Blood Red: The Liverpool FC Podcast

It's your Friday Blood Red podcast - AKA James Pearce's last as the ECHO's Liverpool FC correspondent. To steal the words from host Sean Bradbury's brilliant intro, this is not 'This is Your Life' - that came on Wednesday when James sat down with Joe Rimmer to look back on his eight-and-a-half years covering the Reds. If you haven't listened to that, you can do so HERE (it's great). Instead, this show is mainly concerned with the subject James has probably been pestered about the most during his time as our man in the know at Anfield - transfers. Should Liverpool act now Manchester City have started to flex their financial muscle again with the £62.8m acquisition of Rodri? And when even Tottenham Hotspur have spent big? Caoimhe O'Neill and Theo Squires have their say while James reveals the one area of the squad he does feel needs to be strengthened. But how does Jurgen Klopp feel? James gives us an insight into the thought process of the Reds manager while also clarifying the club's stance on Divock Origi and Dejan Lovren. Regular listeners will know the esteem in which Caoimhe holds Origi. But while her back-garden statue to big Div is back on, she does utter the unthinkable. There's also time for Theo to aim a cruel dig at Emre Can before Sean asks James to give us his early take on what he expects next season and the man himself gives us some very welcome news. Enjoy. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

About a year ago we caught up with Liverpool Under-23s goalkeeper Andy Firth to reflect on an unforgettable loan spell at Chester FC, which coincided with the club losing players left, right and centre - and very nearly going out of business. Safe to say it was an experience he wouldn’t forget in a hurry. But after signing a new contract with the Reds, the youngster decided to make the move back into National League football, but this time on a permanent basis, and this time with Barrow. It was a move that started well. But come November he had lost his place in the team, and you wouldn’t have blamed him for having second thoughts about leaving Liverpool, the club he has supported all his life. But then he didn't know what was just around the corner. In December, Andy took a call from his agent informing him that his idol, and Reds legend, Steven Gerrard wanted to sign him for Rangers. He did not need asking twice – and come the end of the season he had not only experienced a famous Auld Firm win from the bench, he’d also made his competitive debut. So with Rangers about to start their Europa League campaign, Paul Wheelock picks the phone back up to Andy to look back on what, as the man says himself, has been a surreal year. They also talk working under Gerrard, Liverpool’s current and former loanees at Rangers, Sheyi Ojo and Ryan Kent, his big mate Harry Wilson, and what it was like to be a fan, watching on from the stands, as the Reds beat Barcelona and then Tottenham to be crowned champions of Europe for the sixth time. Enjoy. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll have heard the news by now that our Liverpool FC correspondent James Pearce is leaving the Liverpool ECHO after 14 years - eight-and-a-half of which have seen him report on the Reds, both home and away. It was only right, then, that his regular Blood Red sidekick Joe Rimmer sat down with James to look back on his time as our man in the know at Anfield in this special podcast. It's a superb listen - starting with the last, glorious match report he will write for the ECHO, and then taking him back to when he first walked through the doors at our former Old Hall Street home. At the start of his ECHO career, James reveals he actually spent time covering Everton. But he fell out with the Blue half of Merseyside indefinitely after his infamous 'DVD-gate' article (read it HERE) which wound-up David Moyes and brought a flood of angry letters from Blues. James also looks back on his relationships with the Liverpool managers he has worked with, from Kenny Dalglish to Jurgen Klopp and, most interestingly, Brendan Rodgers in between. James also explains why Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher were such a big help when he was starting out on the Reds reporting beat and picks out some of his funniest stories over the years - including offers to adopt children and Kolo Toure running away from koalas. Another big talking point is the rise of social media - and the role it is has played in James' career so far and how he deals with the harsher side of it. And the podcast rounds off with some quickfire questions, one answer to which takes an unexpected turn, but which also proves we're not only losing an outstanding reporter, but a good guy, too. Enjoy. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The good news: James Pearce and Ian Doyle are back on the Blood Red podcast after their well-deserved breaks following Liverpool's glorious Champions League final victory. The bad news: It's the last time the pair will appear on the pod together as ECHO employees given Ian is off on Friday, which is James' last day as our Liverpool FC correspondent, both home and away. Caoimhe O'Neill, like us all, has not taken the news well, but that doesn't stop her from appearing alongside our Reds reporting duo for what is, as always, a brilliant listen. It's a listen that starts with the announcement that Marko Grujic will be returning to Hertha Berlin on loan. The panel discuss what it means for the midfielder's Liverpool future before turning their thoughts to the Reds stars currently participating at the Copa America and Africa Cup of Nations, and the headaches that could bring Jurgen Klopp once the season kicks in. Of particular interest for James, Caoimhe and Ian is Naby Keita, who they believe has a very difficult decision to make. Also on the agenda is Danny Ings' completing his permanent move to Southampton and whether that adds extra weight to the argument that Klopp needs to sign another attacker. Pep Guardiola's tribute to Anfield is then discussed, as is the opportunity for further trophies before the year is out, before Ian and James sign off together for the last time. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've gone Dutch for our latest podcast on the Blood Red channel. With Sepp van den Berg becoming Liverpool's first signing of the summer, Paul Wheelock picks up the phone to Dutch football expert Michael Statham to learn more about the 17-year-old defender's background, his attributes and whether he's ready for a place in Jurgen Klopp’s first-team. They also touch on Ki-Jana Hoever, the other 17-year-old Dutch defender already on the Reds’ books after signing from Ajax last summer, on the imperious Virgil van Dijk, and his claims to be named the winner of this year’s Ballon D’Or, and Gini Wijnaldum, and what should be considered the midfielder’s best position. Michael, who is a writer and podcaster for the excellent Football Oranje website, also gives his us take on Matthijs de Ligt, which may leave fans wondering why the Reds did not bid for the Juventus-bound defender, as well as Memphis Depay, who looks a player to steer clear of. And with the Reds definitely in the market for more young talent like van den Berg and Hoever, Michael also picks out six other talented Dutch youngsters to keep an eye on. Enjoy. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The sun is shining, the weekend is here (for some of us, anyway)... little wonder, then, the latest Blood Red podcast, hosted by Connor Dunn and featuring Paul Gorst, Caoimhe O'Neill and Dan Kay, is positively upbeat. And if the fact that it's Friday and the weather is glorious wasn't enough, Liverpool have also made their first signing of the summer! In some quarters, though, it wasn't the big name hoped for. However, Paul explains why Reds fans should be thrilled by the arrival of Sepp van den Berg, while Caoimhe and Dan argue the last-gasp attempt from another European heavyweight to tempt the 17-year-old Dutch defender away from Anfield should make you very excited indeed. It's a case of one in, one out at Liverpool and Paul also gives us the lowdown on Rafael Camacho's transfer to Sporting Lisbon and why, if you scratch beneath the surface, it could be another masterstroke from Michael Edwards, who comes in for a lot of praise. Whether Edwards and Jurgen Klopp pull another rabbit out of the hat on the incoming front remains to be seen, though, and given it's looks like the Reds will not be splashing the cash this summer, Connor thinks outside the box and proposes to push the huge money the club made last season in another direction. Also on the agenda is a fresh setback for Naby Keita before the podcast ends with a celebration of Sadio Mane, three years to the day since he joined Liverpool. Now what a signing that has been. Enjoy. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After checking that - yes - Liverpool are still champions of Europe, and after giving Donald Trump and Boris Johnson a good kicking, Neil Fitzmaurice gets your latest Poetry in Motion podcast under way, joined by his regular sidekicks Joe Rimmer and Caoimhe O'Neill. The first item on the agenda are transfers and the strange position Liverpool find themselves in this summer. But while the Reds have yet to make their first big-money buy, they have completed the signing of teenage Dutch defender Sepp van den Berg, a deal the panel believe underlines why Jurgen Klopp and Michael Edwards know exactly what they're doing, and which proves the strides the club has made in recent years. But while the message is 'have faith' amidst a frenzy for deals, should another striker be a top priority? Especially when Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino could be playing into July with their respective national teams? Fitzy, Joe and Caoimhe discuss that before laughing off reports linking Salah with Real Madrid, talking Rafa Benitez's departure from Newcastle United, and remembering the time Fernando Torres left Liverpool and why, like Philippe Coutinho, it proved the grass is definitely not always greener. There is a further example of why the Reds have messed with Barcelona's heads before Fitzy closes the show with a lovely tribute to his late cousin John O'Leary, the outstanding grassroots footballer whose passing touched many, including Kop legends Phil Thompson and Terry McDermott. RIP John. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You don’t need reminding what a successful season it has been for Liverpool and the strides that have been made under Jurgen Klopp. But while glory on the field is what it’s all about for supporters, there’s no getting away from the fact that what a club does off the field, is vitally important in today’s game. The good news for Liverpool is they are in very good health in that respect. That is certainly underlined by the special guest of this podcast, Kieran Maguire. Kieran is one of the leading football finance experts, who lectures in the subject at the University of Liverpool, and in a wide-ranging interview with Paul Wheelock, he explains: - Just how much Liverpool made from winning the Champions League - How and why the Reds could soon catch and surpass Manchester United off the pitch - having already knocked their bitter rivals off their perch on it - The latest with Manchester City and Financial Fair Play - The job done by FSG - and what next for Liverpool's owners - And, should he choose to do, just how much Reds boss Klopp could spend in the transfer market this summer.Enjoy! For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jurgen Klopp finds himself in the enviable position of not having to do too much tinkering to a squad that won the club’s sixth European Cup. That’s why reports connecting Liverpool to the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Nicholas Pepe have so far been played down. But one name that refuses to go is away is that of Bruno Fernandes. After scoring 31 goals for Sporting Lisbon last season, the Portugal midfielder has also been linked with Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. But if the bookies are to be believed, Liverpool are the favourites to sign the 24-year-old. Now the word coming out of Anfield is that the club will not be spending big this summer. But it was only a year ago that Reds boss Klopp was attempting to boost his attacking midfield options with the signing of Nabil Fekir - and if there is one area you could suggest his side could improve, it is the amount of goals they score from the middle of the park, although the return of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should help with that. But the special guest of this podcast, Alex Goncalves, believes the Reds would be wise to follow up their reported interest in Fernandes. Alex is a Portuguese football expert and the creator of the TugaScout.com website. And as well as giving the lowdown on Fernandes, he also tells Paul Wheelock about the Benfica rookie who has also been linked with a move to Liverpool, plus the future of Rafael Camacho, and whether Klopp and his Premier League managerial counterparts have missed a trick by not going after Joao Felix. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

July is just a week away and Liverpool have yet to make their first signing of the summer. In contrast, it looks like Manchester City are about to get busy in the market with the big-money acquisitions of Harry Maguire and Rodri. But is our latest Blood Red panel worried? Not in the slightest. After squashing the latest speculation, Connor Dunn, Paul Gorst, Joe Rimmer and Theo Squires argue why it is City, and not the Reds, who have the more pressing business to conduct. But with little in the way of transfer activity, and the first friendlies still more than two weeks away, our podcasters are having to be creative, and most of this show focuses on two former fan favourites who have long departed Anfield and another who will soon do the same (well, the ECHO). Over the weekend Fernando Torres explained his decision to call time on his playing career, and Joe, Gorsty, Theo and Connor (El Nino's biggest fan) look back on the striker's Liverpool career, his departure, and the regard he is now held in by Reds fans. They also react to the breaking news that Rafa Benitez, the man who brought Torres to Liverpool, is leaving Newcastle United, as well as addressing the fact that our much-loved Liverpool FC correspondent James Pearce - the man who was once asked for an autograph while interviewing Champions League winner Antonio Nunez, and who last week had Reds CEO Peter Moore asking about him - will soon be leaving the ECHO. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices