Scouser

Jim Boardman and Jay Reid return after another grim weekend for the Reds, another embarrassing defeat, another show of how far the current Premier League champions have fallen, one that was enough for Mo Salah to stand up for the dressing room and the fans and say it like it is. 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

Jim Boardman and Jay Reid are back as a shambles of a season limps closer to its end, and as Anfield makes it as clear as it can that this is far below the standards expected. The mood in the ground shifted from the frustration of recent months to something much more visceral. Anyone who knows Anfield knows that a line has been crossed, there is no going back, and delaying the inevitable will only drag out the pain. The big talking point this week is of course the substitution that saw Rio, the brightest player on the pitch, hauled off just as he looked like the only lad capable of making something happen. As Jay and Jim discuss, whether it was "cramp" or a convenient excuse, the reaction from the crowd told the real story. It wasn't just a moan about a change; it was a collective, instinctive rejection of the manager's decision-making. For a fanbase known for its patience, the boos spoke to a situation supporters are genuinely struggling to fathom. The trust has evaporated, and as the hosts point out, starting next season with a manager who has zero goodwill left in the bank is a recipe for real trouble. Beyond the tactics, there's the worrying state of the squad itself, and how hard a sell it might be for any incoming manager. The new regime, the head coach and his bosses, have assembled a fragmented collection of players that looks increasingly like it was put together to win a game of Top Trumps, not football matches, and plenty of the mainstays are on their way out this summer by the sounds of it. There is so much work to do to put things right. None of that excuses the strange choices the boss makes with the players he does have: his apparent disdain for youth, his baffling tactics, his terminal game plans. The identity of this Liverpool side has become a total blur, and as Jay points out the Reds are fast becoming a "basket case" club, much like the one down the M62 where huge fees and talented names have rarely added up to a coherent team. There's also a look ahead to Friday night's visit to Villa Park, in itself a reminder of just how badly Liverpool's recruitment policy has served them. Questions need to be asked about how the Harvey Elliott saga was allowed to unfold the way it did, but that's only the first of many about what they did last summer. As for the game itself, there isn't much optimism to be found, even if Villa end up fielding a second string side with one eye on their big European night. The best thing about a Friday kickoff? At least it leaves the weekend free.

Jim Boardman and Jay Reid are back with Liverpool still stuck in that strange end-of-season place where a win is welcome, but hardly enough to lift the mood properly. Beating Palace in the sun gave the Reds a few decent moments and nudged them along in the race for Champions League qualification, but no one’s pretending this is where Liverpool should be. The bigger picture still hangs over everything: out of the cups, out of the title race, and left clinging to scraps of encouragement. There were some of those scraps, to be fair. Freddie Woodman came in and looked far more comfortable than anyone could reasonably have expected, the Kop took to him straight away, and there was a bit of fun in the middle of all the frustration. Add in a goal for the recovering Alexander Isak and a few more hints of what Florian Wirtz might become, and there was at least something to talk about beyond the usual groaning. That said, the familiar problem hasn’t gone anywhere. For all the talent Liverpool have brought in, Jay and Jim are left asking the same question supporters have been asking for months: what exactly is this side meant to be? There are good players all over the place, but not much clarity, not enough rhythm, and still the sense that the club bought the ingredients before deciding what it wanted to cook. Then came the part that took the air out of the place a bit: Mo Salah going off injured, with the horrible feeling that his Anfield farewell might not get the ending it deserves. If that really was his last meaningful walk off that pitch in red, it feels far too flat for a player who’s given the club so much. The wider mood stayed angry off the pitch too, with the yellow-card protest over ticket prices underlining just how little patience supporters have left with a club that too often feels cold and transactional. And it wasn’t a minority. Next up it’s Old Trafford, and that still means enough on its own, even in a season as disjointed as this one. There’s top-five pressure there, there’s pride there, and there’s always the chance to make life miserable for the Mancs, which never stops being worth a bit of effort. And that’s really the tone of this one: a bit of hope, a fair bit of annoyance, plenty of questions, and Anfield turning all yellow to make sure the people running the club know exactly how supporters feel.

Jim Boardman and Jay Reid are back with Liverpool still stuck in that strange end-of-season place where a win is welcome, but hardly enough to lift the mood properly. Beating Palace in the sun gave the Reds a few decent moments and nudged them along in the race for Champions League qualification, but no one’s pretending this is where Liverpool should be. The bigger picture still hangs over everything: out of the cups, out of the title race, and left clinging to scraps of encouragement. There were some of those scraps, to be fair. Freddie Woodman came in and looked far more comfortable than anyone could reasonably have expected, the Kop took to him straight away, and there was a bit of fun in the middle of all the frustration. Add in a goal for the recovering Alexander Isak and a few more hints of what Florian Wirtz might become, and there was at least something to talk about beyond the usual groaning. That said, the familiar problem hasn’t gone anywhere. For all the talent Liverpool have brought in, Jay and Jim are left asking the same question supporters have been asking for months: what exactly is this side meant to be? There are good players all over the place, but not much clarity, not enough rhythm, and still the sense that the club bought the ingredients before deciding what it wanted to cook. Then came the part that took the air out of the place a bit: Mo Salah going off injured, with the horrible feeling that his Anfield farewell might not get the ending it deserves. If that really was his last meaningful walk off that pitch in red, it feels far too flat for a player who’s given the club so much. The wider mood stayed angry off the pitch too, with the yellow-card protest over ticket prices underlining just how little patience supporters have left with a club that too often feels cold and transactional. And it wasn’t a minority. Next up it’s Old Trafford, and that still means enough on its own, even in a season as disjointed as this one. There’s top-five pressure there, there’s pride there, and there’s always the chance to make life miserable for the Mancs, which never stops being worth a bit of effort. And that’s really the tone of this one: a bit of hope, a fair bit of annoyance, plenty of questions, and Anfield turning all yellow to make sure the people running the club know exactly how supporters feel.

It’s post-derby week in Liverpool and Jim Boardman and Jay Reid are back with big smiles for this week’s episode of Scouser Tommies. Any victory is cause for celebration, but there’s a specific kind of joy that comes from a derby win, especially when it arrives with the sort of comedy unique to the residents of the Rhyl Dickinson. As our hosts discuss, it was a Merseyside Derby with all the usual nerves in the build-up, all the usual nonsense from the blue quarter of the city, and, with a disallowed goal, a penalty shout spurious even by their usual standards and a 100th-minute winner, all the ingredients for another long spell of fume from the fans of “the most irrelevant club”. The celebrations for the first ever derby goal at their new ground turned out to be celebrations for the first one chalked off by VAR. They celebrated it like it had ended a three-decade wait for a trophy, but no sooner had they started adding it to their ever-growing “it’s just not fair” dossier than Cody Gakpo had set Mo Salah up for the real first ever derby goal at their new ground. The laughs had started with their comedy air-raid siren and continued with their Beatles-stealing tifo, but the punchline came at the end. They did get a goal back, but just as they were readying themselves for a famous 1-1 draw, up popped Virgil van Dijk with that late, late winner. “Where did the ref find all that time?” they asked, apparently forgetting the two stretcher delays. Jay and Jim also find time to get into the football itself, with praise for the way Liverpool kept their heads in a game that can so often drag everyone into chaos, for tactics that worked and players who carried them out, and for the big moments from Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk that settled it. After the season Liverpool have had, it was a welcome break from so much grim football. There was even praise for the ref. There’s also discussion of some of Arne Slot’s recent comments on his new theme of transition and what they might mean for his future. As the hosts point out, there needs to be clarity on what comes next if the next phase is going to be built properly, whoever ends up doing the building. Also this week, there’s a look at Spirit of Shankly’s planned yellow-card protest over ticket prices, why this matters far beyond one ground or one club, and why it’s vital that the message makes its way across the Atlantic and into the eyes and ears of owners who haven’t been seen on Merseyside in a while.

Jim Boardman and Jay Reid are back with another Scouser Tommies on Anfield Index, but with optimism in even shorter supply than goals at the moment. Liverpool’s humiliation at Man City in the FA Cup and a limp 2-0 defeat away to PSG leave them questioning not just the manager, but the entire direction of the club. From half-hearted pressing to confused tactics and a back five thrown together on 48 hours’ notice, the lads ask how a title-winning squad has ended up looking like relegation fodder, and why the manager seems happier talking about “survival mode” than solutions. The conversation turns to leadership, both on the touchline and in the dressing room, as Slot’s post-match comments jar with Virgil van Dijk’s brutal honesty about players “giving up.” Jim and Jay dig into the lack of in-game adjustments, the persistence with out-of-form favourites, and the sense that togetherness, Liverpool’s supposed superpower under Klopp, has completely evaporated. When even long-serving figures like Andy Robertson look like they’re just seeing the season out, it feels like a squad drifting without direction, waiting for someone else to make the big decisions. As Fulham at Anfield looms, followed by the PSG second leg and the derby, the stakes could hardly be higher for a fanbase that feels taken for granted. There’s anger at inflation-linked ticket hikes in a cost-of-living crisis, concern at what’s leading to the growing protests and the loss of flags on the Kop, and an uncomfortable debate about whether it will take banners and open revolt to finally force change in the dugout and the boardroom. With Champions League qualification and up to £120 million in revenue on the line, Jim and Jay wonder whether Liverpool are simply “on life support” until the summer, or already slipping into a long, sad goodbye.

Jim Boardman and Jay Reid are back with another Scouser Tommies on Anfield Index, but with optimism in even shorter supply than goals at the moment. Liverpool’s humiliation at Man City in the FA Cup and a limp 2-0 defeat away to PSG leave them questioning not just the manager, but the entire direction of the club. From half-hearted pressing to confused tactics and a back five thrown together on 48 hours’ notice, the lads ask how a title-winning squad has ended up looking like relegation fodder, and why the manager seems happier talking about “survival mode” than solutions. The conversation turns to leadership, both on the touchline and in the dressing room, as Slot’s post-match comments jar with Virgil van Dijk’s brutal honesty about players “giving up.” Jim and Jay dig into the lack of in-game adjustments, the persistence with out-of-form favourites, and the sense that togetherness, Liverpool’s supposed superpower under Klopp, has completely evaporated. When even long-serving figures like Andy Robertson look like they’re just seeing the season out, it feels like a squad drifting without direction, waiting for someone else to make the big decisions. As Fulham at Anfield looms, followed by the PSG second leg and the derby, the stakes could hardly be higher for a fanbase that feels taken for granted. There’s anger at inflation-linked ticket hikes in a cost-of-living crisis, concern at what’s leading to the growing protests and the loss of flags on the Kop, and an uncomfortable debate about whether it will take banners and open revolt to finally force change in the dugout and the boardroom. With Champions League qualification and up to £120 million in revenue on the line, Jim and Jay wonder whether Liverpool are simply “on life support” until the summer, or already slipping into a long, sad goodbye.

Jim Boardman and Jay Reid return after an international break they were only too happy to embrace. Looking back at the last two games, Galatasaray at home and Brighton away, leaves them wondering which Liverpool FC will turn up for the next couple of tests, Man City in the FA Cup and PSG in the Champions League. It’s enough to make anyone wish the break had lasted a little longer. There is plenty of deserved credit for that Galatasaray second leg, a night where the players and the crowd fed off each other and Liverpool played with the urgency and quality that's been so frustratingly rare this season. But what followed was that trip to the south coast, Saturday lunchtime, and the contrast couldn't have been starker. Jay and Jim unpick Slot's refusal to rotate in the midweek game (still 4-0 up at 62 minutes, key players visibly flagging, and fresh options sitting unused) ensured the same players started the game out of sorts. Ex-Red James Milner, at an age where many a player has long since retired, had no trouble bullying Liverpool out of the game. The manager who complained about tired legs had, once again, created them himself. The break also brought confirmation of Mo Salah's impending departure, and no matter how much we knew it was coming it still casts a long shadow. The hosts give it the space it deserves and there’s warmth and sadness in equal measure. Questions are raised about the free transfer decision, where he might end up, and what it means for Liverpool's future shape, with Jim and Jay both drawn to the idea of a back three that could unlock the potential of Isak and Ekitike together. A glimpse of what might be coming, whoever the manager is. The other flashpoint is off the pitch entirely, as Liverpool's announcement of inflation-linked ticket price increases lands with a thud. Jim and Jay argue that in a week when the club could have banked goodwill from a famous European night, they instead reminded supporters precisely how transactional this relationship has become, pricing out the very fans whose passion fills the ground and drives the team forward. With FSG's long-term commitment increasingly questioned and Slot's position under scrutiny at every press conference, the feeling is less of a season reaching its conclusion and more of a club still trying to work out what it actually wants to be.

Jim Boardman and Jay Reid return for another episode of Scouser Tommies, this time trying to make sense of a Liverpool side that feels stuck between reputation and reality. Recorded in the wake of a 1-0 first-leg defeat away to Galatasaray, the lads reflect on another night where an early burst of promise quickly gave way to slow football, set-piece frailty and a familiar sense of collapse. There’s plenty of focus on the growing idea that “Anfield under the lights” is no longer enough on its own, with Jim and Jay questioning whether supporters can still be expected to carry the team through big European nights when the football itself is so flat. They talk about the mood in the ground, fans losing themselves to their phones, and the broader sense that the passion and enthusiasm are being drained away by a side that gives precious little back. Looking ahead, attention turns first to Spurs and then to the second leg against Galatasaray, with both matches feeling huge in different ways. As Jim and Jay discuss, Liverpool’s season is balanced on a knife edge, with top five now looking like the priority and the danger growing that even that could slip if the same mistakes keep being repeated. Ultimately, the conversation circles back to Arne Slot, his team selections, his in-game management and the increasingly strained relationship between his words and what supporters are seeing on the pitch. With accusations of stubbornness, a squad that feels underused, and what Jay calls the sense of a “messy divorce” hanging over everything, the question is no longer whether Liverpool have problems, but whether this manager is capable of solving them.

Jim Boardman and Jay Reid return for another episode of Scouser Tommies where they find themselves talking about yet another avoidable Liverpool FC defeat and the doubt that seems to be everywhere at the club right now. The show is recorded in the aftermath of the Reds failing the first part of a Wolves double-header, putting to bed any myths that Arne Slot’s side had finally turned a corner this season. There’s a look back at the West Ham win at the weekend, and Jay and Jim explain why 5-2 wasn’t the cause for celebration it could have been.