Summer Transfer Window 2023

[Colly]

Do we reckon English is the social media guys second language, or is it just that they've used the same mackem who did the voice-over?

[Hobo]

Their English language Twitter account has some fairly "I am writing in my second language" vibes to it.

They seem to do a lot of what looks like AI generated images and some ... that might be AI or are just really overly edited? I don't know what this is for example:

It looks like a real photo that's had some bizzare filtering done to it. Everyone is overly smooth. It's almost like a computer game cutscene.

tbf I have see social media accounts run by people I know are native English speakers who can't write or proof copy at all. But they're not working for entities able to pay one guy 700k per week.

 

[Adam]

Jordan Henderson sums up where football is at. The exorbitant wealth being chucked around by nation states and billionaires has eroded what was left of the fabric of the sport and I am just about done with the whole carry-on to be honest. I think him going to Saudi Arabia to make more money than all of us put together can dream of making in our lives renders all these initiatives, campaigns and gestures utterly meaningless. That Liverpool's two strongest footballing legends of the 21st century have come together to bathe in Saudi cash must be gutting for the club's LGBTQ+ support and many others, in fact.

5 hours ago, Hobo said:

 

 

Nevermind the "challanges" in this, no one has yet mentioned "shys" which also isn't a word. The greying out of the rainbow armband in the video is verging on parody really.

[Colly]

There's literally a Pride flag on Liverpool's Twitter pic. 

 

 

[Baddar]

Fabrizio says the Fabinho deal is close.

[Hobo]

12 hours ago, Adam said:

Nevermind the "challanges" in this, no one has yet mentioned "shys" which also isn't a word.

Speelling is challanging.

12 hours ago, Colly said:

There's literally a Pride flag on Liverpool's Twitter pic. 

 

 

The whole thing has put everyone in a shitty situation really.

Or highlighted the hollow nature of PR campaigns around inclusivity.

Or both.

[Dang117]

Football clubs are run like every other businesses, they out the pride flags up in support during pride but they never do anything to challenge human rights issues etc.

There was an interesting video I saw with a guy talking about Jordan Henderson's transfer and he went into the affects if sports washing in Saudi Arabia and brought up the world cup in Qatar etc.

It's a tough situation and a PR nightmare for someone like a Henderson who has built a great image in the media over the years but this image is only built by the campaigns the football clubs align themselves with

 

[Colly]

I think the thing that's disappointed me most is that while I despise his stupid temper, petulance and other standard grumpy manager things, Klopp has always came across as fairly principled, and while I appreciate he's toeing the line and being respectful to a player he clearly likes, describing him as a legend rankles slightly.

[Gazz]

Be interesting to see if Henderson 1. still gets picked for England (I think he will) and 2. if he gets put on media duties, because you absolutely know what the first question he going to get asked by the media.

[Hobo]

47 minutes ago, Dang117 said:

Football clubs are run like every other businesses, they out the pride flags up in support during pride but they never do anything to challenge human rights issues etc.

There was an interesting video I saw with a guy talking about Jordan Henderson's transfer and he went into the affects if sports washing in Saudi Arabia and brought up the world cup in Qatar etc.

It's a tough situation and a PR nightmare for someone like a Henderson who has built a great image in the media over the years but this image is only built by the campaigns the football clubs align themselves with

 

I would say regarding the world cup that I'm sure players may have gone begrudgingly but they go because they want to play for their countries and know they only have a limited number of world cups they can participate in. I do see some ambiguity and tension there and it would have taken an incredibly principled player to say no to the call up and probably torpedo their international career to an extent. Don't get me wrong, I would've loved to see it. But I can imagine the fall out being something else.

I have a PR background. I know that not every public pronouncement by a brand is done in earnest. I also totally agree that Pride flags and rainbow laces and corporate displays of solidarity are often just optics. I recall a person in a high position at an organisation telling me about the "pressure" the group was under to engage with Pride.

But as hollow as it might be for some. I am certain that for others within the organisations it does mean something.

Im sure Jordan Henderson isn't a raging homophobe in real life. Im sure he does believe a lot of what he has said in the past. What I'm not sure on is if he fully grasped what that meant in practice. Or if the people advising him understood or cared about that.

It wouldnt shock me at all if a wealthy 33 year old professional footballer, even if he has a certain level of understanding on particular social isssues, has a bit of blinkered world view and doesn't quite get the implications of transferring to Saudi Arabia.

I feel like Jürgen Klopp is a bit more thrown into an uneasy position. He has to be seen to say goodbye to the club captain. If the entire club as damned if they did and damned if they didn't

 

[DavidMarrio]

1 hour ago, Colly said:

I think the thing that's disappointed me most is that while I despise his stupid temper, petulance and other standard grumpy manager things, Klopp has always came across as fairly principled, and while I appreciate he's toeing the line and being respectful to a player he clearly likes, describing him as a legend rankles slightly.

If you go from a purely footballing perspective for Liverpool football club he is legend. Guy captained us to 5 trophies under Klopp, two Champions League finals, a Europa League final and two other title challenges. 

It's just unfortunate that it's gone from what appears to be a conversation held of you're not gonna get as much game time to this situation of you've basically sold out the morals you've built yourself on. 

I feel like I'm on that fence of on the field one of the best for the club and one of the best leaders. Off the field I'm just extremely let down. 

Its such a PR own goal considering he's built himself up as someone who is all about inclusively and then has contradicted it and threw that away for money. 

[The Lusophone]

He's Liverpool's best captain of the Premier League era and never let them down. Unlike some people..

 

[Colly]

Appreciate I'm holding Klopp to a higher standard solely because he's usually quite outspoken politically, any other manager and I wouldn't bat an eyelid.

[Baddar]

Sadio Mane is off there too.

[Lineker]

 

[Colly]

16 minutes ago, Baddar said:

Sadio Mane is off there too.

The Kane/Mane/Sane dream is over.

 

[Captain Kirk]

Rangers have signed Danilo for around £5m, proper excited about this one.

[Gazz]

20 minutes ago, Colly said:

The Kane/Mane/Sane dream is over.

 

I mean, there's a 50% chance at least that Al-Nassr sign Kane and Sane at some point.

[Hobo]

4 hours ago, FestiveJack said:

He's Liverpool's best captain of the Premier League era and never let them down. Unlike some people..

 

Paul Ince was a real let down tbf

[Baddar]

We've rejected a 20m bid from West Ham for Maguire. With them interested in McTominay too, if we can get 50m for the pair, I'd say that's good business.