Scouser

Three wins in a row for the Reds and it’s also three from three in the Champions League, but as Jim Boardman and Jay Reid discuss, up next is arguably the toughest game of the season so far. On this week’s show there’s a look at the win at ‘nine man’ Brentford, where Isak showed his class as Liverpool came back from behind to win, as they did a few days later against Villarreal. Next up though is the visit of a Brighton side who are having no problem finding the back of the net, the exact opposite of most of their opponents, some big scalps amongst them. Can this be the game that sees the new boss get his first league win at Anfield? Then it’s onto the League Cup, and another tough draw, will the manager lean even more into the Academy players he’s shown so much faith in so far? A lot to go through on this show, but, as usual, there’s a little bit of time to see what’s going on with the old neighbours as they wait for the clocks to change.

Jim Boardman and Jay Reid return for another episode of Scouser Tommies as Liverpool bury the disappointment of the visit of football’s biggest cheats with a shedload of goals in the European Cup. As well as all the obvious stuff, like would a ref from Huyton ever get a game where Liverpool were away in Manchester, and how can a team found so guilty still be playing in the competition they were proven to have cheated, how important is that the Reds get back to old ways when reacting to bad moments in games? There’s also the question about how Liverpool deal with things go the other way. What is it about being so in control of games that they feel like they can just go home early? It didn’t matter in the end in Austria, but could goal difference be an issue by the end of this Champions League mega-league stage? Also a look ahead to Liverpool’s next two games, the visit to Brentford, before the Champions League night at home to Villareal.

Jim Boardman and Jay Reid return after a hectic few weeks - for them, not Liverpool - to dive straight into a massive stretch of football for the Reds after what felt like the longest international break in history. It’s been so long since Liverpool’s last game, a win over Bournemouth with an Isak goal, that it’s almost like the season is starting again. International breaks aren’t all negative, despite the worries about who’s going to come back in more than one piece, and sometimes a spell with their national team can remind a player just how good they are. Florian Wirtz might have benefitted from a word or two in the ear from a familiar German manager, for example. Next up, of course, is a big fixture that got a lot bigger during that break, and more eyes than ever will be on the game, but not all for footballing reasons. Luck would have it that Liverpool play host to Manchester City, fresh from being found by a Premier League investigation to be massive cheats (subject to appeal). Jay and Jim certainly have plenty to say about that - from whether those titles should simply be scrubbed from history, to the atmosphere waiting for City at Anfield, which should be more about helping the Reds win than on the shame the visitors should be feeling. There’s also a look ahead to the Champions League and the midweek trip to LASK.

Jim Boardman and Jay Reid are back to look at the story of Liverpool’s Premier League season so far, as well as having a look ahead to the start of the Reds’ Champions League campaign. An unbeaten start, or as some might say, just one win in three, there are definitely plenty of positives as well as much that can be improved. As Jay and Jim discuss, seeing Alexander Isak find his scoring touch has been a huge boost and whilst Florian Wirtz has had a lot of stick so far (not helped by that price tag) it might not be that difficult to get him to click. They also dig into the post-deadline squad balance, nothing new there, and Richard Hughes moving on, before turning their attention to Diego Simeone's Atleti arriving for the first game of the season under the floodlights. As always, no matter how bad you think something went for Liverpool, there’s always the old neighbours making sure its worse for them.

As another new season beckons, Jim Boardman and Jay Reid are back with Scouser Tommies to offer a local perspective on the start of the Andoni Iraola era and the goings-on over the summer. New faces have joined, not just on the pitch, but has the club given the new boss the squad he needs? Pre-season games are not the most reliable basis for new-season predictions, but how have the Reds looked while playing in this new, yet familiar, way? The first game of the season is the same as last season: a trip to the North East to face Newcastle. What kind of reception can Alexander Isak expect on his return to his old club? And, with a much better pre-season under his belt, can he get back to his best? There’s loads to discuss, as there will be all season.

On this week's Scouser Tommies, Jim Boardman and Jay Reid look at the latest from Anfield, including the new manager's first press conference, a major new deal for Dominik Szoboszlai, and a glance at the World Cup semis and the upcoming final. As Jay and Jim discuss, if the new gaffer's words are anything to go by, there's every reason to approach the new season full of confidence. He’ll be his own man, of course, but it’s hard not to draw some very positive comparisons to the great managers who have gone before him. While the club often loves to claim a new contract is "like a new signing," in Szoboszlai’s case, it actually feels true. The Hungarian captain was one of the genuine highlights of a difficult campaign last time out. The hosts break down his impact so far and explore how he can step up even further this year, particularly from a leadership perspective. As always, there’s time to check in on the neighbours formerly from across the park, who haven't exactly enjoyed seeing their star player under the microscope following a very high-profile tournament exit.

In this episode of Scouser Tommies on Anfield Index, Jim Boardman and Jay Reid look past the ongoing distraction of the World Cup and focus on the highly anticipated return of proper club football. They don’t leave FIFA’s showpiece of integrity completely untouched, however, but safe to say it’s not quite the same coverage you’ll be getting bombarded with if you live in the UK. Turning their focus back home to Anfield, the pair discuss the so-far quiet summer window and some of the holes they’re expecting to see filled, praising the Liverpool-like move for Muñoz, and dismissing some of the "complete nonsense" rumours being made up to fill space. There’s a look ahead to the pre-season and season proper, a discussion on the city’s ability to attract big names from the music business during the summer - and what it’s like to be on the Anfield pitch for one. Even the neighbours get some encouragement this week.

Jim Boardman and Jay Reid return with Scouser Tommies. It's summertime and nothing is happening, but they still found plenty to talk about, including new boss Andoni Iraola and his words on joining the club, Rio Ngumoha’s England debut and the frustrations that usually follow, Curtis Jones being missed in Monaco, the sneaky tweaks to LFC’s ticketing rules, those links to Darwin Nunez and, you can’t leave them out, Everton’s £40m bill from Burnley. Well, it was either that or sit out in the rain.

Jim Boardman and Jay Reid are back, and for the first time in ages there are reasons to be positive. Arne Slot has gone, leaving with genuine gratitude from The Kop for No.20, but now begins the era of Andoni Iraola, whose style and attitude seem far better suited to Anfield. As Jay and Jim discuss, there’s plenty for the club to do this summer, but at least we’re all looking forward to the football again. The game itself left Liverpool needing a win in the last game of the season if they are to get Champions League football, and given how Slot’s side have played all season it’s easier to hope for others to slip up than for Liverpool to do it for themselves. The Villa defeat wasn’t just a setback, it was another embarrassment in a season full of them, the kind where you can’t even cling to the usual excuses. Injuries, bad luck, fixture congestion, all the familiar buzzwords feel hollow now. As the hosts put it, there are ways to lose a football match that you can almost stomach, but this wasn’t one of them. What followed, of course, was Mo Salah saying the quiet part out loud. The “heavy metal football” line might have been clumsy, but the sentiment wasn’t, and the reaction from those inside the dressing room told its own story. For all the pundits queuing up to call him selfish, Mo’s the one sticking his head above the parapet while he’s halfway out the door. Jay and Jim see it for what it is: a senior player voicing what supporters, and it seems plenty of teammates, have been feeling for months. Standards have slipped, clarity has vanished, and the club looks like it’s drifting. When the only people speaking honestly are the ones leaving, Will Mo’s words have the effect most fans would like? For an announcement that says Arne Slot has quietly left and thanking him for that title and all his efforts since? It would make Sunday at least a day to celebrate all that Mo and Andy Robertson have done for the club as they are given a final farewell, with mosaics in the stand and plenty of singing, celebrations of happier times. Also this week, as usual, a moment to remember that whenever it gets gloomy at Anfield there’s always something to laugh about from the old neighbours