|
|
|
|
SATURDAY 21 |
|
|
Mellor the hero in dramatic Wigan victory
Liverpool striker Neil Mellor scored a winning goal in
injury time on his debut for Wigan in a dramatic 3-2 victory
at Middlesborough.
Wigan were 2-0 up at half-time with former Liverpool
midfielder David Thompson also scoring a debut goal.
But Middlesbrough had clawed their way back to 2-2 before
Mellor's dramatic late winner.
(Walk On LFC)
Gerrard ready for Rooney
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will put his friendship
with Wayne Rooney firmly to one side when the England stars
come face to face at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The pair probably carry more of the hopes of England fans
for the World Cup finals than any others from Sven-Goran
Eriksson's squad.
However, at Old Trafford sees the showdown of the season for
the pair and their clubs.
Gerrard told the club's website: "I'm not surprised. I'd
probably get a similar feeling as him if Manchester United
were to go and do it - that's just the rivalry between the
two clubs."
But Gerrard admits to a great admiration for the former
Everton youngster, saying: "It's great to see Wayne doing
well because he's a great mate of mine from the England
set-up and he's absolutely flying at the moment.
"I think a couple of years down the line we'll be talking
about him as one of the best players in the world."
(TEAMtalk)
Garcia: My dog can speak Scouse but I
can't!
Liverpool midfielder Luis Garcia has admitted that he also
has problems understanding the Scouse language.
The Spaniard was adding to his manager's comments that he
can't understand Scouse but not everyone in Lil Luis house
has a problem.
Garcia said: "I brought my dog to Liverpool when I moved
from Barcelona and he was able to speak Scouse in two days.
But I can't.
"The huge difference between Spain and here is the social
timetables. Instead of having dinner at 10pm at the earliest
everyone seems to have eaten by 8.30pm here!
"In Barcelona or Madrid you can go out more and enjoy the
street life because of the sunny weather and the cafe
lifestyle. But, here, there's no one left on the streets
after 6pm."
(Kop Talk) |
|
|
FRIDAY 20 |
|
|
Fergie predicting great game
Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United and Liverpool
games are classics and feels this weekend's encounter will
be no different.
"The Man United versus Liverpool games are always fantastic
games, the platform is set up for that," said Ferguson.
"It should be a great game. The atmosphere is guaranteed. It
doesn't matter if it's Anfield or Old Trafford."
(Sky Sports)
Riise signs new Anfield deal
John Arne Riise has today put pen to paper on a new contract
with the Reds that ties him to the club until 2009.
Riise joined Liverpool from Monaco during the summer of 2001
and has been a key member of the first team squad ever
since.
The left-sided Norway international can operate in midfield
or defence and has so far scored 23 goals in 235 appearances
during his time at Anfield.
Manager Rafael Benitez told Liverpoolfc.tv today: "I'm
delighted that John has signed a new deal with us.
"He is a dedicated player, very professional and he has a
great mentality. His attitude is first class. He trains well
and works hard every day.
"He has always done a good job for Liverpool, whether at
left back or in left midfield, and it's great news that we
can include him in our plans for the coming years."
(LFC Official Website)
Rafa: United game not biggest test
Rafa Benitez is celebrating an anniversary, of sorts, this
week. It's exactly 12 months since his Liverpool side was
dubbed the worst for 50 years by one less than astute judge.
The comments followed successive defeats to Burnley and
Southampton, the second of which prompted a misguided
inquisition into Benitez's understanding of the English
game.
Today, Benitez will face tough questions of a different
flavour.
"Is it still possible for Liverpool to win the title?" the
Spanish boss will be asked.
As usual, he'll neatly sidestep the answer, while inwardly
concluding that the longer the inquiry persists this season,
the more chance there is of a positive response.
Sunday's trip to Old Trafford is an acidic test of
Liverpool's championship credentials.
In normal circumstances, a draw away to Manchester United
would be acceptable. Others believe Chelsea's freakish lead
means even this positive result would be tainted with
regret.
Benitez is dismayed by the suggestion a draw at Old Trafford
would be unsatisfactory for his emerging side, and even
shows rare signs of irritation when asked about Liverpool's
championship chances.
"If we win this and then lose three games, forget it. I
prefer winning many games in a row rather than one game
against Manchester United.
(Liverpool Echo)
Nando hoping to impress
Fernando Morientes is hoping to impress against Manchester
United on Sunday.
Morientes made his Liverpool debut against Man Utd at
Anfield last season but the Reds lost 1-0 and the game
passed the Spanish international by. Now Morientes is hoping
to make ammends by inspring Liverpool to victory at Old
Trafford this weekend.
"Yes, that was a bad match [last season]. It was bad because
we lost the game and because I didn't really do myself
justice on the day. I had only just arrived in Liverpool but
I was so desperate to play and experience the famous Anfield
atmosphere that I'd heard so much about," Morientes told the
official site.
(LFC Online)
Sissoko ready for Old Trafford battle
Liverpool midfielder Momo Sissoko says he's fired up and
ready for battle against the Mancs.
The Mali international - who'll be 21 on Sunday - believes
the Reds are playing better than Manchester United but
insists we must remain focused.
Sissoko said: "We are playing better than Manchester United
but in this type of game many factors influence the outcome
and one must be attentive from the first minute.
"Play hard? On our part no - because we have a different
style of play. But in games with United, there have been
fights between players and we have to be prepared when we go
out for everything possible."
(Kop Talk)
Benitez refused to join Walcott
Rafa Benitez has explained why he wasn't prepared to join an
auction for the services of Southampton wonderkid Theo
Walcott.
The 16-year-old was today on the verge of joining Arsenal in
a deal believed to be worth £12m.
Benitez was hoping to swoop for Walcott in the summer for a
compensation fee of around £3m.
Benitez says if Walcott truly dreamed of playing for
Liverpool, as has been suggested, he could have made it
happen if he and his family held their nerve.
"We know Walcott is a good player and his family say he's a
Liverpudlian, but if he's decided to go to another club, we
can't do anything about it," explained Benitez.
"If a player says he wants to go to a particular club, it
must not be the agent who decides what that player should
do. It always depends on the players.
"Walcott is a player I like, but the final decision about
which club he joins is his.
"If the player decides to go somewhere else, maybe it's
better for us."
(Daily Post)
Liverpool Youth 2, Ipswich Town 1
Second-half goals from Paul Anderson and Ryan Flynn helped
Liverpool Youth team defeat the FA Youth Cup hold-ers,
Ipswich Town, 2-1 in the fourth round tie at Anfield last
night.
It was a hard-working performance by John Owens's side in
front of the watching Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez and
captain Steven Gerrard.
It keeps the Academy's twin-pronged assault on honours going
and they now travel to Burnley for a fifth round tie next
month. But the Liverpool youngsters were pushed hard and
almost had to endure extra-time as Ipswich were denied a
late equaliser due to an offside decision.
It is the first time Liverpool have reached the fifth round
in five years since a Neil Mellorinspired team lost in a
penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals at Blackburn.
(Daily Post) |
|
|
THURSDAY 19 |
|
|
Parry: Patience pays off in transfer market
Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry says the way the club
handled the signing of Daniel Agger is ideally how transfers
should be concluded.
Brondby tried to corner the Reds into paying an inflated
price for the talented defender but Parry kept his nerve and
still managed to negotiate a deal without having to give in
to their demands.
Speaking in the official Liverpool FC magazine, Parry said:
"With important games coming thick and fast we recognise the
importance of improving the squad further and it was
particularly pleasing to secure the services of Daniel Agger
who was our top defensive target when the transfer window
re-opened.
"There was a lot of concern in the summer when we failed to
secure the centre-half and right-sided midfielder that Rafa
had earmarked as his top priorities.
"It was a calculated gamble on our part that: a. We would
get by until January and b. That Daniel might be available.
"I repeat that he was our top target and when he put pen to
paper last week it vindicated our decision to be patient to
get the right man."
(Kop Talk)
Sevilla president confirms £8m Liverpool
bid
Sevilla president Jose Maria Del Nido has surfaced to
confirm that he rejected an £8million formal bid from
Anfield for Daniel Alves.
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is a known admirer of the
player and it's no secret that we've been sniffing around
him.
Sevilla representatives recently said that we'd have to
improve on our original offer and added that the matter was
closed as far as they were concerned unless that happened.
For Del Nido to be quoted again about the issue - especially
so soon - suggests to us that he's maybe changed his mind as
a result of Liverpool not returning to the table. In other
words, is he ready to negotiate a more sensible fee?
Del Nido said: "We received an offer of £8 million from
Liverpool for Daniel Alves. But we refused it."
(Kop Talk)
Mellor not ruling out a Liverpool return
Neil Mellor insists his loan move to Wigan does not signal
the end of his career at Liverpool and he's vowing to prove
his worth by getting fit and scoring goals for the Latics.
Mellor today completed the temporary switch from Anfield to
the JJB Stadium. The deal will see him remain at Wigan until
the end of the season and he's relishing the fresh
challenge.
"I am looking forward to playing for Wigan and scoring goals
again," 23-year old Mellor told Liverpoolfc.tv. "I have a
lot of admiration for Paul Jewell as he was in a similar
position to me when he was at Liverpool and I can learn from
him.
"I spoke to the manager Rafael Benitez before I came here to
Wigan and he told me it would be good for me to go out on
loan, score some goals and get fit. He told me I was fifth
choice striker at Anfield and I would only be playing for
the reserves so this is a great opportunity for me at Wigan.
"I don't see this move as meaning my career at Liverpool is
over. I love the club and they have been really good to me.
I just want to prove myself, show I can score goals at the
top level and stay injury free. It's up to me to show what I
can do."
(LFC Official Website)
Mellor joins Wigan on loan
Neil Mellor has teamed up with Anfield old boys Stephane
Henchoz and David Thompson at Wigan Athletic after joining
the Premiership side on loan until the end of the season.
Mellor recently recovered from an operation on both knees
which had kept him out of action for almost a year and
scored two goals in two games for the Reserves after making
his comeback in January.
Former Liverpool striker Paul Jewell is a big fan of Mellor
and has swooped to bring him on loan to the JJB Stadium
until the end of this season.
Mellor joins former Liverpool defender Stephane Henchoz and
midfielder David Thompson at Wigan to keep up the Anfield
connection.
Mellor can't play against Liverpool on February 11th due to
Premier League rules.
(LFC Official Website)
Carra wary of over confidence
Jamie Carragher is torn between feeling reassured and
worried as he considers the sense of confidence ahead of
Liverpool's trip to Old Trafford.
Manchester United's derby defeat has led to predictable
obituaries on an empire which has, allegedly, been crumbling
for five years.
United's points tally, which in most season's would
represent a title surge, suggests otherwise.
And Carragher is of the view last week's result at the City
of Manchester Stadium is more likely to motivate than
deflate United's players.
"It's a bit worrying to me when supporters are feeling too
confident about a game like this," says Carragher.
"Manchester United are like us in that whenever they lose a
game, there's a big drama in the newspaper for days.
Speaking from our own experiences, when that happens it just
makes you more determined."
(Liverpool Echo)
Tommo set for Latics switch
Skysports.com can reveal that Blackburn's David Thompson is
poised to complete a move to Wigan.
The former Liverpool midfielder has seen his first team
opportunities restricted this season and, with just six
months remaining on his contract, Rovers are happy to cash
in on the 28-year-old.
The Latics are close to concurring on a fee, believed to be
in the region of £250,000, for Thompson and the player's
agent, Stephen Horner, has revealed the signing may be
rushed through in time for the player to feature against
Middlesbrough on Saturday.
(Sky Sports)
Sami reaches 350 games for Liverpool
Sami Hyypiä will make his 350th Liverpool appearance if he
gets on the pitch at Old Trafford against Manchester United
on Sunday.
The Finnish international signed for Liverpool back in May
1999 for the princely sum of £2.5m from Dutch side Willem
II.
The centre-half has a cameraman and ex-Liverpool secretary
Peter Robinson to thank for his move to Anfield.
The cameraman covered a lot of football over Europe and was
aware that Liverpool were after a strong centre-half. He
knocked on the door of Peter Robinson and recommended Hyypiä
to him. The message was passed on to Gérard Houllier and
after a couple of scouting trips Liverpool had their man.
(YNWA)
|
|
Thor Zakariassen
© |
|
