemouth away - 1 point reduced to 0 (95th minute goal)

United away - 1 point reduced to 0

Brighton away - 1 point reduced to 0

That's 23 points we had in our hands and ended up with 5.

Those 18 points would put us 2 points behind Arsenal right now.

Those results should not have been lost and every one of those results was down to mentality more than bad luck and for me that is down to the coaching team.

Klopp in October 2015 signed a 3 year deal. In the summer of 2016 he was given a new contract until 2022 with the owners saying his leadership will be critical to everything Liverpool hope to achieve.

That was on the back of getting to 2 finals but not winning.

Slot, after winning the premier league did not receive the same instant reward of a contract extension. Maybe doubts were already there at the end of last season as we slogged our way over the line and then the partying began in Ibiza.

People may not like hearing it but Klopp is the standard in this day and age for a Liverpool manager just like Kenny knew the first time around that Shankly, Paisley and Fagan were the standards to follow.

54and56 · 12-05-2026 08:01PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124463490#Comment_124463490

That's why there are professionals (rather than forum fans) in charge who's job is to identify up and coming managers not just the obviousl candidates so there is a succession plan in place if your current manager leaves or is fired.

Girly Gal · 12-05-2026 08:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124463585#Comment_124463585

Every club should always have a shortlist of candidates to potentially take over in case a manager suddenly quits or has to be fired. I'd be very surprised if every top club doesn't have such a list and constantly updates it. The fans of course might not agree with what clubs decide, but, they should be free to discuss it without being talked down to!

McFly85 · 12-05-2026 09:12PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124463575#Comment_124463575

If you think Klopp is the standard you’re going to be sorely disappointed with basically anyone else. Klopp is a generational manager.

Slot might not be the man forward but there’s going to be nobody close to Klopps level to replace him.

brevity · 12-05-2026 09:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124463575#Comment_124463575

[Sorry I don’t know how to edit a quote]
Change a few results and things would be looking different for Slot -

Burnley at home - 3 points reduced to 1

Leeds away - 3 points reduced to 1

Fulham away - 3 points reduced to 1

Wolves away - 1 point reduced to 0

United at home - 1 point reduced to 0

Chelsea at home - 3 points reduced to 1

Spurs at home - 3 points reduced to 1

Man City at home - 3 points reduced to 0

Bournemouth away - 1 point reduced to 0 (95th minute goal)

United away - 1 point reduced to 0

Brighton away - 1 point reduced to 0

That's 23 points we had in our hands and ended up with 5.

Those 18 points would put us 2 points behind Arsenal right now.

I think the analytics guys will be looking at this too. Very fine margins. The amount of points lost due to individual errors was crazy. I wonder if Slot had used Endo a bit more would we be in a better place. IMO we should be a lot higher but we didn’t have the composure or street smarts to get over the line. Which is surprising considering we had won the league

TitianGerm · 12-05-2026 09:55PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124463575#Comment_124463575

We haven't played well enough over the season to be in a position to say we deserve to be above where we are. We've been very weak mentally but we've also created very little for our CFs inside the box, we seriously need to improve on this next season.

Fitz* · 12-05-2026 10:26PM

A few years into Klopp's reign, there were a few interviews with players who talked about the standard within the training sessions being incredibly high. The intensity was off the chart, so much so, that the games at the weekend often felt 'easier' in terms of intensity and effort.

Contrast that to this season. Split session, walking pace training sessions with little intensity. It's no wonder that we're being outran and out worked in every game. Salah has talked about standards dropping, which promoted a dig from Slot. But the point still stands. The standard of training is dropping and when senior players like Salah, Ali, Robbo, VVD all leave then who is going to keep these standards high. James Milner is a big a loss as anyone, Hendo too. Purely for these reasons. There has been some murmurings that Wirtz was surprised with the intensity of the league when he first started playing because he was flying it in training in the first few weeks.

8-10 · 12-05-2026 10:40PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124463574#Comment_124463574

Slot's name was being sung a month or so ago

mosstin · 12-05-2026 10:57PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124463554#Comment_124463554

Not necessarily when both teams at the top have faltered as much as both teams have this season. Even now the title isn't officially in the bag for Arsenal and the vast majority of their fans have hated watching them this season.

Girly Gal · 12-05-2026 11:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124464028#Comment_124464028

Yet, as inconsistent and poor both teams are supposed to be, they will finish in and around the same points total as we did last season and a total that would generally win or go very close in most normal league seasons. While some Arsenal fans may not like how Arsenal play, they will all forget about that if as seems highly likely they get over the line.

I'm definitely not a fan of how Arteta plays , but, fair play to him if he does win the league and possibly the CL too.

machiavellianme · 12-05-2026 11:33PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124464010#Comment_124464010

Indeed, followed by the word "out"

mosstin · 13-05-2026 07:08AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124464066#Comment_124464066

And that's more down to the fact - which you're surely aware of - that we hit the beach as soon as the title was wrapped up. For the most part our football was pretty enjoyable last season - we controlled matches but still scored plenty of goals and had the outstanding player in the PL. There's night and day between our win last season and what will most likely be Arsenal's this season.

mormank · 13-05-2026 11:33AM

Personally I can't believe we are about to finish below Man Utd. I'm not ready for that. After winning the league and them finishing 16th or whatever it was last year I was expecting another season or two before that would happen.

And I think it clearly shows what a difference not having the wrong manager in charge can make. I've heard a few posters saying the manager doesn't make that much of a difference to how the team performs but that is clearly baloney. I'm not saying Carrick is the right manager for Utd but Amorim was very clearly the wrong manager for them and he was clearly holding them back. We could all see it. Their rise up the table has more to do with Amorim being gone than Carrick being there if you ask me and I believe the very same is true for us and is becoming more and more apparent with every month that passes.

Fitz* · 13-05-2026 11:58AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124464706#Comment_124464706

Guess what the difference between finishing 3rd, 4th or 5th is this season? I'll give you a clue. It means f**k all given they all receive the same end result.

There's a small difference in prize money (~£5m) but Liverpool's CL income from the year means that incoming money is still very high.

brevity · 13-05-2026 12:12PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124463974#Comment_124463974

This is my biggest concern too. I don’t think training has to be brutal in such a way that it affects players welfare but it’s needs to be suitable to the premier league. They need to be fit enough mentally and physically to last 90+ minutes. With a bigger squad that might be easier.

mormank · 13-05-2026 12:13PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124464767#Comment_124464767

Who gives a toss about prize money?! That's not what I'm concerned about. I'm concerned about us challenging for major trophies and I simply cannot see Slot turning this around. I for one do not see just about scraping into the champion's league next season with one of the lowest points totals to ever manage it as an achievement really. It's a level above a disastrous season, that's about it.

The trajectory is all wrong. The mood about the camp is all wrong. The attitude of the players is all wrong. So many other things that have happened this season is just plain wrong. I see absolutely nothing from Slot in terms of tactics or team motivation or squad management or anything else for that matter to suggest he can ever win us a title again. The experienced players that were crucial to his league win last year will basically all be gone next season (Van dijk will be 35 before the season starts).

It is plainly obvious to me that if we keep Slot for next season he will just end up sacked before the season is out, or we might scrape CL qualification again but either way we will have wasted another season when all the signs we needed change this summer were staring us in the face. Not to mention his contract is up at the end of next season.

mormank · 13-05-2026 12:16PM

God don't you just hate it when people talk about winning money as tho money is the prize! 🙄

Money is not the prize folks, not for us fans anyway. For us it is all about the experiences and enjoying watching our team play. It's about those moments we will never forget for the rest of our lives. So we all lost this season.

Osmosis Jones · 13-05-2026 12:25PM

Whether we finish 3rd, 4th, or 5th there's been nothing shown this season that makes me believe this current set up can compete for the league next season. I've waited all year for things to "click" and they never have, not once did it feel like this team was building towards something.

The highlight of this season is a brief period where we managed to "stop the rot" with a 10 game unbeaten run that featured dropped points to all 3 newly promoted clubs (twice against Leeds):

54and56 · 13-05-2026 12:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124464813#Comment_124464813

This is 100% true from a fans perspective but from an ownership and club management perspective in addition to winning trophies the total value of prize money won is actually a very important season objective as it contributes to the clubs financial ability to buy and pay top quality players which in turn keeps the club at a level where it can consistently compete for trophies. Start dropping down the prize money list and you end up with a smaller budget to spend on players which in turn makes competing at the to level much more difficult and very soon you're in a serious down cycle which may take years to pull out of.

Libertine07 · 13-05-2026 01:07PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124464835#Comment_124464835

I was at the Leeds match and it was absolutely miserable, never seen the atmosphere so dead at Anfield. Not surprising if you give the fans nothing to get behind.

The football was so boring I spend half my time chatting to a Leeds fan sat next to me who had managed to get a ticket.

The Leeds fans were singing "shall we sing a song for you?" at our fans, with no response.

Fitz* · 13-05-2026 01:13PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124464802#Comment_124464802

I don't care about the prize money either, relatively speaking.

I'm just saying that "finishing below Man Utd" means nothing as the reward for 3rd, 4th & 5th is the exact same in terms of success. It's irrelevant about finishing below them. I was only replying to this point, there is no need to go tangenting on prize money.

J Mysterio · 13-05-2026 01:56PM

Clearly as a fan, finishing below your rival is not 'irrelevant'.

Fitz* · 13-05-2026 02:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124465031#Comment_124465031

in the last 5 or 6 years, we have won the PL twice, the CL and won every domestic cup. A few more good challenges in both premier competitions also. Man Utd didn't even come close to challenging for the PL or CL. They didn't even qualify for the CL most years. Do you think I care about finishing behind Man United in one of those seasons (2nd vs 3rd) when both teams were also rans in the league?

I'd largely forgotten about it tbh, and doesn't really register with me. The only time it does is when some Man Utd fan thinks it's some big achievement.

Liverpool FC - Talk /Gossip/Rumours 25/25

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