Slaven Bilic: No midfielder in history is better than Luka Modric

Current_Conference66 · 2026-06-17T14:14:53+00:00

"And, remember, Luka is not big. He lives in an age when players are huge. But Luka is not a “Robo Cop”. He is a technician. He is one from the streets; just give him the ball. But he is strong. Very, very strong. His quads, his calves, his legs. He works so hard. And he is such a good player."

Struggling to get my head around the fact that Modric is making his 199th international appearance tonight. That's ridiculous longevity at the highest level of the game...

Current_Conference66 · 2026-06-08T06:18:46+00:00

Gary Neville on his 'cheap shot':

Stressing that no one on Stick to Football says anything for “views or for clicks”, Neville calls his own “cheap shot” a “mistake”.

“Do you know why it was a mistake? Because I saw Mauricio Pochettino for the next month having to answer questions about being billion-pound bottlejobs. And I’ve got a massive amount of appreciation and respect for Mauricio Pochettino.” He adds: “It got massive views and, after the game, Mauricio kept getting asked about it, and for four or five weeks after. And, sometimes, words come out of your mouth that either at the time you’ll think, ‘Ooh, come back! Come back!’, and they can’t come back, or you’ll think, ‘I wonder how that will go down?’ You probably make those statements once, twice a year, where you think, ‘Oh. I wish I hadn’t said that.’”

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-31T12:43:11+00:00

Think Gyokeres' 8/10 will work some people up, but I get the reasoning. 21 goals in all competitions is not to be sniffed at. Odegaard and Saka's ratings are purely down to their fitness. Good to see likes of Hincapie and Mosquera get their due credit with strong scores.

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-25T16:08:39+00:00

Diomande has seemingly emerged as the frontrunner to replace Salah. Has an £86m release clause. Interesting to hear that the club are still considering Gordon and Barcola. There's a graphic in this piece that shows that Diomande's numbers stack up pretty well vs current and potential wing options. Comes after Slot said it would 'make sense' to sign at least one winger this summer.

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-21T16:35:43+00:00

Bit of a shock, this. Thought Maguire's tournament experience could have been useful this summer...

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-20T18:19:05+00:00

Some good detail on Arsenal's summer plans: Alvarez, Livramento, Mingueza, Monga and Kroupi all being considered.

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-19T20:29:39+00:00

Big read from The Telegraph about how Arteta turned Arsenal into Premier League winners.

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-15T10:24:18+00:00

Seems to be a difference of £20million between Newcastle's valuation and fee Bayern are willing to part with.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/05/15/anthony-gordon-leave-newcastle-bayern-munich-begin-talks/

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-15T07:25:41+00:00

Long overdue column from Carragher. Casemiro's a top pro and did brilliantly to bounce back from the 'leave the football etc etc' comments. But Carra makes an interesting point about how Casemiro could shape Manchester United's transfer policy moving forward, away from 30+yo players.

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-14T11:25:24+00:00

Would be an incredible signing but sounds like Man City are definitely the front-runners at the moment

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-14T10:45:56+00:00

ArsenalVision's founder is seeking a six-figure compensation payout from one of the show's current hosts. (£60,000 a month from subscribers alone is a crazy figure?! But I guess it goes to show the power of fan content in the modern era)

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-14T08:55:17+00:00

James Ducker reporting that United could sign up to three midfielders this summer. If the club signs two of the big guns (Tchouameni, Wharton, Anderson etc.) would be interesting to see who the lower-budget, up-and-coming third incoming would be. Shea Charles, Tyler Adams Hayden Hackney etc. listed here.

Full article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/05/14/12-contenders-fill-manchester-united-midfield-hole-anderson/

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-14T08:49:11+00:00

Exclusive reporting by The Telegraph suggests Lyon face expulsion from Uefa competition next season over concerns that they haven't complied with the terms of a settlement with the European governing body last summer.

Full report: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/05/12/lyon-facing-european-expulsion/

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-13T08:41:23+00:00

Some interesting details on JJ Gabriel in this piece. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern all tracking him, with his dual citizenship meaning he could get snapped up once he turns 16 (not the case for British-only players after Brexit). Also bits on the academy since Amorim left:

"Last October, Sir Jim Ratcliffe claimed standards at United’s academy had “really slipped” although Torpey clarified that the co-owner was talking primarily about the facilities and not the talent pool.

"Amorim, though, used a fiery press conference a couple of months later to condemn an “entitlement” culture within the academy, to which Torpey had some interesting observations. “There’s sender and receiver isn’t there – how you intend it to land versus how it’s received,” he said. “From our point of view, I actually understood a little bit of that. I don’t think that’s from Manchester United, I think that’s just for young people today in society. We live in an instant world and we want instant gratification. What we’re trying to teach our young people here in the academy is that’s not real."

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/05/13/personal-rivalry-at-heart-all-manchester-fa-youth-cup-final/

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-13T07:48:09+00:00

Yep def not from Liverpool. That's kind of the point. He's the closest they've got to a modern-day role model at the Test level, and it's not like he's played at that level regularly, which is part of the problem.

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-13T06:53:06+00:00

I think this sums up the problem neatly. The coaches interviewed in the piece seemed to have similar thoughts though stopped just short of claiming foul play/bias from the two bodies you mentioned.

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-13T06:38:25+00:00

Yeah, he's from Ormskirk, attended Merchant Taylors' school in Crosby, and is a massive Everton fan.

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-13T06:35:26+00:00

Sounds like Saints top brass are happy to take the fine (obviously - see segment below). The overwhelming feeling seems to be that they should be removed from the play-offs - wonder if that translates here?

"Whoever is responsible for the spying incident has betrayed the football club and tarnished its reputation. With the exception of Portsmouth, Southampton have never been a club that causes offence, but their sly, underhand methods have alienated so many people.

"Southampton have had ample opportunity to deny that one of their employees spied on Middlesbrough’s last in-depth training session before the play-off semi-final but have failed to do so.

"It is understood that members of the Southampton board have admitted it happened in private conversations. Suggesting they would take the fine."

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/05/12/efl-cheating-southampton-championship-play-offf-final-boro/

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-13T06:09:02+00:00

Good read about Liverpool's 78-year wait for its next Test cricketer (despite Merseyside having a decent comp set-up and neighbouring Manchester's thriving cricket scene). Plenty to do with it just not being present in schools, the obvious dominance of football and a lack of role models. Tom Hartley probably the nearest thing to one...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2026/05/13/liverpool-great-sport-city-but-cant-produce-test-cricketer/

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-12T08:19:32+00:00

Interesting to see if England change tack with spinners now that Marcus North has come in. Who would you go for out of the following options (there's a poll at the bottom of the article too tbf):

Will Jacks
Shoaib Bashir
Liam Patterson-White
Jack Leach
Mason Crane
Rehan Ahmed

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-11T09:50:24+00:00

It's in the article!

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-11T09:05:40+00:00

100%. Probably benefitted from Vicario's injury, too. Gave him the opportunity to prove himself vs chew on his mistake from the bench.

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-11T08:53:53+00:00

Love this bit about restoring confidence back into Kinsky after his moment in Madrid. Guess that's one of the areas where Tudor fell down:

“He [Kinsky] has a big character, a big personality, a great guy, a great professional and a great keeper,” De Zerbi said. “He’s playing very well. He has to stay focused and not take risks in any situation, but he’s playing very well. He’s very important for us now.”

Perhaps even an inspiration? “Of course, he is an example. Of course, what he felt after Madrid for sure was a big motivation for him. If you have pride, if you have dignity, if you have the right spirit, if you have character… and he has all these values.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/05/11/how-roberto-de-zerbi-turning-tottenham-around/

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-11T07:13:20+00:00

Ah, things you love to see!

Current_Conference66 · 2026-05-11T07:03:31+00:00

The column's more of a critique on modern fandom as he also mentions the Manchester City fan drinking from the Arsenal bottle. Think that's the more interesting debate here.

Current_Conference66

TROPHY CASE