Rick

Bellingham is not going to fix every issue in the middle. In my view, we need a couple of quality players in there, possibly more when you think of who we should be getting rid of. We have seen a summer where Bissouma & Phillips have both moved for reasonable transfer fees and Tielemans is one that could be bought for a fairly reasonable price as well with him only having a year left on the contract. Those three are quality players with potential to be world class, and they are all still in their mid twenties. I take the point about seeing different formations, that is a possibility. But Klopp is very set in his ways when it comes to the formation and we have barely ever seen anything different. I think people here are being very generous to a few players, but I’ll not go over them again. I guess we will just see, but there’s a reason that most of us showed concern when Thiago went off in that first game.

You’re talking about Tchouameni? Bellingham? The former was a set back, that can’t be denied. Can’t lump Bellingham in with him though, because that transfer was never going to happen this summer with Haaland leaving. The fact is that Jones really hasn’t pushed on from his breakout performances in the cups when he first got into the team. Keita is so inconsistent and hasn’t shown anywhere near enough since he has been here, certainly not enough to offer him a new deal. Ox is a complete waste of time, made of glass and doesn’t know his role in the team when he does feature. Milner is getting to the end of his career and can’t do 90 minutes without looking fucked. Henderson’s impact is becoming less and less on the pitch, and he will take on Milner’s role as a squad player when he leaves. Harvey Elliot just isn’t a CM, his best position is out wide or just behind the striker. Carvalho looks to be another attacking type player, does he really fix the issues at CM. I’d gone on about this for a couple seasons now, so it’s not just knee jerk (before the usual suspects jump in) because Thiago has got his injury. Mane needed replaced, that much is true, but it wasn’t the only hole in the squad and I can see us having a real issue there in the next few months.

Keita & Jones.

We rely too much on injury prone players. Thiago, Ox, Keita, Jones. Losing Thiago for the next six weeks is terrible news, and if we don’t bring in a quality CM then we haven’t learned from the 20/21 season.

I would agree with that score @Cicero I thought it was a big return to form for the series. I’ve been watching them all this week and this was the best since the original.

So we have one midfield target? Bellingham is the only one we are linked with which would be impossible this window.

We’ve needed another CM since Gini left. Thiago’s injury just makes a mockery of what our options are in that position. After those three players who started the game we have Jones (flatters to deceive after a bright start), Keita (so inconsistent, always injured), Milner (good player, but can’t start and finish a game) and Ox (waste of time). Klopp is on about having 8 players in that position but 5 of those 8 can’t be counted on whatsoever. Think it’s important that we bring in somebody this window. I am all for Bellingham next summer, but we can’t act like if he comes in our midfield is fixed. All three of those three who started the Fulham game are 30+, we need better coming through than we currently have because I have no faith that Jones is going to be the player we thought he was going to be and the likes of Ox & Milner won’t be here much longer. Handing Keita another contract is a head scratcher unless he has taken a big pay cut. He has non stop niggling injuries, has never established himself with a run of games.

Alien vs Predator: Requiem - 1/10 Truly fucking atrocious.

Predator 2 - 6.5/10 Danny Glover was good in this. Alien vs Predator - 4/10 Nobody was good in this.

Fed up with how shite Netflix is. Apart from Stranger Things and Ozark, what exactly do they have to entice us this year? Mediocre popcorn films like The Gray Man? Or maybe some other fucking shite buddy comedy film with Kevin Hart or some cunt in. Best films on there are the Studio Ghibli ones. Amazon do my head in for trying to charge me a fiver on top of a subscription to watch films and their original series leave a lot to be desired. Not to mention their layout is dogshit. Disney + is good. Wish they had a bit more selection on Star but their original content is usually good. Only Murders In The Building is on there as well so it gets high marks for that alone.

The Gray Man - 6/10 With the talent involved, this should have been so much more. Netflix continue to disappoint with original film content.

Virgin River. I love it.

Got his confidence after the second goal. Anybody saying negative stuff about him are apes.

I’m hearing the budget was $40m. Surely fucking not.

I had no hopes for this, but fuck me this trailer has sent my anticipation levels into the negative figures. Might be the worst trailer for a major studio film I have ever seen.

Gave them mancs the highlight of their season earlier today. Bloody 4-0

Why are they playing on the Lee name so much. Cringey shits

Very happy Salah is staying. Not fussed about the money, it was always going to be loads. Hopefully next season he can start and finish how he did up until the AFCON this season.

You are insane. To suggest this is anything but an abhorrent decision really does stun me. You know damn fine that the Bible Belt states and the backward cunts in the south are going to ban it full stop. So now women have absolutely no say over their own bodies. “Oh you were violently raped and are now pregnant? Too bad bitch, you should have made him wear a rubber” ……fuck these fucking cunts. Everybody who voted for this needs a bullet.

Johnson need shot into space.

Yes, and it’s looking increasingly likely that the two main contributors to those goals will be gone within the year.

When I say attacking midfielder I don’t strictly mean us play with two men sitting back. Our midfield does need an injection of offence though. Thiago is great, but he isn’t the marauding type like a DeBruyne that I think we could do with having. There isn’t enough goals coming from that midfield three.

So, what are everybody’s thoughts regarding incomings and outgoings? To go - Mane (likely), Oxlade-Chamberlain, Origi, Minamino (possibly). To arrive - A CM & CAM, another forward or two depending on if Taki leaves. My targets would be Nkunku, he would be excellent for us as that goal scoring midfielder. I like the sound of this Sangare fella, but I still think Bissouma could come and do a great job here. He’s into the final year of his Brighton contract so it wouldn’t be impossible. If Mane leaves I think we need to try and get Lewandowski in for a couple of seasons as part of the deal. If he is keen, it makes a lot of business sense and he’ll score bucket loads. As for another attacker to replace Origi & Minamino in the squad, I don’t have anybody in particular in mind, though Rondon is out of contract this summer isn’t he?

Brilliant news.

Suppose the only positive of that situation is that he will be 31. If that’s how things end up and we have ready replacements in the same sort of profile as Diaz then I can just about live with letting him go and get his last massive contract at a PSG or Madrid. But, hopefully we find some sort of agreement because he’s amazing and there’s plenty left in his tank.