Football Daily - Celtic's explosive statement and Liverpool defeated again

Episode Date: October 28, 2025

James Gregg is joined by BBC Senior Football Correspondent Sami Mokbel and former Premier League and Rangers midfielder Charlie Adam on the latest Football Daily podcast. They are joined by BBC Scotland’s Chief Sports Writer Tom English to react to Brendan Rodgers’ dramatic Celtic exit, and the even more dramatic statement from Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond. Tom explains how we got to this point, what the reaction has been and what is next for the Hoops after appointing Martin O’Neill as their interim boss. Sami and Charlie then dig into what has happened to reigning Premier League champions Liverpool. Their loss at Brentford was their fourth league defeat in a row, seeing them fall to seventh after a strong start and a sparkling summer window. Where is it going wrong, and can Arne Slot turn it around? 5 Live Commentaries Wednesday 29 October: Liverpool v Crystal Palace, Carabao Cup 1945 Saturday 1st November Nottingham Forest v Manchester United, Premier League, 1500 Burnley v Arsenal, Premier League, 1500 – Sports Extra Tottenham v Chelsea, Premier League 1730 Chelsea v London City Lionesses, WSL, 1200 – Sports ExtraSunday 2nd November West Ham v Newcastle, Premier League, 1400 Manchester City v Bournemouth, Premier League 1630

This is the Football Daily podcast with James Gregg. Hello and welcome to the Football Daily podcast with me, James Gregg. We'll be talking about Brendan Rogers, of course, leaving Celtic late last night and that incredible statement from Dermot-Desmond. And they'll be diving into Liverpool later on, joining the long line of people asking, what has gone wrong at Anfield in the last fortnight or so? me to go through all of that is BBC Sports Senior Football correspondent Sammy

Mockbell and former Premier League midfielder Charlie Adam but we're going to start this episode with Glasgow Celtic last night announcing that Brendan Rogers had resigned as manager following that 3-1 defeat to title rivals

hearts on Sunday. It leaves the eight points off the top of the table. Martin O'Neill and Sean Maloney are going to be in charge for now and then right after the announcement we managed to get a word with former Celtic striker Chris Sutton who was speaking to Mark Chapman on Five Live to give his reaction.

It is astonishing but I think there's a general feeling after Brendan Rogers said his piece before the season didn't get the players, I said earlier on the Monday nightclub, he didn't get the players in which he would have liked the desired quality and this was rumbling on and then it had in press conferences as little sort of digs and pokes at, you know, the fact that he didn't get players in and digs, which seemed to be aimed at the board and his dissatisfaction, he wasn't given

the team which he wanted. And when you go back to last season and the relative Celtic success Celtic had in the Champions League and what have you, he felt it was about progressing the club. That hasn't happened. And I've had a poor start to the season, out of the Champions League, and even domestically, not as dominant as they should have been. Does it not give the impression that when the going gets tough, he does a runner? Well, I mean, that's, I mean, that's, I mean, if you, does it give that impression? I don't know. I'm asking you, does it give that impression?

I don't necessarily think so, because I think this is more on the club hierarchy. and I think that he's lost quality players and they weren't replaced and he's dissatisfied about that. I think he would have felt let down by that. I think that that's the bottom line. You know, Celtic should have been a club progressing this season and I think there's a sort of a feeling probably

from Brendan Rogers that he wasn't backed and when you think this is a guy who's won 11 major trophies at Celtic as a manager and, you know, the club was in a really good place. They lost players, didn't replace them. And then it's, you know, it's been an unhappy club. So there were two statements, one, which we will barely give any mention to whatsoever. And I'll read that one out quickly.

It was the official club statement from Celtic. It said, the club appreciates Brendan's contribution to Celtic during his two very successful periods at the club. He leaves Celtic with our thanks for the role he's played during a period of continued success for the club. and we wish him for the success in the future. But, and this is a big but, it was a remarkable twist. Dermott Desmond, the majority shareholder of the club, he released his own statement. I won't read all of it because it would take forever.

This is me skimming through it. He basically, though, is criticising Rogers' conduct over the last few months and he says that Rogers, words and actions have been divisive, misleading and self-serving. They have contributed to a toxic atmosphere around the club and fuelled hostility towards members of the executive team and the board. Unfortunately, his conduct and communication in recent months have not reflected that trust.

Brendan implied that the club had made no commitment to offer him a contract. That was simply untrue. Every player signed and every player sold during his tenure was done so with Brendan's full knowledge, approval and endorsement, and it goes on and on and on. We will refer back to it if we need to, but it's actually. Absolutely remarkable. First of all, Sammy, have you ever come across in all your years covering football a statement like that?

It's a piece of literature that I thought I would never see working as a journalist, right? When a manager is sacked and the statements that you get, you often just have to read between the lines, right? They're pretty ters, they're pretty short. Thanks, thanks for your efforts, but you're going. Dermot Desmond last night put Brendan Rogers square and directly in his cross. and he did not miss. It was an astonishing attack on their departing manager.

You asked me a question, have I ever seen anything like that before? In all my years of journalism, no. I think the closest thing I can remember was in 2015 when Jose Marino got sacked for the second time at Chelsea and then technical director, Mark and M.N.Alo went on to Chelsea FCTV and said there was a powerful discord between, the players and the manager. But that pales into insignificance to what we saw last night.

It was incredible, really. Charlie Adam, former Premier League player, former Scotland International, joins us on the podcast as well. Charlie, can you remember both Rangers and Celtic in such turmoil at the same time? No, absolutely not. You know, it's been news stories and I think English football is born

compared to what's going on. It's got a football at the moment. But two clubs at the moment, and it just seemed to have a lot of issues with supporters and change of manager. Did I expect Brendan Rogers to state Celtic till then the season? Yes, did I expect this conversation that we were seeing last night and then the news coming out.

And then when I heard Dermit Desmond's comments, that was mind-blown for me. And it was a huge shock and a huge shock for Celtic. And, you know, there's obviously been a discontentment between supporters and the owners. but I think the most important relationship is the owner and the manager and if once that's broken and Dermott had said the way he spoke he was not happy and you know he's obviously felt the raft and obviously felt the bad energy from the

supporters with some of the comments that Brendan's made you know through the press conference and stuff like that so to then come out and see what he said he's obviously not happy and again you know it's a huge shock last night Let's bring in Tom English, BBC Scotland's Chief Sportswriter, great in-depth article on the BBC Sport website as well. It's well worth your time. I had a good read of that earlier on, Tom. In it, you say that what Dermott Desmond said

was a full-blooded attempt at character assassination. There's something really deep-rooted in it, isn't it? That's more than a man who is slightly peeved about their manager resigning, isn't it? Yeah, exactly. And what lent, apart from the words, which were just incendiary and startling, What lent it such power was that Dermot Desmond is not a motor mouth. Dermot Desmond says nothing.

Like Dermot Desmond is from Cork, right? And I'm from Limerick. We're neighbouring counties in the Republic of Ireland. And I must have heard Dermot Desmond speak about two or three times in my entire life. He just does not engage. So for him to come out like this is unprecedented. I think that's what's real, lent it, the shock of value. Like Martin O'Neill coming back to Celtic,

after 20 years. It was a big enough story in its own. But it was relegated to a sidebar because of the power of Dermott Desmond's words. This is a relationship that used to be very, very close. It was Dermott Desmond who brought Brennan Rogers back. It was Dermott Desmond who kind of more or less told the fans, right, suck it up.

I know he walked out on us for Lester, but he's the best man for the job and he'll win the trophies and everything will be fine. And he was correct in that. It became a love in again with Brendan amongst the Celtic fans. So they were very, very close, these two men. But over the course of the last year, maybe even the last six months, we knew that this relationship was unraveling.

I didn't think it was unraveling to this extent, but we knew there was clear signs that Brendan was at odds with the board and bored were at odds with Brendan. Can you pinpoint exactly when that started, Tom? Is there a moment when you thought, oh, hello, this isn't all well here? Well, certainly in the summer. Rogers repeatedly criticised the board at their lack of transfer activity

that they were slow in moving for targets that he wanted they missed out on them it was just a few grenades a grenade thrown here a grenade thrown there and then Brennan would walk away and it would detonate and the board said nothing and he kept doing it and he said nothing

and he kept doing it now I know a little bit about some of the people on the Celtic board I know a little bit about Dermit Desmond he would have hated that. Dermot Desmond wants to do his business in private. He doesn't want anyone knowing the machinations of the club,

the way they do their business. And I think that's, I think, Tom, I think that's what I think, maybe you know Dermit, probably, and you've heard, that's the way the big clubs work. They don't want their issues in the public domain. Of course, there's a drive from the Celtic supporters at the moment. And again, as a manager,

sometimes you are disappointed in terms of transferring activity but Celtic had been there before in terms of signing players but the way Dermott spoke after that to say that

Brendan had full control of every situation that for me again is against your employee and remember you're an employee

of the football club so that for me is a you know that's an all go I think that yeah I think I think Brendan was

playing a dangerous game yeah by constantly talking about his gripes the fans were on his side the fans agreed with him so he was speaking

the fans language but some in the Dermot Desmond clearly and others, plenty of others, felt they shouldn't be doing it, that he was kind of being self-serving, to use Dermad Desmond's phrase.

And this article appeared in one of the tabloids maybe a month, six weeks ago, maybe two months ago, which reported to come from inside the club, and it did come from inside the club, which castigated Brendan Rogers, a source within Celtic Park saying that he was creating

with his gripes, constant public gripes, was creating a toxic atmosphere in the club and what he was actually doing was trying to engineer his way out. He was preparing the exit strategy and that was these modus apparandi. Now, Roger was incensed about this.

He knew that it was comfortable in the club. He called for an investigation. He called for the person, the guilty party, to be sacked. But there was no investigation and there was no sacking. And at that point, you're thinking, hang on, this is abnormal now. This is very, very messy.

Just to go back to your previous point of Charlie about big clubs not wanting their dirty linen head in public, basically, is what you were saying. And it's a very significant point in that. But I think what's happened over the past 24 hours, I think speaking purely journalistically, it will be a gift that will keep on giving because what I can see now, I can see Brendan Rogers potentially through the LMA making a repost and making his own statement. So this will just rumble on And in terms of that statement

My understanding is as we speak now on Tuesday That isn't going to be tonight But I do understand that there are potentially machinations Towards Brendan Rogers having his say And responding to that Of course he does Of course he does He will have the LMA lawyers onto it now

And again he has to try and come out of this different from what has been made I think Brendan Rodge is a top class manager I really do and I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in the Premier League or in a big club

in a big country in one of the top five leagues soon but what I will say is that he has to get this statement right as the manager of leaving Celtic again Dermott is not happy Brendan is obviously having to

maybe come out and take his time and think about how he comes out with this statement to make it sound a little bit better on what the situation is. What's interesting, Charlie, what's interesting, lads is that Dermatisman is a quite litigious man

and you don't take him on lightly. I think he would have poured over every sentence of that. It looked like a stream of consciousness last night. It looked like he was just lashing out. But I think he would have poured over every aspect of that

and made sure he was on legally sound ground. Because, Tom, to say that he tried to engineer his own exit. I mean, that's what a lot of people are probably, you know, I'm looking at this from the outside and I'm thinking, well, has he? Has he done that? Because Dermottesman, like you say, litigious character

will be well versed in employment law and all the rest of it, unlike a lot of us. And he wouldn't have posted that unless he felt that Brendan Rogers had done that. It's opened a can of worms with Dermott and that. What does it cost Dermottesman? Brendan Rogers pay-off, you know, it's not... This is the point, though, Charlie, if he's resigned, there's no payoff.

No, exactly. But that's the official line that he resigned. But the point I would make on this, right, if Brendan Rogers is guilty of all these incredible things that Dermedesmond say he is guilty of, why was he not removed from his post weeks or months ago? If he's capable of all of this, all this division, all of this toxicity

all of this self-serving behaviour, all it's this honesty. If all of that is true, why did the club allow him to stay in position? That bit doesn't make sense to me. Yeah, and the thing about Dermat is he pinpoints specific moments in times when they manage and they spoke,

like going to his house for three hours in Scotland and situations like that. This is a clear, like you say, Dermade is a very, very clever businessman. He knows exactly what he's trying to get out of this and what he's trying to say because the heat's been on the board through the manager.

And again, they've not come out and spoke. And this is with his moment that has gone too far, probably for Dermott as the owner of the football club, to go, no, this is what actually happened. This is what we are. And now, like you say, to bring Martin back into the football club to try and get that connection a little bit.

But again, like Martin, Martin's very clever, a clever man as well. We have to win football matches. When you start winning football matches, then it starts to dampen down a little bit. Let's move it on slightly then, if we don't mind. And actually, because Charlie's just mentioned Martin there, Martin O'Neill.

So he's come back in. I mean, that is not insignificant in itself, is it? I mean, he says he's just going to be there keeping the seat warm. Sammy, you've been on the phone today, punching the numbers, trying to get some kind of intel on this, and there's been loads of names bandied about. So what have you picked up from your calls today? I think the first thing to stress is obviously this is,

we're a really early stage of the process, right? It's less than 24 hours, as we speak now, that bombshell statement dropped on Monday night. But the process is underway. They are drawing up a list of candidates. A couple of names have already emerged today. The main one being Kieran McKenna at Ipswich, as we understand it at the moment,

He, I think Celtic would like to explore the possibility of maybe making an approach for him. My understanding with regards to Kiran McKenna's that there is going to be, they would be a significant financial outlay if they were to go in that direction. As we were speaking about earlier, I think financially Celtic are a really firm footing. If they were prepared to make that financial outlay, I think it's obviously, we all know that the managerial position at any club is the most important. important. So if the money's there and Kieran McKenna's the guy, then they should, they should spend the money. The other pieces of information that we're getting are that I think they would like ideally a younger manager, a more progressive manager, a manager that can grow with the club and grow with the team. Where that would leave potentially someone like Ange Postercoglu, who's 60 years old, remains to be seen. He's still revered at Celtic Park. The supporters love him.

He's a, you know, they worship him. He's a hero there. Would they be prepared to go back on that, in that direction? That remains to be seen. So, yeah, it's, it's an ongoing process. A couple of names have come out of the woodwork today, but I think more will come out in the next 24, 48, 72 hours. Tom, what are Celtic looking at, in your opinion?

You know, you're there a lot. You are in and around the, you know, the inner workings of the club as well, Is an Ange Poster Coglu too far out of reach? Is that what they want? Is, you know, what do you think? Well, in 2016, when they were looking for a manager, Dermot Desmond took charge of this. And he said, why we're getting the best guy we could possibly get at this club

and we don't care how much it costs, they got Brendan Rogers. And that was a coup. Brendan Rogers left. They tried to get Eddie Howe. They thought he got over the line. That would have been a coup. They didn't get him. They kind of stumbled into Ange Posta Coglu, worked out like a dream.

When Posta Coglu left, they said, right, who's the best guy? Take all the emotion out of it. It's Brendan Rogers. I don't think for a second that they would hesitate to go back to Posta Coglu. Because he's a surefire winner. He's won here before. That's why Rogers came back because he was a sure fight. He was a sure bet or as sure a bet as you can get.

Now, if they don't get Poster Coglu, and if Postacoglu has his eye or and other things, it's wide open. And I think, as Sammy says, Keirn McKenna could be in the frame. But I tell you what, they won't lack in money because I think for money, because this is a kind of PR war now that's being waged.

And the board is hugely, hugely unpopular. And there's going to be protests ahead of their game at Celtic Park tomorrow night against Falkirk. Protests outside the main stand. Can you explain at what, though, Tom? Because, you know, the transfer strategy has been pretty good, isn't it? You know, buying low, selling high. It's been disaster.

At its peak, it's been excellent. But lately, it's been really poor. And this is the whole crux of the issue for Rogers. That they were slow, the pedestrian and chasing targets. There were allegedly low-balling clubs for players that Rogers really, really needed or wanted. And those players went elsewhere. So this is the crux of the issue. This is the crux of the breakdown between Rogers and the board.

it's around the transfer policy it's around it's around not getting players in as he views it the board will say hang on we gave you 11 million for Arnie Engels he's not in your team we gave you 6 million for Austin trustee

he's not in your team we gave you 9 million for Ada either he's left the club but he wasn't in your team I mean how much more do you want so there was all knotted it was all twisted all that relationship and I think the fans have differing views on Rogers

for sure. Some are pro, some are really turning in recent weeks. But they are united and there are views of this board. It's why I think that Dermot Desmond

is not going to spare the horses here. I think he's going to throw money at this. He's going to throw money at it, get the best manager he possibly can and give him as much money as he possibly can to get Celtic to reset Celtic, but also, I think, given the way,

I think Dermottesman thinks is to create a new era where Brennan Rogers becomes in irrelevancy because things are so good nobody's pining for Brennan Rogers anymore. Charlie? Yeah, no, I think the Tom's saying is correct. Demet Desmond is a very powerful man, very wealthy man as well.

And Celtic is a big football club worldwide in Europe and they can get the best. If they want the best manager, they'll get the best manager. You know, it just goes down to what Dermot and is willing to part ways in terms of salary and different things. But if they want Ange Poster Coglu

and Ange wants the job, I expect that to be to be the case. But I do believe there's other people that could be in the run for the job. You know, obviously, names of Keir McKenna. I look at someone like, and I know he's in a job in the Wales national team,

I think Craig Bellamy would be a brilliant fit. I've seen him work on a daily basis, on the grass, how he works in terms of his people skills, Tremendous. One day top-top manager and we'll manage

in the top level. Don't rule out Martin O'Neill. Don't rule it if he gets a taste for it and they win a couple of games and me and Tom we're talking about it

if he gets a cut of a taste of a few wins and start winning and the feel good factor comes don't rule at Martin Neal taking this job on a longer term basis. The Scottish League Cup

semi-final the small matter of Rangers versus Celtic to come this weekend as well that has got plenty of storylines wrapped around it So looking forward to that this weekend.

This story, I suspect, is not done and dusted either. But for now, here on the Football Daily podcast, it is. Sammy, Charlie, you're going to stay with us. Tom, thanks so much for your time and insight, as always. Really appreciate it. From the start of your day to the moment you head home. Join 5 Live for the latest news, the stories everyone's sharing, and the biggest debates. This is a really important moment.

The days of sweeping this under the rug are over. Let's just get up and chip away and make a day. whatever the day throws at you will help make sense of it from the headlines to the details that matter wake up with five live breakfast from six and go home with five live drive from four weekdays on on bbc radio five live you're listening to the football daily podcast with james gregg welcome back to the football daily podcast with me james gregg i'm here with bbc sports senior football writer sammy mokbell and former Premier League midfielder Charlie Adam. We're now going to look at one of Charlie's former clubs in Liverpool.

Another Premier League defeat for Arna Slott's side on Saturday just gone. That's four in a row for them now. The first time that's happened since February of 2021. They looked shaky at the start of the season, but they kept winning. They were five from five. But now it's flipped right on its head. Now I'm going to err on being slightly sensationalist here. And I'm going to say from the outside looking in

that if it wasn't for the fact that they are champions, they had a big win last week in the Champions League and Arnestlott didn't sort of command that calm and respect that he actually does so well. I'd say results-wise, Liverpool are in crisis. Charlie? I wouldn't say crisis, obviously, disappointed that the way it's gone. Of course, Liverpool losing four league games in a row,

is a huge blow and probably not expect. coming off the back of the title and also the investment they made in the summer. But I do think there's certain factors around how it's played in terms of the new players. Not hit the ground running yet. Isak's struggling for fitness, but getting there slowly. Verts, you know, not getting to a level they expect and it taking time. Frimpong being injured. So again, there's been issues within the group and not getting real rhythm within the team.

So that's been it for Liverpool. But again, there's still plenty of games to go. Never rule Liverpool out. And I said it before, previous Silverman City, I could see Liverpool going one in ten in a row. There's no problem with that. Liverpool can do that. Liverpool can win ten games in a row.

But it's just trying to find that as quick as they can and not falling too far further behind Arsenal at the moment who have been magnificent all season. Internally, I think Charlie sort of kind of hits the nail on the head there. I don't think they're looking at it at the moment as a crisis period. I think that the sequence of results are probably, and obviously four in a row, isn't ideal.

But I also believe, on my, I understand that they knew, given the scale of the recruitment over the summer, that there would be some bumps in the road, that there would be an adaptation period for these players to bed in. And it wouldn't have been a season, you know, that went like last season where they would, sort of steamrolleded the steamrolled all the way

to the title. I think they knew that there would be moments in the season where they would have problems but the fact it's come so early in the season and the fact that it is

four in a row is an issue and it's a narrative that's, you know, that has grasped the Premier League. It's all that we can really talk about

at the moment. It's, you know, this club that spent, how much did they spend over the summer? 430 million odd pounds? Yeah, something like that.

that. To be languishing, I think their seventh or eighth at this stage of the season is journalistically a really good story and it's something that we can definitely get our teeth in. I know that's something that Liverpool fans don't want to hear. But at the moment, it's really the only show in town.

And what, go on, Charlie, what were you going to say? I think if you look at the new signings, even though the couple of them have played in the Premier League, Kerkers, big step up from Beaumath to Liverpool being the main player yeah you're playing for

Beaumath 12,000 playing in front of Liverpool big crowd expectation you know so again that's not a problem it's obviously like having to go and play as a fullback because Frimprong's not being able

to stay fit on a regular basis Connor Bradley's not played enough games probably I'd say Ikeke is the one that's actually come out of this sort of period with real confidence isn't he he's probably

the one that's showing that he's capable and he's done really well for this part of the season. But when you've got somebody like Mo Salah who's started the season slowly, the goals that Liverpool have lost, the losing Gravenberg in midfield, there's a lot of missing parts within what's

going on at Liverpool at the moment. Of course, the fundamentals and the basics of the game and the goals that are losing are poor, but they're still good players and there's good teams. They just have to try and they're going to have to gel. And again, that's working on the grass and getting together and doing that. Anish Lott's proven that he's a top.

manager by winning the title and there's a lot of world class players in that Liverpool team. At the moment it's not firing as the way they would want it but you know like I said before they're capable of going to win a numerous numerous matches in the road but they have to try and find that right. They have to get they have to get Isak fit and firing again I still think Andy Robertson is the best left back so again can you get consistency within the Premier League of Andy Robertson playing and again others have to try and find the form because you know most Sala has has been disappointing in terms of of so far what he's done.

And again, that comes with because the numbers he's showing over the past few years have been incredible. And when you fall below that, then ultimately you're the one that sort of gets a bit of criticism for it. Sorry, sorry, sorry to Jeremy. Is that a bad management then? You mentioned

there that you still believe Andy Robertson is the best left back in the division, certainly at the club, right? Yeah. So for him to have persisted for seven or eight games with Milo Kirkish, who is clearly struggling to bed into the way

that Liverpool play and find a balance and rhythm in his game. Is that on slot? No, I don't think it's on slot. At the end of the day, you know, when you buy a player, you want to give them as long as you can and you want to try and keep them in the team and play them. But there comes a point

where you realise and you sit beside you and go, I've got a multiple two-time Premier League champion beside me on the bench and maybe have to take Kerkers out the fire line a little bit and maybe you know, and look at that. And again, it's different for, for Van Dyke playing with a Kerkez

because he likes to go and get on forward and he likes to run forward. And maybe Andy Robertson's a wee bit more, you know, stay at home, a little bit left back type now. Yeah, he likes to go forward as well, but probably not as much as Kerkez does. And he leaves big spaces. So again, that opens up the channels

and that maybe isolates Van Dyke. That maybe isolates Kanati at times. So again, it's getting that partnership between the two, the fullback and the centreback and let's say Robertson and Darren Dyke know themselves really well and maybe it's time for Kirkeke's maybe to come out of the team and watch for a little bit and learn because he's still a young player

and I say that you don't realise to come from a smaller club in Bohmiff to then come to Liverpool the expectation and the standards you have to reach every single day in training but also in the games is massive and if you come away from that then again you get judged quickly I'm looking at Milos Kirk

and his performance on Saturday. I was there watching Brentford beat Liverpool 3-2. Kirkaz, I mean, look, he's not had a good start despite his goal, has he, to be fair. What also struck me was that they've not really nailed a right back down either, you know, since Trent left in the summer. Sir Bosley, Jones, Bradley, Frimpong, they've all played there at right back. Also, the long ball as well that seems to be catching them out quite a lot.

Even on a slot admitted it, he said that, you know, that teams have a certain playing. style against does when you're the Premier League champions you've got a target on your back that's going to happen isn't it particularly sort of those mid-table and sort of lower down the Premier League side is that something they need to address

and I'm going to be a bit inflammatory here Charlie but Virgil Van Dyke he's got his new sort of maybe last big contract hasn't he? Yeah I never believe I never no no no I never I never believe that because he's saying this new contract he thinks he's on the beach and he's in he's uh you know most all is the same

the world's top players the form the team individuals within the team are not performing to the level to allow the whole team to connect so they'll all be looking at themselves going can i can i do better and um these top class players they know when they're not playing well and they know what they've got to do do to improve so again i don't think just because he's signed this new contract that oh by the way he thinks he's on the beach and he's won a couple of leagues

and I don't believe it I think he's got to find form he's got to find rhythm within it and it's not just that one or two the whole team have to improve but again when you're the club captain and you're Mo Salah

who's the best player you get criticism and ultimately when you make mistakes it gets heightened as well they spent most of the summer chasing Alexander Isak of course and then, you know, when they'd already got Eckertie through the door, they could have maybe got Mark Gaye

had they kind of acted a little bit quicker on that? You're not so sure on that, Sammy. No, I think that situation was the situation. I think that the Palace were waiting to try and get centreback in and ultimately they couldn't get the centre back they wanted in. And they hold the power. You know, the player can get that. for Pallas to keep Mark Gay for six months

to get them basically can get safe by Christmas instead of letting him go and have played the heartstrings and say yeah well you can go to Liverpool but we're not going to have a centreback no we can't afford to lose you and we might revisit in January

but if not you'll leave in the summer on a free Mark Gay is still young enough to go and obviously the reports are so many interested clubs he's, you know, England, top centre back, he's been playing for England regular now and, you know, it's one of them that Liverpool might revisit in the January window. Hindsight's 2020, right?

And I think if we look at the way Liverpool performing now, Joe Gomez has got injured, that Cognate's got this contractual situation hanging over his head. He hasn't signed a new deal yet. As things stand, he's probably going to leave at the end of the season. So if we look back now,

and we could say they should have spent extra the extra 5 million and put an extra 5 million down to get Mark Guahi but would that have solved those problems I'm not sure it would I think Charlie's right

I think it's a centre back whether it was Mark Geh or not would not solve the problems that Liverpool face at the moment I think there is a balance and blend problem that Arnyslott is struggling at the moment to blend all of these new players together and I think the balance of the team

has suffered as a result at the moment I've watched Liverpool quite a few times this season and I just look every time I watch and play it's like a basketball match it's like... It's too open

Yeah it's a basketball match it's like are you have an attack you have an attack you have an attack you have an attack you have an attack whereas last season with Gravenberch you know I don't know he started the season but he's injured at the moment there was just the perfect

blend and balance between the defence and the midfield and attack, and they steam roll the teams. You don't realise the job that these lads that can do, you know, Alexa McAllister's a very, very good player, but playing in a six on his own is very difficult. Again, you look at Man City,

when they lose Rodry, they're a totally different team. They come too expansive, come open, the transition of the game becomes so big, and like you say, that's where Liverpool at the moment are getting done on counter-attacks and transition. So, yeah, when you've got somebody in there that's designated and, Chuck level at his performance and his game

then obviously it's going to be a huge lift but you know listen I think Liverpool will turn the corner and we'll hopefully see them get some rhythm and some confidence in the next few weeks Liverpool are next in Premier League action on Saturday night at home against Aston Villa in the 8 o'clock kickoff we'll have updates for that with you

on 5 Live Sport throughout 606 for now I think that's probably it on the Football Daily at Sammy Mockbell thank you very much indeed. Charlie Adam, thank you very much. Really enjoyed the chat, lads. Thank you very much. For now, though, thanks for listening. Welcome to the brand new podcast series, Rugby League

Top Ten with me, Mark Chapman. It's where John Wilkin, Brian Noble and Jamie Peacock will discuss, debate and argue over lists at the best players, games, finals, iconic moments, and plenty of other categories that will no doubt leave you screaming at your device. in parts of our sport are these

the jeopardy the moments he made rugby league look cool yeah I mean that's the difficult thing to do

I think it is really is yeah no I think we've all managed to carry that bathroom rugby league

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