Liverpool Discussion

[Smiley Culture]

20 minutes ago, Rick said:

You can’t count academy players in the 14 and you know it. No other team has been expected to field a team of teenagers. 

Liverpool have the best part of 50 professional players on their books, with at least 5 currently out on loan. No one has mentioned the plethora of academy kids they have too. 

12 minutes ago, LFCMike said:

People go on about the League Cup being devalued but they now want Liverpool to play a team of kids in the semi final 

That’s straw clutching and you’re well aware of it. 

[MUFC]

I said in the summer that both domestic cups should be scraped this season.

[LFCMike]

22 minutes ago, Smiley Culture said:

Liverpool have the best part of 50 professional players on their books, with at least 5 currently out on loan. No one has mentioned the plethora of academy kids they have too. 

That’s straw clutching and you’re well aware of it. 

If the training ground ends up closing, which seems possible given they stopped training yesterday, then Liverpool won't be able to field anyone. The first team, under 23s and Academy all train at the same place.

Funny how it's only such an issue now Liverpool have dared to ask for a game to be postponed though.

[Lucas]

1 hour ago, LFCMike said:

People go on about the League Cup being devalued but they now want Liverpool to play a team of kids in the semi final 

In fairness, you played a team of kids in the Quarter Final at Villa whilst taking the full team to the World Club Cup.

I know that was out of your hands but just to play devil's advocate here. I'm not sure one extra round makes a difference now.

Edited January 5, 2022 by Lucas

[LFCMike]

4 minutes ago, Lucas said:

In fairness, you played a team of kids in the Quarter Final at Villa whilst taking the full team to the World Club Cup.

I know that was out of your hands but just to play devil's advocate here. I'm not sure one extra round makes a difference now.

That the Football League had no plan for Liverpool winning two games in its cup competition was ridiculous.

[Lucas]

1 minute ago, LFCMike said:

That the Football League had no plan for Liverpool winning two games in its cup competition was ridiculous.

Completely agree, daft and the EFL have probably made a rod for their own back there just as they will if they allowed the game to be postponed when they have enforced this Covid rule previously at the expense of other sides.

The irony in all this is if Liverpool were to name who was available for the game, it would arguably be a virtual League Cup side they have been close to fielding before anyway.

The fact it's a semi and the League has blown away from them in the past week or so has flipped the importance of this for them suddenly.

[Storts]

Can’t believe people are being so critical of Liverpool here. Clubs up and down the country have been having Covid outbreaks, Liverpool have battled on but with a depleted squad already this was unfortunately likely to come. This isn’t a normal season, they should find a way to rearrange this game - nobody should lose a semi final by default 

[Stan]

2 hours ago, Rick said:

You can’t count academy players in the 14 and you know it. No other team has been expected to field a team of teenagers. 

In the PL I think they stated that any player that has played in the last year for the senior side counts towards the squad that can be available. I'm guessing it is the same for EFL Cup? 

Any player meaning senior, reserve, youth team etc. If they've played even 5 minutes they count towards the eligibility. I think @RondónEFC mentioned it when Everton struggled last month because they'd used very inexperienced pros in the year and now they counted towards the squad allowance per se, which means it was harder to call the game off.

 

I don't agree with that. Like @Storts just said, so many other clubs have been able to get games called off and I don't see why Liverpool should be any different if the circumstances are the same as what other clubs have suffered. The timing is probably just coincidence of AFCON players going. There's a precedent that has been set by PL/EFL/FA etc including injuries in the availability quotas. Wasn't it Wolves recently that had 1 Covid-19 case and plenty of injuries and still asked for postponement? 

[LFCMike]

 

[RandoEFC+]

2 hours ago, Stan said:

 

Any player meaning senior, reserve, youth team etc. If they've played even 5 minutes they count towards the eligibility. I think @RondónEFC mentioned it when Everton struggled last month because they'd used very inexperienced pros in the year and now they counted towards the squad allowance per se, which means it was harder to call the game off.

Yeah apparently the criteria for Premier League games is that every player who has appeared in the PL this season counts as a 'senior player'. I don't know if it's the same when the League Cup is the competition in question.

That said, our lineup against Chelsea involved Simms and Branthwaite who were making their first appearances of the season, so I doubt we were at the 14 players at that point. However, I don't think we were missing players due to Covid, only a lot of injuries, so even though our squad was in a bad enough position to reach the threshold for postponement, the fact that it wasn't *Covid and injuries* means I don't know whether we could have had that one postponed if we'd asked.

Having a nice little Covid outbreak now though is a good way for Liverpool to reduce the number of games without their AFCON players isn't it. 

[The Artful Dodger]

Why has the game been postponed? Disgraceful decision and a flagrant breach of a precedent. 

[LFCMike]

3 minutes ago, The Artful Dodger said:

Why has the game been postponed? Disgraceful decision and a flagrant breach of a precedent. 

Haha what?

[Rick]

5 minutes ago, The Artful Dodger said:

Why has the game been postponed? Disgraceful decision and a flagrant breach of a precedent. 

Wut 

[The Artful Dodger]

Leyton Orient were kicked out of this competition because they could not fulfill it. The precedent was set there. You either play or don't. No moving games.

[LFCMike]

Just now, The Artful Dodger said:

Leyton Orient were kicked out of this competition because they could not fulfill it. The precedent was set there. You either play or don't. No moving games.

The rules have been posted in this thread. They're very simple to understand. Leyton Orient couldn't fulfill it because there was only a week between the rounds.

[The Artful Dodger]

1 minute ago, LFCMike said:

The rules have been posted in this thread. They're very simple to understand. Leyton Orient couldn't fulfill it because there was only a week between the rounds.

 

And when is Liverpool's next game against Arsenal due...within a week. Its mealy mouthed rubbish. Liverpool have got their way because of who they are.

Edited January 5, 2022 by The Artful Dodger

[LFCMike]

1 minute ago, The Artful Dodger said:

 

And when is Liverpool's next game against Arsenal due...within a week. Its mealy mouthed rubbish. Liverpool have got their way because of who they are.

The rules clearly mention it must be rearranged by the following round. The next round doesn't take place until 27th February! Nothing to do with who Liverpool are. They're the rules that were already set out.

[Rick]

@The Artful Dodger You, YOU, are the one who says we have been punish for being too honest. Saying we should have tried to get games postponed ourselves because our rivals have done so. Now that we have actually had a covid outbreak & had to close our training ground you are up in arms over it. Make your bloody mind up. 

Edited January 5, 2022 by Rick

[Storts]

23 minutes ago, The Artful Dodger said:

Why has the game been postponed? Disgraceful decision and a flagrant breach of a precedent. 

Classic anti Liverpool sentiment. You are such a Tory 

[LFCMike]

Also last season:

EFL Cup laws state that the rule forcing clubs to withdraw from the competition if they cannot fulfil a fixture was only in place until the fourth round.

That means the semi-final will likely be rearranged, rather than United being handed a bye.

'But Liverpool...'

[The Artful Dodger]

15 minutes ago, Rick said:

@The Artful Dodger You, YOU, are the one who says we have been punish for being too honest. Saying we should have tried to get games postponed ourselves because our rivals have done so. Now that we have actually had a covid outbreak & had to close our training ground you are up in arms over it. Make your bloody mind up. 

Liverpool have soldiered on so far and I respect that. It makes no odds to this decision though. Liverpool are due to play a second game in the league Cup within a week...either play or your out. 

That's what happened to Leyton Orient.

 

Edited January 5, 2022 by The Artful Dodger

[Dave]

Just like when they won the Premier League, if Liverpool win the trophy it'll always have an asterisk next it.

[Rick]

4 minutes ago, The Artful Dodger said:

Liverpool have soldiered on so far and I respect that. It makes no odds to this decision though. Liverpool are due to play a second game in the league Cup within a week...either play or your out. 

That's what happened to Leyton Orient.

 

I mean, Mike has quoted the EFL website a few times here and it all points to this being completely in line with their rulings. Whether it was us or fucking Barrow, the semi final would have been rearranged. 

[LFCMike]

4 minutes ago, The Artful Dodger said:

Liverpool have soldiered on so far and I respect that. It makes no odds to this decision though. Liverpool are due to play a second game in the league Cup within a week...either play or your out. 

That's what happened to Leyton Orient.

 

But wouldn't have happened to any semi finalist last season. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, The Palace Fan said:

Just like when they won the Premier League, if Liverpool win the trophy it'll always have an asterisk next it.

No asterisk next to liverpool winning the league. They were 20 points ahead when the league was halted.