Other Games 10th April

[Steveo]

You’re spot on with the Arsenal comparison … because what happened at the Emirates is basically a blueprint for how these American owners operate. For years the Kroenkes hid behind the "self-sustaining" model while the club rotted - much like F$G does with the sell-to-buy policy…and they only actually opened the chequebook when the fans made the environment toxic.

It wasn't a coincidence Arsenal became the biggest spenders in the league right after the Super League protests and the "Kroenke Out" marches - they realised that the value of their asset was plummeting and the fans were finally ready to hit them in the pocket.

F$G are clearly in the same taking it for granted phase right now…assuming that ‘cause the books look good the team will naturally follow BS.

If the quality of the squad falls away - then the business aspect falls with it … but these owners won't see that until it's too late. It took Arsenal dropping to 8th and a literal fan revolt to get the Kroenkes to stop treating the club like a passive spreadsheet and start treating it like a football team. Until our fans make the status quo more expensive for the owners than actually buying world-class players … we’re watching history repeat itself.

[toshin]

“FSG really do not give a sh*t about the quality of the team, just the business aspect.”

100%

CL qualification is their only concern. It’s the revenue… That’s it… The rest is meaningless for buy-to-let owners. Without Klopp they are hounded out like the last lot.

While in no way do i think fsg dont deserve some responsibility, does anyone have an idea why then, did the owners let the club buy 2-3 players with such high transfer fees?

I said when we bought them it was an incredible risk unless you are a club like city/chelsea who can keep buying when you make a mistake. Remember how much the Naby Keita mistake cost klopp? That was a club record for us back then.

Btw isak looks horrifically bad for 125m.
Before and after the injury, he just does not have enough football smarts to command such a fee. Basically just making a few runs and or waiting for the ball. Good striker of the ball tbf.

[Red October]

While in no way do i think fsg dont deserve some responsibility, does anyone have an idea why then, did the owners let the club buy 2-3 players with such high transfer fees?

I said when we bought them it was an incredible risk unless you are a club like city/chelsea who can keep buying when you make a mistake. Remember how much the Naby Keita mistake cost klopp? That was a club record for us back then.

Btw isak looks horrifically bad for 125m.
Before and after the injury, he just does not have enough football smarts to command such a fee. Basically just making a few runs and or waiting for the ball. Good striker of the ball tbf.

That's the thing. It seemed very strange. Why did we suddenly decide to spend all our money at once. It's also put us under pressure in terms of good squad players being sold off and first teamers like Diaz gone too. Just seems that we thinned out the squad massively to fund what so far have looked like crazy investments in Wirtz and Isak. Why did we go for Isak when we'd already just signed Ekitike? Doesn't make sense. Why not get a winger to replace Diaz? Why get Wirtz instead of a top class DM? We'd be in a much stronger position if we'd prioritised those signings. Instead we're trying to make Wirtz fit somewhere and we've got two expensive strikers and a dearth of wingers.

[Red October]

Just to add to that. I do think we still have the makings of a good team but we still need a DM and a winger one year on. And that's if we keep what we have. How do we add new signings without selling? We don't I imagine. If we sell off more players our squad will be totally depleted.

[jozza800]

Diaz wasn’t daft, it wasn’t just money he left for, he’d had a season of Slot, saw the way it was heading and said, “Not for me thanks, I’m off.”

Bayern v Real was a superb tie and PSG are a superb team.

How far we have fallen under Slot. FSG really do not give a sh*t about the quality of the team, just the business aspect.

Incredibly they don’t appear to appreciate just how closely the two are connected.

Keep Slot in charge til Christmas and they will start to find out ….

Slot has dropped so many bollocks this season that he's got less balls than Adolf. But nobody, and I doubt any of the players thought Arne was a charlatan at the end of last season.

Was Diaz the only one bright enough to see what was happening (after having his best season after his injury btw)? Behave.

And why, if FSG aren't bothered by the quality of the team, did they drop close to half a billion pounds on it last summer, AFTER winning the league.

And before Steveo chips in with the FSG panic buying scenario, at what point did they figure out that Arne was having us all on? Was it before or after the open-top parade of the League trophy?

It's been maintained that FSG modus modus operandi is to do just enough to keep us in the CL places, surely after seeing Arne win the title they'd have been thinking 'Well he won it last year with this team, off you go, do it again... here's another Chiesa...'.

It makes zero sense that they give a manager that they apparently had no confidence in £450m to spend and give a manager that turned us into one of the best teams on the planet peanuts to work with.

The owners are far from perfect, but this season's mess is on mostly Slot and the players.

It will be on FSG if we go into the start of next season with Slot as manager.

[Steveo]

Much of what you say is true.. but once again.. Diaz didn’t leave because of the 'direction' of the club.... he left because he was one of - if not THE - most impactful players while being one of the lowest-paid seniors. If we had simply offered him the same salary as Gakpo, (I know 250k a week aint small) he’d still be wearing the shirt. Blaming his exit on Slot or 'vibes' ignores the fact that his agent was begging for a pay rise for six months that never came.

This isn't just my observation it's well known in and around the club - Fairclough who was born meters from Anfield for one.. and he was clear as crystal to a group of us before the Palace surrender in the Carabao Cup..

Multiple reports from late 2024 and early 2025 suggested that Díaz’s representatives sought a new deal that would place him in the same tier as Gakpo and other top earners. Liverpool, citing his age (28 at the time of sale) and the three years remaining on his contract, reportedly refused to meet those specific demands..

[jozza800]

Much of what you say is true.. but once again.. Diaz didn’t leave because of the 'direction' of the club.... he left because he was one of - if not THE - most impactful players while being one of the lowest-paid seniors. If we had simply offered him the same salary as Gakpo, (I know 250k a week aint small) he’d still be wearing the shirt. Blaming his exit on Slot or 'vibes' ignores the fact that his agent was begging for a pay rise for six months that never came.

This isn't just my observation it's well known in and around the club - Fairclough who was born meters from Anfield for one.. and he was clear as crystal to a group of us before the Palace surrender in the Carabao Cup..

Multiple reports from late 2024 and early 2025 suggested that Díaz’s representatives sought a new deal that would place him in the same tier as Gakpo and other top earners. Liverpool, citing his age (28 at the time of sale) and the three years remaining on his contract, reportedly refused to meet those specific demands..

My reply was based on Miller's suggestion that it wasn't just about the money and that he'd seen enough of Slot to know it was time to move on.

I'd have paid Diaz the money. And having Gakpo on £250k a week is mental.

[toshin]

To me fsg dont get anywhere near the blame of everyone else in charge.

Ultimately they let the club "management" spend 450m however they see fit.

People are saying "fsg dont care as long as we qualify for cl".
Ok so if slot and the mob presented fsg a strategy of replacing our lost players (jota diaz trent) plus adding depth with bunch of players between 20-80m and promising at least 4th (fucking 5th now), why would fsg care? Do you think they are closet isak and wirtz fans and only wanted them?

I believe everyone involved has just been fucking lazy. Resting on their laurels. We blew 300m on 3 players.
They took the easy way out with no strategy in recruitment for a system, or any wheeling and dealing for good buys. Was there any comms between slot and them? Who knows.

Its all a fucking train wreck.

Even eketike at 70m, while very good, is about what you expect for that price.

They should all be sacked imo. All of them.

[RedMagic]

I agree that they should all be sacked. Unfortunately they won't be. The more of them that remain the more issues we're going to have.

[Steveo]

My reply was based on Miller's suggestion that it wasn't just about the money and that he'd seen enough of Slot to know it was time to move on.

I'd have paid Diaz the money. And having Gakpo on £250k a week is mental.

Yep I know mate.. and you are right.. Just being a stickler and pushing back against the narrative the club tried to spin.