Ex Liverpool player John Aldridge thinks that Virgil Van Dijk has a nice arrogance, for some reason he thinks this is good for Liverpool.

John Aldridge speaking to the Liverpool Echo has praised Virgil Van Dijk for his performance at St Mary's and suggested that the players "Nice Arrogance" is a good trait.

"Liverpool faced a hostile atmosphere at Southampton but ended up strolling to victory and I was particularly impressed by Virgil van Dijk, the man the home fans were targeting most, as he just batted off their abuse with a smile on his face."

"Van Dijk showed a nice arrogance in many ways."

"Getting the early goal helped but you could see Virgil grinning when he was getting the boos from the Southampton fans — that's the way to treat it."

"I used to get a bit of stick with opposition fans after I came back from Spain and was at Tranmere but obviously the crowds weren't as big in the Premier League."

"I'd just laugh about it, score a goal and put two fingers up to them — which I got done for a couple of times — it's just nice to answer people back and prove that you've got bottle."

John Aldridge puts himself up as a man of the people on Merseyside and perhaps he should consider just why Southampton fans were booing Van Dijk !

It wasn't because he had left Saints for Liverpool, it was for the way that he behaved in engineering the move from St Mary's, the way he met with Liverpool in secret, refused to play for the club and then put is a series of half hearted performances that were an insult to the title Professional Footballer.

Unlike Aldridge who was sticking up two fingers at opposition fans who supported a club he never played for and where just giving him the usual banter aimed at the oppositions star players, Saints fans were letting Van Dijk what they thought of him for his appalling behaviour when he showed no respect not only for them, but his former employers who did nothing wrong other than asking him to honour a lucrative contract that he has signed only a few months earlier and then showed his gratitude by furtively talking to Liverpool whilst his employers paid him to sit around injured.

If Aldridge considers that smirking at the Southampton supporters is a "Nice Arrogance" then he is sorely out of touch with what happened with Van Dijk at Southampton, if he considers taking around £2 million in wages from his employers without trying, a good trait, then perhaps he has lost touch with his Merseyside roots.

Liverpool having had similar issues with both Luis Suarez and Phillipe Coutinho you would think would know the difference between a Nice Arrogance and a blatant smirk by now

Photo: Action Images

Boxingman75 added 13:36 - Feb 13 Why are you still writing about van dijk , who gives a shit
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dirk_doone added 13:51 - Feb 13 He was superb on Sunday: the best defender on the pitch. We certainly miss him and our players all went over to him at the end of the game to show they missed him too. Forget about the club's PR 'leaks', Nick. They always planned to sell him, as they do all of our best players, and our players know it too. Bertand, Cedric and Lemina will be next in line to be sold to the highest bidder, which could well be Liverpool again.

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saintmark1976 added 14:02 - Feb 13 Nick. It's over, put it behind you and move on please.
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JGH added 14:10 - Feb 13 Agree with the above, who cares...
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sholingred added 14:34 - Feb 13 I can't understand why we are talking about this when they constantly sell to the same club Liverpool,and I reckon Bertrand or Lamina next to Liverpool its a insult to our fans and I'm fed up with the papers and pundits trying to sell our player like were not allowed to have any good players.Read has turned our club into a laughing stock with our transfer policy of sell sell sell,Why always Liverpool ffs now we are a selling club and everyone knows it and every half descent player wants out.Southampton way is a joke and I'm sick of it and this was all avoidable we took good money and this is where we are and I wont stick up for poor decisions from boardroom level.

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BornAsaint added 14:51 - Feb 13 Sounds like a Daily Echo post? I always read TheUglyInside for Saints real news, but this is the worst post I've read on the site.
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highfield49 added 16:29 - Feb 13 Although a few weeks ago I subscribed to the idea of VVD being a toxic influence within the dressing room the reaction of his former team mates rather belies that myth. Now I'm going to have to review my ranting strategy but can't make up my mind whether to vent my spleen at the indifferent Boufal, lethargic Tadic or errror prone Hoedt. Can't blame Forster, Redmond or Yoshi whilst they're on the bench either. Maybe it's the manager or maybe it's the direction from the board but something isn't working and unless it's solved pdq the only outcome can be the bottom three at the end of the season. Get it sorted Ralph, that's your job isn't it?

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pintsizedsaint added 16:44 - Feb 13 Just wanted to say a few quick things: - Re: Aldridge - we should take this as a veiled sign of respect. We dared to stand up to a player and Liverpool and these so called pundits have a bloodied nose. - VVD: lets let it go now. There’s an irony about all this. Here the team gets abuse about Saints selling all its players, but Saints didn’t actually sell him to begin with! They did what fans wanted and it turned out rubbish. Only saving grace was that Liverpool came back even more desperate and we got more money. Let’s concentrate on staying up and then we can use the summer to have a good old conversation about Saints and its selling policy.

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BoondockSaint added 17:28 - Feb 13 Must admit, I didn't think he was being arrogant, it seemed more like a wry smile as if to say "I knew that was going to happen." and got on with it. I was more upset with our players smiling and laughing after his team and manager had humiliated them. Have to disagree with you pintsizedsaint-this deal was always in the works. As I posted back in the summer, Les pretended to say "No" because of the public outcry. He kept the deal on the back burner until things got quiet not even waiting until the summer. Why were no other rich clubs interested in one of the best young defenders in the league? Because they knew the deal was already done.

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1970 added 17:48 - Feb 13 Lets see how the t**t alidridge feels when Barca or Real come calling
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underweststand added 22:25 - Feb 13 I don't particularly care much about VvD's departure, it's money in the bank eventually, but the fact that Liverpool created half their team from players that Saints introduced into the Prem. says more about us - than it does about them. Clearly they wouldn't be where they are in the League without our " ex's". Aldridge can crow all he likes, but the truth is that without the players they have taken from us, they'd be a very ordinary mid table side. so there - rant over - let's move on Nick.

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dovif added 11:17 - Feb 14 As everyone has said. Who cares. The fact is he handed in a transfer request saying he did not want to be here. But les Reed in his arrogance chose not to sell. So should we be surprised that he was not a motivated employee? The rest of the players sure looked like they had no problems with him and yoshii and hoedt both had said they enjoyed playing with him. It sure looks like you and les reed are looking for a scapegoat. I blame one person for this disaster. The guy who did not think we needed a striker a dan attacking midfielder and the guy who hired an untested manager

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