Liverpool Discussion posts 5

24 Feb 2026 12:40:04
Did anyone see Mark Goldbridge throwing a tantrum about the forest game its hilarious. He's definitely a Manc through and through.
Its definitely worth a watch lads, will give you a good laugh.

24 Feb 2026 14:32:50
I don't mind Goldbridge. He seems quite fair & balanced on a lot of aspects towards us, and has been open in his praise for us. He has always given his own team a lot of criticism when it's been needed as well.

24 Feb 2026 14:51:11
There was a rumour that he is a Forest fan and poses as a United fan to get more clicks. However, as BR said, he is actually more balanced than most and gives an honest opinion on matters, be it favouring Liverpool or not, more so than the ones that get paid to do so on Sky Sports imo.

24 Feb 2026 16:15:29
He is a Forest fan. Goldbridge is just a character that makes a lot of money.

24 Feb 2026 19:31:36
I peed myself laughing at him go ape s***.

25 Feb 2026 00:50:10
His name isn't even Goldbridge. I think he had to change his name because he was Officer Dibble in a previous life, but I think he's quite fair in what he says.

26 Feb 2026 07:59:36
I think it's De Souza and he's an ex policeman.

24 Feb 2026 12:24:34
It sounds like the players and Slot, once again, were given time off in between matches instead of training. After Slot complained about a lack of training time, with fixture congestion playing a big role in this, why has he or the people above him decided to go ahead with this?

I can't see the benefit. If the players were working hard, and fatigue was setting in, then maybe I could understand a day or two to relax, to recharge before going again. But instead, we entered the match against Forest completely unprepared.

Hell, Forest had to play and travel from Fenerbahce, Turkey, on Thursday and then prepare for our match on Sunday. A ready made excuse for exhaustion and a poor performance, and yet we were the ones who looked like we had the Thursday evening match.

I honestly thought that was the worst half of football I have seen under Slot, and there has been many a contender this season. The players are also not without blame, as they are shirking out of tackles, and not performing to standards, so this isn't all on Slot.

However, what I can not understand is the frequent breaks and time out from training. Genuinely, where is the benefit? The players haven't worked hard enough or earned the right to be given one. Training should be paramount now, with time and the opportunity to work on things.

But, no, more breaks and time away. It just doesn't make any sense.

24 Feb 2026 13:37:46
Running the players into the ground at this stage of the season is hardly productive. They are as fit now as they are going to be, which may not actually be the optimal level. The games are going to come thick and fast for the next 12 weeks, so conserving energy and hoping the players don't pick up injuries may be the plan.

This time last year, you could see a drop off in the players. I hope that there may be some science behind their training plans, which will benefit the players to push on to the end of the season, and that the other teams run out of steam.

24 Feb 2026 14:44:35
We've a 34 yr old at CB who's played every minute of the Premier League season. Konate mustn't be far behind. I'm sure some others are feeling it as well. If we progress in the FA Cup nd in Europe, we'll more r less be playing every 3 r 4 days for the rest of the season.

I don't see the harm in it. We still had days to prepare for Forest.

24 Feb 2026 15:50:07
I always laugh when I see people saying players need a break or a rest because they've played a lot of football. Ask literally anyone who has played football at any level, and they will tell you the same thing: playing consistently is what keeps your fitness levels up. When you have a break, you come back sluggish and off the pace. That's why, when players have 2-3 weeks off over the summer, despite being sent away with their fitness programs and training routines, they still come back unable to complete more than 30-45 minutes in early pre-season. Your baseline fitness levels can be lost so quickly, especially when you're working to such high-end fine margins in elite-level sport. Light recovery sessions are good for muscle fatigue in the immediate days and hours after a game, and actual periods of rest should be exclusively to recover from injuries. Rest does not improve your fitness levels or help recover from fatigue. In fact, resting when you have muscle fatigue makes you more stiff and increases the time it takes to recover. Fitness is only improved by targeted gym work and by playing games and training, and muscle fatigue can be eliminated a lot faster with warm-down sessions and light training.

Not to mention the fact that if the players genuinely were all in the 'red zone' and unable to train hard, they should have been doing tactical work or working with analysts to prepare for Forest, or even just to analyse errors or opportunities for improvement in their own games. We all know the reason why they were given a break, but people are scared to admit it on here because of posters like Florian Musiala, who will play the "super fan" card. The players were given time off because either Slot wanted time off, or because our fitness team are incompetent without Klopp guiding them, not because the players actually needed it. Even if they'd gone abroad to do a short warm-weather camp, I'd say fair enough, but to just take a couple of days off at this stage of the season when we're playing as badly as we are is an absolute disgrace. The proof was in the pudding because that display vs Forest was nothing short of embarrassing.

24 Feb 2026 16:11:34
It's not an absolute disgrace, not even a little disgrace. Making mountains outa molehills as usual, MK. I'm no superfan either, I just don't agree with a lot of yous on here. Sitting around dying to find something to moan about.

And, if I 'scare' people from posting their opinions, I think that says more about them than me. We were training from Thursday onwards for a Sunday game, that's plenty of time.

24 Feb 2026 21:48:25
It's ok, Florian, it's just yet another excuse to have a go at Slot. As if he can just pick and choose when everyone has time off anyway. The club has a fitness dept who use scientific analysis to work out the best course of action for the players, but people on here obviously know better.

Nothing to see here, but people are so pissed off with Slot that they will literally whinge about absolutely anything, and twist it to make it his fault. Whatever gets you through the day, I guess.

{Ed025's Note - ok BP can you explain to us all who,s actual fault it is that last years champions are languishing in 6th place and playing unattractive boring football most weeks?...if its not Slot then maybe its the players?, the coaches?, Donald Trump? Putin?or maybe Starmer?...who is it?, maybe you and your fellow Slot apologists can explain to us all and clear the air so we can all move on..

24 Feb 2026 22:44:39
For me, we were languishing in 6th because, over an eight-week period, we lost 6 from 7 league games. A horrible spell, which could have seen Slot lose his job. It's also a spell that every top manager has gone through at some stage. Up until then, Slot's managerial career had only been on a constant upward curve. We had to stop the rot, and some of the football since then hasn't been pretty, but it's now 12 wins, 6 draws and two losses in the 20 games since that run of horrible results ended.

I think it's Ed001 who says you don't know what a manager's like until they have come through adversity. Well, this is the first adversity Slot has faced, and for me, results-wise, he has come through it gradually, even if performances could be better.

{Ed025's Note - thanks for the reply mate..

25 Feb 2026 00:54:31
I'm beginning to think that Florian gets notifications when anyone mentions Slot, his replies are quicker than Usain Bolt on speed.

25 Feb 2026 08:15:23
Florian just posts every ten minutes. I think he's good value. He's a content creator in the true sense of the term. I never agree with him, and he's a contrarian, but he keeps the site ticking over. Without him, it would be moribund at times. Dead air is a crime.

25 Feb 2026 10:59:35
The performance sucked, but it does not surprise me. I'm pretty sure every time we came back from a break in games with Klopp's team we sucked. FM is correct; this is the first time Slot has faced adversity, and by all purposes he has steadied the ship. Hopefully the team can kick on. It was a big win in the last minute from Forest.

I don't care what anyone says. Look how the players reacted. They know they haven't played well this season, but for me, players don't react like that if they are not behind the manager. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but maybe don't push along the lines too far of saying "super fan" blah blah. MK, you come across as arrogant with that.

25 Feb 2026 11:00:48
Yeah it was just that spell it was nothing to do with draws against Leeds, Fulham, Arsenal, Burnley and defeats to Bournemouth and City in 2026. That's 14 points dropped.

25 Feb 2026 11:26:45
Sorry Endo, you're right, he should have won all 20 games. Whatever was I thinking?

25 Feb 2026 12:16:35
You don't think that's your problem. We dropped 12 PL points in the bad spell you mentioned. We dropped 11 PL points in a bad spell after Christmas. So it's not just one isolated run of bad form. That's down to Slot, and the buck stops with him.

25 Feb 2026 13:21:48
And he'll have more spells of bad form, Endo, as will every manager. It's still 2 defeats from 20 games since we stopped the rot. Thanks for telling me what my problem. There was me thinking I was a football genius, but sure, I suppose I'm not the only one on here to suffer from that affliction. ?

25 Feb 2026 14:00:57
Liverpool lost and drew more games in the PL during that period than they won.

25 Feb 2026 14:25:48
12 wins, 6 draws and 2 defeats, Endo. 20 games. All comps. 60% wins, which is more than decent.

25 Feb 2026 15:06:48
So it's all competitions now because it suits your narrative. We are talking about why Liverpool are languishing in sixth in the PL. Try again.

25 Feb 2026 15:32:44
I said it was 20 games since we came out of our horrid run. Anyone with half a brain would have realised we haven't played 20 league games since then. I apologise if I confused you, Endo.

25 Feb 2026 16:06:00
Read today that LFC have the joint worst goals scored in the 1st half of Premier League matches this season, so not the worst. Then, for entertainment, I would say that probably we are again joint worst. Not sure who is responsible for that.

I have to mention it again. Get a bloody good right back in. We really need Szob in midfield. I hate it when teams walk right thru us. 5th or 6th this season is the best we can actually do, I am afraid.

24 Feb 2026 10:21:42
We have scored 2 goals in the opening 20 minutes of games in the Premier League this season.

2 in 27 games.

The only other team that starts games that slowly is Wolves who are almost certainly going down.

24 Feb 2026 12:29:14
Thankfully the game doesn't end after 20mins and there's another 70mins of football left to play then. ;)

24 Feb 2026 13:12:19
That same article also points out nobody scores more goals than us in the last 15 mins of games also.Not like this site to only highlight the negatives?.

24 Feb 2026 13:53:26
But that isn't a positive, @Flo. Relying on late goals to rescue something from a game is not what we should be aiming for. I didn't conveniently ignore positive facts to fit a negative narrative, because I don't think that it is a positive. We should be scoring goals at all times throughout games.

The fact that we start so slowly is a huge issue. It shows how lethargic and ill-prepared we are at kickoff. It's great that we can tweak things and improve in matches, but we have the players to dominate games from start to finish. We should be proactive, not reactive.

24 Feb 2026 14:47:46
Well, it is a positive. Nothing other than a positive. It showed character and a willingness to keep going when it was United doing it for years under Fergie. Hell, it won them a European Cup. Different when it's us, though.

{Ed025's Note - i would expect a bit better myself from a club of Liverpools stature FM, forget about other teams mate to get a last minute winner against relegation candidates and playing ugly boring football is hardly a standard i would find acceptable for the league champions, especially after spending nigh on half a billion on new recruits...but everyone to their own i suppose..

24 Feb 2026 16:17:16
And? Like other replies said, games don't end at 20 minutes. I'm really getting tired of these comments. Do posters really just need stuff to moan about?

24 Feb 2026 16:46:01
Jesus, I hope next summer things get back to normal and Liverpool spend a fraction of what their rivals do. Literally the first time in 40 odd years of supporting the club, we spent the most during the summer window and you would think the earth stopped spinning.

Never mind that players of the calibre of Trent, Diaz, Jota and Nunez left the club, and we've hardly had Isak all year. How dare we have an off day and still get the three points. ?

24 Feb 2026 19:02:26
But the point is, @flo, that the stats show it was not an off day. They show that it was actually the norm and a worrying pattern that we have been showing all season long. It has nothing to do with the ability of the players and everything to do with how the team is set up and mentally prepared at the start of matches.

We completely lack urgency and hunger until we realise that things are not going our way heading into the last 20 mins. If we play from minute 1, we won't need late winners.

24 Feb 2026 20:26:14
I don't care what minute we get our winners in. Can anyone on this site honestly say, hand on heart, that they do? We were brutal on Sunday, very bad, but we won, so I really couldn't care how we won. Our performances have been good recently. Let's not make out we usually play as bad as Sunday.

{Ed025's Note - as a neutral its been 50/50 between decent and crap imo..

25 Feb 2026 07:18:51
I'm with @Flo. I'm not a Slot apologist, but geez, the amount of complaining and b****ing on this site. Yes, the Forest game was beyond dire. Yes, this season has been a massive disappointment, but in case anyone forgot. Slot won the Premier League last season. Last season! "Ah, he played Klopp's team, that's why" - b*******.

He was praised for bringing more steadiness, for changing tactics at half time, great subs, but this season he's terrible, awful, lost the plot. The players, the coaches, the fitness staff - none of them know what they are doing. Sack him! Geezus.

{Ed025's Note - the thing is Duffer that supporters just want to know why this team of champions who invested £Sqillions on top players in the summer have turned into a basket case of a side? myself i think thats fair mate and in the end the buck stops at the managers door, i dont know exactly what you expect really, do you want them to say everything is great and the football is enjoyable?, you are an apologist and are burying your head in the sand..

25 Feb 2026 12:56:47
Hey @Ed025 - i hear you loud and clear. Of course responsibility and accountability needs to be taken for spending the best part of half a billion and at times it has been dire. How much rests with Edwards/Hughes, how much rests with Slot, how much with the players? What does the effort of winning a league do to a group of players? A death of a key and much loved team mate? The energetic (at times chaotic) chasers from the front leaving Trent. there were massive changes. We all hoped that FSG saw a gap to cement superiority and spend big. It didn't happen like that this season - but are we better placed for next? Personally I'm in the "It's complicated" space. Arteta hasn't won the league after what 5 years? Slot won it in one. Who is responsible for Salah's form dropping off a cliff? Lack of creativity from RB alongside injuries to both our RBs? Konate's father dying, injuries to CB backups? Macca's drop? Isak's fracture? That's a lot for any team .

So I'm as gutted as the next fan.and moan, and get annoyed but let's also keep some perspective.

{Ed025's Note - i get what you are saying Duffer i really do, im not saying that there are not mitigating circumstances mate but for me the biggest problems are the slow style of play and the fitness levels, for me that lies at the feet of the manager so logically he is the biggest problem as i see it..

25 Feb 2026 16:17:16
I have been watching Liverpool for many a year, and have been to Anfield many times also, and yes, I would say that wanting an entertaining match with goals is near the top of my LFC list. It has been so boring. And, I do think that a new manager for next season is a must. Slot did help win us the Premiership last season, but it is like he is doing the opposite and having us play with the handbrake on.

It is really hard to watch, we must be losing some fans, and even for the hard core, it is difficult to say anything too positive. Fingers crossed for next season and a really good start.

25 Feb 2026 16:20:55
Think it was Paul Joyce who wrote that article. Maybe it's best not to watch the 1st half then. I have seen pub league players who are fitter. I wonder what the LFC players themselves think of our style of play.

24 Feb 2026 07:16:06
I thought you couldn't use towels anymore to dry the ball for throw ins (or did I dream it ?)! Just more time wasting.

24 Feb 2026 08:13:09
Pretty sure, if both teams agree prior to kick off, they can be - it absolutely baffles me that any team would agree other than those playing Stoke ball.

24 Feb 2026 09:19:48
Everyone plays Stokeball, Chezilla.

23 Feb 2026 18:08:54
Not that I'm in any way a fan of FIFA, but it's about time they took action on the amount of time wasting in the game now. Current suggestion if players go down injured they have to leave the pitch for one minute.

I have no idea what the solution is but I would start with retroactive bans for cheating. I lost count of the number of players going down this weekend and holding a shin when the "contact" was on the back of the leg or nowhere near the shin.

I noticed during the FA Cup last round that players who went down in the box got up fairly quickly for this day and age once they knew the ref wasn't interested. VAR is a huge problem and encourages all levels of players becoming "clever. "

I've always thought a good ref is one you don't notice is on the pitch but now the referees are so often the Monday morning headlines. The referees have it hard now with the "clever" players but a lot of it is self-inflicted and not helped by the likes of FIFA and the FA.

Not a fan of American sports it's all about creating drama to make it interesting. The PL is becoming the same way for me. Pundits love it too calling a cheat fest a great advert for the PL.

The cheating has led to the advent of set pieces being front and centre of our game which is destroying it as a spectacle and a great leveler for lesser sides. For me it's the reason the PL is so tight this year. Trying to play a flowing game is nigh on impossible with defenders now diving w minimal contact just like the strikers have for years. Can't beat em join em I suppose.

Anyway just my opinion as I'm finding the PL a hard watch this year!

{Ed025's Note - yeah RF the standard is crap mate and has been for a couple of years, players play acting is ruining the game and i dont know how you eradicate it if im honest..

23 Feb 2026 19:07:25.
Something needs to be done, but I can't see this working. It will just punish those players who are genuinely hurt, and we will just see more keepers going down, as they will be exempt.

The time limit on throw-ins and free kicks will be great (and it is a big if), if the refs enforce it, and also the 10 seconds for a sub to leave the pitch will help.

23 Feb 2026 19:14:40
No idea either. The problem arises when someone is genuinely injured, like Endo last week. Ironically, the lad tried to play on. Wish we had a few more like that. And, don't get me started on the screaming. Even Dom was at it this last weekend. Pathetic.

23 Feb 2026 19:21:43
Yep, players will adapt, SK. But, yep, time limits on throw-ins or any time play is stopped. I would hate to see the clock stopped as well, but it could happen. Refs also need to stop stopping the game for non-head injuries, and maybe book players for kicking the ball out to stop play.

23 Feb 2026 19:42:13
I honestly feel that the rulemakers panel should consist of at least 50% of ex-pros. They would know what would be the best rules to change, and could even give guidance on when players are feigning injury or not. If these lawmakers would just implement easy, small measures, then the bigger issues could sort themselves out. The easiest and quickest changes to implement would be time limits on subs, and all stoppages, such as throw-ins, free kicks, corners & goal kicks.

Then implement retrospective action for all incidents. This BS of getting a finger in the chest, and then going down holding his face. Give him a 2 game ban. Diving? 4 match ban. Etc. The problem is that the lawmakers don't want these things implemented, because the top teams all use these things as tactics to get the upper hand. Until laws are changed to improve the gamesmanship, the beautiful game is going to continue in this current trajectory towards dark arts spectacles.

23 Feb 2026 20:33:29
I think, JLC, it was "lesser" team tactics; now the top teams are doing it too. Sad state. The players react to the "rules" made, and apply them accordingly. The head injury is the perfect example; all of a sudden, heading the ball results in a player abusing the protocol designed to protect genuine concussion situations and, in future years, post career.

24 Feb 2026 08:16:46
They should disincentivise players going to ground feigning an injury, and I agree that forcing them to go off the field for a period, whether the medic comes on the field or not, would go some way towards solving that. If someone goes down clutching their leg or whatever, then it is up to the ref to decide if they stop the game or not. Either way, that player leaves the field to be assessed by a match-day doctor and does not come back onto the field until the assessment has been completed. And it should be at the discretion of the ref, not the player's responsibility. In Manchester United vs Everton, towards the Everton end, Dewsbury-Hall was fouled after making the pass to start a break.

He lay on the ground, and you had Bruno Fernandes chasing back in defence, but also pointing at Dewsbury-Hall as if to tell the ref to stop the game because his opponent looked injured. lol But like many things in football, the effectiveness of these rules would really depend on the consistency of how the refs apply them. If you do want to stop time wasting, then I think that the clock should stop every time the ball goes out of play and then restart once it's live. For throw-ins and set pieces, it can just be once the ball is moving again.

24 Feb 2026 13:42:38
My pet hate is throw-ins: a player picks up the ball, then another teammate comes to take the throw, not only 10 yards from where the ball went out, but to waste time. A team from North London is an expert at these black arts.

I think the player who picks the ball up when it has gone out of play must be made to take the throw-in; it will stop the cheating. YNWA.

24 Feb 2026 16:56:06
Football needs a timekeeper, not the ref. They should stop the clock for delays during the match, and sound a horn for half-time/full-time.

23 Feb 2026 13:35:32
Re Gomez and knee injections when I was in practice the general guide lines for hydrocortisone was no more than 3 per year in a joint as can cause muscle weakness and joint deterioration also procedure success rate heavily dependent on the angle depth of the injection as the solution works in a very small area so moving the needle around to achieve the best chance of hitting the spot.

even with modern tech still hard to hit the exact spot as you only get 1/ 3 shots per year.

23 Feb 2026 14:55:42
I had my 1st cortisone injection on Thursday after 15 years of arthritis and severe knee pain. Within 35 minutes, it was an absolute game changer. I was jumping up and down and doing squats and all sorts.

23 Feb 2026 15:35:11
Bigsqueeze, can you play right back by any chance?

23 Feb 2026 19:34:28
Maradona had to have cortisone injections every game, and sometimes at half-time as well.

{Ed025's Note - i think they were cocaine injections Albey.. :)

24 Feb 2026 08:57:29
Fowler, unfortunately I'm a striker, mate, which means Slot would probably play me dm.

23 Feb 2026 12:37:19
Rio deserves the gametime now, he did more than both Salah and Gakpo in minimal time on the pitch.

23 Feb 2026 14:15:08
He's just a kid, mate. At 17 years old, there's plenty of time for him. I think he's being handled in the right way. Throw him in too early and he'll get the same treatment Gakpo is getting now; as soon as he has a bad run, it could ruin him. Patience is needed.

23 Feb 2026 15:13:07
I'm with @BeKind. I'm not saying he needs to start games (although I think that he should start the odd game), but he should be getting at least half an hour in games like that one yesterday rather than 13 minutes.

23 Feb 2026 15:25:05
With VB on that, the way the team are performing as a unit, it'll drag Rio down & then he'll get the pelters! Agreed, though, a bit longer than 15 minutes wouldn't go amiss - yesterday was crying out for change long before Slot took off Gakpo.

23 Feb 2026 16:01:50
It doesn't matter how old he is; if he is good enough, he is old enough. Plenty of 17-year-olds have played PL football. I would rather say that the fact we are playing poorly is a reason to play the lad, not to leave him out. What message does it give if players who do perform continue to play in place of those awaiting a chance? Same goes for Nyoni.

How has he not been allowed PL minutes? The fans are not soft; these are developing kids. They would not get the same treatment as international players underperforming!

23 Feb 2026 21:54:23
I still remember a certain Michael Owen saying Liverpool had played him too much, too early, and that led to his knee issues, so it's a fine line!

23 Feb 2026 12:27:54
One thing I really don't understand is that whenever Liverpool are linked to a first team player, people always start saying thing's like "Ok but they aren't going to want to come in to sit on the bench? " or "Well if we sign them, that means dropping X", there seems to be this belief that Liverpool can only have a 1st XI, and the rest of the squad must be either youngsters or lower quality.

But you don't seem to get that with almost any other club. Arsenal have 7 forwards that play across 3 forward positions. City have 6 players who can play central defence, Chelsea have multiple players in multiple positions.

For all of those clubs (Chelsea to a lesser extent) people tend to talk about "squad depth" and "competition for places" rather than players not wanting to join/ stay because they won't be guaranteed starters.

Is this because Slot, and tbf Klopp before him, tend to stick with a smaller core group of players? That just seems self fulfilling if so. If you're only going to play 14/ 15 players regularly throughout the season, then it's always going to be difficult to attract new players or keep existing ones when new players come in.

Not a rant per se, just something that's always bothered me. Arsenal sign Madueke for £50mill as their 7th forward and people go "great squad depth", we sign Chiesa for £12mill and people go "ok, but where's he going to play? ".

I am willing to be told that it's all in my head, but there does seem to be a double standard here.

23 Feb 2026 13:21:45
It's a Liverpool fan thing. Like the way we worry about keeping Isak and Ekitike happy when there's loadsa ball for both of them.

23 Feb 2026 15:43:42
Isak will not be at Liverpool for long. I can almost guarantee that. He doesn't offer enough to the team all round; he is more of a hindrance than a benefit.

23 Feb 2026 16:03:08
Isak, Hugo, and Wirtz will very much be the attacking lineup for a number of years.

23 Feb 2026 20:00:21
Awful hindrance that Isak.

22 Feb 2026 18:19:31
Really poor today and very fortunate to be 3 points. There has been a few contenders for worst game of the season but that must be up there with a whole raft of players having an absolute nightmare. There is a lot which Slot is responsible for and I think he got it wrong with Szob at RB but you can't legislate for some of the crap that the players were responsible for on the pitch.

Ultimately it's down to the manager and he will pay the price but the players shouldn't be getting let off so easily wit what they did today.

22 Feb 2026 18:56:29
Easily our worst performance, but we got away with one for a change. Never been so bored watching a game though.

22 Feb 2026 15:05:41
One of the worst halves of football I have ever seen from a lfc team, these players are getting too much time off when they should be working hard on the tactics ?????.

22 Feb 2026 16:17:13
Second half no better. This is the worst performance that I have seen in years. I feel like we lost.

22 Feb 2026 17:29:34
I don't, I felt like we lost when we dominated Burnley and they equalised with their only shot of the match. Today I feel like we won.

23 Feb 2026 14:19:59
What evidence do you have that the players are having all this time off? Just people saying on here I would imagine.

One thing I've realised when reading these pages is that some have made up their minds and will look for any excuse to put the knife in. I really wouldn't take anything you read on here as gospel.

21 Feb 2026 22:41:52
Having read Carra's post regarding a kick off at the academy. I watched the under 21 game yesterday and Rio did not take part in the game. Morrison Trey and Ramsay all played. He played for the 21's, with the other 3 last Sunday, after playing a bit part in the FA cup on the Saturday.
Let's see if he's on the bench tomorrow.

22 Feb 2026 09:33:59
I would never expect Rio to play an U21 game so close prior to a first team game.

22 Feb 2026 12:08:56
I mean, I see no reason why he only gets 5 minutes on match days, as the manager has an infatuation with Gakpo. I expect more of the same from both the manager and Gakpo today. It just makes it hard to look forward to matches these days.

21 Feb 2026 19:24:08
What are peoples thoughts on this Prestianni racism row, shocked that he is getting even 1% of support online and in certain media.

His new defence is he wasn't using racist language he only used homophobic derogatory words, the mind baffles that this still occurs in 2026! What is fans opinion, do we think that racist or other criminal offences which occur within the stadium by players should be referred to police for prosecution?

21 Feb 2026 19:41:42
These are top level professionals and should act accordingly. The fact that he is trying to justify a homophobic slur to clear himself of a racist one is, to be quite honest, disgusting. They should just play the damn game and try to set a good example to young people watching. I can't see it happening, but the only way to prove these things conclusively is to mic up the players, or for them all to grow up a bit and remember they aren't in the playground.

It wouldn't be tolerated in any other field of work, and shouldn't be here. If a person can't behave for 90 minutes once or twice a week, they shouldn't be on the pitch. Regarding fans, most clubs have policies in place for dealing with idiots.

21 Feb 2026 20:28:21
I think all the pundits were too quick to condemn him for 'allegedly' using racist remarks without knowing what was really said. I have seen Micah Richards, Kompany, etc. all slating him without knowing what really went on; they were saying he wouldn't react like that for nothing.

If he said it, then ban him, but until we know, don't condemn anybody. Is it guilty until proven innocent nowadays?

21 Feb 2026 20:46:05
You'd have to be a special kind of dumb to think he's innocent. You don't cover your mouth just to tell someone to "F*** off". Vini had a clear, physical reaction to something he said; it wasn't an afterthought. I've no doubt Petrianni was calling him homosexual slurs, right up until the point he started using racial slurs. What he said can't be proven by any hard evidence; all we have is witness statements.

Nothing new will come to light. Madrid players will back Vini, and likewise Befica will back their man. But defending him because he intentionally covered his mouth is beyond moronic. You don't go down the shops with a bally and a shotgun to get the morning paper.

21 Feb 2026 20:59:07
I do agree, Strom, there was definitely a pile-on from the media almost instantly, that he was guilty of racism just purely based on an allegation, which is dangerous. However, it doesn't look good for the player, who has now apparently tried to deflect away from racist comments by saying it was only homophobic.

If true, I think 10-game bans are simply not enough. Tonali got a 10-month ban for betting on games in Italy and another 2-month ban for betting on his own team.Winning a game, which is surely a lesser offence.

21 Feb 2026 21:43:16
Like I said yesterday, it's one word vs another. And these other players who heard what he said in a stadium of 70 odd thousand people have some hearing. He probably did say it, but if you go down the road of just assuming it in professional football, you're going to have a lot of accusations.

21 Feb 2026 22:14:47
True, Dow-ney. He covered his mouth, so he could have said anything, but lots of players cover their mouths from the cameras. If found guilty, then a long ban should happen, but a lot have just jumped on the bandwagon. Chewy, you are just assuming he said a racist remark because Vini Jr said it.

You believe everything you hear; that's a special kind of dumb. How many false allegations have we heard throughout the years? Remember Jussie Smollett, who said he was jumped by a gang of racist white men, all lies. Not saying Vini is lying, because I don't know; I wasn't there and didn't hear it. Nor were you.

21 Feb 2026 22:46:31
Players cover their mouths after the game as 'super sleuths' try to lip read, which can be misinterpreted. However, during a game, there is no reason to cover your mouth unless you have something to hide.

The problem is, it's impossible to prove. If they think there is a problem, the only real resolution moving forward is miccing the players, so it can be checked in such scenarios.

22 Feb 2026 00:33:06
It's now being pretty widely reported that the player himself, in his statement made to UEFA, admitted to homophobic comments. Clearly, we have no definitive way of knowing if he is telling the truth, or would just rather be perceived as a homophobe rather than a racist, but either way he should now be facing a lengthy ban.

I have to be honest, I'm a cynic and think he'd rather be thought a homophobe than face his teammates and backlash. Not a fan of Vini, but I don't see that reaction happening unless it was racially motivated. I guess we will never have definitive proof, considering his mouth was covered.

22 Feb 2026 08:03:49
Mbappe's on-field reaction suggests he heard exactly what was said. That isn't the reaction of someone making it up.

22 Feb 2026 09:53:32
UEFA have a disciplinary panel let them deal with the vini jnr nasty remark case and we worry about our club and where we are going.
I don't believe that name calling will ever change in south American countries it is part of their DNA. YNWA

22 Feb 2026 11:22:39
Remember, there's 3 sides to a story: his, hers and the truth.

22 Feb 2026 11:08:39
Wow. Earnest, a teammate sticking up for a teammate, that's it, he's guilty, get him to the gallows

23 Feb 2026 17:52:33
I'm waiting patiently for UEFA to ban all players/matchday officials from covering their mouths when speaking to each other, lol.