Cheeky bugger. But since you brought it up. I was 10 when me an’ me mates used to go to Anfield without adults. Imagine that in this era of paranoia. And this is the list of managers that have gone by since then (1948) Couldn’t get Arne in the screenshot. I saw them all but I’d forgotten how many. And yes, Roy had his time long before he came to us, and done well. But he was past it when he came to us. Like other managers, King Kenny and Brendan. Draws were what finally did them in. Don Welsh and Phil Taylor saw mostly Division 2 Talk about a rainy night in Stoke. Try it in Division 2. We did just to se Sir Stanley Mathews play in his last year. Rainy night on the Kop was much the same back then. And then came Bill Shankly.
I honestly think Souness was a worse manager for us than Woy. We were at the top of the heap. And then several years of zany signings by him and some funky tactics and we're out of challenging for (league) titles for nearly two decades.
Thanks for that @Samarkand. Barnes and Beardsley were so beautiful to watch - involved in everything good.
nah _ Souness knew what he was about. The problem there was that certain factors were already in place when he took over. Some overrated players (Staunton,Burrows, etc - and some aging ones - houghton, whelan, rush, etc.) And Michael Thomas and Paul Stewart, though not bad attempts on paper to replace Steve McMahon were through injuries and lack of form never that replacement at that crucial time. Atop this, he managed to exacerbate a situation he could have rode over, by being numbheaded enough to give the Sun an agony interview. (Which is probably his biggest regret in life.) Aging key players who it seemed could go a little bit longer at the top, and a club cagey to splash more dosh with Fowler, Macca, redknapp, Jones etc comign through. An FA Cup win in 92 that probably masked the need to sign a couple of big names before the talented youth squad was ready - and instead while Man Utd were doing just that. Rumours that Roy keane and Les Ferdinand were to be had were going about..... instead it was Nigel Clough, Don Hutchison, Pault Stewart ... which weren't bad managerial buys, just not specifically enough at the time.....
Nice article about Luis Garcia. I've read that he sometimes watches games on the Kop with his hood up to avoid causing a commotion. Seems like a great guy. https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...-to-give-me-that-again-but-there-i-was-crying Luis García was “super cool”, he says. That, at least, was the plan, but things have a habit of working out differently. When the former Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool player retired in 2016, it was the second time: he walked out of the game in 2014 and walked back in again six months later. But this time, he wasn’t going to be affected. All that suffering and satisfaction, the pressure, the emotion: that was no more. “I was always very competitive and once I had left football, I thought I wasn’t going to have those feelings I had before,” he says. “I still enjoy football, still play seven-a-side with my friends – every Saturday at 10am, Los Jareños Club de Futbol – but I thought I had lost that and it wasn’t coming back. In fact, I was trying to avoid it; I didn’t want it. So when it happened, it surprised me. I didn’t expect football to give me that again. But there I was, crying.” It was mid-February in Iskandar Puteri, Malaysia, and the players García was watching celebrating a historic win were his, the feeling shared. “When I saw them jumping with joy, having been with them every day, sharing the long journeys, from Malaysia to Vietnam and back, on to Japan, and then saw them win I got that emotion again.” For the first time in their history, the Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta’zim had reached the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League, defeating Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3-2 on aggregate. On Friday, they face Al-Ahli or Al-Duhail in Jeddah. García will be with them. He is their chief executive. It’s different, that’s for sure. A big responsibility, too. Which is why García sits on the bench at Atlético’s Metropolitano Stadium watching two of his former clubs warm up pre-game and chatting about his playing career and a new adventure after it. When Barcelona come here in the Champions League on Tuesday night he will have to follow it on television. He will also follow Liverpool against Paris Saint-Germain; although he travelled to Saudi Arabia on Sunday night and divides his time between Madrid and Malaysia, he doesn’t miss a game and the connection remains, the impact profound. García still plays for Liverpool’s legends team – “the best are probably Mark González and Fábio Aurélio, Stevie G [Steven Gerrard] always plays well” – and says there’s nothing quite like getting back to Anfield. When he’s asked for his perfect seven-a-side team from all those he has played with, he comes up with: Victor Valdés in goal, Carles Puyol, Sergio Ramos and Sami Hyypiä at the back, Gerrard, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández in midfield and Ronaldinho up front. Until, that is, he cracks up and says: “Wait, that’s eight.” But still he refuses to take one out. Istanbul is always there, too. Asked about his goal against Chelsea in the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2005, the response is immediate: “Yes, it went in.” And when he’s reminded of the half-time team-talk in the final when Rafa Benítez wrote the names up on the board and someone said: “Boss, that’s 12,” he starts laughing. “Someone told you that one, eh? It’s true, but there was a lot going on,” García says. “What most sticks with me is how Rafa handled it all. There was frustration at 3-0 down, but seeing how calm he was, how he reorganised us, bringing on Didi Hamann to give us balance and push Stevie further forward. “That was how the first goal came and we believed. The second arrived quick and after the third we breathed. And Jerzy Dudek had the most fantastic night of his life. I was down for the sixth penalty. Stevie was fifth. I asked for one, kept insisting, but Rafa didn’t let me. “When I retired, I was relaxed, welcomed the pause, but I had also spent years getting ready for other opportunities that might arise in football. I did a master’s with Uefa, a sporting director’s course, my coaching badges. Any qualification that was on the table, I took it. But I didn’t want to coach. I always preferred the business side of it to the on-pitch stuff because I suffered a lot on the pitch.” García nods towards the pitch. “Tell me I can play now and I’m out there,” he says. “But the idea of being a coach, being the other side of the line, all that pressure without being able to personally impact the game, didn’t appeal. Coaches always tell me: ‘No, but, you can’t imagine the feeling when it comes off.’ Sure, but I didn’t want to have that feeling. Or more to the point, I didn’t feel the call, the pull.” “I had always been curious about things. I don’t know if I was different, but I played the piano, the guitar. I had started guitar at 15 and always liked it: acoustic, then electric in a band.” Any good? “Decent. Less so on the piano, although I got better during the pandemic. There were always things to do, learn. I was fascinated by gadgets, new technology, the explosion of the internet. “I did magic. With [former forward] Santi Ezquerro at Barcelona we learned to do tricks together. Proper tricks, not just cards: practising in front of the mirror, making sure you do the movements right so you don’t get detected. I had just always been curious about things. So, whatever comes … ” Of his move to Johor Darul Ta’zim, García says: “I was cool, relaxed working with ESPN, but last year I got a call to go and meet Tunku Ismail Idris, the crown prince of Malaysia, who is the owner of the club.” On the other end of the line: Kiko Insa, who played in Spain, but also in Belgium, Iceland, Latvia, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, where he had been for years. He had been at Oxford United, too. It was pretty left-field, but that is the way García likes it: his career had closed in Greece and Mexico; six months later he came out of retirement to go to Atlético Kolkata and then all the way to Australia to play for the Central Coast Mariners. “I just like new challenges, trying new things, something different, and this was one,” he says. “I went to see the prince and listen to his ideas. It was spectacular. He’s very active, inquisitive. He’s pretty good at football. I saw him in a game with [Robert] Pires and [Ludovic] Giuly, some other former players, and he scored a belting goal. An assist to me, too. He genuinely knows the game, what he wants. “ The club has grown massively since [he re-established it in] 2013. He took Johor to 12 league titles. Opta ranks us No 1 in south-east Asia. “Why me? I don’t know. He wanted someone with a past in football and a different vision, based on what I have lived in three different continents. There is work to do, real work. I go every month for 10 days, two weeks. I’ve been learning for the last year, understanding the structure, have an input. I try to find ways of implementing the vision. How do we get there? What do we do? “We’re getting 13,000 or so in league games, more like 30,000 in the Champions League, the biggest in Asia, and we’re growing that, building the connection, the community. We want people to come and be part of it. There are school visits, hospitals. Sponsors: Nike, Toyota. The sporting director looks at players, we travel a lot together. I liaise with the operations manager. There’s that view from the places I have been.” What is the most important lesson from Europe? “One of the things done well in England, which we have tried to emulate, is the intensity of the work. We have 37 players, which is a huge number, but we play 70 games a year; two cups, the league, the Champions League. No one plays as many. You need practically three teams when you work on that intensity, the pace. We’re very methodical. People think: ‘Meh, you’re in Malaysia … ’ But we have the full structure: coaches, analysis, assistants, fitness staff, dead ball, digital. The vision was in place; I said these are the things we have to do to get there. “We play 3-5-2 and that doesn’t change, although you maybe have to adapt in the Champions League, where the level is higher and you can’t press the same. At most places a CEO wouldn’t be involved in those conversations but, as a former player, I am. Xisco Muñoz, who was at Watford and gets the philosophy, is coach. The team is international, with Malaysians who are playing very well and an academy that is winning practically every title.” There are Australians, New Zealanders, Americans, Koreans, Portuguese, Spaniards, Argentinians, Brazilians, a Colombian, and the former Wolves midfielder Hong Wan, from Croydon. Plus Arif Aiman – “the pearl of Malaysia”, García says. “Quick, good one on one, strong, scores goals, he could play in Europe easily.” Johor drew at the weekend. It was the first time they had dropped points, 21 games into the Malaysia Super League season, but they maintained their long unbeaten league run: 105 games now, three off the world record. “Malaysian football is taking big steps,” García says. “It’s still a long way behind Europe, but Kuala Lumpur are working well, Kuching, Selangor … we all need those teams to improve. Malaysia only has one Champions League place. We have won the league every year for a decade. “We’re four games from the longest run in history, we hope to reach the cup final again and the big challenge for us this year was the Champions League. We got through, the first time a Malaysian team got this far. Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia, now Saudi: the effort the players make is titanic and when I saw what that meant to them, to everyone, I could feel the tears.”
Great player, and one of my all time favorite songs. Luis Garcia, He drinks sangria, He came from Barca to Liverpool He's five foot seven, He's football heaven, So please don't take our Luis away...
sad news - Alex Manniger (a backup keeper under Klopp) - was killed in a train accident - only 48. RIP.
In case you wore wondering what has happened to Roberto Firmino... after winning the Asian Champions League with Al Ahli last season, today he scored in clinching the Qatar Stars League title with Al Sadd... Ironically this isn't the first time I've seen him score here in Qatar, but a little closer this time lol...
Scott Parker's future as Burnley manager is in the balance following the club's Premier League relegation and former Rangers and Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard, 45, could be in contention to replace the 45-year-old. (Talksport)
Raheem Sterling has been made to feel “disposable” after a decade at the top of football, a source close to the former England star has said, after his arrest on suspicion of driving “whilst unfit through drugs”. The source said the former Man City and Chelsea winger, who is now playing for Feyenoord in the Netherlands, had been suffering from “immeasurable” psychological strain after an “extremely tough couple of years”. It came after the 31-year-old was arrested on Thursday morning by Hampshire constabulary while driving a Lamborghini on the southbound carriageway of the M3 motorway. In a statement, a spokesperson for the force said: “Just before 9am on Thursday (28 May), we received reports that a Lamborghini was in collision with barriers on the M3 southbound, close to the Minley Interchange. “No other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported. “The driver, a 31-year-old man from Berkshire, has been arrested on suspicion of driving a vehicle whilst unfit through drugs, driving dangerously, possession of a class C drug and failing to provide a specimen. “He has been bailed while our inquiries continue.” Sterling has faced racist abuse throughout his career and has accused the media of helping to “fuel racism” through negative, unfairly critical coverage of black footballers compared with white players. The winger departed Chelsea by mutual consent in January after a performance that was widely deemed as disappointing. Sterling had 18 months left on a deal worth £325,000 a week. PA Media approached Sterling’s representatives for comment. A source confirmed the arrest and said: “[This] brings into the spotlight modern treatment of players who are no longer ‘fit for purpose’ – disposable. “How a prolific English international who has steered the England squad to significant heights over the last decade has been made to feel worthless – forgotten about. “The psychological strain that has put on him is immeasurable. Isolated. The second he touches a ball, being told he’s a flop and he’s finished. Mocked. Heckled. “He moved to the Netherlands to escape and rediscover his love for the game but the negativity followed. It’s been an extremely tough couple of years for him and this incident encompasses that.” The source said they also wanted to emphasise Sterling had been arrested “under suspicion”, adding there is no “proof of anything in his system”. Sterling, of Berkshire, has been bailed while inquiries continue.
Not sure where to put this but now that he's no longer a Liverpool player Liverpool FC can confirm Ibrahima Konate is set to leave the club upon the expiry of his contract this summer. The centre-back will depart Anfield at the end of June, bringing his five-year spell with the Reds to a conclusion. Signed from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021, Konate made a total of 183 appearances and scored seven goals. The France international will leave with a Premier League winner’s medal for his role in Liverpool’s 2024-25 title triumph, as well as successes in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup (twice) and FA Community Shield. Konate will depart with our gratitude and appreciation for the contribution he made and everyone at the club wishes him the best for the future.
Record-holder Milner retires after 24-year career Former England international James Milner has announced his retirement after a 24-year Premier League career. The versatile 40-year-old was out of contract after spending the past three seasons with Brighton. Milner played for six teams in England's top flight and broke the record for most Premier League appearances in February. He started his career with Leeds and went on to win three Premier League titles - two with Manchester City and one with Liverpool - and also helped the Reds win the Champions League in 2019. Milner made his England debut while with Aston Villa in 2009 and ended his international career with 61 caps. "I've been fortunate enough to experience some unforgettable moments, from fighting for survival to winning trophies, playing in Europe, and representing my country at two European Championships and two World Cups," read a statement by Milner, external on social media. "But more than anything, it's the people and friendships I've made throughout the game that I'll cherish forever." Milner made his Leeds debut at 16 in November 2002 and at the time was the second-youngest player to play in the Premier League. The following month he became the youngest player to score in the Premier League and is now third on that list, behind Max Dowman and James Vaughan. Milner missed most of the 2024–25 season through injury but played 22 games in all competitions in 2025-26, making his 658th and final Premier League appearance during Brighton's last game of the season. "From making my debut for Leeds United, who I supported growing up, at the age of 16 and becoming the Premier League's youngest scorer, I could never have dreamed of the journey I've been on, right through to not being able to lift my foot last year and then coming back to be part of Brighton qualifying for Europe for the second time in their history at the age of 40," he added. After spending two years in the first team at Leeds, Milner was sold to Newcastle after his boyhood club were relegated to the Championship in 2004. He then joined Villa in 2008 and Manchester City in 2010, helping them to their first two Premier League titles in 2012 and 2014. Milner left for Liverpool in 2015 and spent eight seasons at Anfield, scoring 26 goals from 332 appearances. In 2020, he helped the Reds win their first league title since 1990 and lifted the FA Cup and League Cup with both Liverpool and City. "I leave the game with immense pride, gratitude and memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life," Milner said. "Football has given me far more than I could ever have imagined, and I will always be thankful for the opportunities it provided. "Thank you to everyone who has been part of the journey."
He is unique, won't see anyone like him again. Top off your career by coming back to us as a coach, James!