He could watch his own performance vs Chelsea last month instead.
These constant references to Bellingham deciding he’s not joining us after watching any one of our games are getting tiring.
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You know a lot. Wasn’t being contentious or saying you’re anti Bob. Just saying it’s not as hard as you and Mascot are making out to know when it’s time to let someone go. Otherwise, every transfer would be a success.
Thank you! 
Now let’s shake hands and stop the stupid back and forth about Paisley.
There’s not a lot between us on the issue.
Peace.
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I have no need to shake hands cos we don’t have a problem. I know you love Bob.
Point being made by some is we’ve been as a club, negligent in keeping hold of some players too long and we can learn from our managers in the past. At least some lessons which haven’t gone out of date. At least in my opinion.
Lesson 1. Apparently, Shanks ignored players who were injured. Obviously, that behaviour can’t be implemented but a lesson can be taken. Don’t waste season after season on injury prone players. They can be encouraged to move on in the right way. 99% of players are not Winston Bogardes. They want to play.
Lesson 2. Bob moved players on before their legs got old on our pitch. He did it in the right way. I like this quote: "A player is not finished when he leaves Liverpool, he’s just finished at Liverpool.
I think these are 2 lessons JK can learn from. Add them to his already amazing managerial ability. I don’t think anyone around at the moment would’ve achieved with us what he has but I’m greedy for more.
All that is fair enough and well said.
Here’s hoping we have a good reset in the summer. Outgoings beyond contract expirations, and incoming at all levels of the market, to help us kick on next season.
In the meantime, we have got the rest of this season to contend with. I’ve been a persistent hoper in top four possibilities, but seeing Man Utd and Newcastle win today did not make me feel good.
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Whenever I see this argument (that makes complete sense and is supported by the evidence) I always think the problem with it is that it’s a bit like Jenga, you’re trying to take away the foundation to carry on building. Klopp’s way with the players particularly when it comes to transfers and patience and loyalty is what creates the mentality of the group that has allowed us to win the things we have and perform at the level we have. You start taking bits of that away in favour of the sort of ruthless actions necessarily to build the perfect squad and you actually lose parts of the thing that made it so strong to begin with.
Happy to concede that I could be overthinking it. And equally this is the year the tower has collapsed, so quite frankly he can do whatever the fuck he likes this summer to build it back up.
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They shoot horses, don’t they?
I’m not claiming it’s a perfect science. I’m claiming it’s more of a science than it was in Paisley’s day.
My real issue is fans talking in platitudes about bygone years that no longer have any relevance. Let their legs go on someone else’s pitch. Sounds great, but any data we have that suggests a player is on the wane, every other team in football will have.
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Some thing never change just like how some other leagues are ok with players that cannot physically compete in the Premier League.
We’re talking about a 19 year old kid, who hasn’t signed for LFC and owes us nothing, but already we’re discussing the best time to flog him off for a tidy profit before his legs go.
It’s not a good look, is it?
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I’ve already got my posts lined up for five years time, when he has a dip and I make the case to move him to Centre Back.
Fuck that, I’ve got mine ready for 20 years’ time when we want him to take over as manager from Gerrard…
It is still relevant because as said above, it doesnt require the sort of precision you are implying.
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The legs may be going, and other teams might have the data on this,
But teams will still buy these players,
Mane to bayern?
Ronaldo to man utd?
Thiago to us?
To name but a few
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That’s a good point above. Players may be past their physical peak, but depending on who it is, there will still be a market for them, and the market can still be at the top end. Teams will have their reasons for buying.
Let’s use a hypothetical Salah example.
Messi leaves PSG. Maybe for Saudi money. Maybe back to Barcelona. Maybe for an equity stake and to play MLS for Inter Miami. Maybe something else. The point being, he leaves PSG and they have a vacancy.
PSG will be aware of Salah’s current physical condition. They will have reams of data that in a previous day, for an opposition team, would have mostly been eye test stuff. PSG will know how many sprints, how fast, duels won, km covered, and a good deal more besides.
Let’s say they conclude Mo is slightly past his peak, physically, but still with plenty to give. They may have lots of reasons to buy him. Friendship with owner. The promise of goals. An easier league. Probably some sort of marketing strategy with a prominent Muslim across the Arab world, and wider world, so sort of a jewel in the crown type of thing.
Mo might have a reason to go. Won everything with Liverpool. Senses a new team is to built. Might not want to stick around for that, especially if it means a temporary step backwards out of the CL.
We won’t push for it, or instigate it if it is not there, as it seems bad business to do that with a top goalscorer who is still scoring goals even in a struggling team. But if the stars aligned, I don’t see us standing in the way, especially if the fee is suitable and can be reinvested into the team.
It’s not difficult to see something like that happening with a top player like Mo Salah, as he edges past his physical peak.
Thiago was one of Europe’s finest CM’s when Bayern won the CL a few months before we signed him. Would the deal have been possible when he was around 25? Hard. We cannot look at everything through numbers, age, re-sale value, etc. At that point, we could do it, we could attract a proven serial winner like him, he saw us a new challenge for probably the last serious contract at the top level and it added something we needed. I said at the time that he’s a better player than the transfer itself (sometimes it’s the opposite, like Shaqiri or Minamino). Yes, we could and probably should have added also a new dynamic CM either in that summer or in one of the following windows between now and then.
Anyway, yeah, it’s a bit weird we’re talking about players past their peak in Bellingham’s thread. It’s okay to wonder and ask questions, but I doubt the buying club will have such worries. He signs a 4, 5, or 6 year contact. First things first, he should have more than enough football in him for the near future. And in the end, he could very possibly end up at a club that actually does “Jude Bellingham” type of transfers much more often than we do. And it’s not something that will put us off, it basically depends if we can pull the whole summer off financially (because this deal will be massive and we cannot spend all our net budget on him), if Dortmund agrees to how far we can go and if Jude is willing to do it, which I can believe he is, but not sure if it will be enough for it to happen.
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Without Thiago landing at Anfield… There might not have been a Bajcetic coming through so quickly. Who can actually say how much inspiration and guidance the youngsters get when an experienced hand lands on deck… What influence does tutoring from a master stand the youngsters in good stead with years of service to be gained… Hard to calculate that into any signing on fee or club policy
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With what? Tax dodging?
So let someone’s legs go on someone else’ pitch is no longer thoughtful but a trite remark?
Glad you’re not our manager.
I don’t know what is so hard about this.
Let’s try a different tack. The secret to Paisley’s maxim is to sell a player when you know they are on the wane, but the rest of the world doesn’t.
I think it stands to reason that this idea is a lot easier to execute in 1983 than 2023.
Take a player like Fabinho. Let his legs go on someone else’s pitch. Right. Agreed. So when do we sell him then, cos it’s a bit fucking late now. Everyone can see that.
So should we have sold him in the summer just gone? Quite possibly. Especially if there was something in his data that suggested this drop was coming. But then, I’d suggest there aren’t really any secrets in football anymore. Other teams have their own data, and if we think Fab has declined, then the rest of football probably knows that too.
So should we have sold him in the summer of 2021? Well, then you’re just into the realm of guesswork. Does anyone think at the age of 27 Fabinho is going to be finished in two years? Are we now trying to predict a drop off in players still in their mid twenties? And even if the analytics are clever enough (which I doubt they are) to predict a drop off two years ahead of the game, can you imagine the reaction of fans if we sell one of our best players at 27 years of age?
What I’m trying to say, clearly poorly, if that ‘let their legs go on someone else’s pitch is something that in 2023 is easy to say and really fucking hard to do. Especially with our fans.
Yes, Paisley was very good at this, but that was forty years ago.
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