Blood Red: The Liverpool FC Podcast

With Liverpool without a game this weekend due to the international break, we thought we would focus attention on football that is far removed from the Premier League for our latest podcast.It’s Non-League Day in England, which means football fans, not just of top-flight and Championship clubs, are encouraged to get down and support their local team, and discover just what a brilliant job they do.So to mark that, we spoke to three people who play, manage and are heavily involved in non-league football in this area.Our first guest is Craig Lindfield, the former Liverpool striker who fired the club to its last FA Youth Cup wins, in 2006 and 2007, and who has spent the past five years in non-league football, currently with Nantwich Town and also recently with Runcorn Town.Our second guest is one of the most successful non-league managers of recent times, Neil Young, a big Liverpool fan who last month took charge of Marine.And our third and final guest is Paul Manning, who is the chairman of the thriving City of Liverpool Football Club.City of Liverpool are away on Non-League Day, but there are plenty of other games in and around Merseyside to attend, all of which kick-off at 3pm, and which can be seen below:Southport v York City (Postcode: PR8 6JZ)Marine v Whitby Town (L23 3AS)Warrington Town v Matlock Town (WA4 2RS)Prescot Cables v Kendal Town (L34 6ED)Bootle v Burscough (L30 1NY)Runcorn Town v Guisborough Town (WA7 4ET)Litherland REYMCA v Thackley (L21 7LA)St Helens Town v Daisy Hill (WA10 6RP)Vauxhall Motors v Seaham Red Star (CH66 1NJ) For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Peter Hooton returns with the Allez Les Rouges podcast and so do three of his regular guests, Ste Monaghan, Kieth Culvin and John Nicolson, to look back on the final two matches of a testing and stamina-sapping run of seven games in 23 days for LiverpoolThe quartet start by examining the Champions League encounter with Napoli, and explain why there were elements of the trip, like the match itself, that were a disappointment, before talk turns to Sunday’s top-of-the-table Premier League stalemate with Manchester CityThe game has been described as an ‘anti-climax’ in some quarters but the lads disagree and Peter reasons why it showed just how far the Reds have come in the last year.Jurgen Klopp’s decision to bench Trent-Alexander Arnold is debated, and while there is an acceptance that the right-back dipped below his high standards four nights earlier in Naples, the panel wonder whether it was the wrong match for him to be rested.Rest is what James Milner is going to get after coming off injured against City and Peter and Co talk about who should replace the key man. New boys Fabinho or Naby Keita? Xherdan Shaqiri? Or a player who was once key to Klopp’s style of football?The fixtures after the international break are then pored over, including a first Champions League clash with Red Star Belgrade since 1973, a game which that proved pivotal for Bill Shankly and for the club.Kevin Keegan told the ECHO recently that the current Reds boss was cut from the same cloth as Shankly. The lads discuss the comparisons and also spell out what could be Klopp’s greatest achievement of his three-year reign.The first part of the show then ends before Peter and Ste are joined by Joe Blott, a Spirit of Shankly committee member, to talk about World Mental Health Day, the role the supporters’ group are playing with Liverpool Mental Heath Consortium and the club, and the new documentary, Jason McAteer: Through the Storm. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A true Liverpool FC legend is the special guest of our latest Blood Red spin-off podcast.Kevin Keegan was back in the city last week to promote his new autobiography, My Life in Football, and Paul Wheelock caught up him with him after a signing session.They talked Keegan’s six-year Liverpool career, which saw him win three First Division titles, two UEFA Cups, one FA Cup, and in his final game in a Red shirt, the European Cup, which was to prove to be the first of five for the club.Keegan gives an insight into the motivational magnificence of the manager who signed him at Anfield, the great Bill Shankly, and how the power of the Liverpool shirt inspired him to become a better player than he, and anyone else, had expected.Paul also asks the former England manager what Shankly would have made of current Reds boss Klopp – and the answer is worth listening to the podcast alone.Keegan also discusses the similarities between Klopp’s team and his own Newcastle United sides of the 90s and why lifting the first trophy – the First Division and UEFA Cup wins of ’73 kick-started a glorious, trophy-laden era for Liverpool – is the hardest thing to do. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In our latest Verdict podcast, Paul Wheelock speaks to the Sunday Times football correspondent, Jonathan Northcroft, on what could not be the more timely of days.The pair met at the oh-so-glamorous location of Uttoxeter Services on the same day that Jurgen Klopp celebrated his three-year anniversary as manager of Liverpool and Jonathan launched his new book.Jonathan went behind the scenes at Melwood last week for a brilliant one-to-one interview with Klopp and to cast light on the revolution the Reds boss has oversaw in 36 rollercoaster months.Jonathan expands upon the article in this podcast, and also offers an insight into Michael Edwards - who he has met - and the Reds sporting director’s relationship with Klopp and FSG president Mike Gordon; Liverpool’s ‘real fab three’.The other ‘fab three’ are also discussed and Jonathan shares a fascinating story about the club’s recruitment of Mohamed Salah.Naby Keita, Fabinho and the ‘underestimated’ Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are debated before talk turns to Jonathan’s new book, Deadlines and Darts with Dele.It is about his experience of covering England during last summer’s World Cup in Russia and was borne out of the way he reported the tournament on his Facebook page.The relationship between fans and journalists, and journalists and players, are chewed over, as is Trent Alexander-Arnold and whether the national team have become likeable again, even to Liverpool and Everton fans.Enjoy. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Joe Rimmer is joined by our Liverpool FC correspondent James Pearce, Theo Squires and Dan Kay for our first Blood Red podcast of the week.The quartet pick the bones out of the top-of-the-table 0-0 draw with Manchester City at Anfield and try to explain why it failed to provide the spark and edge we were expecting it to.James’ decision to pick Jordan Henderson as his man-of-the-match generated plenty of ‘debate’ online and led to a potential square-off with former Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy. We'd back James.Ian Doyle - our usual host, who is on a day off - was on player-rating duty as ever on Sunday and his mark out of 10 for Joe Gomez causes just as much debate in the studio as it did on Twitter.Jurgen Klopp's decision to move Gomez to right-back and bring in Dejan Lovren is mulled over but overall all present delighted with the form of the defence.That is not quite the case with the frontline and, while James provides some statistics that underline their current struggle, the spotlight is also focused on the support Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are getting from the midfield, and in particular big summer signing Naby Keita, who was supposed to be the Reds' 'game-changer'.Today, of course, marks three years to the day since Klopp was appointed Liverpool manager – and to round off another must-listen podcast, the lads reflect on the day he arrived at Anfield, his highlights and his best signing. No-one mentions Alex Manninger. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Let's face it, that didn't live up to the hype, did it?But this afternoon’s 0-0 draw with Manchester City at Anfield does mean that Liverpool remain unbeaten after the first eight games of the season - and does mean they will go into yet another international break level on points at the top with the defending champions and an increasingly impressive Chelsea side.That would not have been the case had Riyad Mahrez not skied over a terrible late penalty for City.So, given that, was it a good point for the Reds?Or was it opportunity to inflict a first league defeat of the season on a City team that certainly paid Jurgen Klopp’s men a great deal of respect with the way they set-up?The Post-Game podcast, as always, starts with the thoughts of the Liverpool Echo’s Liverpool FC correspondent James Pearce and ends with audio from Reds boss Klopp’s press conference.In between you will hear from Liverpool fans Matt Whitty, Alex Watt, Ross Strachan and Mark Baker, an academy coach at a Championship football club who offers some interesting tactical insight.If you’re a Reds supporter and would like to take part in future Post-Game podcasts then you can email Paul Wheelock on paul.wheelock@reachplc.com. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A massive game at Anfield awaits and we have the very latest chat ahead of the crucial clash. Host Kristian Walsh sits down with Paul Gorst and Paul Philbin to discuss the impending visit of Man City and just what is needed to put down a marker in the Premier League title race. The team discuss whether victory is possible without the front three returning back to their best, while there is also real debate over what the midfield can offer - with agreement over what it is missing.There is also chat over what City will turn up and whether Raheem Sterling will be the one Anfield has come to love. A must-listen edition of Blood Red ahead of a huge weekend. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have a special Blood Red spin-off podcast for you to head into the weekend.Stuart Brennan is the long-term chief Manchester City writer for the Manchester Evening News.And host Paul Wheelock picked up the phone to Stuart to get the inside track on the visitors to Anfield on Sunday.City are the defending Premier League champions and currently top the table on goal difference from Liverpool.But they have failed to win any of their last 17 trips to the home of the Reds, a run which includes the memorable Premier League and Champions League matches between the modern-day rivals at Anfield last season.Those incredible 4-3 and 3-0 wins improved Jurgen Klopp’s record against Pep Guardiola’s teams even further.So why does the Klopp and Liverpool seem to have a hoodoo over Guardiola and City?Stuart tries to answer those questions, and also talks the player who is filling the void left by the injured Kevin De Bruyne, the return of Raheem Sterling, and the major selection headache facing Guardiola.You will then hear from our Liverpool FC correspondent James Pearce, who was speaking after attending Jurgen Klopp’s press conference.And this preview podcast rounds off with audio from Guardiola’s press conference, which also took place earlier today.  For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Neil Fitzmaurice is back with his Poetry in Motion podcast and, for this episode, he is joined by Kristian Walsh and Paul Wheelock, who are asked, just what went wrong in Naples last night?Kristian wonders whether we witnessed something Jurgen Klopp rarely does while Paul questions whether the Liverpool players had more than half an eye on Manchester City.Mohamed Salah’s struggles continued in the defeat to Napoli but the lads think the striker should be cut some slack – particularly when his loss in form could be a physical issue as much as anything else.With the front three truly yet to click, Kristian argues the spotlight should be focused further back the field – and he has an interesting statistic to back that up.Fitzy then asks whether Naby Keita has found his best position yet, and whether Trent Alexander-Arnold needs a break, before talk turns to the visit of City to Anfield on Sunday.Paul reckons it could be the first time in the Premier League this season that the Reds unleash the brand of Blitzkreig football that Klopp has made his hallmark.The fact that Liverpool have played with the handbrake on at times could be tactical ploy, argues Kristian, who also shares another thought-provoking stat (the Reds have allowed their opponents to complete more than 80% of their passes seven times last season; this season they’ve allowed that in five out of seven games), which underlines that belief.The trio also talk Chelsea and why, with Eden Hazard intent on ‘doing a Luis Suarez’, they must be considered the third team in the title race. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Liverpool made the perfect start to their Champions League campaign with a thrilling 3-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield two weeks ago.But what we witnessed this evening was night and day compared to that as the Reds were beaten 1-0 by Napoli.Jurgen Klopp's side were just moments away from picking up what would have been an excellent point on the road.But Lorenzo Insigne’s injury-time winner ultimately ensured they got exactly what they deserved.As our Liverpool FC correspondent James Pearce said in his verdict piece on the Echo’s website, Liverpool were vulnerable down the flanks, careless in midfield and toothless up front as they failed to register a single shot on target in Europe for the first time since 2012.Little wonder, then, that the tone of this podcast is different to the ones we have produced so far this season.It is a podcast that features the thoughts of James Pearce, along with six Reds supporters, Graham Agg, Alex Watt, Simon Donnelly, Matt Whitty, Mark Baker and Sam Planche, and which rounds off with audio from Klopp's press conference.Without giving the game away, he makes no excuses. And how could he? For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices