Blood Red: The Liverpool FC Podcast

Forty days after the Champions League final - Liverpool are back! Back in style, too, as they swept aside Tranmere Rovers in their opening pre-season firnedly on a night that, according to our Blood Red panel, brimmed with possibilities. And what a panel we have, too, as host Sean Bradbury is joined by Caoimhe O'Neill and the returning Kristian Walsh. After reporting on her first Reds match for the ECHO, Caoimhe takes the lead on looking back on a 6-0 success in which a number of youngsters grabbed the opportunity to impress. No more so than Rhian Brewster, whose two goals and all-round performance had Caoimhe and Kristian purring, even if Jurgen Klopp understandably tried to play down the hype. Another teenager, Yasser Larouci, also caught the eye, and Caoimhe reckons, like Brewster, a path to the first team beckons. After a quick chat about the change in Divock Origi, that dovetails nicely into the impending arrival of Harvey Elliott, who watched the game from the stands, and what it says about Liverpool's recruitment strategy. Speaking of which, a section of Klopp's post-match press conference is analysed, which ends with those magic words, Mbappe2020, being uttered. Yeah, we went there. Enjoy. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Close to six weeks since their sixth European Cup success, Liverpool were back in action on Thursday and fittingly they marked their return with a 6-0 victory over neighbours Tranmere Rovers. Ian Doyle and match-reporting debutante Caoimhe O’Neill were at Prenton Park for the ECHO – and their thoughts on what way a very satisfying evening, particularly for the youngest members of Jurgen Klopp's side, gets this podcast under way. We’ll then get the highlights of Klopp’s post-match press conference in which the Reds boss talked the two-goal Rhian Brewster, the business he has done so far this summer and the potential for more signings, and Sepp van den Berg, the club's sole new recruit. Enjoy - and we'll be back on Friday with Blood Red. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

How do you improve a squad that has just won the Champions League and recorded a club-record Premier League points tally? It's a question Jurgen Klopp, Michael Edwards and Liverpool's razor-sharp recruitment team will no doubt have the answer to, but it is also one that forms the basis of our latest View from the Kop fans' podcast, featuring Dan Kay, Paul Philbin, debutant Peter Harris, and hosted by Paul Wheelock. It may not even have been six weeks since Madrid, but one look at social media would suggest that some supporters are concerned that there haven't been any significant additions just yet. Our panel discuss whether those concerns are justified and argue that they while it appears all quiet on the transfer front, important business has been and will continue to be done behind the scenes. And the Reds have proved in recent seasons that when they identify a target, they waste little time in getting their man. But is that task made more difficult this summer? Dan explains why he feels like that could be the case but why any possible recruits should look at the examples of Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi. Speaking of Big Div, we recorded this podcast just before it was announced he had penned a new long-term deal with the club, but rather than editing that section out, we kept it in, mainly for Philbo's description of last season's most unlikely hero. But with Origi sticking around, and with Rhian Brewster ready to step up, Dan asks the question of how many strikers does Klopp need, while Peter talks up the ability of Harry Wilson. There's also time to talk what could be an inter-club battle for the Ballon d'Or plus pre-season memories, including the time Philbo left a friendly after just 22 seconds, battering Barcelona at Wembley, and 95,000 Reds singing You'll Never Walk Alone in Melbourne. Enjoy. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Nearly six weeks since that glorious weekend in Madrid, the best team in Europe are back in action on Thursday night when Liverpool make the short trip to Tranmere Rovers for their first pre-season friendly of the summer. So what should Reds fans heading over to Prenton Park expect? That's the first talking point of another brilliant edition of the Poetry in Motion podcast, hosted as ever by Neil Fitzmaurice and featuring Paul Gorst and Caoimhe O'Neill. There's two highly rated 17-year-old Dutch defenders, there's a Colombian left-back who could be sensing an opportunity now that Alberto Moreno's left, and there is Rhian Brewster, whose role next season comes under big discussion. Fitzy also explains why he's worried about Naby Keita and asks why Liverpool have been linked with big-money moves left, right and centre even though it is becoming clear what the club's transfer policy will be this month and next. Also on the agenda is Jurgen Klopp's faith in Marko Grujic, the importance of Dejan Lovren and Simon Mignolet and whether the duo could and should stay, finding new superlatives for Virgil van Dijk, and how good it would be if the Dutch defender got his hands on the Ballon d'Or. But the talk drifts back to transfers, what the signing of Sepp van den Berg and imminent arrival of Harvey Elliott says, and why it goes to show that Klopp, Michael Edwards and the rest know exactly what they're doing. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Welcome to the first Behind Enemy Lines podcast of the new season. For new listeners, this is the podcast in which we get the lowdown on Liverpool's next opponents, who just happen to be Tranmere Rovers. The League Two play-off winners will play host as the European champions get their preparations for the 2019-20 campaign under way on Thursday night. Regular host Paul Wheelock is joined in the ECHO studio by our Tranmere Rovers correspondent Tom Cavilla for a chat about the friendly, the Wirral outfit's thrilling rise back up the pyramid, and the Liverpool Champions League winner who has just arrived at Prenton Park. You will then be able to hear Tom's interview with Tranmere chairman Mark Palios, who shares his thoughts on the relationship between the two clubs, the support Liverpool showed when their neighbours slipped into non-league, the common bond between the two teams, and why Prenton Park could become a destination for some of the Reds' top young talent. Enjoy. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

It's our first Blood Red podcast of the week - and our first since James Pearce upped and left us. Little wonder, then, that Paul Gorst, Caoimhe O'Neill and Sam Carroll are feeling a little sad. That, and hungover, too, after a long and lively leaving do for our former Liverpool FC correspondent. Now James leaving was a shock for us and Reds fans the world over, but his decision would be eclipsed if Jurgen Klopp called it quits. There is no suggestion - or chance, let's face it - of that happening anytime soon and the club is completely relaxed over the fact that he has yet to pen a fresh contract in the aftermath of the Champions League victory. That's no surprise when his current deal does not actually run out until 2022. Koppites would like nothing more than for the German to remain in charge of the Reds for many years after that. So our panel look at how long the 52-year-old's could stay at Anfield or whether history will repeat itself. Also on the agenda is the imminent arrival of 16-year-old Premier League history-maker Harvey Elliott and what his signing - and that of Sepp van den Berg - could actually say about Klopp's future. Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri returned to training on Monday and Caoimhe and Paul look at what lies ahead for two players whose biggest impact last season came off the bench - as well the pre-season opener with Tranmere Rovers and what kind of team could line-up at Prenton Park. And there's also time to talk the miraculous James Milner, goalkeeper issues, Harry Wilson and Ryan Kent, and the returning favourite who could be the biggest star of the summer. Enjoy. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Peter Hooton is back with his brilliant Allez Les Rouges podcast and for this latest episode he is joined by journalist and author Brian Reade, George Sephton, who has been the stadium announcer and matchday DJ at Anfield since 1971, show debutant Peter Harris, who is the Live Content Editor at the ECHO, and for a little while at least, a certain James Pearce. The podcast was recorded immediately after our now-departed Liverpool FC correspondent delivered a magnificent leaving speech and before he went out and got very, very drunk indeed. But he still found time to pop into the studio to have a quick word with Peter and Co before the show got on the road. James has been covering the Reds for eight-and-a-half years, but for George, his association with the club goes back much longer. It is welcoming, then, to hear what he says about the current crop compared to the great Liverpool teams of the 80s. George then takes us back to that famous win over Barcelona before the panel discuss Pep Guardiola's comments about the ground and the role of Jurgen Klopp in it all. George also recalls some brilliant stories from his many years as the 'Voice of Anfield', including the time he enraged half of Rome, while naturally, there is transfer talk, including a Barcelona player Brian believes the Reds could target, and why pre-season is the perfect opportunity to give the likes of Harry Wilson a chance to show whether he is good enough to play regularly for the European champions. Enjoy. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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