Thought Joe was pretty much faultless against City yesterday.Liverpool will play probably in excess of 40 more games this season,I am sure he will get his share of games.
How old is his son , I am guessing the family are very happy and settled wherever it is he lives? He might not want to uproot the lad if he is content at home and attending a good school. He lives in Wilmslow, his house is valued at around £2.5 million!
£2.5m in Wilmslow is a semi detached maisonette.
Not his house but this is the type of property that approximately £2.5m buys. Not exactly a semi-detached maisonette
How old is his son , I am guessing the family are very happy and settled wherever it is he lives? He might not want to uproot the lad if he is content at home and attending a good school. He lives in Wilmslow, his house is valued at around £2.5 million!
£2.5m in Wilmslow is a semi detached maisonette.
Not his house but this is the type of property that approximately £2.5m buys. Not exactly a semi-detached maisonette
It's like if someone decided to furnish the place as an ironic satire of The Only Way is Essex. It's rare to see the inside of a house and be able to picture the owners immediately.
How old is his son , I am guessing the family are very happy and settled wherever it is he lives? He might not want to uproot the lad if he is content at home and attending a good school. He lives in Wilmslow, his house is valued at around £2.5 million!
£2.5m in Wilmslow is a semi detached maisonette.
Not his house but this is the type of property that approximately £2.5m buys. Not exactly a semi-detached maisonette
How old is his son , I am guessing the family are very happy and settled wherever it is he lives? He might not want to uproot the lad if he is content at home and attending a good school. He lives in Wilmslow, his house is valued at around £2.5 million!
£2.5m in Wilmslow is a semi detached maisonette.
Not his house but this is the type of property that approximately £2.5m buys. Not exactly a semi-detached maisonette
Unfortunately it is the way of the world up north (and Essex) that taste disappears as soon as you have any cash.
If you are into property porn, you’ll have looked at thousands of houses at various price points, and have seen the difference in how people furnish their homes in different parts of the country.
Matthew Southall is perhaps a good example. If you ever saw the state of his house and his missus, you’d know what “Manchester chic” is all about.
How old is his son , I am guessing the family are very happy and settled wherever it is he lives? He might not want to uproot the lad if he is content at home and attending a good school. He lives in Wilmslow, his house is valued at around £2.5 million!
£2.5m in Wilmslow is a semi detached maisonette.
Not his house but this is the type of property that approximately £2.5m buys. Not exactly a semi-detached maisonette
Admittedly I was over exaggerating - my point was that £2.5m doesn’t seem a lot for a premier league footballer in that part of the world.
I understand that but that might actually serve to evidence what I've been saying about Gomez having enough money to be content with life and the world that he lives in. One of the most extreme examples of that is Marcelo Bielsa who, when manager of PL Leeds, lived in a one-bedroomed flat above a sweet shop in Wetherby. When he first came here Leeds put him up at Rudding Park, a country house hotel near Harrogate that boasts a spa and two golf courses and where rooms cost £320 a night. That was precisely the sort of place that Bielsa hated. Jose Mourinho, on the other hand, when managing Manchester United for two years lived in a suite at the Lowry Hotel that cost £816 a night. Some people do not need to evidence to others or themselves the trappings of their success.
How old is his son , I am guessing the family are very happy and settled wherever it is he lives? He might not want to uproot the lad if he is content at home and attending a good school. He lives in Wilmslow, his house is valued at around £2.5 million!
£2.5m in Wilmslow is a semi detached maisonette.
Not his house but this is the type of property that approximately £2.5m buys. Not exactly a semi-detached maisonette
Unfortunately it is the way of the world up north (and Essex) that taste disappears as soon as you have any cash.
If you are into property porn, you’ll have looked at thousands of houses at various price points, and have seen the difference in how people furnish their homes in different parts of the country.
Matthew Southall is perhaps a good example. If you ever saw the state of his house and his missus, you’d know what “Manchester chic” is all about.
How dare you! Our leopard skin sofas are the height of good taste.
Seriously, Wilmslow is overpriced for up here, as are the other so-called Cheshire Golden Triangle towns of Prestbury and especially Alderley Edge. For the same sort of money in south Cheshire you can get this https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/152268779#/?channel=RES_BUY
How old is his son , I am guessing the family are very happy and settled wherever it is he lives? He might not want to uproot the lad if he is content at home and attending a good school. He lives in Wilmslow, his house is valued at around £2.5 million!
£2.5m in Wilmslow is a semi detached maisonette.
Not his house but this is the type of property that approximately £2.5m buys. Not exactly a semi-detached maisonette
Unfortunately it is the way of the world up north (and Essex) that taste disappears as soon as you have any cash.
If you are into property porn, you’ll have looked at thousands of houses at various price points, and have seen the difference in how people furnish their homes in different parts of the country.
Matthew Southall is perhaps a good example. If you ever saw the state of his house and his missus, you’d know what “Manchester chic” is all about.
How dare you! Our leopard skin sofas are the height of good taste.
Seriously, Wilmslow is overpriced for up here, as are the other so-called Cheshire Golden Triangle towns of Prestbury and especially Alderley Edge. For the same sort of money in south Cheshire you can get this https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/152268779#/?channel=RES_BUY
You can take the boy out of south London…
I write this safe in the knowledge that your house will be beautifully furnished given your roots.
How old is his son , I am guessing the family are very happy and settled wherever it is he lives? He might not want to uproot the lad if he is content at home and attending a good school. He lives in Wilmslow, his house is valued at around £2.5 million!
£2.5m in Wilmslow is a semi detached maisonette.
Not his house but this is the type of property that approximately £2.5m buys. Not exactly a semi-detached maisonette
Unfortunately it is the way of the world up north (and Essex) that taste disappears as soon as you have any cash.
If you are into property porn, you’ll have looked at thousands of houses at various price points, and have seen the difference in how people furnish their homes in different parts of the country.
Matthew Southall is perhaps a good example. If you ever saw the state of his house and his missus, you’d know what “Manchester chic” is all about.
How dare you! Our leopard skin sofas are the height of good taste.
Seriously, Wilmslow is overpriced for up here, as are the other so-called Cheshire Golden Triangle towns of Prestbury and especially Alderley Edge. For the same sort of money in south Cheshire you can get this https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/152268779#/?channel=RES_BUY
Thanks for sharing your home Bob and very much an abode that I imagined you lived in. It must have been a serious reality check, though, having to sell up given that you are now living off a miserly pension and having already been forced to let the butler, the chef, the maid, the cleaner and the three gardeners go.
How old is his son , I am guessing the family are very happy and settled wherever it is he lives? He might not want to uproot the lad if he is content at home and attending a good school. He lives in Wilmslow, his house is valued at around £2.5 million!
£2.5m in Wilmslow is a semi detached maisonette.
Not his house but this is the type of property that approximately £2.5m buys. Not exactly a semi-detached maisonette
Unfortunately it is the way of the world up north (and Essex) that taste disappears as soon as you have any cash.
If you are into property porn, you’ll have looked at thousands of houses at various price points, and have seen the difference in how people furnish their homes in different parts of the country.
Matthew Southall is perhaps a good example. If you ever saw the state of his house and his missus, you’d know what “Manchester chic” is all about.
How dare you! Our leopard skin sofas are the height of good taste.
Seriously, Wilmslow is overpriced for up here, as are the other so-called Cheshire Golden Triangle towns of Prestbury and especially Alderley Edge. For the same sort of money in south Cheshire you can get this https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/152268779#/?channel=RES_BUY
Thanks for sharing your home Bob and very much an abode that I imagined you lived in. It must have been a serious reality check, though, having to sell up given that you are now living off a miserly pension and having already been forced to let the butler, the chef, the maid, the cleaner and the three gardeners go.
How old is his son , I am guessing the family are very happy and settled wherever it is he lives? He might not want to uproot the lad if he is content at home and attending a good school. He lives in Wilmslow, his house is valued at around £2.5 million!
£2.5m in Wilmslow is a semi detached maisonette.
Not his house but this is the type of property that approximately £2.5m buys. Not exactly a semi-detached maisonette
How old is his son , I am guessing the family are very happy and settled wherever it is he lives? He might not want to uproot the lad if he is content at home and attending a good school. He lives in Wilmslow, his house is valued at around £2.5 million!
£2.5m in Wilmslow is a semi detached maisonette.
Not his house but this is the type of property that approximately £2.5m buys. Not exactly a semi-detached maisonette
How old is his son , I am guessing the family are very happy and settled wherever it is he lives? He might not want to uproot the lad if he is content at home and attending a good school. He lives in Wilmslow, his house is valued at around £2.5 million!
£2.5m in Wilmslow is a semi detached maisonette.
Not his house but this is the type of property that approximately £2.5m buys. Not exactly a semi-detached maisonette
If it weren't for the lack of subtlety I might think Homer Simpson was involved.
Not wrong to think it's hideous because it is all about taste. As I said it's not Joe Gomez property but the sort of house that £2.5m might buy in that particular area.
How old is his son , I am guessing the family are very happy and settled wherever it is he lives? He might not want to uproot the lad if he is content at home and attending a good school. He lives in Wilmslow, his house is valued at around £2.5 million!
£2.5m in Wilmslow is a semi detached maisonette.
Not his house but this is the type of property that approximately £2.5m buys. Not exactly a semi-detached maisonette
Unfortunately it is the way of the world up north (and Essex) that taste disappears as soon as you have any cash.
If you are into property porn, you’ll have looked at thousands of houses at various price points, and have seen the difference in how people furnish their homes in different parts of the country.
Matthew Southall is perhaps a good example. If you ever saw the state of his house and his missus, you’d know what “Manchester chic” is all about.
How dare you! Our leopard skin sofas are the height of good taste.
Seriously, Wilmslow is overpriced for up here, as are the other so-called Cheshire Golden Triangle towns of Prestbury and especially Alderley Edge. For the same sort of money in south Cheshire you can get this https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/152268779#/?channel=RES_BUY
Thanks for sharing your home Bob and very much an abode that I imagined you lived in. It must have been a serious reality check, though, having to sell up given that you are now living off a miserly pension and having already been forced to let the butler, the chef, the maid, the cleaner and the three gardeners go.
It was indeed a reality check, having to trade down from this:
How old is his son , I am guessing the family are very happy and settled wherever it is he lives? He might not want to uproot the lad if he is content at home and attending a good school. He lives in Wilmslow, his house is valued at around £2.5 million!
£2.5m in Wilmslow is a semi detached maisonette.
Not his house but this is the type of property that approximately £2.5m buys. Not exactly a semi-detached maisonette
Unfortunately it is the way of the world up north (and Essex) that taste disappears as soon as you have any cash.
If you are into property porn, you’ll have looked at thousands of houses at various price points, and have seen the difference in how people furnish their homes in different parts of the country.
Matthew Southall is perhaps a good example. If you ever saw the state of his house and his missus, you’d know what “Manchester chic” is all about.
How dare you! Our leopard skin sofas are the height of good taste.
Seriously, Wilmslow is overpriced for up here, as are the other so-called Cheshire Golden Triangle towns of Prestbury and especially Alderley Edge. For the same sort of money in south Cheshire you can get this https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/152268779#/?channel=RES_BUY
Thanks for sharing your home Bob and very much an abode that I imagined you lived in. It must have been a serious reality check, though, having to sell up given that you are now living off a miserly pension and having already been forced to let the butler, the chef, the maid, the cleaner and the three gardeners go.
It was indeed a reality check, having to trade down from this:
I'm taking the staff with me though, faithful old retainers that they are.
Oi! stop claiming my place as your own, you were only renting the blacksmiths cottage from us! We were nice enough to let you use the tennis courts once a week but wont be making that mistake again.
I see what people write about the need for Gomez "to be playing week in, week out" but maybe that's not his overall motivation. These are the factors that might be influencing his desire not to move:
(1) Medals - the only place that he could have won more medals in his time at Liverpool is City.
(2) Financial security - yes he might earn more elsewhere but he only signed a new long term contract last year. That would not have been for peanuts and given that he was reputed to be on £3.9m a year prior to that, it would be a surprise to find out that he is now earning £5m plua. Value really is more important to some than price when you've earned enough to secure your family's future for life and Joe clearly isn't the sort of chap to be driven by how much is in his bank account
(3) Guaranteed first team starting place - very few clubs offer that these days, let alone a top one, unless you happen to be a van Dijk. As we've seen today not even Gvardiol is safe. Would he rather play, as he has done for the last two seasons as an important cog or as a "potential" fixture at a Palace or a Brighton for example? Because he wouldn't be guaranteed a starting place at Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal, United, Villa or Newcastle for the very reason he isn't one at Liverpool.
(4) International recognition - as I've said, he has started as many PL games for Liverpool in the last two seasons as Maguire and Stones have. He made 55 appearances last season made up of 51 for Liverpool and 4 for England whereas those two made 38 and 44 appearances respectively. How many players did that, let alone for one of the top two or three clubs in the country? There's absolutely no guarantee that he would be putting himself in the international window if he moved clubs. How about a move abroad? You really have to be a Bellingham or Kane for that to prove successful. Just ask Fikayo Tomori.
(5) Fan appreciation - Gomez is loved by fans in the same way as Milner was. He is "Mr Reliable". He's the one that they see as helping the team to close out games filling in at LB, RB, CB or CDM when required to do so and did a fantastic job last season and this season too in a couple of big games - today and when Konate went off at half time against Brighton with Liverpool losing at the time. Unfortunately, his versatility is a "strength overdone" but, there again, when you're a Maguire, you aren't going to be utilised in any other than that one position. What guarantee is there that, at his next club, he won't be used in exactly the same way because that is his USP? So, back to square one at a club where he would have next to no chance of winning anything.
(6) The club having his best interests as well as their own at heart - Liverpool stood by him when he had those serious injuries. Many wouldn't have given him a new extended contract for that reason alone and treated him as a potential liability. Perhaps he feels he owes them that loyalty or, at the very least, that he is comfortable with the fact that he is valued. So much so that VVD has revealed that his best mate is Gomez. “I have a lot of friends in football, but the person I’m closest to at the moment is Joe Gomez. We’ve been through everything together here at the club. Highs and lows. We are very close to each other,”
(7) Family security - he's been with his childhood sweetheart, Tamara , since he met her on a bus travelling to and from school a decade ago. They married three years ago and have a five year old son. Gomez is religious, a big family man and has put roots down in Liverpool so it will probably take his circumstances to seriously change or something "different" to alter his standpoint.
All of that said, there may well come a time when he has to leave especially if he goes back down the pecking order under Slot but that will be when it suits him or when Liverpool want to sell him. In an age when footballers are looking for that next big move and agents are dressing that up in every imaginable way possible, how refreshing is it that a player stays at a club for a decade? We struggle to find one that's with us from one season to the next and the last one that played for us for over ten years was vilified by some supporters because of the way it all ended. He's now back with us as a coach such is the esteem in which he is held by the Club and most fans alike. That same esteem as Gomez is held in. Equally, do we not think that Gomez's agent wouldn't try to influence him to move if he felt it was in Gomez's interests to do so? After all, his agent also looks after the likes of Ake, Akanji, Stones, Livramento, Summerville and Hall, all of whom have done so at some point in the time that our former player has been at Liverpool.
Unless we walk in the shoes of Gomez, we really can't quantify what makes him "happy". Staying at Liverpool for almost ten years clearly has, otherwise he would have moved on by now. It might not be what we think he should do but should we really criticise someone who seems to have everything he wants in life? I, for one, wish I were in his shoes.
Anyone would think I was his agent the way keep banging on about him. If we can set aside any prejudices about Liverpool fans we might have, but in relation to (5) above, this is what some of their supporters think of his importance to them and thought of his performance yesterday :
"Gomez/VVD kept 9 clean sheets in 10 games at one point during 19/20. They went seven games without conceding at another point that year. Their record when playing together is elite."
"Never in doubt, him and Virg absolutely shit clean sheets"
"What a player" "Colossus"
"What a performance today……magnificent display"
"Great to see Joe back him and Virgil were faultless" "Rolled back the years. Such a good footballer" "Always liked Joe something very likeable about him and underrated player too" "We seem to forget how good he and Virgil were togther. He had that dip in form but was fantastic today."
"It's undoubtedly a blow to lose Konate to injury but I'm so pleased to see Gomez come in and do well. He had that raking quarter back pass landing on a sixpence all through the first half!"
"Apparently Virgil texted Joe, Robbo and Trent last night. The text simply said: "We're gettin the band back together" Oh yeah!"
"Showed his quality today. I thought his possession play was outstanding"
"The VVD Gomez clean sheet run continues"
"No drop off whatsoever. Great performance"
"Boss game from Joey! But it would be a bit uncomfortable to walk with Haaland in his pocket, I hope he doesn't forget to take him out..."
"One scary moment, and that might've been Kelleher's fault. Otherwise, brilliant!"
"Been saying play him as a CB for the longest time. He’s class"
"Brilliant Joe Gomez"
"So glad we kept him in the summer. He is going to be vital for us this season. So versatile and dependable. Some fantastic passing from him today too! Delighted for him."
"Watching the game back, half an hour in announcer "Gomez". He pauses and watches Gomez, who hits a 35-40 yard diagonal exact vvd special (but in the left side direction) right on to Gakpos toe. Announcer grows excited. "Expansively picking out Gakpo. Nice take by the Dutchman." Kind of sums us up atm they were both glued to the bench somewhat and look how good they are. So great to watch this stuff. I always feel that people forget just how fast Joe Gomez is as well as how natural his athleticism. When he came up as a kid and rogers stuck him at lb total newbie and he breezed it and then some in a startlingly incredible way. His careers been blighted by injuries but the base model is a rolls royce. modern science and very hard work hes been all the way back for a couple of years now maybe more, this guy is a potent football player."
"The goal is coming THIS SEASON and it is going to be beautiful"
"I've always believed in the lad. I just think hes been unlucky firstly with injuries and also to be competing with truly great CBs like Virg, Matip and Konate. Hopefully he gets this run in the side and definitively proves what an asset he is. I would prefer he never got injured ofc but I said it in Konate thread I was looking forward to seeing Gomez (and Quansah)"
"Having your first choice 11 is always great, but for me football is also about these beautiful moments someone steps up when needed."
"Fucking love the lad"
"If the big man scores, Anfield's roof will ilft up by 6 inches. LOL"
"Remarkable talent and consistency. He can be out of the squad for months... then comes in and does as good a job as ever."
As a centre back he has always been held back by his height, or lack of it.
He has been held back by 3 serious injuries . Still having a good career but needs to leave that place now .
As well. He has always been a quality player and he deserves to be playing week in, week out, not plugging gaps at Liverpool.
Plugging gaps is what has no doubt helped prolong his career there though as they don't really want to get rid of such a versatile homegrown player who can play pretty much anywhere across the back 4.
As a centre back he has always been held back by his height, or lack of it.
He has been held back by 3 serious injuries . Still having a good career but needs to leave that place now .
As well. He has always been a quality player and he deserves to be playing week in, week out, not plugging gaps at Liverpool.
Plugging gaps is what has no doubt helped prolong his career there though as they don't really want to get rid of such a versatile homegrown player who can play pretty much anywhere across the back 4.
And even played in midfield last year. He's rewarded handsomely for it too
I see what people write about the need for Gomez "to be playing week in, week out" but maybe that's not his overall motivation. These are the factors that might be influencing his desire not to move:
(1) Medals - the only place that he could have won more medals in his time at Liverpool is City.
(2) Financial security - yes he might earn more elsewhere but he only signed a new long term contract last year. That would not have been for peanuts and given that he was reputed to be on £3.9m a year prior to that, it would be a surprise to find out that he is now earning £5m plua. Value really is more important to some than price when you've earned enough to secure your family's future for life and Joe clearly isn't the sort of chap to be driven by how much is in his bank account
(3) Guaranteed first team starting place - very few clubs offer that these days, let alone a top one, unless you happen to be a van Dijk. As we've seen today not even Gvardiol is safe. Would he rather play, as he has done for the last two seasons as an important cog or as a "potential" fixture at a Palace or a Brighton for example? Because he wouldn't be guaranteed a starting place at Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal, United, Villa or Newcastle for the very reason he isn't one at Liverpool.
(4) International recognition - as I've said, he has started as many PL games for Liverpool in the last two seasons as Maguire and Stones have. He made 55 appearances last season made up of 51 for Liverpool and 4 for England whereas those two made 38 and 44 appearances respectively. How many players did that, let alone for one of the top two or three clubs in the country? There's absolutely no guarantee that he would be putting himself in the international window if he moved clubs. How about a move abroad? You really have to be a Bellingham or Kane for that to prove successful. Just ask Fikayo Tomori.
(5) Fan appreciation - Gomez is loved by fans in the same way as Milner was. He is "Mr Reliable". He's the one that they see as helping the team to close out games filling in at LB, RB, CB or CDM when required to do so and did a fantastic job last season and this season too in a couple of big games - today and when Konate went off at half time against Brighton with Liverpool losing at the time. Unfortunately, his versatility is a "strength overdone" but, there again, when you're a Maguire, you aren't going to be utilised in any other than that one position. What guarantee is there that, at his next club, he won't be used in exactly the same way because that is his USP? So, back to square one at a club where he would have next to no chance of winning anything.
(6) The club having his best interests as well as their own at heart - Liverpool stood by him when he had those serious injuries. Many wouldn't have given him a new extended contract for that reason alone and treated him as a potential liability. Perhaps he feels he owes them that loyalty or, at the very least, that he is comfortable with the fact that he is valued. So much so that VVD has revealed that his best mate is Gomez. “I have a lot of friends in football, but the person I’m closest to at the moment is Joe Gomez. We’ve been through everything together here at the club. Highs and lows. We are very close to each other,”
(7) Family security - he's been with his childhood sweetheart, Tamara , since he met her on a bus travelling to and from school a decade ago. They married three years ago and have a five year old son. Gomez is religious, a big family man and has put roots down in Liverpool so it will probably take his circumstances to seriously change or something "different" to alter his standpoint.
All of that said, there may well come a time when he has to leave especially if he goes back down the pecking order under Slot but that will be when it suits him or when Liverpool want to sell him. In an age when footballers are looking for that next big move and agents are dressing that up in every imaginable way possible, how refreshing is it that a player stays at a club for a decade? We struggle to find one that's with us from one season to the next and the last one that played for us for over ten years was vilified by some supporters because of the way it all ended. He's now back with us as a coach such is the esteem in which he is held by the Club and most fans alike. That same esteem as Gomez is held in. Equally, do we not think that Gomez's agent wouldn't try to influence him to move if he felt it was in Gomez's interests to do so? After all, his agent also looks after the likes of Ake, Akanji, Stones, Livramento, Summerville and Hall, all of whom have done so at some point in the time that our former player has been at Liverpool.
Unless we walk in the shoes of Gomez, we really can't quantify what makes him "happy". Staying at Liverpool for almost ten years clearly has, otherwise he would have moved on by now. It might not be what we think he should do but should we really criticise someone who seems to have everything he wants in life? I, for one, wish I were in his shoes.
Anyone would think I was his agent the way keep banging on about him. If we can set aside any prejudices about Liverpool fans we might have, but in relation to (5) above, this is what some of their supporters think of his importance to them and thought of his performance yesterday :
"Gomez/VVD kept 9 clean sheets in 10 games at one point during 19/20. They went seven games without conceding at another point that year. Their record when playing together is elite."
"Never in doubt, him and Virg absolutely shit clean sheets"
"What a player"
"Colossus"
"What a performance today……magnificent display"
"Great to see Joe back him and Virgil were faultless"
"Rolled back the years. Such a good footballer"
"Always liked Joe something very likeable about him and underrated player too"
"We seem to forget how good he and Virgil were togther. He had that dip in form but was fantastic today."
"It's undoubtedly a blow to lose Konate to injury but I'm so pleased to see Gomez come in and do well. He had that raking quarter back pass landing on a sixpence all through the first half!"
"Apparently Virgil texted Joe, Robbo and Trent last night. The text simply said: "We're gettin the band back together" Oh yeah!"
"Showed his quality today. I thought his possession play was outstanding"
"The VVD Gomez clean sheet run continues"
"No drop off whatsoever. Great performance"
"Boss game from Joey! But it would be a bit uncomfortable to walk with Haaland in his pocket, I hope he doesn't forget to take him out..."
"One scary moment, and that might've been Kelleher's fault. Otherwise, brilliant!"
"Been saying play him as a CB for the longest time. He’s class"
"Brilliant Joe Gomez"
"So glad we kept him in the summer. He is going to be vital for us this season. So versatile and dependable. Some fantastic passing from him today too! Delighted for him."
"Watching the game back, half an hour in announcer "Gomez". He pauses and watches Gomez, who hits a 35-40 yard diagonal exact vvd special (but in the left side direction) right on to Gakpos toe. Announcer grows excited. "Expansively picking out Gakpo. Nice take by the Dutchman." Kind of sums us up atm they were both glued to the bench somewhat and look how good they are. So great to watch this stuff. I always feel that people forget just how fast Joe Gomez is as well as how natural his athleticism. When he came up as a kid and rogers stuck him at lb total newbie and he breezed it and then some in a startlingly incredible way. His careers been blighted by injuries but the base model is a rolls royce. modern science and very hard work hes been all the way back for a couple of years now maybe more, this guy is a potent football player."
"The goal is coming THIS SEASON and it is going to be beautiful"
"I've always believed in the lad. I just think hes been unlucky firstly with injuries and also to be competing with truly great CBs like Virg, Matip and Konate. Hopefully he gets this run in the side and definitively proves what an asset he is. I would prefer he never got injured ofc but I said it in Konate thread I was looking forward to seeing Gomez (and Quansah)"
"Having your first choice 11 is always great, but for me football is also about these beautiful moments someone steps up when needed."
"Fucking love the lad"
"If the big man scores, Anfield's roof will ilft up by 6 inches. LOL"
"Remarkable talent and consistency. He can be out of the squad for months... then comes in and does as good a job as ever."
I see what people write about the need for Gomez "to be playing week in, week out" but maybe that's not his overall motivation. These are the factors that might be influencing his desire not to move:
(1) Medals - the only place that he could have won more medals in his time at Liverpool is City.
(2) Financial security - yes he might earn more elsewhere but he only signed a new long term contract last year. That would not have been for peanuts and given that he was reputed to be on £3.9m a year prior to that, it would be a surprise to find out that he is now earning £5m plua. Value really is more important to some than price when you've earned enough to secure your family's future for life and Joe clearly isn't the sort of chap to be driven by how much is in his bank account
(3) Guaranteed first team starting place - very few clubs offer that these days, let alone a top one, unless you happen to be a van Dijk. As we've seen today not even Gvardiol is safe. Would he rather play, as he has done for the last two seasons as an important cog or as a "potential" fixture at a Palace or a Brighton for example? Because he wouldn't be guaranteed a starting place at Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal, United, Villa or Newcastle for the very reason he isn't one at Liverpool.
(4) International recognition - as I've said, he has started as many PL games for Liverpool in the last two seasons as Maguire and Stones have. He made 55 appearances last season made up of 51 for Liverpool and 4 for England whereas those two made 38 and 44 appearances respectively. How many players did that, let alone for one of the top two or three clubs in the country? There's absolutely no guarantee that he would be putting himself in the international window if he moved clubs. How about a move abroad? You really have to be a Bellingham or Kane for that to prove successful. Just ask Fikayo Tomori.
(5) Fan appreciation - Gomez is loved by fans in the same way as Milner was. He is "Mr Reliable". He's the one that they see as helping the team to close out games filling in at LB, RB, CB or CDM when required to do so and did a fantastic job last season and this season too in a couple of big games - today and when Konate went off at half time against Brighton with Liverpool losing at the time. Unfortunately, his versatility is a "strength overdone" but, there again, when you're a Maguire, you aren't going to be utilised in any other than that one position. What guarantee is there that, at his next club, he won't be used in exactly the same way because that is his USP? So, back to square one at a club where he would have next to no chance of winning anything.
(6) The club having his best interests as well as their own at heart - Liverpool stood by him when he had those serious injuries. Many wouldn't have given him a new extended contract for that reason alone and treated him as a potential liability. Perhaps he feels he owes them that loyalty or, at the very least, that he is comfortable with the fact that he is valued. So much so that VVD has revealed that his best mate is Gomez. “I have a lot of friends in football, but the person I’m closest to at the moment is Joe Gomez. We’ve been through everything together here at the club. Highs and lows. We are very close to each other,”
(7) Family security - he's been with his childhood sweetheart, Tamara , since he met her on a bus travelling to and from school a decade ago. They married three years ago and have a five year old son. Gomez is religious, a big family man and has put roots down in Liverpool so it will probably take his circumstances to seriously change or something "different" to alter his standpoint.
All of that said, there may well come a time when he has to leave especially if he goes back down the pecking order under Slot but that will be when it suits him or when Liverpool want to sell him. In an age when footballers are looking for that next big move and agents are dressing that up in every imaginable way possible, how refreshing is it that a player stays at a club for a decade? We struggle to find one that's with us from one season to the next and the last one that played for us for over ten years was vilified by some supporters because of the way it all ended. He's now back with us as a coach such is the esteem in which he is held by the Club and most fans alike. That same esteem as Gomez is held in. Equally, do we not think that Gomez's agent wouldn't try to influence him to move if he felt it was in Gomez's interests to do so? After all, his agent also looks after the likes of Ake, Akanji, Stones, Livramento, Summerville and Hall, all of whom have done so at some point in the time that our former player has been at Liverpool.
Unless we walk in the shoes of Gomez, we really can't quantify what makes him "happy". Staying at Liverpool for almost ten years clearly has, otherwise he would have moved on by now. It might not be what we think he should do but should we really criticise someone who seems to have everything he wants in life? I, for one, wish I were in his shoes.
Anyone would think I was his agent the way keep banging on about him. If we can set aside any prejudices about Liverpool fans we might have, but in relation to (5) above, this is what some of their supporters think of his importance to them and thought of his performance yesterday :
"Gomez/VVD kept 9 clean sheets in 10 games at one point during 19/20. They went seven games without conceding at another point that year. Their record when playing together is elite."
"Never in doubt, him and Virg absolutely shit clean sheets"
"What a player"
"Colossus"
"What a performance today……magnificent display"
"Great to see Joe back him and Virgil were faultless"
"Rolled back the years. Such a good footballer"
"Always liked Joe something very likeable about him and underrated player too"
"We seem to forget how good he and Virgil were togther. He had that dip in form but was fantastic today."
"It's undoubtedly a blow to lose Konate to injury but I'm so pleased to see Gomez come in and do well. He had that raking quarter back pass landing on a sixpence all through the first half!"
"Apparently Virgil texted Joe, Robbo and Trent last night. The text simply said: "We're gettin the band back together" Oh yeah!"
"Showed his quality today. I thought his possession play was outstanding"
"The VVD Gomez clean sheet run continues"
"No drop off whatsoever. Great performance"
"Boss game from Joey! But it would be a bit uncomfortable to walk with Haaland in his pocket, I hope he doesn't forget to take him out..."
"One scary moment, and that might've been Kelleher's fault. Otherwise, brilliant!"
"Been saying play him as a CB for the longest time. He’s class"
"Brilliant Joe Gomez"
"So glad we kept him in the summer. He is going to be vital for us this season. So versatile and dependable. Some fantastic passing from him today too! Delighted for him."
"Watching the game back, half an hour in announcer "Gomez". He pauses and watches Gomez, who hits a 35-40 yard diagonal exact vvd special (but in the left side direction) right on to Gakpos toe. Announcer grows excited. "Expansively picking out Gakpo. Nice take by the Dutchman." Kind of sums us up atm they were both glued to the bench somewhat and look how good they are. So great to watch this stuff. I always feel that people forget just how fast Joe Gomez is as well as how natural his athleticism. When he came up as a kid and rogers stuck him at lb total newbie and he breezed it and then some in a startlingly incredible way. His careers been blighted by injuries but the base model is a rolls royce. modern science and very hard work hes been all the way back for a couple of years now maybe more, this guy is a potent football player."
"The goal is coming THIS SEASON and it is going to be beautiful"
"I've always believed in the lad. I just think hes been unlucky firstly with injuries and also to be competing with truly great CBs like Virg, Matip and Konate. Hopefully he gets this run in the side and definitively proves what an asset he is. I would prefer he never got injured ofc but I said it in Konate thread I was looking forward to seeing Gomez (and Quansah)"
"Having your first choice 11 is always great, but for me football is also about these beautiful moments someone steps up when needed."
"Fucking love the lad"
"If the big man scores, Anfield's roof will ilft up by 6 inches. LOL"
"Remarkable talent and consistency. He can be out of the squad for months... then comes in and does as good a job as ever."
Comments
If you are into property porn, you’ll have looked at thousands of houses at various price points, and have seen the difference in how people furnish their homes in different parts of the country.
Matthew Southall is perhaps a good example. If you ever saw the state of his house and his missus, you’d know what “Manchester chic” is all about.
I write this safe in the knowledge that your house will be beautifully furnished given your roots.
The building's okay, but the decor...
If it weren't for the lack of subtlety I might think Homer Simpson was involved.
"Gomez/VVD kept 9 clean sheets in 10 games at one point during 19/20. They went seven games without conceding at another point that year. Their record when playing together is elite."
"Never in doubt, him and Virg absolutely shit clean sheets"
"What a player"
"Colossus"
"What a performance today……magnificent display"
"Great to see Joe back him and Virgil were faultless"
"Rolled back the years. Such a good footballer"
"Always liked Joe something very likeable about him and underrated player too"
"We seem to forget how good he and Virgil were togther. He had that dip in form but was fantastic today."
"It's undoubtedly a blow to lose Konate to injury but I'm so pleased to see Gomez come in and do well. He had that raking quarter back pass landing on a sixpence all through the first half!"
"Apparently Virgil texted Joe, Robbo and Trent last night. The text simply said: "We're gettin the band back together" Oh yeah!"
"Showed his quality today. I thought his possession play was outstanding"
"The VVD Gomez clean sheet run continues"
"No drop off whatsoever. Great performance"
"Boss game from Joey! But it would be a bit uncomfortable to walk with Haaland in his pocket, I hope he doesn't forget to take him out..."
"One scary moment, and that might've been Kelleher's fault. Otherwise, brilliant!"
"Been saying play him as a CB for the longest time. He’s class"
"Brilliant Joe Gomez"
"So glad we kept him in the summer. He is going to be vital for us this season. So versatile and dependable. Some fantastic passing from him today too! Delighted for him."
"Watching the game back, half an hour in announcer "Gomez". He pauses and watches Gomez, who hits a 35-40 yard diagonal exact vvd special (but in the left side direction) right on to Gakpos toe. Announcer grows excited. "Expansively picking out Gakpo. Nice take by the Dutchman." Kind of sums us up atm they were both glued to the bench somewhat and look how good they are. So great to watch this stuff. I always feel that people forget just how fast Joe Gomez is as well as how natural his athleticism. When he came up as a kid and rogers stuck him at lb total newbie and he breezed it and then some in a startlingly incredible way. His careers been blighted by injuries but the base model is a rolls royce. modern science and very hard work hes been all the way back for a couple of years now maybe more, this guy is a potent football player."
"The goal is coming THIS SEASON and it is going to be beautiful"
"I've always believed in the lad. I just think hes been unlucky firstly with injuries and also to be competing with truly great CBs like Virg, Matip and Konate. Hopefully he gets this run in the side and definitively proves what an asset he is. I would prefer he never got injured ofc but I said it in Konate thread I was looking forward to seeing Gomez (and Quansah)"
"Having your first choice 11 is always great, but for me football is also about these beautiful moments someone steps up when needed."
"Fucking love the lad"
"If the big man scores, Anfield's roof will ilft up by 6 inches. LOL"
"Remarkable talent and consistency. He can be out of the squad for months... then comes in and does as good a job as ever."