Your morning Liverpool headlines on Tuesday, November 22.
Every word of heated argument as Graeme Souness takes on Roy Keane live on ITV
Graeme Souness and Roy Keane's half-time analysis descended into a war of words during Argentina's World Cup opener, as the pair failed to agree on a VAR decision.
Taking on Saudi Arabia in the opening Group C match, the South Americans were awarded a penalty in the 10th minute when a VAR review adjudged Saudi defender Saud Abdulhamid to have hauled down Leandro Paredes on the box.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi tucked away the spot kick. But when the decision was discussed at half-time by ITV Sport, former Liverpool captain Souness and Keane were miles apart in their views, leading to clear friction live on-air.
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With match-day host Laura Woods acting as referee and fellow pundit Joe Cole hovering on the sidelines, the transcription went as follows:
Laura Woods: Don’t make eye contact with Roy, don’t do it.
Joe Cole: I think it was a penalty.
Graeme Souness: I thought we moved on from that.
Roy Keane: We’re going to see a record number of penalties at this World Cup, record number. That’s not a penalty.
GS: The ball has come in, he’s not looking at the ball. The directive from the referee is that’s a penalty, we have to accept that’s a penalty. We’ve seen a different Argentina today, it’s not the Argentina I expected to see, they don’t seem too intent on dominating the ball. I just feel Argentina have another gear to go into.
RK: Go ahead, go ahead.
GS: You learn a lot more if you listen than talk all the time.
Richard Garnett has the full story, here.
Liverpool sale latest as FSG appoint 'brightest financial mind' to find buyer
If the hope of Fenway Sports Group is to make a maximum impact with minimal fuss when it comes to exploring a potential sale of Liverpool FC, then there is no-one better placed to do so than Mike Gordon.
Such has been the low profile of Gordon throughout his time at Liverpool that many supporters would probably be unable to pick the FSG president out of a lineup. Indeed, the American's unassuming nature even had many of the assembled press unable to spot arguably the most important man at Anfield when he traipsed quietly through a post-match mixed zone after a 4-0 win over Southampton in February 2020.
"Whether that is (CEO) Billy Hogan, (COO) Andy Hughes, Michael Edwards, Jurgen, at times, but day to day, they are allowed to run the football club. If there are big decisions for the football club, such as financial or strategic ones to be made, then they would either be run by the ownership, which is mostly Mike, but also Tom Werner as well."
When Gordon flew into Merseyside to put the finishing touches on a contract extension for Klopp in December 2020, he had done so with the expectation of being as incognito as possible. Liverpool, though, were forced to offer an update on their owner's health and safety after his private jet skidded off the runway at the city's John Lennon Airport.
But despite the unobtrusive public persona, the Tufts University graduate's shift from quietly running Liverpool to actively overseeing what offers are on the table for the keys to the Shankly Gates is hugely significant.
Paul Gorst has more, here.
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