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MONDAY 18 |
Liverpool back Blades at hearing
Liverpool have been revealed as the mystery club backing
Sheffield United's fight against the Premier League, reports
BBC Radio Sheffield.
A two-day hearing has started to decide if the Blades should
be reinstated to the top flight after West Ham breached
player ownership rules.
They were fined £5.5m but avoided a points penalty over the
signing of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.
Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry was called as a witness
on Monday.
An independent arbitration panel has been set up and is
expected to deliver its verdict on Tuesday.
If the panel decides to overturn the original decision,
Sheffield United will ask the Premier League to reinstate
them for next season.
If the panel finds in favour of the Blades, the Premier
League could relegate West Ham, keep both clubs in the top
flight, offer a compensation package or refuse to overturn
the decision.
(BBC Sport Online)
Why Lucas Leiva will be a big hit
Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva is set to be a big hit in
the English game, according to South American football
expert Tim Vickery.
Vickery believes the Liverpool-bound youngster, who captains
Brazil Under-20s, has all the attributes necessary to
succeed in Europe.
"These moves are always a gamble but I think this is a good
one," he said.
"He's an exciting player of a type Brazilian football hasn't
produced too many of recently."
Leiva will arrive at Melwood in pre-season. His current
club, Gremio, was also the breeding ground for Barcelona
playmaker Ronaldinho and Manchester United
newboy Anderson.
(LFC Official Website)
Reds demand to see report
Liverpool fc are still waiting to see UEFA's report on the
trouble in Athens.
Following the Champions League final UEFA clown William
Gaillard blamed Liverpool fans for all the trouble and
called us the worst in Europe. UEFA produced a report
backing Gaillard's claims but have still to show it to the
club.
"We have still not seen the much-vaunted report produced by
UEFA in which they suggested our fans were the worst behaved
in Europe," said Chief Executive Rick Parry.
"We have trawled through every game over the last four years
and studied reports provided by UEFA and the FA during this
period.
"We were extremely surprised, to say the least, at the
suggestion that there might be 25 instances of bad behaviour
by our fans.
However, it has all left a bad taste and that is why we were
encouraged with the stance of Minister of Sport Richard
Caborn whom we had a dialogue with before and after his
meeting with UEFA. We appreciate the fact that he took the
trouble to contact the club, unlike UEFA's director of
communications William Gaillard whom we have never
spoken to.
"We have still not seen the report and I made the point to
the Sports Minister that we were unimpressed with the way
details had been trailed in the media. Gaillard has half
retracted the contents, talking instead about minor
incidents. We would love to see that report."
(LFC Online)
Only the best good enough for Reds
There are those who believe that there was a mystical age
when Liverpool just snapped their fingers and a top class
player would come running to sign for them.
It was an age when the Reds manager merely had to mention
the word "Anfield" to A.N. Other and within days they would
be paraded in front of a stunned press corps before anyone
in the city had even gotten wind of it.
God knows when this age was, though, because Liverpool's
history is littered with transfer sagas which used to drag
on from the end of one season to the start of the next.
When Liverpool went after the great Albert Stubbins in the
summer of 1946 he only opted to sign for the club ahead of
Everton after tossing a coin.
And John Barnes only signed up to Kenny Dalglish's Anfield
revolution after begging the club to reignite their interest
after an initial deal collapsed following speculation the
Watford man had set his heart on a move to either a London
club or abroad.
This week marks the 20th anniversary of Barnes' move to
Anfield, a £900,000 transfer many still regard as one of the
best pieces of business ever conducted by Liverpool.
(Liverpool Echo)
Liverpool make £13 million for Zaragoza
striker
Liverpool have made a move for Zaragoza striker Diego Milito
according to reports over the weekend.
The News of the World claims that Liverpool have launched a
£13 million bid for
the Argentinean striker after accepting they are set to lose
out to Tottenham in the race
to sign Charlton's Darren Bent.
(all3points - Liverpool)
Former midfielder set to join Chester
Chester City are poised to complete the signing of former
Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Ritchie
Partridge in the next few days, after the Irishman was
released by Rotherham United on Saturday.
City have had discussions over the past week with the
26-year-old former Irish Under-21 international, and he is
expected to put pen to paper in the next few days with the
Deva Stadium Club.
Chester Chairman Stephen Vaughan said last night: “We have
put what we consider
to be an attractive financial package to Ritchie, hopefully
we will see a positive conclusion
to our negotiation this week.”
(Liverpool Daily Post)
Juventus and Roma join hunt
for £12m Liverpool cast-off Bellamy
Craig Bellamy's future at Liverpool appears increasingly
uncertain after Juventus and Roma expressed tentative
interest in luring the Wales forward to Serie A, with
the Merseysiders willing to listen to offers for him.
(The Guardian) |
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SUNDAY 17 |
Lineker offers advice to Bent
A move to Liverpool would be good for Charlton striker
Darren Bent, according to former England striker Gary
Lineker.
Bent snubbed a £17m switch to West Ham earlier this week,
leaving Tottenham and Rafael Benitez's Reds leading the
chase to sign the 23-year-old.
Lineker wrote in the Sunday Telegraph: "Working with someone
like Rafa would be fantastic for his development and it
would be great news for England."
(Ananova) |
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SATURDAY 16 |
Carson fears for international future
Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson admits he needs to be
playing regular first-team football to keep his place in the
England squad next season.
The 21-year-old spent the season on loan at Charlton and,
despite getting relegated from the Premier League, played
well enough to earn a place in Steve McClaren's squad for
the recent matches against Brazil and Estonia.
He is still uncapped but fears losing his place without
regular action, meaning either overtaking Jose Reina as
first choice at Anfield or going out on loan again.
"I think you can only get in the England squad when you are
playing games regularly but we'll have to wait and see what
happens next season and take it from there," he said.
Carson's current plan is to return to Liverpool for
pre-season training after playing for England Under-21s in
the European Championship in Holland.
"Nothing is sorted as yet, I'm just concentrating on the
tournament at the moment,"
he added.
(PA Sport)
Gillett: No panic buying for Reds
George Gillett insists pressure to spend on players this
summer will not force Liverpool into mega-bucks deals just
to "prove something".
The expected blitz of the transfer market following Gillett
and Tom Hicks' takeover of the Reds earlier this year has so
far failed to materialise, amid suggestions that manager
Rafael Benitez has become disillusioned with the lack of
funds made available to him by the Americans.
So far, Bosman signing Andriy Voronin and young Brazilian
Lucas Leiva are the only major new arrivals - hardly the
established world-class talents the Liverpool faithful were
hoping for.
But while Gillett admits he is privy to the fans'
frustration, he insists the Reds regime will not be forced
into any token buys.
"I sense that kind of pressure building from the media," he
told The Times.
"I think the fans know that we have huge regard for Rafa. He
has a number of initiatives and concepts and plans under
way.
"We're not going to do something just to try to prove
something. I can assure you that we are working on different
things."
(TEAMtalk)
Casillas welcomes Dudek talk
Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas would welcome the arrival
of Jerzy Dudek if the Polish international shot-stopper
joins the Spanish giants.
Dudek, whose contract at Liverpool runs out this summer,
revealed on Thursday that he was considering an offer from
Madrid, where he would provide competition to Spain number
one Casillas.
And Casillas admits he would be delighted to have the hero
of Liverpool's penalty shoot-out win in the 2005 Champions
League final - who at 34 is eight years Casillas' senior -
on board at the Bernabeu.
"It would be a pleasure to have such a good keeper come
here. We will work hard side by side if the signing is
confirmed," said Casillas.
(TEAMtalk)
West Ham lining up Bellamy bid after Bent
snub
West Ham are set to turn their attention to Craig Bellamy
after missing out on number one target Darren Bent.
Despite agreeing to meet Charlton’s valuation for the
striker and offering a £75,000 five-year deal, Bent turned
down a move across London.
The Hammers, who were ready to pay £16million cash plus
Hayden Mullins, will now attempt to boost their forward line
with Bellamy.
Liverpool will allow the Welsh striker to leave if they can
get a satisfactory profit on the £6million they paid
Blackburn Rovers for him a year ago.
(Liverpool Daily Post)
Congratulations Steven and Alex
Steven Gerrard will today enjoy his very own match of the
day when he ties the knot with fiancee Alex Curran.
The Liverpool captain will celebrate his marriage in front
of a star studded guest list in Berkshire.
The couple's two young daughters Lily Ella, 2, and Lexie, 9
months, will be Alex's bridesmaids for the day.
(LFC Official Website)
Thor Zakariassen
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