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SUNDAY 21 |
Pellegrino feels Masch may move on
Mauricio Pellegrino admits Barcelona target Javier
Mascherano could leave Liverpool this summer as "money
always makes the decision".
The Argentina midfielder is said to be a target of Barcelona
and it is claimed his agent, Walter Tamer, met with
officials of the Spanish club
on Wednesday.
Reds manager Rafa Benitez is adamant that Mascherano will
not depart the side as he sees the 25-year-old as a vital
component of his squad.
However, Anfield coach Pellegrino concedes 'anything is
possible' in football, as Barca and Real Madrid continue to
be linked with an offer for Mascherano's services.
"Every time negotiations are underway, money always makes
the decision," Pellegrino told sport.es. "Anyway, Mascherano
is such an important player for us, like other ones can be
for Barca.
"I do not want to say anything about it because we already
know that in football's world, nothing is impossible."
(TEAMtalk)
Gillett sells Canadiens
Liverpool owner George Gillett has agreed to sell the NHL's
Montreal Canadiens to the Molson family in a deal that could
help lift the financial cloud over the Barclays Premier
League club.
The deal to sell the NHL's most successful ever team is
worth a reported US dollars 550 million (£330 million).
Gillett put the Canadiens up for sale earlier this year as
he scrambles to find funds to meet obligations on debt
incurred as part of his takeover of Liverpool in partnership
with Tom Hicks.
The sale includes Gillett's 80% stake in the team, the Bell
Centre arena, and the Gillett Entertainment Group. Brewing
moguls the Molsons, who sold the controlling interest in the
team to Gillett for around USD275 million (£165 million) in
2001, already own the remaining 20% share.
"This is a very exciting time for our family and we are
grateful to the many people and organisations who came
forward to offer their collaboration in the development of
our proposal," Geoff Molson said in a statement
on Sunday.
(Football 365)
Torres reveals his Liverpool idols
Fernando Torres would love to emulate Robbie Fowler and
Kenny Dalglish.
After two successful years at Anfield the Spaniard is on the
right track to become an Anfield hero himself, but he admits
he looks to up to former strikers of the famous club.
“When I came to Liverpool I saw DVDs of Robbie Fowler and
Kenny Dalglish. They are legends of Liverpool. One day I
would like to be close to them,” he told the Daily Mail.
Fowler scored 120 league goals for the Reds in just over 230
appearances, whilst Dalglish, considered by many as the best
player to play for the club, recorded 172 in over 500.
Torres, meanwhile, has scored 38 times in 57 Premier League
games and, at just 25-years-old, could well rack more goals
than his heroes during his time on Merseyside.
(Fans FC)
Liverpool hero Molby:
Gerrard worth more than Ronaldo
Liverpool hero Jan Molby says Steven Gerrard is worth more
than Real Madrid's £80 million man Cristiano Ronaldo.
Molby told liverpoolfc.tv: "It's almost pointless putting a
transfer fee on Gerrard because there are certain players
who will never be for sale, and he falls into that category,
whereas I feel Ronaldo will probably be up for sale again at
some point.
"But all of us at Liverpool know how valuable Gerrard is to
the club and he would surely be worth more money than
Ronaldo."
(tribalfootball.com) |
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SATURDAY 20 |
Reds help Spain break record
Four Liverpool players started for Spain as they set a new
world record for consecutive victories by an international
side with a 2-0 win over South Africa in Johannesburg this
evening.
European Champions Spain’s victory means they qualify for
the FIFA Confederations Cup semi-finals as Group A winners.
Liverpool’s Fernando Torres, Abert Riera, Alvaro Arbeloa and
Pepe Reina started the game. Xabi Alonso was an unused
substitute.
David Villa got the Spaniard’s opening goal of the game when
he volleyed home shortly after seeing a penalty saved by
South Africa goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune.
Fernando Llorente scrambled home the second with 18 minutes
to go to put the match out of South Africa’s reach.
Riera went close during the first half with a powerful
long-range free-kick that tested Khune, whilst Torres was
also left frustrated by the on-form keeper.
Riera was subsituted late in the game by Santl Cazorla.
The result also means that Spain have equalled Brazil’s
record of 35 consecutive matches unbeaten.
Spain will now play the runners-up of Group B, which is made
up of Brazil, Italy, Egypt and the USA, in the semi-final on
Wednesday night.
(This is Anfield)
Another Academy figurehead departs
Liverpool have today confirmed that their Head of
Recruitment, Malcolm Elias, is set to leave the club.
Elias, who joined the Reds from Championship side
Southampton in 2007, was responsible bringing exciting young
talent to the club's youth academy in Kirkby.
His time at the Academy has seen the likes of Lauri Dalla
Valle, Chris Buchtmann and Andre Wisdom arrive from overseas
clubs and the trio all played in this year's FA Youth Cup
final against Arsenal.
The club's official website said that his departure was 'a
mutual agreement following an internal restructure at The
Academy'.
(Shanklygates)
March for Justice to Downing Street
Around 4,000 supporters marched on Downing Street today as
part of
the March 4 Justice.
A petition has been signed by 40,000 people in the last 7
weeks and this was delivered to 10 Downing Street by five of
the families who lost their loved ones in April 1989.
Barry Thomson, chair of the March 4 Justice group which
organised the event said:
“There were some very emotional scenes, especially when the
families gave the boxes of petitions in to 10 Downing
Street.
“We have had so much support from people in Liverpool, the
UK and we have also have 480 letters of support from 67
different countries worldwide.
“Those who lost their loved ones said it was a positive
thing handing in papers showing so much support for their
plight.
“We gathered 40,000 signatures in just seven weeks, it has
been
a mad time.
“Let’s just hope this encourages the government to realise
its obligation to the families of the 96, the fans, the club
and the city [Liverpool]
as a whole.”
The campaigners want around 300 boxes of information on the
tragedy to be publically released and the events after
3:15pm, a mere 9 minutes after the match was abandoned, to
be examined. A previous inquest refused to look at events
past this time.
(Anfield Online)
Xabi wants to stay,
but admits anything's possible
Amid the constant uncertainty surrounding his future at
Liverpool, Xabi Alonso has stated he does not want to leave
the club.
Alonso has been linked with a move to Real Madrid this
summer as his place in Rafa Benitez’s squad continues to
lack an assuredness.
However, Spain international Alonso has said that while he
admits he does not know how the off-season transfer market
will pan out, he fully intends to remain at Anfield and
revel in his status as a senior player.
“I am happy at Liverpool but in football you cannot close
the doors on anything because you don't know what will
happen. I do not plan to go,” Alonso told El Pais. “With
Sami Hyypia already gone, I am one of the senior players
alongside Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard.
“There was strong interest in me from Madrid (in 2004) but
Liverpool came and that is where I went. It was not a wrong
decision, not for me anyway. I have played at Liverpool, a
special club, and grown as a player and
won titles.”
Rumours of an uneasy relationship between Alonso and Benitez
– who was prepared to sell the midfielder last summer – are
not true, says
the 27-year-old.
“Each one has his own point of view. He is the manager and I
try to do the best with what he tells me,” said Alonso. “We
have a good professional relationship. We speak normally,
saying what he wants from me and what I can give. He makes
the decisions and we try to execute them.
“Last summer there was certain indecision and I did not know
what was going to happen. I finished up playing well,
though. I have had two quite complete seasons.”
(Setanta Sports) |
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FRIDAY 19 |
Setanta lose Premier League rights
Premium television broadcaster Setanta will not be showing
any live Premier League games next season after losing the
rights they owned.
The cash-strapped sports media company have failed to make a
£30million payment they owned to the Premier League and so
have lost the 46 matches they were due to televise live in
the 2009/10 season.
The Premier League will now put the packages that Setanta
has lost up for auction, with Sky Sports likely favourites
to buy 23 of the 46 games. Legally Sky can only buy half of
what’s been left by Setanta.
A Premier League spokesman confirmed, “It is with
considerable regret that we announce that Setanta has been
unable to meet their obligations. As such the existing
licence agreement between us has been terminated with
immediate effect.”
Setanta also run Liverpool’s official TV channel, ‘LFCTV’
though this is expected to be unaffected to Liverpool fans.
(This is Anfield)
Carra hopes Reds remain intact
Jamie Carragher is hoping Liverpool's financial troubles
will not see
a summer exodus at Anfield.
Recent reports of monetary problems at the Merseyside club
have fuelled speculation that a number of top stars could be
sold over
the coming weeks.
The Reds have been quick to ease supporter angst by
insisting that will not be case, promising that new arrivals
remain the priority - not sales.
Carragher admits it is vitally important that stance is
backed up, with Liverpool keen to build on last season's
second place finish in
the Premier League.
"I'm like any fan, I get excited about who we might bring
in. The players are exactly the same as the man on the
street, you pick up the paper hoping you are going to see
you've signed someone," he told Sky Sports News."But this
summer there has been a bit of speculation about players
moving on, so at the moment I'm hoping that doesn't happen
rather than people come in. We have got a great side at the
moment, and I'm sure the manager will make a couple of
additions, but we don't want to lose anyone."
(Sky Sports)
David Moores’ heart will never
leave the club he loves
The decision by former Liverpool chairman David Moores to
quit the Anfield boardroom is clearly significant. But it is
not a surprise.
From the moment in February 2007 when he signed the
documents which handed ownership to Tom Hicks and George
Gillett, Littlewoods heir and lifelong Liverpool fanatic
Moores had hoped to play a continuing role working in
harmony with the Americans.
But the honeymoon for everyone at Anfield lasted barely a
few months – and it was soon clear a smooth transition, with
the old regime nursing along and guiding the modernising and
affluent new, was simply untenable.
But one thing that will always remain at Anfield is David
Moores’ heart.
The night before he sold the club, his eyes welled up in
tears at the imminent sea change. Not because he was upset
at relinquishing control - but because an emotional and
thoroughly decent man was acutely aware of the momentous
decision he was taking. He clearly felt its huge burden of
responsibility.
Moores will remain a genuine and committed fan of Liverpool
Football Club until his day is done.
And that, standing on the Kop cheering on his heroes, is
where it all began for David Moores.
(John Thompson - Liverpool Echo)
Valencia rule out Villa sale
Valencia have now announced that striker David Villa is not
for sale at any price, according to the player’s agent.
The 27-year-old Spain international had been expected to
move to Real Madrid or Barcelona this summer, while Chelsea,
Manchester United and Liverpool have also been linked.
However, his agent, Jose Luis Tamargo, has now issued a
statement saying Valencia are no longer willing to allow him
to leave.
"Valencia CF, through [chief executive] Javier Gomez and
later [club president] Manuel Llorente, allowed me to work
in putting David Villa on the market as his representative,”
he said.
“They had to sell him to help their difficult economic
situation and gave me the conditions they required to
complete the transfer.
“David has always been wholly committed to the club despite
the poor economic situation at Valencia but, because David
is a world-class player, we have received offers from the
four best teams in the world.
"I am upset because Valencia have changed their position and
said that they do not want to sell the player despite, as
you all know, having held negotiations with three of the
four major clubs.
“This is a very unpleasant situation and is not good for
anyone. It should be remembered that David has always said
that he is very happy at Valencia.
“We went into the market and now arrive at a sad situation,
leaving with our tails between our legs."
(Sky Sports)
Callaghan sees Shankly in Benitez
Liverpool old boy Ian Callaghan reckons Anfield boss Rafa
Benitez has a hint of Bill Shankly in his make-up.
But the former Kop favourite, who saw at first hand what the
legendary Scot achieved at the club, says the Spaniard will
never be held in similar esteem even if he does finally end
Liverpool’s wait for the Premier League crown next season.
“A lot of progress has been made over the past five years
and Rafa is emerging as a fantastic manager in the club’s
history,” said Callaghan, who made a record 857 appearances
for the club.
“I really admire him and what he has achieved so far is
exceptional.
(Daily Post)
Rovers to host Reds' reserves
Tranmere Rovers have confirmed that Liverpool's reserve side
will play their home matches at Prenton Park this
forthcoming season.
Liverpool will compete in the Premier Reserve League North
against fellow Premiership clubs Manchester City, Blackburn
Rovers, huge rivals Manchester United and Merseyside
neighbours Everton.
"We are delighted to be able to host Liverpool reserves'
home fixtures next season and look forward to welcoming them
to Prenton Park," said Chief Executive Mick Horton.
"It will be a good opportunity for any young Wirral-based
Liverpool supporters to come to Prenton Park and watch some
of their talented youngsters in action."
Reserve manager John McMahon, a former coach with the League
One side, was pleased to be given the chance to visit his
former employers.
He said: "I am delighted we've been able to come to this
arrangement. I spent eight very happy years working at
Tranmere; it is a great club with great facilities and I
hope we will see some good results for Liverpool reserves."
(TEAMtalk)
Carra lands Mersey award
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was among the winners at
last night's Spirit of Merseyside Awards.
Carragher saw off tough competition from Ken Dodd, Ricky
Tomlinson and Sue Johnston to land the Celebrity Champion
honour.
Each of the celebrities were shortlisted for their
contribution to the community, with Carragher's role away
from football and in the city recognised by his award.
The other 10 awards honoured groups, individuals and funding
partners who have worked with the Community Foundation for
Merseyside during the past year.
The gala dinner was held at Liverpool Cathedral in the city
centre.
(LFC Official Website)
Torres: Mascherano's happy at Anfield
Fernando Torres is remaining confident Javier Mascherano
will stay at Liverpool, insisting the Argentine has no
reason to leave.
Liverpool rescued Mascherano from West Ham’s reserves to
return him to the very top echelons of European football,
where he is now regarded as one of the top holding
midfielders in the world.
The Argentina captain stated during the season that he owes
a lot to The Reds, yet his loyalty is being tested by
reported €45 million interest from European Champions
Barcelona.
Mascherano's agent, Walter Tamer, reportedly met with
Barcelona’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain at the Rey
Juan Carlos I hotel for two hours, but Torres insists the
player is happy at Anfield.
“Javier loves it at Liverpool – that is all I can tell you.
In the summer people make a lot of noises about world class
players – and Javier is world class,” Torres told The Daily
Mail.
“He has said himself he is very happy at Anfield and there
is no reason for him to want to leave.”
(Setanta Sports)
Torres determined to stay
Fernando Torres has dismissed transfer speculation by
insisting he will stay at Liverpool as long as he is wanted.
The striker has been linked with a return to Spain and even
a switch to the Reds' rivals Manchester United.
But he told the Daily Mail: "I'm very happy with my contract
and wouldn't leave just to earn a little more somewhere else
where I wouldn't be that happy. To want more would be
greedy."
(Teletext)
Blues match Reds' bid for Johnson
Portsmouth executive chairman Peter Storrie has confirmed
Chelsea have matched Liverpool's £17.5million bid for
England defender Glen Johnson.
Pompey accepted a bid from Liverpool earlier this week and
the 24-year-old looked set to seal a move to Anfield.
However, Storrie has confirmed the Fratton Park club have
also now agreed terms with Chelsea - Johnson's former club.
The in-demand full-back now has a decision to make, with
both sides keen to tie up a deal this week.
"The matter will come to a conclusion at the beginning of
next week. I do not have a preference over the move, it is
up to Glen," Storrie said.
"The deals are almost identical so it really is down to him
and what club he prefers, which one is going to pay him more
money."
(TEAMtalk)
Tevez rules out
switch from Man Utd
Carlos Tevez has ruled put making an audacious switch from
Manchester United to Liverpool.
Reports last night suggested the Argentine international
wasn’t prepared to make a move that would strengthen the
side that was the biggest threat to the Old Trafford club’s
supremacy last season.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez registered an interest in
Tevez when he became a free agent at the end of the last
campaign, although no formal approach was made to his
management company.
However, the possibility of adding much-needed firepower to
his line-up with the recruitment of the 25-year-old grew
stronger amidst the doubts hanging over the player’s status.
His two-year loan deal with United came to an end with him
still unsure of whether to make the stay permanent.
(Liverpool Daily Post)
Thor Zakariassen
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