rgk_lfc

Oh please, sorry. Not supporting Klopp or Arteta but Neville acting like an elder statement after pushing every rule to the limits and crossing lines to gain a favor is a bit too much. Former referee Dermot Gallagher has lifted the lid on Sir Alex Ferguson's intimidation tactics. And, with figures showing 'Fergie Time' has been slashed since the Scot's departure, the official has revealed the pressure referees were under during Manchester United home matches. More here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2553037/I-know-3-1-call-Former-ref-Gallagher-lifts-lid-Fergies-influence-referees.html I have nothing against any team doing everything in their power to gain an advantage. But stop acting like a statesman for sportsmanship and releasing statements after spending your entire career doing nothing but that.

Mikel Arteta says the match officials deserve support in situations where errors occur. “They are trying to make the best decisions. We need to understand that mistakes happen.” Arteta's comment on the Diaz goal.

Forget temporary suspension, Darren England shouldn't be allowed to VAR a game anymore. The only reason I believe PGMOL hasn't announced his firing is that, potentially there are far worse out there who haven't been caught out like this.

Less than 5. Release clauses have to be paid in lump sum, no staggered payments. That is my understanding. That reduces the number of clubs in Europe to PSG and maybe Boehly.

You have had to face not just good teams; you had to face Emery, Pep, Klopp, and De Zerbi - who are in most opinions among the top 8-10 managers operating in Europe currently. Howe has always outperformed in practically 90% of the seasons he has been the manager. And he has done that by playing aesthetically pleasing football. The difference is this is the first time he is in the spotlight. His performance last season put NUFC on the map across Europe. Now managers and their teams will spend a lot of time analyzing his style of play, limitations, defensive positions, attacking patterns, how best to handle, etc. It is going to be interesting to see how he evolves when he is scrutinized to a higher degree than he is used to. Given the fact that he has always come out better in the past in response to challenges, I would bet on him being successful. Having said that, I don't expect it to be linear and there are going to be ups and downs. Whether your fanbase and owners have the patience for it, I cannot answer that.

Thanks

Sorry. Been very busy the past month. New job and recently became a dad . Football is a bit low on my list of priorities for the next few months. I honestly have nothing insightful to add other than bewilderment. I have no clue why we went all in for Caicedo. I have posted here that one needs to be careful about spending huge sums of money on players from clubs that play in well-defined systems, such as Brighton, Dortmund, RB, etc. There will always be exceptions, such as Haaland, Lewa, and Gundogan, but for the most part, they won't live up to the price tag. Caicedo is a great player, but not sure about breaking the British transfer record for him. The part I don't like is our consistent attempts at trying to sign players who are obviously going to other clubs - Tchouameni, Bellingham, Caicedo, and now Lavia also. I am very happy about the Mac Allister and Szoboszlai purchases. We still need a number 6. Endo can be a stopgap. We also have a collection of youngsters - Harvey Elliott, Bajcetic, Curtis Jones - who all have shown that they belong to the premier league but are still unsure if we rely on them over the season for a top 4 finish. Definitely expecting a season in transition.

Carra always caters to the fans who throw their toys out of the prams. We got two of our targets done. They weren't expecting the Saudis to bid for Henderson and Fabinho and they definitely were not expecting Henderson to push for the move. The transfers were also a bit protracted as both Henderson and Fabinho needed time to "think" about the move. Once that is done, they are now looking for replacements. I am not saying the LFC transfer committee or scouting is perfect or amazing, but it is definitely not as bad as it has been made out to be. Some of the journos who have inside sources have also said that the Saudi influx of money has sort of confused the market as several clubs are now in the mode of, do we accept or is there a chance of a big Saudi bid incoming? Southampton value Lavia at 50 million plus. Which is completely fair as he is their player. They can demand 50 million plus or 100 million plus. It looks like LFC values him around 40 million, according to journalists with insider knowledge. I have no clue how they come up with the 40 million. There is a dance going on now to arrive at a compromise. Often, we don't reveal bid details in public like this. I am betting it is the Southampton side releasing the information to get the attention of clubs like Newcastle, Man United or Chelsea. Again, not a criticism. They are using it to drive the price as high as possible.

Yes, he is declining, but Salah is still a monster contributor in goals, assists, and, more importantly, defensively. He is 31 and still presses and protects the right-hand side like a warrior.

Kagawa, Mkhitaryan, Keita, Sahin - there is a decent list of players going to well coached teams and not living up to their transfer hype.

Before Leicester, there was Southampton. Their owner died, daughter wasn't all that interested, the background team started leaving one by one leading to the current situation. As long as Bloom is around, Brighton will be more than fine. He is the best poker player among all owners in Europe. He pulled Chelsea's pants down with the Cucurella and Potter. At some point, they will stumble and maybe even get relegated. But in the long term, Brighton will be fine. I expect the same out of Leicester, by the way. I know the previous owner's son isn't as invested into Leicester as the previous owner. But they have put together a good footballing infrastructure. In a couple of years, they will be back up and established as a PL team.

In general, clubs should be careful about paying high prices for players from Dortmund, Brighton, RB etc. as they have very clearly defined style of plays and pick players who fit that mould. There will always be Gundogan or Lewa who shine in most systems, but a majority of these signings wont live up to their reputation once they are outside the system.

Bayern squad plus Kane, Walker, central defender from Napoli. Tuchel being manager. They are strong favorites to win the CL at least once in the next three years.

I think fans of every club are overly negative about the transfer misses and look at other clubs' transfers with rose-tinted glasses. We have had plenty of players turn us down. In general, I like that we have abandoned (either by design or after getting rejected repeatedly) trying for players Bellingham and Tchouameni and started focusing on the tier below that. There is a risk, but that is how we built the previous team. Given the upheaval in midfield, this coming season will be a bit of a transition. I like all the players we have bought and their potential. Mac Allister, Szoboslai, Jones, Bajcetic, Elliott, and hopefully Lavia - there is a lot to work with there.

No mysterious love for us from Lavia. Three clubs were in him for him from the beginning of summer - us, Arsenal, Chelsea. Since Partey decided to stay, Arsenal backed off. Chelsea showed interest but decided to focus on Caicedo more. We were the only ones consistently in for him since the beginning. With Fabinho leaving, we have only one player who can play number 6 and that is Bajcetic. If he comes to us, he will get plenty of game time. I am guessing that is the reason he currently prefers us.

Anything less than 50 million is a bargain for a player of his experience and quality. It sounds crazy, but that is the new norm.

By the way, UEFA regulations on agents start after this transfer window. So this is the last time parents/brothers serve as agents and other agents to make money through traditional means. Transfers are going to be more complicated due to this. I am sure the agents will find other ways, but this is the last transfer window for the usual operations.

A few years ago, he was considered Klopp's top choice as a replacement for Mane and Salah. I do believe LFC reached out to Leicester but the price was too expensive at that time. Then we moved on to other targets and finally ended up with Diaz. I am not surprised at common targets - Barnes, Thuram, Kone - being linked to both of us as I believe some of the player analysts who used to work for LFC have now moved on to work at NUFC. Dan Ashworth and Michael Edwards are close friends and I am sure the team they assembled has a lot of overlaps in terms of the type of players they look for. Around 2015-2017, we had Sterling and Ibe in our youth team. When you looked at attributes - pace, physicality, dribbling ability, shot-taking - Ibe was significantly better than Sterling. However, Sterling had a significantly better career as he was able to put together his attributes more effectively on the pitch. Barnes, in some way, reminds me of Sterling. He has a lot of attributes at a good to very good level but what he is really good at is putting together his strengths to make the whole, greater than the sum of the parts. I have not followed Barnes in the last year and a half but he impressed me when he broke through at Leicester. Also, there was an interesting comment from one of the analysts on Twitter that the more modern clubs are now buying players based on attributes rather than positions and trusting the coaching to mold them. Mane, a right winger became a left winger and striker. Salah, a left winger became a right winger. Gini, an attacking midfielder became a defensive midfielder. Plenty of such examples, actually I would say even more, in City. Gordon is similar, in my opinion. I posted about him a couple of months ago in the Gordon post. Given the fact that we share analysts who have worked for each other, as an outsider, looking at your transfer purchases quickly without any deep thought, the first thing which comes to mind is that aspect - emphasis on what he brings to the pitch on terms of strengths rather than traditional aspects such as what positions does he play etc.

Very difficult to say one way or the other. He was definitely not a success given his reputation and definitely not a flop either. The constant injuries meant that we could never see him in full flow. He was aesthetically a very pleasing footballer to watch, silky touch, skills on the ball, passing, etc. So when he was on song, he gave us moments when you jump out of the sofa and clap at what he did. To a certain extent, I also think it is not his fault. I am not sure such footballers fit Klopp's midfield ethos. Klopp's midfielders are skillful (not at his level, obviously) but are more physical. He didnt quite fit the template. You can see Klopp going back to his trusted template this season in our midfield purchases. Another aspect I admire him for is his attitude. He has won the lot multiple times (treble twice, CL three times), and at no point did he show any airs. He joined the club and got right into it, embraced the city, the club, the youth team etc. Great person to have in your squad. Very Rafa like in the sense that he immediately got it.

Thiago Alcantara rumored to be in negotiation with Al Ahli

I know you are not aiming at me personally. I come here as an individual and not as a representative of LFC fans. I am on record here congratulating you all when the ownership change went through.

Released Milner, Ox, and Keita over the summer. Thiago has one year left on his deal, and the club has indicated that his contract will not be renewed. There have been rumors that Barcelona is interested in Thiago. After Szobo and Mac Allister, I would be surprised if we were in for both Thuram and Lavia unless Thiago is definitely leaving.

I just want to point out that I avoid participating in such discussions. This is your home, and you come on here to let off steam and legitimate issues against other clubs and that includes LFC. I enjoy the discussion here. I enjoy getting the views of fans of another club which I respect, even if some of them are anti-LFC. And unless I have something to contribute positively, I avoid posting.

Kone is out with a knee injury. The return date is unknown but guesses are it might be as long as six months. I am betting Kone's hope of getting a transfer this window and potentially the next is over.