This Jordan Henderson guy

[evilC]

He's braindead, isn't he? I mean - it's all very well knocking one in from 35 yds, twice a year, in order to cement your place in your national team squad ...but captain of said team? Give me a fucking break!

Same with Wilshere and Shelvey. Just put a big mirror in front of each of them (for the duration of an international tournament) and watch them get into an argument with it. They've got the IQ of rutting budgerigars, so just treat them as such.

[Jah Womble]

In terms of the upcoming tournament, I don't think you need worry unduly as far as Wilshere's concerned...

[evilC]

That's what I'm hoping too!

Utter fucking waste of space on any squad.

[Toby Gymshorts]

I'm not entirely sure budgerigars "rut" as such, Clive, but yeah.

Who would you put in though?

[Kevin S]

Westwood and Cork.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Tim and Dominic?

[Lang Spoon]

A bad part of me hopes he gets injured again and Liverpool have to buy another midfielder.

[Toby Gymshorts]

They'll have to anyway when Can buggers off to Juve, but let's not derail Clive's thread with that bollocks.

[Lang Spoon]

No. Lets not do that. Let’s focus instead on the rancid mess that is JH.

[Sits]

Tim and Dominic?

Vivienne and Alan.

[Third rate Leszno]

I didn't watch last night so have no idea how he played, but his biggest failing at Liverpool is that he slows things down too much. He can pass a ball short or long, but to move it forward at the pace that Liverpool break is a bit more than he seems to be able to do, consistently. If he pings a first time pass, more often than not it is sideways or back.

Jonjo Shelvey has some real talent for finding a defence splitting pass, but unfortunately he makes Alberto Moreno look as bright as Stephen Hawking.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

henderson doesn't really look around him often enough. He frequently doesn't know what he's going to do with the ball before he gets it, which means that nearly all of his first time passes are sending the ball back to the man who passed it to him, which basically is exactly the opposite of what liverpool need.

If Henderson is still a starter by Christmas, then Klopp doesn't have what it's going to take. He has to be able to see that Henderson is a big blockage in the machine he's trying to create. He's a large wooden cog in the middle of what is supposed to be a finely crafted chronograph. . He's the player most in need of being replaced. Isn't he captain?

[Glass Half Empty]

Is there any evidence that being smart makes someone a better player or captain? Admittedly I don't think he was ever made captain but England's best player of the last 20 years (Gascoigne) was from the thin end of the gene pool. Having said that, I don't think Henderson should even be in the squad let alone made captain, not because he's a bit challenged in the thinking department but because he seems to be sadly lacking in the basic skill set that an International midfielder needs.

[Third rate Leszno]

He's the player most in need of being replaced. Isn't he captain?

Yes and yes. Though the incoming Keita helps with the former, the fact that Can is heading out still leaves a gap in the midfield rotation pool - I'd hoped Grujic might be ready for the step up, but I'm not convinced he will be.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Well there's loads of different kinds of intelligence. being good at one usually means being good at the several others. People used to think that footballers were thick, but that was usually because they were shy, and it's hilarious fun to laugh at the working class thicko on the telly/envy at their fame. There's no expectation in Ireland that sports players are going to be thick. Most intercounty GAA players have degrees. When Cork played clare in the 2013 hurling final 23 of the 30 players went to University college Cork, and five of them went to Cork Institute of technology.

Now some are a bit "thick" in the traditional sense, but that's because people vary in different measure of intelligence in the normal course of events. As far as I know, this is the only example of an english player talking explicitly about what happens inside a footballers head during a game.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Yes and yes. Though the incoming Keita helps with the former, the fact that Can is heading out still leaves a gap in the midfield rotation pool - I'd hoped Grujic might be ready for the step up, but I'm not convinced he will be.

haha, I've asked Garcia about Grujic and he's said that he looks like a decent enough player, except he commits a straight red card offence every ten minutes or so. the words angry granit xhaka may have been used. Keita is kind of a direct replacement for coutinho, but basically he's wijnaldum with Knobs on.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Enough of this back and forth. Xabi Alonso remains a Basque dreamboat and I harbour very strange feelings for him.

(Apropos of today's legends game. God I love him.)

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

hah. Xabi alonso, the sort of basque that lends credence to the theory that the original settlers of Ireland walked here from the basque country when the ice retreated. He's the most irish looking Iberian i've ever seen, right down to the ginger beard and tendency to freckles.

[Toby Gymshorts]

You leave him alone.

[hobbes]

I met him in Palma once. He's super dreamy. Not sure how he got the part in Avatar though.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Be very careful what you say next tg...... if there was mood music right now you'd be hearing cellos.

[Toby Gymshorts]

All I hear when I see him is a celestial choir.

What?

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/976579213007380480

[Toby Gymshorts]

Don't make me come over there.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Don't worry, he'll only get 21 months like all the others, which means no jail time.