One ‘appalled’ Liverpool fan gives up on club over ‘traitor’ Trent boos

One Liverpool fan is detailing how he is now walking away from the club over the boos for Trent Alexander-Arnold…

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Nothing at Man Utd is as bad as it seems
Ruben Amorim seems like a decent man, and his admission after the West Ham game has sent the gossip machine into overdrive about his leaving the job. However, in the direst of dire seasons, it’s worth looking for signs of hope. Here are a few:

This team had turned a corner around March, and while not winning games, was showing signs of solidity, especially against the top teams. But the dual challenges of the Europa League and the PL have meant the constant prioritisation of the former, in the last 4 weeks. So we’ve had a somewhat weakened team in the PL games, especially in defence.

Harry Amass is far from Premier League ready, he probably needs to go on loan to a Championship clubs and play a season of punishing physical football. But as a team it’s clear that the Europa is being prioritised which I’m sure impacts the mental state of all players on the pitch.

I’d really like to see a quantitative analysis of the injuries suffered by PL teams. Every team feels that they were unlucky with injuries, but I suspect United (and Spurs) have had it quite bad this year. Every time a player gains a little form he seems to go off for a few weeks (or months), for us. Martinez, Zirkzee, Dalot, De Ligt have all gotten injured just as a run of regular games in the right position was bringing them into some kind of confident form. Others like Mount, Mainoo, Amad, Maguire, and Shaw have had months out and have had to be nursed back with managed minutes.

The lack of a settled defence is particularly debilitating – we seem to have had about seventeen thousand combinations of the back 3 in one season. The 18 year old Tyler Fredricson played well on the left in his first game, but then on the right versus Brentford. Lindelof’s confidence is so low, he might as well be playing his first professional game. Mazroui has been running on fumes lately, and Dalot is out for the season it seems. DeLigt has been in and out. Ayden Heaven looked great, for the few games he played before he went off injured. But he’s only 18. Shaw is still feeling his way in. Yoro is now injured – let’s hope not for too long.

Dorgu is still relatively new to the PL and he’s 20 years old. Especially given the physicality of the PL, it’s a real challenge for the young players to come up to scratch physically and mentally. If we had a consistent run with say Maguire, DeLigt and Martinez as the settled back 3, with Yoro as the option, and with Mazraoi and Shaw able to step in occasionally – I think this season goes differently. Not to mention the cliche of the impact the lack of a settled defence on the goalkeeper.

At the other end, it’s all about poor Hojlund. The one striker on whom everybody depends, who is so out of form that he couldn’t score a pint at a brewery. And yet there are no options here, with the Rashford meltdown, and Garnacho who is good for the odd worldy but generally unreliable with his decision making. And when your main striker isn’t scoring goals, the opposition find it easy to block the other routes. If your striker is in form, it also opens up opportunities for others to score.

This is a feast or famine situation and United are most definitely in a famine. In the past few games we’ve created more chances than the opposition, but when you’re not scoring goals it always puts more pressure on the defence.

How much of this is fixable? My argument is that Amorim desperately finds a way to bring consistency to his backline – whether through luck, or finding more indestructible defenders. And he needs at least 2 front players who are capable of scoring in the range of 20 goals a season. If the combined sales of Garnacho, Sancho, and Rashford allow for (say) Cunha and Liam Delap – it would be a different team.

The midfield is actually quite competitive when everybody is fit and at the top of their game. When you can combine Dalot/Mazraoui/Amad on the left, and Dorgu/Leon (incoming)/Shaw on the right, with Mainoo, Bruno, Casemiro (managed minutes), and Ugarte in the middle. Sure, another solid DM wouldn’t hurt with the money we save from Eriksen and Lindelof salaries.

None of this is to suggest that United will become CL contenders overnight. There’s a lot more missing in terms of chemistry and style. But maybe Amorim deserves one preseason and even then I’ll take a good run that gets us into the Europa League next season.

What is even the point of football without hope?
Ved Sen

READ: Premier League winners and losers: Amorim and Ange, Newcastle, Dias, Rusk, Beto, Jackson

Are we all Spurs?
Appreciate we’re a week off it but with the Europa League final fast approaching I’ve been thinking a bit about who I’d rather won and, as a result, salvaged a modicum of pride from an absolutely disastrous season for both clubs by winning a second tier European trophy.

And….the answer is Spurs isn’t it?

The trophy drought stuff doesn’t really matter, if you squint really hard there are the foundations of a reasonably good team there, the Champions League money isn’t going to be especially transformational and frankly, it would be quite funny for them to win something a year after Harry Kane left.

Man Utd on the other hand? Absolutely no way we can keep letting them getting away with salvaging short lived pride by somehow bozoing their way to another silver sticking plaster for their self inflicted wounds.

Both are obviously equally bad outcomes, but it’s Spurs all the way for me.
Simon, London

READ: Man Utd and Tottenham bin fires deserve zero credit for Europa League final

The pearl-clutching is a nonsense
Tottenham and United have been abominations in the league season. Awful. Beyond argument.

That said, it’s probably quite fair to say it is a complete anomaly. Tottenham finished fifth last season and United won the FA Cup – following on from another trophy the year prior.

They are, at this exact moment in time, pretty rotten but the absolute pearl clutching about European football being diminished, if not worse, is a bit tedious.

Two teams who are routinely in the biggest competitions are having a pig of a season. I would wager that this time next season neither will be remotely close to the positions they are now.
Dan Mallerman

Ashamed of being a Liverpool fan
I’m sure this sounds like a massive overreaction – but I’m so appalled at the Trent booing and vitriol that I no longer want to be associated with supporting a club that has a fan base that claims “you’ll never walk alone”. After 40 years of being one, I don’t think I can carry on being a Liverpool fan.

This kid should be looked at as an inspiration for the city and fellow scousers – a local lad who won EVERYTHING for his boyhood club and didn’t cost us a cent. And now the “fans” are upset because he doesn’t share the typical scouse mentality of wanting to stay in the city and be happy with his lot. It’s pathetic man – grow up! “BuT He’s LeAvInG oN a FrEE!” – this was the only way he was ever going to get a move to Madrid which, let’s be honest, is a step up from Liverpool as a football club.

And to all the podcasts and supporter channels (I’m looking at you Redmen and Anfield Index) that are now saying “I don’t agree with booing him” after you fanned the flames of discontent for the last 6-12 months about what a traitor he will be if he leaves. Shame on you.
Andy (former Liverpool fan)

…There is nothing more pathetic than an adult booing a twenty something sportsman. I should know…I did it once and have lived with the shame ever since.

At the 2015 cricket World Cup final after we’d won the game, I booed Shane Watson as he was being presented with his winners medal. My kids were next to me. It became a chorus ringing around the MCG. What were we booing? A bunch of things. That he’d never quite met our expectations. That the selectors kept on picking him. That Cricket Australia sucked. The guy had just won the World Cup and we booed him.

I hope some of my people who booed Trent will, in the cold light of day, feel some of the shame and remorse I’ve felt having booed a guy who was just doing his best and having some of the biggest success of his life. I’m sorry Watto – I was an arse.
Aussie Red (If we at least got PSR relief for TAA’s market value, I think a lot of us would be fine)

Get off your high horses
There seems to be a lot of high-horsie people about the place since yesterday. While I for one applauded Trent, I get the boos from some. It happened to Owen and McManaman, so why not him?

In 2005 Ferdinand was roundly booed by United fans during his contract negotiations after meeting with Chelsea. Rooney too in 2010, Giggs in 2003 during a loss of form and Zirkzee this year. At Arsenal Fabregas was booed on his return, as was Van Persie, Ashley Cole – an invincible.

Trent may have been better off not announcing it publicly until after the end of the season, but it was always going to happen and fans of other clubs getting self-righteous about it are failing to look to the recent past and their own behaviour.

Trent will be fine but the move has sacrificed his place as a true club legend the same as others have done before at Liverpool and other clubs.
IJR

Jamie Carragher and Liverpool ‘fans’
Firstly, I must address Jamie Carragher’s petulant and frankly pathetic spat with Gary Neville over the fact G-Nev basically had the bare faced nerve to tip Arsenal for the Prem pre-season. Jamie, your team has won the league, you absolute f*cking clown, is that not enough for you to act with a little bit of grace and class? Also, and this is fact remember, this is a grown man who saw fit to spit in a child’s face from his car yet he’s still on our screens.

And secondly, Liverpool “fans” booing one of their own? And what for exactly? I mean all he’s done is serve out his contracts with the highest level of professionalism, and whilst doing so, ensuring his team win every major honour possible in that time. Yep, what an absolute sh*thouse.

And Liverpool fans wonder why a large proportion of other club’s supporters dislike them so much? Yep, a mystery indeed.

Lastly, and oh how we laughed at the irony……… You’ll Never Walk Alone? I reckon even Trent would already have something to say about that. What. A. Joke.
Andy FTM (can’t wait to squeak past Coventry and then Sheff Utd so we can get promoted, enjoy it for roughly 10 minutes, and then realise we’ll be beating Derby’s 11 point record next season)

Destroying the justifications
Firstly, all the mails condemning Liverpool fans this morning: I 100% agree. It was pretty pathetic and doesn’t put the supporters in a great light. Secondly, I wanted to come back on Rob and some of his justifications for booing.

…I’m wouldn’t have booed Trent if I’d been at Anfield. I think though many aren’t getting (or are choosing to miss) the anger at him.

For most of us, it isn’t that he is going. We accept every player may move even though sometimes it is sad for fans when they do. We also know we are fickle (‘’sell Nunez and Diaz! Buy Isak!’’) and that the club doesn’t bat an eyelid letting lifelong Liverpool fans leave if they don’t make the grade.

“It is how Trent has gone about it.” – You mean continued to give everything, work hard and try his best to win the league? Shame on him.

“It is the signing a 4-year rather than 6-year deal.” How dare he sign a contract where he only commits the next 4 years of his life to a club! For shame

“It the gaslighting at Leicester – don’t you think some fans might have thought that amazing reaction might have meant something rather than adding to the personal highlights reel/weird leaving video.” – Or maybe he scored a really important goal to help Liverpool win the league and he got excited?

“It is the announcing he’s leaving before the end of the season (so he can manoeuvre to play in a tournament for Real this season).” or maybe he just wanted to say goodbye at Anfield? (that worked out well)

“It is because he’s done it in a way that has deprived us of a mega fee and will cost us a fortune to replace. The voices saying ‘he didn’t cost you anything!’ don’t understand basic finance”. For the last time, players do not owe it to you to sign a contract just to get the club a fee!!! This narrative is genuinely pathetic. He signed a 4 year deal. He fulfilled his end of the bargain. If he had signed a 6-year deal and then said he wanted to leave, I absolutely 100% know for certain that you would be criticising him for wanting to leave mid-contract.

“It is that egotistical video that for some reason the club shared during the season. Wait until after the parade! But see above. He wants out asap to play for a European rival.” There is literally no club that Trent could move to that would not be a “European Rival”.

“It is the ‘’I’ll always support the club’’… what? Even when we play against you?” Yes? Is that a problem?

Trent has been a starring member of the team that has won it all and brought LFC to 20 English titles. He should be (and is) a club legend. The fact that is is being criticised for seeing out his contract, rather than handing in a transfer request mid-contract is just utterly bizarre. He should have got a huge ovation and we wish him well as he goes off to a new challenge. Instead, pathetic, small minded idiots chose to see him leave under a cloud.

Worth noting that there was a significant portion of the crowd who were clapping Trent. Hopefully he realised that not all fans are such morons.
Mike, LFC, Dubai

Cheers Trent
Can I personally thank TAA for his move to Madrid and moving the mailbox narrative away from the tedious Arsenal narrative.

YNWA ….more like LOL.
Colin, Dublin Gooner