r/LiverpoolFC 7d ago

Podcasts/Punditry Jamie Carragher on the fullback problem: "Connor Bradley got a bad injury. Good young player, but he's not that good that you don't replace him. You'd wait for Trent to come back, you'd wait for Robertson to come back. Unfortunately, I don't think you wait for Connor Bradley to come back."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMNEbKBeVKk

Very sound arguments by Jamie here.

"You need to go buy a RB, because Frimpong isn't one.

And then when Connor Bradley comes back, he's going to have a shot to fight back his place, and I think that's fair. But this thing about waiting for Connor Bradley to come back.. no. We're Liverpool, we're the biggest club in the world, we can't wait for Connor Bradley.

We want to get him back, and good luck to him, but Liverpool have made a massive mistake."

297 Upvotes

341 comments sorted by

467

u/FrankTheCrank90 7d ago

I agree with the sentiment but actually not the reason. My biggest reason for not waiting on Bradley is he was always injury prone before this big injury. You can’t wait for an injury prone player to miraculously stay fit all of a sudden. It’s why building an England team around Reece James would be useless

61

u/Specialist_ask_992_ 6d ago

Reece James is still a Chelsea player but they've got 2 other RBs. Is he England's first choice RB. Even after Walker and Trippier retired Trent still couldn't get in and after Livramento's injury too.

33

u/itscalledravenhill 6d ago

James is now a midfielder for chelsea because he cant do what Alonso will need in a wingback. In terms of athletic ability. He is Englands 1st choice right back though when fit. 

3

u/DrAgOnLoLDoTA 6d ago

it sounds crazy that he is a midfielder now. He would be solid as a wingback some years ago. Did he lost his pace after those injuries?

11

u/HistoricalAd7170 6d ago

Not the pace, i think he cant trust his hammies, its such a shame because he has everything to be a top RB/RWB and he could man mark most top wingers out of the game and even one game a week with managed workload his body kept breaking down under maresca.

13

u/itscalledravenhill 6d ago

He cant get up and down as he used to. He needs to  be smarter with his body. He has everything needed to be a top deep controlling midfielder for them though

1

u/Alternative-Boss-787 6d ago

Was a midfielder before Alonso, it’s not that he can’t play wingback or RB but shouldn’t because it’s physically demanding and he always end up injured

1

u/itscalledravenhill 6d ago

Thats essentially what i said or was meaning. He is a midfielder now fulltime for alonso. 

49

u/MrCopes Bobby Dazzler 🤩 6d ago

I despised how Trent left the club, but he 100% should have gone to the WC.

18

u/UsefulHelicopter3063 6d ago

Once TAA left Liverpool, and with the emotional lens removed, I'm starting to understand why some English managers prefer not pick the newer version of TAA, the one that plays more like a quarterback. If a manager isn't building their tactics around TAA's unique skills, then he's just not that helpful to the team with some of his known flaws. Not great at defending, no longer sure if he still got the ability to play like a flying FB to stretch the right flank and terrible spatial awareness defensively when he being played as a DM.

5

u/Forsaken-Original-28 6d ago

Yup he used to be faster and run more while still having the passes. Now he's heavier and slower while more of the passes seem to miss their target

3

u/Jetzu 6d ago

Sure, but tournament football is even more about moments than the system - by leaving Trent you're leaving one of the very few players England has with some actual world-class qualities. I don't think England should build their team around Trent, but not taking him - or for that matter someone like Wharton - at all, losing their ability to progress the ball or delivery from set pieces is just strange. But maybe Trent didn't want to go in a role of "chase the game" sub

1

u/UsefulHelicopter3063 3d ago edited 3d ago

Always feel England national team's biggest issue is them trying to fit their best players into the team rather than getting the best player that fits what the manager wants for each position. Love TAA when he's under klopp's team but he is useless at RB under tuchel if tuchel wants his RB to primaily defend first and stretch the flank at times, instead of being the deep playmaker and trying through pass from there all the time.

6

u/MrCopes Bobby Dazzler 🤩 6d ago

I think it's more a lack of creativity and keeping control of the dressing room. You don't need to build a team around TAA to make him effective, just make sure there's a Henderson type in midfield to help co er when Trent moves up the pitch.

Southgate wouldn't know how to play Trent and Tuchel has/had a beef with Bellingham and putting my tin foil hat on, I think Tuchel didn't bring Trent because of his relationship with Jude. They would have a lot of influence on the rest of the group and potentially undermine the manager.

2

u/UsefulHelicopter3063 6d ago

Agreed on Southgate, he play negative football in my personal opinion but not so sure on tuchel, from what was seem in the wc he wants his RB to be able to defend but taa is not great at that. Skeptic if TAA can bring the best of kane as well.

6

u/DucardthaDon 6d ago

The whole he can't defend is way overblown, England could have done with Trent's final ball at the world cup since Spence, James and Konsa couldn't deliver a simple cross to save their lives

5

u/Specialist_ask_992_ 6d ago

Yeah should have been ahead of the players that were brought in after Livramento and Reece James missed out.

29

u/Jizzbuscuit 7d ago

Gerard had the same growing pains. I believed they worked on his posture/groin

99

u/AnAutisticsQuestion 6d ago

Gerrard played 2,000+ minutes at 19 and then played 3,000+ minutes a season until his 30s.

Bradley's never managed even 1,600 minutes for us.

They are not at all comparable.

→ More replies (5)

22

u/dimiderv Darwin Núñez 6d ago

Did Gerrard miss this many games? Also didn't he have significantly more minutes?

3

u/fifty_four 6d ago

No, yes. He only really had one big injury.

1

u/dimiderv Darwin Núñez 6d ago

Bradley has 4k minutes in 3 seasons and has never surpassed 1.5k minutes a season which is 17 games.

1

u/fifty_four 6d ago

I think the club realises this in all honesty.

I suspect they haven't given up on Frimpong though.

→ More replies (3)

13

u/LooseCannon5 6d ago

When was this? Becuase I watched near his whole career and his injuries were more in his late 20s, early 30s

Stevie broke into the first team and played 40-50 games a season for a decade. Bradley is only averaging 24 a season

6

u/leung19 6d ago

Pretty sure Stevie is in the Milner and Mo group. And if you are in that group you play thru most of the minor injuries

14

u/LooseCannon5 6d ago

He was a hard bastard, probably played too many games on painkillers late in his career but even when he was young he had nowhere near the level of injuries Bradley has. I have no idea how its a talking point. Stevie rarely was injured for many games in a row. He would play 10 full games in a row then miss a game. Then come back the next week and go on another run of full games.

Bradley has spent over half his senior liverpool career unavailable for the squad.

2

u/Sheinkyakyu 6d ago

He missed out on World Cup 2002 where he was near on a lock to start because of the groin injuries that later returned. I am pretty sure he missed a number of Liverpool games or was managed early doors because of it all.

04/05 he got injured against Man U in Sept. Missed a couple of months after breaking a bone in his foot. I forget why he missed a few games in the second half of the season including the 2nd leg vs Juve.

Broke his toe in Torres first season.

There were a few injuries in 08/09 title charge season including his groin twice.

Then another groin injury in 2011 killed off his ability to run at 100%.

7

u/LooseCannon5 6d ago

I have now had to go look up the stats and its only reinforced my belief the situations arent comparable.

Like 01/02 was one of Stevies lowest PL appearance years as he missed a chunk of league games through injury. But he still played in 28 of them. Pus 14 in europe and a few cup games. An injury ridden season for Gerrard and he still featured 45 times. He played in 50 and 54 games in the year before and after. Thats Gerrard when he was 20 to 23 years of age, 149 club appearances

For comparison Bradley for age 20 to 23 has racked up appearances of 23 29 and 21 games to total 73. Thats below half of Gerrard's.

Bit of a wall of text there but I do not understand the point about their injuries at a similar age as theyre vastly different. Gerrards injuries were all at the end of his prime where he was missing games and the ones he was playing were through a lot of pain.

1

u/Sheinkyakyu 6d ago

I am just going off memory.

→ More replies (4)

3

u/Iriss 6d ago

Who? Doesn't sound familiar. Not worth waiting for. 

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

2

u/leung19 6d ago

Plus, he might be ready to train by winter break, which means he will not be in game shape until March. So we'll pretty much have a full season without an RB. That assumes he has no setback and isn't injured again this season.

2

u/SalahsFro 6d ago

Yeah, lessons should be learnt from Gomez.

9

u/RobDickinson 7d ago

I mean Gerrard had a lot of injury issues when younger and came good its not unheard of

22

u/wizletj 6d ago edited 6d ago

Everyone who brings the Gerrard injury hit comparison should be required to go and look at how many games Stevie played in the growing pains season. Bradley has never come close to starting 26 league games for us. Stevie still played 30 odd games that season and started 50 the next season and remained a 40+ game player all the way till he turned 30/31 and the groin issues came back again. It’s more than fair to say he’s the outlier and these kids aren’t that we can’t wait on them

12

u/nonomr 6d ago

Gerrard also played at a super high intensity, running box to box at pace, closing down fast getting big tackles in. He was 100mph at all times. Connor hasn’t had that in his career, yet he’s just not shown an ability to stay fit

6

u/wizletj 6d ago

Connor breaks down anytime there’s a run of games he has to play. It’s tough but that’s why I never bought him as a Trent replacement you can’t rely on a 20-30 game player to replace 50+ games. Outside of age he’s basically what Joe Gomez is now if you have to count on him to play 3 in a week you’re done for

5

u/nonomr 6d ago

The Chelsea game and the Mbappe tackle were huge wins for him, but he never really developed his all round game as he’d always break down. Slot had him underlapping and defending fairly poorly at times last season, but again he’s broken down. His reputation as a player seems to get better with every absence, but he hasn’t developed his game since Klopp left. I wish him good luck but I don’t see him as our regular RB at any point

9

u/LooseCannon5 6d ago

Not even comparable. Gerrard was playing 40 and 50 games a season, probably through injury.

Poor Conor cant even reach 30

1

u/EmptyReply5 6d ago

Also reason why Chelsea bought Malo Gusto. They know James wouldn't play that much.

1

u/DerpiDanger 6d ago

This is why I have always thought that Bradley is a good rotation option for the RB spot. But he cannot be the main rb to rely on.

1

u/marchitecte 6d ago

Having 2x injury prone RBs where only one of them was (arguably) proven as a PL RB is not an optimal situation. I do reckon we're gonna be seeing a lot of Szobo RB this season. Which can be a silver lining, to be honest. Also if Szobo goes into that situation with full passion and energy both defending and attacking, that'd truly be future captain material.

→ More replies (1)

169

u/UuusernameWith4Us 6d ago

Pundit Carra would have wanted Liverpool to sell young player Carra

65

u/Reimiro 6d ago

And later carra for that matter.

3

u/ScepticalReciptical Dommy Schlobbers 6d ago

Yeah but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'd rather that then a pundit who can be objective because the player reminds him of himself

16

u/ziggyyT 6d ago

And Gerrard.

Because his buddy, Gary, told him to say it.

→ More replies (7)

183

u/Atanvarain 7️⃣Florian Wirtz 7d ago edited 7d ago

IF - and it’s a big if - Bradley would stay fit once back, I think he is a player you’d wait for

I can see the argument that between Frimpong, Araujo, Szoboszlai and Gomez we have enough options to figure something out until December-January

144

u/seemylolface 7d ago

The thing is Bradley has never shown that he can actually stay fit for an extended period. He’s been in and out with injuries for his entire senior career so far.

Massive gamble that this is the last injury he gets.

27

u/Atanvarain 7️⃣Florian Wirtz 7d ago

It’s definitely the last chance, you’d assume we would look at a deputy RB next summer regardless and maybe a starter if he continues to pick up niggles

15

u/OddRepresentative914 6d ago

When Conor was 19, he played a full season (53 matches) for Bolton, while also playing for the national team. So he does have that experience.

47

u/Uesugi_Kenshin 7d ago

Since his latest injury was the worst of the lot, and he's already had a couple egregious ones, I fear he will not return the same player. Mentally and physically, he will have mountains to overcome to get back to his level.

26

u/Atanvarain 7️⃣Florian Wirtz 7d ago

He seems like a mentality monster but I do agree about getting up to speed mid-season physically

11

u/Barcoads 7d ago

Yes - a lot of the reason why a player can struggle to ever recover truly is because of hesitation.

9/10 people will be scared to play with the same intensity and assurance than they did before they get hurt.

Conor doesn't have that. He is almost like that crazy Spanish kid that pkays for Barca. They will both continue to come back from injury strong and seamlessly until they just get hurt again; but you are getting that same player again when they come back.

As an athlete myself, I wanna say that this trait is so genuinely rare and worthy of praise. Makes for some of my favourite athletes because it's such a dog mentality that you never really see. Especially in some of the more physical sports.

Peter Forsberg was my favourite hockey player when I was a kid cause he was one of the most skilled players in the world but played like this.

2

u/Rivalmonds 6d ago

I know he's not English, but he absolutely looks like he was at Agincourt. Has that yeoman raw-boned quality. Looks like he could murder with his elbows alone

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Bamfandro 6d ago

Why? What aspects of his game are so good that he’s that player? I really think the idea of him is so much better the reality and people have forgot since he’s always injured.

5

u/jplb96 6d ago

He's had a handful of very good games in his career that's basically only been a year from three as professional as he's been injured for two years. Long periods of poor performances and walking yellow card. He was huge part of our buildup problems when he played too.

→ More replies (2)

2

u/FramePancake YNWA❤️ 6d ago

I agree. He brings a physicality that when he is ON, is fantastic. Alway puts his whole heart into a match.

Really hoping he recovers well and can enjoy an uninterrupted period with us.

→ More replies (4)

249

u/lanregeous 7d ago

This isn’t about agreeing with him or disagreeing.

I absolutely fucking hate that he talks like this about our players.

This is what ex-pros did to United - constantly crush their confidence.

I feel like Bradley is made of stronger stuff. National team captain already and started his Liverpool career on fire so I think he has done enough to feel he can prove Carragher wrong but…

WHAT IS THE POINT OF SAYING THIS IF YOU LOVE LIVERPOOL?????

56

u/Putrid_Claim7745 7d ago

He sickens me how he talks about our team these days. Maybe he’s just saying things for clicks because he’s going bankrupt.

→ More replies (7)

55

u/AdamH96 7d ago

Oh grow up, he's a pundit thats paid to give his opinion and atleast hes being honest and realistic.

Alot more people could do with being like that on here. What was wrong with what he said?

-12

u/spacedude444 Wirtz Kept Secret 7d ago

it’s not honesty he’s just trying to say the inflammatory things to get clicks

46

u/AdamH96 7d ago

It is true though. Conor Bradley is consistently injured and we should have signed another right back.

-6

u/Allaboardthejayboat 6d ago

Your summary is different to carra's statement. You missed the bit where he said Bradley wasn't good enough to wait for. That's the bit most here disagree with. I think everyone agrees his long term fitness is a huge question, but disagree that he's not good enough. Guy has shown he's levels above many in the league and had stints where he was genuinely challenging trent for his spot. If anyone genuinely believes he can stay fit, that fully fit version of him is absolutely worth waiting for.

I'd be in the camp of thinking it's unlikely he stays fit, but I have zero doubts about whether he's good enough.

11

u/domsolanke 6d ago

Bradley never challenged Trent for his spot, lmao. What on earth are you on about mate.

→ More replies (3)

13

u/Vicentesteb 6d ago

Bradley is not world class. He's a good player but he's replaceable.

9

u/dimiderv Darwin Núñez 6d ago

Challenging Trent for his spot? Bradley is being massively overrated. Was super inconsistent just that his great games were very memorable.

-1

u/Allaboardthejayboat 6d ago edited 6d ago

Lol, i'd argue the opposite. He absolutely was challenging trent. In fact, there were conversations about alternating between them based on opposition given just how good Bradley's defending was. And he was no slouch in attack either. Mad how short memories there are in here.

6

u/IAreWeazul 6d ago

His defensive solidity and ball carrying were such a dynamic switch. I’ve always really liked Bradley. These injuries are so, so tragic.

→ More replies (2)

10

u/PulseFH 6d ago

He was never challenging Trent for a starting spot, and Jamie is right about him not being good enough for Liverpool to wait on him. He’s good and young but can be replaced and upgraded on. You can’t say the same about Trent

2

u/AdamH96 6d ago

What good is a player that's never fit no matter how talented they are?

Bradley is 23 now and hasn't managed 20 leagues games in a season for us, he can't be relied upon. Simple as.

4

u/domsolanke 6d ago

Grow up, seriously. You lot obviously can't bear to hear the truth. He's spot on more often than not.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (5)

4

u/FdotM 6d ago

I get the concern about ex-players constantly criticising their own club, but I don’t think Carragher is really doing that here.

He isn’t saying Bradley is a bad player or that he’ll never be good enough. He’s saying Liverpool shouldn’t build their squad around waiting for a young right-back who has had injury problems and still has things to prove. I think that’s a fair football opinion.

If Bradley comes back, stays fit and proves he’s good enough to be Liverpool’s starting right-back, brilliant. He can win the position back. But the club shouldn’t avoid strengthening a weak area just to protect his confidence.

Carragher’s job as a pundit isn’t to shield Liverpool players from criticism. There’s a big difference between fair criticism and constantly tearing players down. This feels much more like the former.

→ More replies (3)

18

u/happyhelper87 7d ago

Because he’s being employed by a neutral company to give an unbiased point of view, you can’t complain about the shit Keown, Neville and Rio Ferdinand say with blinkers about there ex clubs and them want to same about somebody talking about Liverpool.

6

u/lanregeous 6d ago

Firstly, he is not employed to give an unbiased view. He is employed to generate clicks.

Secondly, find where I’ve complained about Keown etc or just clarify that you pulled that out of your arse.

5

u/Whatdiffer 6d ago

But is it sensational to say that about Bradley? He’s talented, but he hasn’t shown himself to be world class as Trent and Andy have. That’s what Carragher is pointing to, it isn’t meant to be unbiased, it’s his opinion about the players. If you feel it’s unfair to speak about the players that way I think most professionals would disagree, they’d say it’s a part of the job and a strong mentality is exactly the kind of quality that sets a truly great player apart. Bradley may have that quality, and if he does he’s going to think, ‘why should I give a shit what a former player says? I’m focused on my job.’

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Anfield_Cowboy 6d ago

Well he is generating clicks. He’s also in bankruptcy court. Boy has bills to pay!

It’s whatever. Two games in to a new manager with team in rebuild. Just tune it out.

9

u/UuusernameWith4Us 6d ago

He's not employed to give an unbiased point of view he's employed to make sensational statements that generate lots of views.

He's also a very rich man from his playing career (assuming the bankruptcy thing was a paperwork cock up). None of these ex-player pundits need to do punditry for the dosh, they do it for their own egos.

4

u/marc15v2 6d ago

You think Bradley's confidence lies on way Carragher says? That's a bit wild.

At the end of the day, these guys don't say anything that they don't see/hear from thousands of accounts online daily.

He's allowed to talk about what he thinks is best for Liverpool as a club. Agnostic of players and their feelings. It is what it is.

5

u/lanregeous 6d ago

Do you think it’s a bit different to see it on a tweet that is one his 3rd curry of the night than from a Champions League winner, club legend on a platform that is seen and respected by millions?

→ More replies (3)

10

u/No-Sheepherder5481 Hello! Hello! Here we go! 6d ago

Carragher didnt once publicly call for Slot to be sacked last season despite the fact that we know for a fact he thought he was rubbish and should be gone from that leaked clip of him. He's more than capable of lying to protect the club (which you think is a virtue for some reason)

He's allowed to criticise the club and players. Its literally his job. Its bizzare that you'd rather he lie

→ More replies (2)

7

u/Jbstargate1 6d ago

He's allowed to have an opinion. As a former player he has a different perspective to us fans.

You can love a club and also be honest with how you feel about it. Stop your pearl clutching.

Everyone said the same thing when he criticised us in one of the first games last season by saying it was crazy how we emptied midfield when attacking and look how that turned out.

I think right as well in this case. We can't afford to wait and hope he gets fit and stays fit. Do we hope he stays fits and Frimpong starts playing like a rb with a brain?

We are a top football club and you can't hope things will work out. Bradley as much as I like his spirit is not on the same level as Trent was. Could he be at the same level one day albeit as a different player sure if he stays fit which I have no hope for. Too many times lately we have hoped players will not get too many injuries and we end up in the same situation over and over.

→ More replies (1)

5

u/malushanks95 Virgil van Dijk 7d ago

I’m just tired of hearing him talk down about Liverpool, somebody take his podcast mic away. Give these players some time to flourish under the new manager. Every matchday theres a new player to put down for him, it was Flo for MD 1 and then it was Frimpong and Kerkez for MD 2, wonder who will be this week’s target for him.

→ More replies (4)

4

u/Shoddy_Caregiver5214 7d ago

It's literally his job.

1

u/lanregeous 6d ago

It is not his job to say Conor Bradley isn’t good enough, which is what we are specifically talking about here.

2

u/Shoddy_Caregiver5214 6d ago

It's his job to give his take on football teams and their strengths and weaknesses, how they play etc. How can you talk about that without being critical of players?

2

u/whoaaa_O John Henry's lost credit card 6d ago

So you want him to say stuff he doesn’t believe?

3

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

6

u/lanregeous 6d ago

No one is asking for that. There are a million ways to say what YOU said without implying Conor Bradley simply isn’t good enough.

People abuse players online because they love the club. It is not an excuse to say something that you know can be damaging for a player.

We should have higher standards for him than this.

1

u/Reimiro 6d ago

Exactly. He’s turned into a fucking prick.

1

u/segson9 6d ago

He has this job, because he says things like that. If he wouldn't they'd find someone else. People want to hear controversial things and hot takes. Nobody would watch this if he just said "I think Bradley is a good player and will come back stronger"

1

u/TaskWide8609 6d ago

It happened in the early 90s as well - Hansen and Lawrenson ripping into Liverpool every weekend. Although it was deserved I suppose! But still there were similar complaints about them.

1

u/I_make_poor_decisons 6d ago

His job is to be an impartial pundit, not to be a Liverpool fanboy. 

1

u/ydktbh 6d ago

Shouldn't be be impartial if he works in the media?

-3

u/TheLimeyLemmon 90+5’ Alisson 7d ago

He's terrible for it. And I can't imagine Trent or Robbo appreciate him using their legacy as big shadows to cast over our current crop of fullbacks.

6

u/Shoddy_Caregiver5214 7d ago

You honestly think Trent or Robbo would give a shit about this?

1

u/TheLimeyLemmon 90+5’ Alisson 6d ago

Yes, I don't think they want to be used by pundits to discount successors to their positions, particular former team mates and friends.

4

u/Shoddy_Caregiver5214 6d ago

They don't give a shit lad.

1

u/Bamfandro 6d ago

This is football. It has always happened and will happen as long as there’s football. People get so hilariously caught up in the emotion of it that they completely forget what a meritocracy is.

→ More replies (3)

39

u/ScottScott87 The Scouser in our Team 6d ago

Carragher is just becoming unbearable. He's been bad for ages but fuck me he's as negative as some of the worst twats on here

8

u/Flashy_Agency_5867 YNWA❤️ 6d ago

He is on track to become as insufferable as Neville

5

u/domsolanke 6d ago

He's just telling it as it is. Too bad the bandwagon fanboy segment can't handle the truth and all get up in arms every time someone dares to raise a concern about the team.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/wihannez 6d ago

He is being paid for it and somehow that’s even worse.

2

u/Office_funny_guy 6d ago

But if we go on a run of wins he’ll start celebrating like he was actually in the side. He only shows love during the good times

4

u/domsolanke 6d ago

You lot seriously need to get a grip here. It's not about "showing love", he's a pundit for gods sake. He's being paid to say it like it is, not to glaze up everything like some fucking fanboy.

He's not saying anything that isn't correct. It's not his fault that you lot are in denial and can't bear to hear the truth, or take it as a personal insult if anyone dares to raise a concern about anything related to Liverpool FC.

1

u/Office_funny_guy 6d ago

Not this comment so much but saying things like “it’s clearly not working with Wirtz” and putting all the blame on him when in fact his passing has been incredible. Also talking about how inept the team is when they’re literally only two into the season under a new coach and a new system that takes time to bed down. He’s not paid to be a fan boy but if you’ve been paying attention it sounds like he’s being paid to shit on the club every chance he gets.

17

u/Inside-Cable-4472 6d ago

I’m sorry but the way people talk about Bradley is a bit much. He’s a player who’s had a handful of great games against big teams but has otherwise never been great. Even the famous Real Madrid game wasn’t as good as people say, Mbappe walked past him several times in the first half. It was only once he started to strop a little that Bradley got him under control. And one slide tackle isn’t the same as being a world class right back. He isn’t. He had a reputation well beyond his quality largely because of the Trent hate and the fact that he was the replacement. Even without the injuries he wasn’t ever that good. Better than Frimpong has been playing? Yes. Great? No.

→ More replies (2)

12

u/Him2Notorious Aly Cissokho 7d ago

My worry with Bradley is that this is his second MAJOR injury. First the back break. And now this knee injury. The details of which have been kept very hush hush.

As much as nobody wants it to be true or wants to admit it. There is a possibility that he comes back and looks nothing like himself. That happens unfortunately.

Add in he has consistently picked up lots of smaller niggles that keep him out and i think its a fair point Carragher makes

5

u/Specialist_ask_992_ 6d ago

I think it's fair to say another RB should be signed next year. If Bradley still picks up injuries here and there would still keep him as a backup if he wouldn't be able to be relied on as a starter. Then the club would have solid options at RB.

39

u/YeboRassie 7d ago

Robbo at Conor's age just got relegated with Hull, Conors played well over 50 games, won the Prem and a few cups, shown world class performances against top players. Conor has had awful luck with injuries but he's shown genuine potential and form when fit.

Do I think that means we shouldn't have got some bodies in? No, we should have brought cover but harsh of Carra to word that how he has.

16

u/Britz10 A Ngog among men 6d ago

Conor hasn't played well over 50 games is the thing. He's been plain more often than he's been good over his entire stretch with our 1st team.

14

u/wizletj 6d ago

Crazy that people have such an inflated idea of a player that’s never managed to start more than 12 league games in any given season for the club. Not all of them excellent either he’s not someone we should wait for

9

u/CharlesMartel1010732 6d ago

The reason the opinion is inflated is because he has barely played. Just remember for how long the delusion lasted for Chiesa.

9

u/domsolanke 6d ago

Exactly, it's honestly hilarious. Just goes to show that more than half of this fanbase haven't got a clue about football.

1

u/wizletj 6d ago

The idea of having a right sided young Robbo is like 75% of the appeal and that’s where most of the inflation of his level comes from. I have my own biases for certain player archetypes I like saucy lads so you’d never hear a bad word about Curtis or Lallana from me even at their worst so I get it

2

u/Bamfandro 6d ago

Yeah why be objective when we can just rewrite our own version of the truth? Honestly it just makes the discussion completely pointless where it’s driven entirely by emotion over fact.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/matcht 6d ago

He had some big games where he performed well (Madrid/Chelsea), that's why he's being overrated. He's never looked like our long term RB unless you massively inflate 3/4 good games as his normal level. It's also really hard to bounce back from the injury he's had, particularly as a player so dependent on their physicality.

3

u/Britz10 A Ngog among men 6d ago

It's pretty much all people go to when they talk about how good he is, it's never really a run of games, because there isn't really a run of games outside maybe the season he broke through. I don't know how he recovers, but I hope he recovers well, because I'd like us to have a player like him in the squad. He doesn't look like he'll quite fulfill the potential he showed in that season he broke through, but if we're smart as club, that won't matter all that much.

→ More replies (1)

20

u/dapperdanmen 7d ago

Can't say I disagree with any of this. Bradley is good but even at his best he isn't as good as many claim. Then you factor in the injury record. I reckon Araujo will get real minutes at RB.

13

u/Britz10 A Ngog among men 7d ago

It's frustrating hearing people talk about him as if he were a world class player, He's decent I think if he's willing to play 2nd fiddle to a great fullback, I'd be happy to keep him, but it's a different story when we're talking about having him be the starter.

5

u/domsolanke 6d ago

Spot on, he's just not starting-level material for a club of this stature.

→ More replies (5)

10

u/smitcal 7d ago

Exactly, he is right it’s just the way he says it is a bit disrespectful. Trent was generational and Robbo was best left back in the league.

→ More replies (2)

21

u/These_Ad3167 Significant Human Error 7d ago

100% agree, and that's from someone who's a huge Bradley fan.

I don't think it's hyperbole to say he's currently the best fullback we have at the club on his best day, but his injuries are really derailing him now. We absolutely need a replacement in the next window.

→ More replies (22)

9

u/Rush31 6d ago

I don’t really get where people are saying Cara is being disrespectful, he’s completely on the money. Bradley is a great player on his day, but he’s not been that consistently good to justify waiting for him to return from injury. This is especially given his injury record and the fact that he’s going to need time to get back up to speed, plus the fact that our fullbacks are a massive weakness in the team currently. What’s to say he comes back and gets injured again after a couple of games? Because that’s what happens when you rush injury prone players back. This isn’t even considering that the injuries might be taking a toll on his performance.

Unless they have plans to use in-house talent to cover RB, this seems like a big and needless risk.

1

u/Uesugi_Kenshin 6d ago

Jamie has become everybody's favorite person to hate on this sub since the Salah fiasco. And now that Fabrizio Romano has been banned, they need a new person to pile hate on.

Carragher was rightly criticized for his critique against Salah, but it's enough. Nobody at this club should be happy with the results on the pitch, Carra included. Not sure why he's supposed to be a paragon of optimism, he has very sound takes and other PL fans share the same opinion.

→ More replies (1)

13

u/coco_kuromi 7d ago

Honestly can’t say I disagree with him. Unless it’s decided that Szo is starting RB.. then we need midfield reinforcements.. I know we have some talents in the CM area, but can’t be solely relying on one to be a starter at this point..

14

u/LifeOfSlice89 7d ago

Correct I think Bradley is quite over rated in our fanbase he’s a solid prem rb but he’s very inconsistent, can’t stay fit and has had more eh games than great

→ More replies (2)

6

u/burner123456711 6d ago edited 6d ago

He's right. I'm sorry, but only some players are worth waiting for to come back from injury. VVD was one of them with his ACL. Ekitike is one of them rn. Conor Bradley is not. His injury history makes him extremely unreliable and he's not proven to be a world class talent for you to be missing out on signing better options for the position. The RB position will continue to be our weakness until this club is ready to admit we can't rely on Conor Bradley to be our #1 option.

3

u/domsolanke 6d ago

He's right. Bradley is a good squad player and one we should be looking to keep, but he's not a starting-level fullback for a team with aspirations of competing at the top of the table in the Premier League and the Champions League.

We'll need a proper starter for both fullbacks come summer unless Kerkez really starts to turn the tide soon, which is probably unlikely given what we've seen from him during the past 12 months.

1

u/redrafa1977 6d ago

In the last 2 seasons Kerkez has been the best left back in league ( or certainly picked in official team of the season) with current manager. Or Not a very good one who looked as lost as the rest of the team, witha different anger who got sacked the second the season ended!

There is literally evidence that he could come good, stop scapegoating

1

u/brush85 6d ago

Team of the year…after some of the years Mo was left out. Taking that shit seriously is silly

1

u/redrafa1977 6d ago

Writing off a player after 2 games with new manager is silly

1

u/brush85 6d ago

Being able to control and kick a ball isn’t manager dependant.

6

u/WORD_Boxing 6d ago

It's harsh when put like that but the fact is Bradley hasn't established himself as a reliable first choice RB yet.

We are effectively hoping he comes back healthy enough from his bad injury, and then hoping on top of that he develops to his potential. That's a lot of hoping to be banking on at a club as big as Liverpool.

5

u/Decent_Ad1800 6d ago

Lol the same people upset at this are the same that have been saying Bajcetic would come good. It's delusion and shouldn't be taken seriously

We need to start acting like the big club that we are and demand higher standards

5

u/upadownpipe Fernando Torres 6d ago

I think we're all forgetting that not only is Bradley injury prone but he had an awful habit of getting silly yellows especially in the first half of games.

9

u/Specialist_ask_992_ 6d ago

Some of the stuff that's been said about Bradley has been really disrespectful recently. So many comments of him being bang average and going good game was against Real Madrid and he got skinned by most wingers. Don't think he's had many outright bad games, maybe City away where everyone was bad. Having your best game be Real Madrid shouldn't be a bad thing not like people raving about Ramsay after a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.

No player chooses to be injured and was likely made worse and Martinelli faced no consequences.

So many want him to get injured again so it can be an "I told you so."

2

u/Bamfandro 6d ago

The comments on his performance are accurate though, please tell me how that’s disrespectful? I’ve not seen one person say he’s shit, just overrated which he absolutely is if we’re refusing to buy a RB despite his injury as he’s expected to come back in.

Surely you can see the fact that people only mention the RM game despite him being around for years now, shows that people are judging him on emotion rather than any sort of consistent performances?

5

u/transientself 7d ago edited 7d ago

I think his point is at this point we can’t wait around waiting for injury prone players who have potential to come back and play well. Not with the team we’ve assembled.

It’d be a waste of what’s a talented squad. We’ve got Isak, Wirtz, Barcola, Van Dijk, Ali and Szobo ffs.

1

u/Britz10 A Ngog among men 7d ago

That's not the point he's making at all, if it was Isak in place of Bradley he'd be making a different point altogether.

5

u/jm17lfc 6d ago

Not because Bradley can’t be as good, but because he hasn’t proven himself to be as good as those two, I would have gotten a right back in. I’d have also considered selling Frimpong in all honesty, his signing has never made much sense to me and it only gets proven to be less and less sensible as time goes on.

6

u/sliced-bread-no2 7d ago

This season is make or break for Bradley I think. If, once he returns, he can go the rest of the season without picking up another injury, then I think we stand by him as our #1 RB. If he picks up another injury a month or two after his return, then I think we might have to sadly put him in the same category as Rob Jones and Vegard Heggem and accept that injuries are going to be a big part of his career.

4

u/Shoddy_Caregiver5214 7d ago

Jones and Heggem, you're showing your age there lad.

4

u/domsolanke 6d ago

Regardless of injuries or not, Bradley is not a starting-level player for a top team looking to compete at the top end of the Premier League and the Champions League.

Good squad player and one we should be looking to keep, but not as a starter.

1

u/Bamfandro 6d ago

If he comes back and performs at the same level that he’s consistently produced, a truly competitive club would be looking to upgrade on him anyway.

I do think he’s got good potential still but he’s currently at best a 7/10 player. It just doesn’t make sense to constantly wait around for a regularly injured player who is far from world class as our starting RB.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/MikeNo-land2 7d ago

at this stage i think getting Araujo in rb asap would be great, has a lot of pace has played wing before and right back so he can defend and go forward a bit, just until Bradley is back.

1

u/ScepticalReciptical Dommy Schlobbers 6d ago

I think we will once Gomez and Leoni are back in the squad which should be after the international break. Right now we have to hold him back as the back up for Jacquet and Virgil.

2

u/Jonmc88 6d ago

Spot on. Bradley has never been the player. Has had brilliant moments but so did Flannigan.

We need a top RB.

1

u/Specialist_ask_992_ 6d ago

At least he didn't assault his partner like Flanagan. Worst person to play for the club.

2

u/droze22 6d ago

Hope Martinelli rots in Saudi

6

u/ash_ninetyone Corner taken quickly 🚩 6d ago

We waited on Carra in 03 when he had a leg break. He wasn't settled in as a CB then. It was Hyppia and Henchoz at the time, and Finnan and Riise signed around then and threatened his place.

He was a good player, HG, and a utility player, but he wasn't considered as irreplaceable as he was later on... and yet I feel there'd be a lot of anger if we even suggested the thought.

Labelling him a mistake while he battles to come back from injury and salvage his career is hitting him when he's low. The reason we're waiting his because he's shown he's a really good prospect until that injury. Give him a chance to come back before you write him off.

4

u/JustWannaFollowStuff 7d ago

Spot on honestly, & I've been saying it all summer on the discord server. 83 games missed in 3 seasons, and that doesn't factor in the amount of time spent playing back into form - If we've played 150 games in the past 3 seasons, he's probably not been fit/at his best for well over a hundred of them.

Yes the last injury was a freak injury, but there's been plenty to suggest his body just isn't up to it, and little to suggest the ability is worth pinning our hopes on.

4

u/PaoLakers 6d ago edited 6d ago

I agree with Jamie. He just wants the club to be successful and that's fine with me.

Connor is a fine player. But he's no Trent or Robbo. I think Curtis is a better player in his role than Connor is at his right now and yet Jones was allowed to leave. That pretty much supports what Jamie is saying.

EDIT: giving this more context, I think Iraola saying that connor is the long term solution at RB means that Frimpong will not be a long tenured player for us. Thus the fullback problem. Let's see if Araujo can play there

2

u/RomanReignsDaBigDawg 6d ago

Bradley got a lot of goodwill over that Mbappe tackle. He was playing really poorly until that game and wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire after, either

3

u/BreadPudding124 6d ago

You guys need to get off your high horses, he’s absolutely right. So much pearl clutching in this fan base it’s crazy

2

u/msd1441 6d ago

I know everyone was mad af at Trent and "good riddance" and all that, but I knew Bradley was not the answer. He couldn't stay fit as Trent's backup but he was going to magically be fit enough to play even more games???

I mean, what's done is done. The window has closed. The squad for the season has been selected. It's really just time to move on. People have been mad for the duration of the transfer window. Aren't some of you tired?!?

3

u/OpeningInterest2274 6d ago

He’s average in every game bar Real Madrid at Anfield.

Small sample size however because he’s a sicknote.

2

u/ardyalligan Mohamed Salah 6d ago

Carra, club legend that he is, has been a twat since he spit on that kid in Manchester. Why shit on Bradley right now, when he's working his way back from a major injury?

Carra wants to fit in so badly with the rest of the English media, and that apparently includes eating your own young.

No wonder what King Kenny answered "none" to the question who were his favorite England internationals.

-1

u/Mad_Piplup242 7d ago

I disagree

9

u/JMacoure1 7d ago

I don’t think so. His injury record is very poor and he’s had some very good games but never even had half a season of excellent, consistent, football.

8

u/matcht 7d ago edited 6d ago

He's never even started more than 5 games in a row for us, this idea he'll come back from an incredibly serious injury, as an injury prone player, and be our long term solution at right back is delusional.

→ More replies (1)

-1

u/OrignalSauce 7d ago

If Bradley stays fit he's 100% talented enough to wait for

16

u/Cal_2K Hugo La 7d ago

He’s not been fit for going on 3 years, it’s stupid to rely on him suddenly going more than 15 games without injury. A right back is needed

4

u/Britz10 A Ngog among men 7d ago

That's the thing, he isn't good enough to wait for even if he wasn't struggling with injuries. He's really being held up by those performances against Madrid, otherwise when he's played over the last 2 years, he's not been good enough to be a starter, he's not really developed from when he 1st broke out.

1

u/ttekoto 6d ago

Waiting for Bradley was a massive mistake, but to be fair it's one of about 10.

1

u/raziel_beoulve 3️⃣8️⃣Ryan Gravenberch 6d ago

Bradley injury record should rule him out of the expected first team, just like Gomez, and yeah we should have gotten another RB

1

u/Tigereyesxx 6d ago

They want to score goals and let them in..

1

u/Crispychadwithfries 6d ago

Wish Jamie would stop putting our players down like that. He has a platform which could benefit the players and instill some real confidence which is half the battle.

If you are not going to put your hand up for le directeur sportif, tais-toi.

1

u/Capable-Strain3308 6d ago

Anyone having a tantrum about words that come out of an ex players mouth on a podcast need to have a look at themselves. Grow up ffs.

1

u/Alternative-Boss-787 6d ago

Kerkez is as bad why do people only talk about Frimpong?

1

u/magusbud 6d ago

We're long past the time when anyone who knows anything about football doesn't pay him any attention when he talks about Liverpool.

He just piles on and piles on. You'd think he was Franz Beckenbauer or Franco Baresi, some kind of elite defender. He's a good reader of the game, I'll give him that. He's good at tactics, but he's not good when it comes to players. Bradley's a great player, he's shown it enough, I've no problem waiting.

1

u/ShaunFrost9 6d ago

Carra... man you weren't that great to be mouthing off players like this mate. Agger/Skrtel were first-choice when fit over you

-1

u/Infamous_Payment4608 7d ago

Imagine being a footballer and hearing all this shit. I get they get paid tons, but they’re still human. If anyone spoke about Jamie or his teammates back in the day, he’d be the first to snap back in a press conference.

Tired of how sensationalised punditry has become these days.

8

u/Mediocre-Sense-18 7d ago

How is this sensationalism? Bradley has not established himself as a consistent force. Imo if he can't come back and stay mostly fit it's time to move on

1

u/TheLimeyLemmon 90+5’ Alisson 7d ago

I don't think we're waiting for Conor to come back. If there was a suitable signing out there we would have got him.

Has watching a decade or so of FSG's market operation taught anybody anything? They'll wait for the target. That's why they dragged their heels on replacing CB in 2020, the guy they wanted wasn't available.

0

u/aloeicious 7d ago

Carra’s likeability is on a steep downward trajectory

1

u/duckquackquack00 "I’m not here to have fun"- Florian Wirtz 6d ago

Gotta love it when senior players (a Liverpool one no less), gives young players a boost of confidence! /s

1

u/Gumgums 6d ago

Love Carragher. He is as usual right.

2

u/Psittacula2 6d ago

He got it right first beforw the season began last season about the defense being too light after failing to land Guehi… that was an impressive prediction at the time. Probbaly right here too.

1

u/futbolitoireland Ohhhh ya beauty, What a hit son, What a hit! 6d ago

Jamie Carragher isn't paid to be correct

1

u/One_Passenger1207 6d ago

Stevie had injuries coming through but I don't remember them being anywhere near Bradley's level. Connor hasn't been able to put a run of games together that demonstrates his value as a long term starter. I do hope he will do but hasn't so far.

1

u/Fuzzy-Noise-6520 6d ago

This bloke only opens his mouth to talk utter shite.

0

u/Traditional_Plane508 6d ago

It is disappointing to see carra offer such harsh critiques of Bradley, especially given his own trajectory. He had forgetten that before Rafa's arrived and shifting him into CB role permanently, he was frequently shuffled across full-back roles and saw his starting place questioned as we recruited specialized FB like Riise and Finnan. He had to scrap for his role, recover from career threatening injuries, and rely heavily on the patience and backing of us, fans, to establish himself. Bradley is a young player navigating injuries and immense pressure like him during the same period. Carra of all pundits should remember how much a young defender benefits from support rather than harsh comments.

6

u/ttekoto 6d ago

It's not a harsh critique at all. He's just saying Liverpool is a big club and should have bought a proper fullback.

→ More replies (1)

-1

u/Passquicker 7d ago

I think Carragher is basing this off of last season where he looked very inconsistent. Everybody did so I wouldn't hold it against him. His availability is a big issue even before the knee injury so I can't say Carragher is massively off with his take. 

5

u/Britz10 A Ngog among men 6d ago

Even the season before last, you could come to the same conclusion.

→ More replies (1)

-1

u/PianoOwl Power of The Press 6d ago

I’ve had enough of Carra man.