Liverpool Discussion posts 4

02 Jun 2026 22:35:33
So next season there will be more Scousers in the Classico than Merseyside derby.

03 Jun 2026 01:20:21
The Albanian State Washing Machine Company has more scousers than the Merseyside derby.

02 Jun 2026 22:15:54
I'm strongly toying with renaming my sourdough starter after all this excitement. He's currently called "Wheataru Endough", but I may change him to "Andoughni". Thoughts?

03 Jun 2026 05:33:14
All sounds a little too inbred for me

03 Jun 2026 12:22:17
No knead in these changes.

03 Jun 2026 14:32:24
I'm sure the right name will rise up during the season, OP.

02 Jun 2026 14:33:43
Fabrizio has posted the here we go on Iraola.

02 Jun 2026 14:24:35
Positive vibes and love for the king in his battle with cancer and also the brilliant Kevin Keegan in his battle with that awful disease too.

02 Jun 2026 14:07:35
Prayers for the kings, Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan and their families at this time. ?

02 Jun 2026 11:22:08
Welcome to Liverpool Dr Octopus!

02 Jun 2026 19:55:36
Ringo built a garden for him.

02 Jun 2026 10:32:33
With the appointment of Iraola, which of course I am very much happy about. However, I would love to ask if there has been any appointment over the years of a coach or manager from the supposed smaller clubs to any of the big clubs within the EPL that was a success? I am genuinely struggling to think of any.

02 Jun 2026 11:16:49
Depends what success is. Not many though. Eddie Howe's done ok at Newcastle.

02 Jun 2026 11:40:05
It's a valid concern. The Sporting Directors are all powerful in these new models. To warrant this power, you would then expect them to be more visible, accountable.

It's a shame ours spends more time in Bournemouth than he does in Liverpool.

02 Jun 2026 12:11:39
Arteta?
Arsenhole was his 1st job as manager... came from City as Pep's assistant.

Can't think of anyone else from within the PL...

Mourinho came from Porto to Chelsea and did Ok.
Wenger was a nobody before he joined Arsenhole.


Maybe one of Chelsea's multiple managers... although it's difficult to say who was a success there and who wasn't... DiMatteo did win the CL with them....

We won't mention Spurs and all the managers that joined them from "smaller" teams...

02 Jun 2026 12:45:58
In the way you are presumably thinking about as a precedent for Iraola to follow, there is no one.

Arteta would come close, but as a different example given he went from assistant straight to the top job.

Otherwise, there is no one.

02 Jun 2026 13:34:38
Poch did pretty well at Spurs? Maybe even Harry R too?

02 Jun 2026 15:07:29
Marco Silva done well leaving Everton for Fulham. ?

02 Jun 2026 15:37:33
Again, is nobody concerned about Iraola's 37% win ratio as a manager?

02 Jun 2026 15:48:10
Do you not bother reading other posts, Fonz?

37% is fantastic for a team like Bournemouth. If he was hitting 50% plus then he would be winning the league, which, with a team like Bournemouth, would be remarkable.

What is more important is how he managed to over-perform in the EPL with the players at his disposal. Bournemouth didn't recruit £100m+ players, but Iraola has made them into that, and profited massively along the way, which is the business model that Bournemouth (and others, like Brighton, Brentford etc) operate.



I don't think anyone is stupid enough to think that, with a better quality of squad (remember we spend £400m+ less than 12m ago), Iraola will again deliver 37%! Do they?

02 Jun 2026 18:57:07
Yes, I do read other posts, no need to be snarky lad. His 37% with Bournemouth is comparable to Hodgson (41%), with worse players with us. Iraola's overall career win ratio is 38.4% - with 41% being his highest in the Cypriot League.
A 50% win ratio will not win the league. We had a win ratio of 49% last season, overall, marginally less in the league.

In answer to your last paragraph, a Premier League, Eredivise League and Cup winner managed to not deliver last season, despite an investment of £400m.



We will see what happens, obviously, but as a lot of people on here seem to have no patience if things go wrong and are very reactionary, how much support will he get from the moaning day trippers to Anfield when we don't win? I'm discounting any of the commenters on here as most of them don't go the match it seems.

02 Jun 2026 23:44:03
I'm with you, Fonz. This appointment really concerns me.

There are no managers that have successfully made that step up and been successful.

Zed, you have actually backed up our concerns by mentioning teams like Brighton and Brentford. Potter and Frank were considered to have performed miracles at those clubs, but completely tanked when making the step up.

It's far more likely that Iraola will do the same rather than him being successful.



Appointing any manager is a gamble, but I'd like to see us appointing someone who has won big trophies at other clubs and knows how to build and maintain a winning mentality. I just don't see that in Iraola.

He will get my full support, and I will pray that I'm wrong, but I just can't shake this feeling that this is a big mistake.

03 Jun 2026 02:58:31
I'm not overly worried about the win percentage.

It is just one metric and needs to be read in context.

03 Jun 2026 05:45:38
Moyes has done ok at Everton since making the step up from United.

02 Jun 2026 10:31:34
What’s the deal with Iraola then, Romano saying he’s the new manager? When he announced Slot he specifically put head coach.

If we walked away from Alonso because he wanted to be manager and not head coach, then why all of a sudden is Iraola being given manager but not head coach?

Happy with Iraola like, just don’t understand the whole thought process of denying one more control, but then giving another the control the other asked for?

02 Jun 2026 15:08:45
We don't know why we walked away from Alonso, that's an assumption on your part.

Some say we never even approached Alonso.

I don't think we'll know the reason for now.

02 Jun 2026 15:37:49
It is literally repeated in dozens of articles on t'interweb.

Looking at coaching styles, Alonso is a far better fit for Chelsea and Iraola a far better fit for the style of football that the owners (and the fans) want us to play - heavy pressing.



I truly believe that we didn't approach Alonso. It's a fairytale appointment given his past history with us, but if he hadn't played for us, I don't think anyone would be asking the question.

02 Jun 2026 15:49:20
Oh, and Alonso wanted to be a manager, whereas, at least until a coach is proven, FSG would prefer to appoint a head coach.

02 Jun 2026 17:18:39
Well said, Zeddicus.

It's like listening to a broken record when people talk about Alonso.

01 Jun 2026 16:56:02.
Taking away the players leaving as free agents and including the return of those on loan, below is the current 1st team squad according to Transfermarkt.

Gks:
Alisson
Mamadashvilli
Jaros
Pesci
Davies

Defenders:
Virg
Gomez
Leoni
Jaquet
Kerkez
Tsmikas
Bradley
Frimpong
Ramsay

Midfielders:
Dom
Wirtz
Macca
Jones
Gravenberch
Endo
Nyoni
Bajcetic

Fwds:
Isak
Ekitike
Gakpo
Rio
Chiesa

9 of the above are out of contract in 2027.
Alisson
Davies
Virg
Gomez
Tsmikas
Ramsay
Bajcetic
Endo
Jones
Huge summer ahead.

01 Jun 2026 17:20:50
Not a very strong or deep squad.

01 Jun 2026 18:01:11
Harvey Elliott?

01 Jun 2026 19:18:54
Hughes has a lot to answer for, looking at this squad. Letting Diaz leave was a huge mistake. I don't think anything would have changed TAA's mind. But, Jarrell, Harvey, Tyler should not have been sold, and the money used to buy players we didn't need left the squad thin and unbalanced.

01 Jun 2026 19:22:38
Not strong, if you add the fact that 10 are injured or returning from injury or long layoff.

01 Jun 2026 20:26:55
Spot on, Jari, shocking job from Hughes.

01 Jun 2026 20:37:09
Forgot Elliot Willo. He would make it 10 players out of contract in 2027 then.

01 Jun 2026 20:42:35
I honestly think Slot's poor coaching and tactics have warped people's perceptions on our squad. That is a very good squad with a competent manager.

01 Jun 2026 21:00:05
The squad numbers are there, but it's unbalanced and lacks quality as we all know. Also quite a few have recurring injury problems.

I think we need some experience in defense, particularly right side CB and RB. Midfield still needs a more defensively capable and mobile central player, and attacking wise we need both left and right wingers.



With the exception of Alisson and VVD, the out of contract players can all go, although it may not be viable to keep Ali as he seems to want out.

Chiesa needs to go, as do all the other keepers except maybe Jaros.

02 Jun 2026 07:09:25
I really liked Morton, but given he wanted to leave for game time and Slot's reluctance to play fringe players, I can see why he was sold.
Quansah was not showing signs of improvement, and again I can see he was sold. The fact he has done pretty well in Germany is either due to the lower standard or perhaps the move gave him the kick up the backside he needed.


Harvey is a hard one. I like his energy and passion, and he is clearly skilled, but his lack of pace really makes it hard for him to cement a place in the side.

02 Jun 2026 08:03:05
I don't think we have a bad squad at all,
Not one person thought last summer was a bad transfer window until Guehi transfer went wrong. But that was more Palace than us.
And to be truthfully is we world class I don't think so by a long shot.
Now Diaz, he wanted out for a long time and the season before Gakpo was playing a lot better than Diaz, who ran around a lot but with most of the time very little end product.
So he goes and has a good season in Germany. For his age and time left of his contract, we got a fantastic price for him.


Gakpo is not the answer to the left wing, but neither was Diaz. Both are massive step downs from Mane.
The players were not fit last season because of Slot's training methods, but it's a new dawn now. Am hoping that even Frimpong might improve this season.
Even Konate, when he had a full preseason, you see the best out of him, but he would pick up an injury, miss a few weeks, and all his mistakes would start, and it would take him 4/5 weeks to get back to peak again, and I wonder if it's just a case of him never being fit last season.