|
|
|
FRIDAY 24 |
Gerrard grabs a goal
in Tranmere clash
Steven Gerrard joined the Liverpool youth players this
evening and grabbed a goal in a good workout for the
Liverpool captain.
A Liverpool youth side took on local rivals Tranmere at
Prenton Park. The Tranmere fans gave Steven Gerrard a
disappointing reception, but it was Gerrard who impressed
even more with a 55th minute equaliser in a game in which he
was head and shoulders above the rest of the players
on the pitch.
Many of the reds youngsters were present, including new
signing Chris Mavinga who appeared in the second half.
It was Tranmere who grabbed the games first goal just before
half time, but when Gerrard picked up the ball in the 55th
minute he powered towards goal before unleashing a shot that
sailed in to the bottom left hand corner.
In the 65th minute Gerrard was subbed off – a fine
performance and a goal to his name.
Tranmere scored in the 78th minute to take the lead. With 2
minutes left Nikola Saric had a great chance to equalise for
the reds but the keeper smothered his attempt. But two
minutes later the lively Adam Hammill slotted in a penalty
to ensure the reds reserves got a draw against
the league side.
On the basis of that performance, local lad Adam Hammill
deserves a bit more of a chance involved with the first team
squad.
(Anfield Online)
Benitez delight after Gerrard verdict
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was delighted his captain
Steven Gerrard could now 'focus on football' after being
cleared of affray today.
This has not been the smoothest of pre-seasons for Benitez,
and the Far East tour this week has been dogged by a
succession of problems.
Injuries to Martin Skrtel and Nabil El Zhar which forced the
players to return to England for treatment have come on top
of the continued transfer saga surrounding Xabi Alonso,
Javier Mascherano and Alvaro Arbeloa.
But as he prepared his side for Sunday's friendly against
Singapore, Benitez was relieved that the cloud hanging over
Gerrard has now been swept away after he was acquitted at
Liverpool Crown Court following an incident in Southport on
December 29 last year.
Gerrard has missed the Far East trip because of the
week-long trial, and will be reunited with his team-mates
next week when Liverpool return to the UK.
Benitez was told of Gerrard's acquittal during a training
session today and said: 'We are really pleased. He is very
important for us and he can now focus just on football.
'We are all pleased at the club and over here at the
training camp.
'We have been supporting him all the time and were just
waiting for the decision. Now he can concentrate just on
football and hopefully play at the same level as last year.'
(Metro.co.uk)
Gerrard cleared of bar attack
England footballer Steven Gerrard spoke of his relief today
after he was cleared of unjustly attacking a man in a bar.
The Liverpool captain admitted hitting Marcus McGee, 34, in
a Southport bar last December and a jury at Liverpool Crown
Court accepted his explanation that it was in self-defence.
The 29-year-old was the only one of seven defendants to be
cleared over the "explosion of violence" at the Lounge Inn
during which Mr McGee lost a tooth and suffered facial cuts.
(PA/The Independent)
Reds snap up Sama
Liverpool have bolstered their academy ranks with the
signing of German teenager Stephen Sama from Borussia
Dortmund.
The 16-year-old defender has been snapped up before Dortmund
could secure him on a professional contract.
He has penned a deal that ties him to Anfield until June
2012 and follows in the footsteps of Christopher Buchtmann,
who also joined from the Bundesliga club.
However, Dortmund youth director Peter Wazinski believes
Sama has a long way to go before he is the finished article
and has told Liverpool he is not such an exciting prospect
as Buchtmann.
"This time they did not look closely enough," Wazinski told
Reviersport.
"Stephen was already a substitute last season, unlike
Christopher Buchtmann was when he joined them.
"In terms of Stephen Sama, the transfer does not hurt us in
any way, except that there is always a better moment to join
another club than in the middle of pre-season."
(Sky Sports)
Napoli in talks over Dossena deal
Serie A side Napoli have confirmed they are in talks with
Liverpool as they look to secure the services of defender
Andrea Dossena.
The Italy international made just 12 Premier League starts
for Rafa Benitez's men last term following his £7million
arrival from Udinese
in the summer.
Juventus were previously linked with a move for the Italy
international, but Napoli now appear to have moved to the
head of the queue.
Club president Aurelio De Laurentiis had held discussions
with Reds boss Benitez and the dialogue between the two
clubs would continue.
He told Corriere dello Sport: "I've personally spoken with
Rafa Benitez. The negotiation is ongoing."
Reports in Italy suggest that the deal is being delayed as
the two clubs haggle over a fee, with the Reds keen to
recoup around £6million.
(TEAMtalk)
Liverpool return on
the cards for Crouch?
The possibility of Peter Crouch returning to Liverpool has
been raised after Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp hinted
that he had been priced out of a move for the Portsmouth
striker.
Crouch moved to the south coast from Anfield last summer
after seeing his first-team opportunities dry up under Rafa
Benitez but, according to
a report in today’s Star newspaper, he could be lined up for
a dramatic return.
(Telegraph.co.uk)
Reds fans make revised proposal
Supporters' groups ShareLiverpoolFC and Spirit of Shankly
have unveiled a revised buy-out proposal.
The fans' organisations are unhappy with the financial
structuring of Liverpool and are behind a proposal for
supporters to take ownership of the club in a similar scheme
to those operated by Barcelona, Real Madrid and other
European clubs.
The key change to the group's original proposal is the
reduction of the share price from £5,000 to £500. Initially
they hoped to raise £500million from 100,000 fans each
paying the £5,000 'entry fee'.
(TEAMtalk) |
|
THURSDAY 23 |
Valdano: No more Real signings
Real Madrid director general Jorge Valdano has ruled out
making any more major signings until the club can offload
some existing players.
Madrid have splashed out almost £200million already this
summer on bringing in Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema
and Raul Albiol, while Alvaro Negredo and Ezequiel Garay
have also been added to
the squad.
A deal for Getafe midfielder Esteban Granero to return to
the Bernabeu also appears to be close, but that could well
be the final addition until Madrid, who have been chasing
Liverpool duo Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa, manage to trim
their squad down.
Players such as Javier Saviola, Javi Garcia, Fabio Cannavaro
and Jordi Codina have already moved on, but Madrid will be
keen to cash in on a number of other first-teamers in order
to recoup some of their money and free up some squad space.
"The transfer door will remain closed until some players
have left, other than for exceptional cases such as that of
Granero," said Valdano, who admits it has not been easy to
offload players."
(TEAMtalk)
Torres ready to end
trophy drought
Fernando Torres is confident he can help Liverpool to end
their two year wait for silverwear with a triumphant 2009/10
campaign.
The Spanish striker made his first pre-season appearance for
the Reds on Wednesday, coming on as a substitute for the
final ten minutes of the 1-1 draw with Thailand in Bangkok.
And speaking at a press conference in Singapore today,
Torres said there is a lot of confidence and belief around
the Liverpool camp that success is just around the corner.
He told reporters, “Two years without a trophy is a long
time for a club like Liverpool. But we believe we can do it
this year.
“It won’t be easy because there are big challenges ahead but
we think we can win.”
Likewise, winger Yossi Benayoun, who missed yesterday’s
friendly reiterated Torres’ comments.
“I have a lot of confidence in this team,” he said. “We have
a belief in the squad that we can win the league but we have
to work hard and keep improving.
“Personally I want this to be an even better season for me.
I want to take my chances and help the team.”
(This is Anfield)
Benitez: Gerrard has our support
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has revealed he speaks with
Steven Gerrard every day and offered the England
international his and the club’s full support during his
trial for affray.
Gerrard is not with the rest of the squad in Thailand,
instead he is currently embroiled in a court case at
Liverpool Crown Court, yet Benitez is in regular contact.
Benitez said: “I talk with him everyday, it is okay,”
“He has the support of the club and, for sure, the fans.”
“I think that it will be okay so we are confident that
everything will be good and at the end he will be playing
for us and scoring a lot of goals.”
(Sport.co.uk)
Reds: No Real deal
done for Xabi
Liverpool have dismissed claims they have agreed a fee
with Real Madrid for Xabi Alonso and denied he is set to
leave the club's Far East tour.
Speculation in recent days has suggested Alonso's move to
Real is as good as done but those fears were allayed when
the 28-year-old trained with his team-mates at Singapore's
national stadium on Thursday.
The club insist Alonso did not figure in Wednesday's 1-1
draw with Thailand in Bangkok purely because of an ankle
injury and Rafa Benitez was calm over the rumours.
He Benitez said: "Alonso is here and he will enjoy the
weather and the fans and the journalists.
"He is ready and can play."
A Liverpool spokesman added: "Xabi is with us in Singapore,
and will train with the rest of the squad. He was injured
ahead of the Thailand game, people can say what they like
about that.
"And there has been no deal agreed with anyone for his
transfer to anyone."
Alonso has made his desire to leave clear, and had hoped not
to have to fly to Vienna on Sunday to meet up with the
Liverpool squad ahead of the flight to the Far East.
But Alonso did make the trip, and sources at Liverpool
expect him to face Singapore on Sunday before the squad fly
back to the UK the following day.
(TEAMtalk)
Gerrard tells court he was in control
Footballer Steven Gerrard denied today that he lost control
on the night he thumped a businessman three times in a bar
brawl.
The England international told a court he was used to
"mither" (bother) and had ways of smoothing over trouble
when confronted by people.
Gerrard, who denies affray, told Liverpool Crown Court he
was having a great night on December 28 last as he
celebrated at the Lounge Inn, Southport where trouble
flared.
The jury has heard that the 29-year-old estimated he was
seven out of ten on a drunkenness scale.
'I certainly knew I had had a drink. I was certainly in
control of how I felt in my surroundings', he told the court
today
Marcus McGee has previously told the court he had been
attacked by Gerrard after he refused to hand over control of
a CD player to the Liverpool captain who had been rude and
bad tempered to him.
(The Irish Independent)
Degen wants new start
Philipp Degen is looking forward to a new start with
Liverpool.
The right-back missed practically all of last season because
of injury so is looking at this season as a new start. He
has played in each of the Reds' pre-season friendlies to
date and is hoping his injury problems are now behind him.
"Last year was a very sad year for me. I have worked hard
during the holidays and now I feel really good. I am not yet
at one hundred per cent match fitness but I am feeling
better every day," said Degen.
"It's a new season and a new start for me. I have never had
a season like last season before when I was injured all the
time. I came to a new club wanting to show what I could do
but it wasn't possible.
"I was injured, injured, injured and I know the fans were
thinking I am that sort of player, but it isn't true. I want
to fight to prove myself now and that's why I am looking
forward to this year so much."
(LFC Online)
Skrtel and El Zhar injury latest
Liverpool will find out at the end of the week how long they
will be without Martin Skrtel and Nabil El Zhar after both
players limped out of last night's friendly with Thailand.
Skrtel has a hamstring injury while El Zhar has damaged
medial ligaments in his knee.
Both players will return to the UK separately from the rest
of the squad to undergo scans on their respective injuries.
(LFC Official Website)
Liverpool ready to offload
Arbeloa in £3.5m Madrid deal
Real Madrid hope to clinch a cut-price deal for Liverpool
right-back
Alvaro Arbeloa.
The 26-year-old has been told he can leave following the
arrival of England international Glen Johnson from
Portsmouth.
Liverpool had hoped to recoup £8million, but Madrid now
expect to land Arbeloa for just £3.5million.
Madrid sporting director Miguel Pardeza confirmed he hoped
to sign Arbeloa but admitted there was still some work to
do.
(The Daily Mail)
Alonso refuses to commit to Reds
The future of Liverpool's Xabi Alonso remains uncertain
after the midfielder admitted he cannot give any guarantees
regarding his career.
Former Real Sociedad star Alonso has been strongly linked
with a return to Spain as Real Madrid make no secret of
their desire to secure
his signature.
The 27-year-old is reported to be unhappy at Anfield after
Reds boss Rafa Benitez appeared prepared to sell him in
order to raise funds in his unsuccessful pursuit of Gareth
Barry.
Alonso has admitted he is flattered by Madrid's interest and
he confesses that he is unable to say if he will remain with
Liverpool for the long-term.
After the Reds' pre-season friendly draw with Thailand on
Wednesday, he said in the Daily Mirror: "It's difficult to
give any guarantees.
"For now, I'm just enjoying myself in Thailand."
Alonso was not a member of Liverpool's squad for the 1-1
draw in Bangkok as Ryan Babel's early goal was cancelled out
by
Sutee's equaliser.
(Sporting Life) |
|
WEDNESDAY 22 |
Carragher: Sort Alonso future
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is hoping for a swift
resolution to the Xabi Alonso transfer saga.
Alonso's future on Merseyside has been the subject of
intense speculation and Carragher believes a decison needs
to be made quickly with the new Premier League season less
than a month away.
He said: "You do not want to lose your top players. I just
hope it gets sorted out sooner rather than later."
(Teletext)
Gerrard said he punched
at man in self defense
England midfielder Steven Gerrard admitted to police that he
threw three punches toward a man in a bar room, according to
testimony presented in court Wednesday.
The transcript from the Liverpool captain's police interview
was read at his trial on affray charges after a bartender
told the jury that the footballer was in a "huff'' before
launching uppercuts at businessman Marcus McGee.
Gerrard was with friends at a bar in Southport in the early
hours of Dec. 29 last year, hours after scoring twice in
Liverpool's 5-1 victory over Newcastle.
Gerrard told police he had bottles of Budweiser beer and a
shot of spirits, and rated his level of intoxication as
seven out of 10 when he confronted McGee in a row over the
music being play in the Lounge Inn.
The 34-year-old McGee said Gerrard had tried to grab a music
card from him after being refused control of the CD player.
"I was having a good night but I was gutted and just wanted
to straighten it out with him,'' Gerrard said.
Gerrard admitted throwing three punches but that only one
connected with McGee. He said he only swung at McGee because
he thought he was about to be attacked himself.
"He stood up quite aggressively out of his stool and I
thought to myself 'I am not going to be able to sort this
out in the way I wanted,''' Gerrard said. "I thought he was
going to give me a smack. He was shouting back and I didn't
know what he was saying but he started arguing and I thought
he was going to hit me so that's why I threw a punch.''
Gerrard, who denies the affray charges, is expected to give
evidence in the court on Thursday. Five other men pleaded
guilty and another admitted a lesser charge of threatening
behavior. The trial is expected to last several days.
(AP/CNN)
Next Up: Singapore
As the Reds continue their pre-season preparations, their
mini-tour of South East Asia takes them South from Thailand,
over Malaysia and down to Singapore.
The Reds’ fanbase in this city is completely fanatical and
the Redmen can expect a similar reception to that they
received in Bangkok earlier in the week.
Steven Gerrard remains out of action as he is appearing in
court back to Merseyside over an incident in a Southport
nightclub at the end of 2008.
(This is Anfield)
Reds sweat on Skrtel injury verdict
Rafa Benitez is awaiting to hear if Martin Skrtel faces a
long spell on the sidelines after he limped off in
Liverpool's 1-1 draw in Thailand.
Skrtel limped off 10 minutes after coming on at half-time in
Bangkok and while Benitez said it was too early to tell how
long the defender could be ruled out for, it was
nevertheless an unwanted blow.
"I'm really disappointed because Martin has had a problem
with his hamstring and a little bit with the ligaments in
his knee, so we have to wait," he said.
(TEAMtalk)
Babel on target in Thailand draw
Ryan Babel scored Liverpool's first goal of the pre-season
as we were held to a 1-1 draw by Thailand in the Rajamangala
National Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
The Dutchman looked to have set the Reds on the road to
victory with a neat first-half finish until Panupong Sutee
stunned Rafael Benitez's men with a late equaliser.
(LFC Official Website)
Agger returns versus Thailand
Daniel Agger returns for Liverpool against the Thai national
team
this afternoon.
The Danish centre-half has recovered from a back injury and
partners Jamie Carragher in defence.
Meanwhile, Fernando Torres is on the bench and is likely to
feature at some point.
The Reds XI in full is: Cavalieri, Degen, Agger, Carragher,
Insua, Kuyt, Babel, Lucas, Plessis, Ngog, Nemeth. Subs:
Reina, Gulacsi, Johnson, San Jose, El Zhar, Pacheco, Torres,
Riera, Dossena, Kelly, Skrtel, Arbeloa, Mascherano,
Spearing, Voronin.
(LFC Official Website)
Gerrard 'victim' describes
'barrage' of blows
The man allegedly attacked by Steven Gerrard has described
being the victim of a "barrage of punches".
Marcus McGee has been on the stand describing the night he
was involved in a bar brawl at the Lounge Inn in Southport.
McGee was first attacked by Gerrard's friend John Doran but
admitted he had no idea who threw which punch.
He said: "I remember a barrage of punches coming in at my
face but I didn't know who has done what.
"Having watched the CCTV it was obvious Steven Gerrard hits
me a couple of times, maybe three times but I couldn't
honestly say
on the night.
"I didn't know who did what."
He confirmed that the incident had started with Gerrard
demanding control of the music in the bar.
He said: "Mr Gerrard came to me from my left hand side and
requested he wanted control of the music. It was something
to the effect of 'Here you are, lad, give me that'."
"You recognised Steven Gerrard?" asked Mr Turner.
"Of course," said the victim. "I didn't give it to him, no.
"It wasn't my permission to be giving it out to somebody
else, it was my job so I didn't hand it over.
"He made a move to try to grab the card to take it away and
I remember it slipped on the floor at one stage.
"He then walked away, that was the end of it."
The prosecution alleges that Gerrard then returned to McGee
to begin a confrontation that ended with the businessman
needing hospital treatment.
The trial continues.
(Football 365)
Liverpool sign Borussia Dortmund
defender Stephen Sama
Liverpool have swooped for Borussia Dortmund’s Stephen Sama
on
a two-year deal.
The Reds moved to land Sama before the German club could
secure the 16-year-old on a professional deal, says the
Mirror.
The highly-rated defender is a regular in Germany’s Under-17
side.
(tribalfootball.com)
Masch 'wants Spain move'
Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano is keen to secure a
move to Spain as he has grown 'tired of life in England',
according to his agent.
The Argentina international is a reported target of Real
Madrid and Barcelona, but the enforcer remains part of Reds
manager Rafa Benitez's plans.
However, Mascherano's representative, Walter Tamer, has
claimed the 25-year-old has grown unsettled in the Premier
League and is eager to move abroad.
Tamer is quoted by Infobae.com as saying: "Barcelona is the
easiest deal to set up as Javier wants to go to Spain. He is
tired of life in England.
"His wife has not been given a permanent visa. She has to go
through an odyssey each time she wants to go.
"Liverpool refuse to sell, this can be overcome with an
extraordinary offer."
(Sky Sports)
Fans beg Alonso
to stay at Liverpool FC
Xabi Alonso may have been 6,000 miles away from Anfield but
the message was exactly the same.
The thousands of fans who packed into the CentralWorld
shopping complex in Bangkok yesterday left the Spaniard in
no doubt how desperate they are for him to spurn Real
Madrid’s advances and commit his future to achieving more
success at Liverpool.
Fanatical supporters packed out seven floors, dangling over
balconies and off escalators, desperate to get a glimpse of
their idol.
His arrival was greeted with deafening chants of “Xabi” as
he made his way up on to the stage.
He was joined for a promotional event by team-mates Albert
Riera, Jay Spearing and David Ngog, but there was no
doubting who was the main attraction.
Fans shouted: “We love you Xabi” and “Xabi we want you to
stay at Liverpool forever.”
(Liverpool Daily Post)
Johnson stunned
by Thailand fans passion
New Liverpool fullback Glen Johnson is stunned by the
passion of Thailand fans.
"It's unbelievable," Johnson told liverpoolfc.tv. "The lads
were saying before we came out that we had a great support
over here and it's incredible to see so many fans everywhere
we go.
"Of course when you see such support it makes you even more
determined to do well.
"I want to play with the consistency I had at Portsmouth but
I want to improve both the defensive and attacking side of
my game. I want to establish myself in the team.
"Last season Liverpool only made one or two minor errors and
if we can improve on that we have a great chance."
(tribalfootball.com)
Thor Zakariassen
© |
|
|
|
