Anfield Index

Jim Boardman and Jay Reid are back with another episode of Scouser Tommies, the first one since Virgil Van Dijk lifted the 20th League Title for the Reds in front of a packed Anfield.. It’s been a while, but Jay has been busy, to be fair. And whilst he had extra special reasons to celebrate, the whole city has been in a party mood for quite some time now. (Not quite the whole city, of course; some isolated areas haven’t had a sniff of a title party for 30 years now!) On this week’s show, Jim and Jay look back on that momentous day when Virgil lifted that trophy, the iconic image of the skipper holding that shiny chunk of silver aloft that will live long in the memory. They also touch on the contrasting feelings that came out of that victory parade, a day that had been filled with pride as countless Reds made the pilgrimage to see their kings, celebrating in typical good humor, before the horrific scenes that, as awful as they were, thankfully—miraculously—weren’t as bad as we all feared they would be. The response, too, from those in the city, the offers of help, said so much about the true Liverpool. With a certain former Liverpool player swapping his No. 66 for the shirt usually worn by the sub before squad numbers came in, Jay and Jim look at how the feelings have started to change from those who were critical of the reception the player got from the fans he claims he loves. More and more see just why that reception was deserved. He’s not the first, he won’t be the last, but as Jim and Jay discuss, he’s done it in the worst possible way and ensured he won’t be remembered in the same way as some of those true legends whose names grace the official LFC museum—long after their boots were hung up for the last time. From tears in front of the Sky cameras to showing off the kind of fluent Spanish you don’t pick up overnight, it’s been quite the planned departure. More important than any of that is the fact that Liverpool have some new faces on the way in, the club showing true intent this summer to ensure Arne Slot has what he needs to turn one league title into a period of sustained success. Jay and Jim look at the signing of Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, a direct and exciting replacement for that player who’s just left. Most exciting of all is the impending record transfer of Florian Wirtz, Frimpong’s Leverkusen teammate, and Jay explains just how popular that player is amongst his own countrymen. Those signings, along with the likely arrival of Milos Kerkez, are a massive statement of intent from the champions. Isn’t it nice saying, “The Champions”, by the way? The hosts talk about how last season was basically a "test run" for Arne and wonder just how he’s going to fare when he gets his hands on the players he’s had a hand in signing himself. Last season was just the beginning; will we see a new style of play in the next campaign? Will these new signings allow him to truly stamp his authority on the team's style? To wrap things up, there’s a moment for Jay and Jim to point out some social media posts that caught their eyes, with an old face who’s still not welcome in isolated parts of the city, and a post from Liverpool Airport that really put a certain ex-player in his place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices