I was obviously delighted with the win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, but not as pleased as I was to see so many people join in the protest against the owners’ planned ticket price rises. It seemed to me that the overwhelming majority of people joined in, lifting up the yellow cards that had been organised by Spirit of Shankly and others, to send a clear message that locking in three years of price rises is simply unacceptable at a club like Liverpool. One of the key facts of the debate, which has been happily ignored by Fenway Sports Group, is that tickets for football matches are already too expensive. Given the manner in which they contribute such a small amount to the club’s overall revenue, FSG should be leading the charge to lower ticket prices across the board. Instead, the owners have decided to become the first in the Premier League to lock in price rises for three years, which will no doubt be followed by other clubs up and down the country if they manage to get away with it. It was important that there was a big show of support and there definitely was that.
Liverpool fans hold up yellow cards en masse in the 13th minute in protest against the club’s owners FSG and their decision to raise ticket prices. Many Crystal Palace fans in the away end show solidarity by joining the protest.
— James Nalton (@jdnalton.bsky.social) 25 April 2026 at 15:16
The aim of the supporters in sending a message to the ownership group, who are all millionaires and billionaires, was made even louder when the broadcasters’ camera seemed to catch Billy Hogan and another Liverpool executive laughing with each other as the cards were hoisted into the air. This wasn’t just a small group of people without any backing from the wider fanbase. Instead, the vast majority of people inside Anfield chose to show Fenway Sports Group the yellow card. In the past, the owners have been magnanimous enough to back down when they’re in the wrong. I desperately hope that they do so again now, rather than dig their heels in, because what will come next won’t be pretty. Look at practically any material that ‘sells’ the club and the supporters will be front and centre. You can’t talk about how brilliant the fans are whilst you’re trying to sell the image of the club to investors and sponsors, then try to price said supporters out of the game the next chance you get. They are wrong about this. The sooner they acknowledge that, the better.
Slot is a Premier League Winner
We all know the difficulties that have been there for Liverpool this season, even before you begin to talk about what happened last summer. Every time it looks as though we might just be able to put a decent team on the pitch, another injury strikes, for example. There was a time in the autumn when the Reds couldn’t seem to buy a win, losing six out of seven games. Many would’ve sacked the manager during that period, seemingly happy to ignore the fact that he is a Premier League winner. Whilst that alone doesn’t excuse anything, it is worth bearing in mind that there are only two managers currently operating in the top-flight who can claim that and the other one is the manager of a club with 130 charges against it. In fact, the launch of the Premier League in 1992, only 12 men have won the title. For those that would claim that Arne Slot won it ‘with Jürgen Klopp’s team’, if it was really that simple then more than 12 people would’ve become a title winner in the near three and a half decades that have happened since the competition first began. It’s a nonsense argument.
Premier League-winner Arne Slot and FA Cup-winner Oliver Glasner share gifts ahead of kick-off at Anfield 🥹❤️
— Premier League (@premierleaguebot.bsky.social) 25 May 2025 at 15:57
None of which is to say that Slot has had a good season. I have been on record numerous times saying the opposite, in fact. He has made poor decisions at times and got both his tactics and his team selection wrong more often than he’s got them right. For me, though, I’m willing to look at that Premier League win and remember that he’s part of an exclusive club that has been able to enjoy such a level of success, so other reasons than just his own ability as a ‘head coach’ are likely to be behind what’s happened. I am something of a broken record when it comes to talking about the loss of Diogo Jota and the impact that that will have had on everyone associated with the Reds this season, including the Dutchman. That some people want to dismiss that as an ‘excuse’ is utterly pathetic and doesn’t change it from being the truth. Add in the unbalanced squad that he’s been working with and the atrocious luck that we’ve had with injuries and I don’t think it’s hard to see how it is that we’ve ended up here, yet some are tying themselves in knots to blame it all on Slot.
Much of the Hate Seems Personal
Given the fact that Liverpool’s defence of our title has been so poor this season, I can understand people worrying that the ‘head coach’ isn’t good enough to take us forward. I would be lying if I said that I’ve never had such thoughts myself. Asking questions about his management style is entirely fair, as is looking at how he is with some of the players and the press and pondering whether he’s got the ability to cope when things aren’t going our way. I don’t have any issue at all with those who are critical of the Dutchman whilst also accepting the cavalcade of misfortune that has plagued his time in charge of the Reds. There are some people out there who are quick to make false arguments, such as the idea that ‘we won the title with the same number of points Klopp got the year before’. The players and management were literally on holiday from the moment the title was secured, a year ago today as it happens, but they could have put more points on the board if needed. I have no interest in arguments that ignore the facts that the arguer doesn’t like very much.
I’ve had a comment on my newsletter suggesting Slot *might* be the worst coach in the Premier League.
I disagree. But it’s got me thinking where Slot might sit from 1 to 20. I’ll probably write about it.
So let me know what you think. No judgment (though if you think 20, show your working).
— Andrew Beasley (@andrewbeasleyfootball.com) 26 April 2026 at 19:26
More than anything, though, I think my biggest issue with Arne Slot’s critics is in how personal the attack are. There is an extent to which I understand that this is just the nature of things in the age of social media, but the vitriol spewed towards a title winning manager is something that I truly struggle to get my head around. Yes, he is sometimes quite blunt in press conferences, but anyone who has ever spent any time in the company of Dutch people will know that that’s simply part of his DNA. The way some supporters talk about him, you’d be forgiven for thinking that he has been actively trying to make us lose rather than doing his very best to get us to win. His best hasn’t been good enough this season, I agree, yet I’d also point you to the earlier comment about the vast amount of mitigating circumstance for that. There are more than a few people who give the impression that they will be actively angry and hoping we lose match after match if Slot is still in charge of the team at the start of the 2026-2027 season. That is just no way to live and not in the Liverpool way.
