JRC

Chelsea v Leeds is proper old school. Unlikely to get close to the psychotic brutality of the 1970 final - and the replay especially - but we can dream.

Maybe, but on the assumption that if we win he is kept on - and I suspect that is the only circumstance whereby he isn't let go - do you want the CL win or not? However unlikely.

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I hope he is still here next season. Because that would mean we are Champions of Europe again.

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And trip down and back. The motorway was jammed full of Reds, the town centre a sea of scousers. I got a seat in the front row of the stand because I was on crutches with a full leg cast. Still got on the pitch at the end, been checking the video to see if I'm on it. My best away ever I think.

And that over the next 3 months we hunted them down and closed and then passed that 18 points and 17 GD gap - despite more cup games and a rather significant disruption, of course - until their 'glorious' victory in the last 5 minutes of the season over an exhausted, f***ed over by the FA, team of heroes. And George Graham, 5 minutes from an epic bottling fail of a season, became Manager of the Year over cup-winning King Kenny, 5 minutes from a magnificent, tragic comeback (2nd) double. (Btw, I genuinely have nothing but respect and admiration for how Arsenal approached that last game - laid flowers round the ground, played with patience like a European away, knowing we were running on empty etc. -, or their decision to postpone their Easter matches 'due to Hillsborough' that happened to coincide with an injury to their top goal scorer. It's what Shankly or Paisley would have done.)

Or doing cartwheels over an injury time winner

Different scenario, but never forget that one of the reasons we lost the league in 89 was the FAs insistence we played that last game on the Friday as the season couldn't overrun by even a day. 3 games (plus ET) in 6 days - plus all the others we had had to catch up after Hillsborough - whereas Arsenal hadn't played for 2 weeks. No wonder we were goosed. b*****ds.

Also there was a narrative that RB weren't happy with Klopp and looking at Glasner as a replacement. Admittedly this was predicated on the fact that none of the RB Teams had immediately acheived global domination once Klopp arrived at Head Office, which somewhat suggests a misunderstanding of exactly what he is respnsible for and likely to deliver in the short term.

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Mate of mine moonlighted as a bouncer in a rough pub in Noctorum, had the multiple broken nose to prove it, played football in Wales as he was banned sine die locally for violent behaviour, once finished a game despite a fractured leg; never took a step back or let anyone see any weakness in his (many) confrontations. Proper hard. Until he stubbed his big toe that had an ingrowing toenail at a family barbecue and had to be carried, sobbing uncontrollably, to a car and then into ER. Unashamedly called it the worst pain he has ever experienced.

And winding up Evertonians

My admiration for Hodgson was set when he quoted Kundera - Kundera! - correctly and aptly on Soccer Saturday once, bemusing all the other pundits. Show me another manager who would or could do that, eh. Also, iirc, his wife is a Scouser and his politics are defiantly, if old school, left of centre. Why didn't we love him more?

I was trying to avoid questions of who amongst the fan base was right or wrong, and both accept that Fans know more about what the situation is at the club and that they are less dispassionate/disinterested/rational by the very nature of our engagement. I just think the expectation of some as to what should happen is not really matched by the outside-of-the-engaged-fanbase reality as reflected in the bookies and the media and, almost certainly, the boardroom. To many, even most Football students, Slot getting sacked now, or even , possibly, at the end of the year, would be quite a shock, and you couldn't say that about most of the recent managerial sackings. * I would even go as far to say that I haven't felt or heard quite the same level of certainty or intensity re Slot's future at the match as others have reported and is seen on here. Despondency and despair, yes, but not outright revolt. Can't speak dor the Away support, but if anything they seem to be even less inclined. Wolves may have been a turning point on that

What posters do to themselves is up to those individual posters, but maybe a little perspective. Of course this forum and others like it are a bubble or an echo chamber - to a great extent that's what they are for - but in the wider world, Slot getting sacked has little traction as a narrative at all. The Wolves defeat saw his odds in 'The Sack Race' drop from c25-1 to c12-1, so he is starting to enter the frame (albeit not massively so before); our form/Salah/late concessions and possible missing out on CL are being discussed by the usual media and pundits, but almost always with the advisory that he is not under threat atm - and any speculation about his future is nowhere near the levels that could be seen with Amorim or Frank etc. - and it's not like a Liverpool manager facing the imminent sack is something they wouldn't be interested in. Not sure even if other fans are as up for his sacking as the (apparent) majority on here. I take on board all the caveats about those media and channels, and am making no judgement about what forumites legitimately believe should or should not happen - but I think if you are genuinely waking up shocked that he hasn't been sacked, or that FSG may consider his non-sacking at this point a matter of gross misconduct or incompetence by Hughes and Edwards, or that this is being allowed to drag on although recognised as a s***-show that is worse than the Hodgson Nadir - then I think you will continue to be disappointed or shocked for some time yet, because outside our community it is not yet, for whatever reason, common currency, I believe. * No, this is not an attempt to put the mockers on in the hope that he will, in fact, be sacked when we wake up tomorrow

This is true, as is the fact that, at the same time, virtually everyone in the squad captains their country.

Near the end, when it could still have got nervy again, he won 3 consecutive midfield scraps and looked like the player we knew last year again. Good signs.

Enjoyed today, but I still have an aversion to watching or following live if I'm not there, so instead do regular check ins on X/Twitter as for me it's the medium that gets updates out the quickest (although tbf the BBC Sport site seems to be getting it's act together at last; and I avoid the match thread here for my mental welllbeing), but obviously there's still a lag for some posters. Which made the last 10 minutes or so today incredibly confusing as to which MacAllister goal and VAR check they were tweeting about. Wasn't convinced until the FT tweets came up, and even then TAW managed to post 0-0.

We were parked at the pub over the motorway junction on the road to Wigan, about 3/4 of a mile away. Literally everyone on the way back, and then going past (or inti the pub) was giving it the Maxi song full belt for ages afterwards. It's what we live for.

Maxi scored a late winner (the only goal) in a dreadful match at Bolton under Hodgson. Tbh, the away end was bouncing to the Maxi/Heartbeat song and it could still be heard being sung by everyone heading away. Kind of gallows pleasure as it kept Hodgson in place a week longer, but also a win - especially a late one - is a win. Was buzzing then, buzzing now after today as well.

Some of our late concessions have seen legitimate accusations of poor mentality, so I think it's fair to say that coming back to score again after the disappointment of the first disallowed goal showed some of that monstrous mentality that has been missing recently.

Yeah, really disappointing, it was always a proper party, whole families with barbecues going, lots of drink, building family spaces with gazebos, seating etc. Ticket prices aren't high, and they were always saying how much of a struggle it was financially, but it was so joyous and inspirational you think it could have been kept free.

Always one of the delights of Africa Oye, Joloff rice. Agree with your observation; amazed I couldnt find it anywhere else around, not even Lodge Lane. Although I did get a 60 second ding packet last year, have been reluctant to try it for fear of disappointment. Ok, smarta***. (Will be giving that a try this weekend)

The England captain exception