FRIDAY 24
	Kuyt back in squad for Sunderland Dirk Kuyt returns to the Liverpool squad for the home match against Sunderland on Saturday. The Dutch attacker has missed the Reds last four matches after suffering a shoulder injury on international duty at the start of the month. The 30 year old was expected to be out until the Blackpool match next week but has returned soon than expected and is included in the squad to face Sunderland at Anfield. It also means he will be able to make a return to the club he began his professional career with when Liverpool play FC Utrecht on Thursday evening in the Europa League. According to reports on Twitter, Kuyt has been named in the starting line-up, alongside Gerrard and Joe Cole behind Fernando Torres. (This is Anfield) Fergie: I never called Torres a cheat Sir Alex Ferguson insists he did not accuse Fernando Torres of being a cheat after Manchester United's 3-2 victory over Liverpool last weekend. Ferguson was aghast to wake up on Monday morning to find coverage of the game, in which Dimitar Berbatov scored his first hat-trick for the club, was dominated by his remarks about Fernando Torres. The United boss accused Torres of trying to get John O'Shea sent off as he won the foul for the free-kick from which Steven Gerrard equalised. This was interpreted as Ferguson calling the Spain striker 'a cheat' but is a comment the Scot says is not correct. "You'd think Berbatov would get the headlines, but it was all me saying Torres was a cheat, which was ridiculous," he said. "I thought he made the most of it. That's not to say the guy's a cheat." (TEAMtalk) Hodgson: Club must live with protests A sit-in fans protest against Tom Hicks and George Gillett is just something else for the club to deal with, according to manager Roy Hodgson. With the Americans' loan from the Royal Bank of Scotland due for refinancing or repayment next month and no sign of an imminent sale supporters are stepping up their campaign to oust the unpopular pair. The latest plan is to get the crowd at tomorrow's game against Sunderland to remain behind to demonstrate peacefully after the final whistle "I, like anyone at Liverpool Football Club, would be very happy if the ownership situation got clarified, and in particular if we got a very good owner that can help us move forward," said Hodgson. (TEAMtalk)  Mignolet keen to end Anfield run Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet is confident Sunderland can end their miserable run at Anfield as they attempt to pile the pressure on Liverpool. The Black Cats head for Anfield on Saturday having failed even to score there in a decade with just two draws to show for their past seven visits. Not since September 2000, when Michael Owen cancelled out Kevin Phillips' early strike, have the Wearsiders found the back of the net on the red half of Merseyside, and that is a situation they are keen to change as they attempt to improve their dreadful form on the road. Mignolet said: "Let's hope we can change that, let's hope we can get some points out of it. "Ten years is a long time, so it is maybe time to change something." (ITV Football) Hodgson: Reds will ride out storm Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has insisted the club will "live through a bad moment" as he seeks to lift morale after their Carling Cup exit. An understrength side lost on penalties to League Two outfit Northampton on Wednesday. With Liverpool's difficult start to the Premier League leaving them 16th, although only three points adrift of fourth, the scrutiny on the Reds and their manager has intensified. But Hodgson has drawn a line under Wednesday night's performance. "I've had many disappointments. You can't work at 35 years at the level I have without having disappointments," he said. (TEAMtalk) Johnson backs Torres Glen Johnson has backed Fernando Torres to come good. Torres has struggled so far this season, scoring only the once. However, Glen Johnson believes the striker will soon be back to his best and striking fear into the heart of every opposition defence. "We are very confident, and Fernando is too, that he will be back to his best very soon and hopefully we can give him a few chances on Saturday," said the England defender. "Everyone knows what Fernando can do and we always have great confidence in him to score goals for us. "Fernando is rarely quiet during a game but if he is he won't be for long. Look at last Sunday - he won us the penalty and then the free-kick." (LFC Online) Titus Bramble ready and willing to face Liverpool FC at Anfield Sunderland defender Titus Bramble is in line to return to action on the pitch after being bailed by police investigating an allegation of rape. The 29-year-old hit the headlines after being arrested in connection with an incident at a Newcastle hotel. Chairman Niall Quinn insisted Bramble, a summer signing from Wigan, is innocent and manager Steve Bruce has added his backing. The former Ipswich and Newcastle player missed Tuesday night’s 2-1 Carling Cup defeat by West Ham with a slight knock, but trained yesterday after being questioned by police and is in line to start tomorrow’s Premier League clash with Liverpool at Anfield. Bruce said: “He wants to play. He wanted to be in this morning and he wants to go and put the record straight. He wishes he could, but legally we can’t." (Liverpool Daily Post)
	THURSDAY 23
	Gerrard issues rallying call Steven Gerrard today promised there will be no sulking at Melwood as Liverpool bid to bounce straight back from their Carling Cup nightmare. The atmosphere at the Reds' training ground was understandably subdued this morning, as Roy Hodgson's squad came to terms with the shock of losing 4-2 to League Two side Northampton Town on penalties at Anfield last night. It was a chastening experience for all those involved, as it was for the 11 senior men who watched from the sidelines as Liverpool laboured to a 2-2 draw after extra time. But with Sunderland arriving at Anfield on Saturday afternoon, Gerrard believes the squad will be pumped up for that crucial fixture and even feels the loss could, in time, be a help to the young men who were pitched into the fray against the Cobblers. "They will learn from this experience. Football isn't just about highs," Gerrard said. "Throughout my career I have experienced both highs and lows and probably learnt more from the lows because you look at yourself first, look at what went wrong and try to learn from your mistakes." (Liverpool Echo) Pathetic Reds hit a 51-year low THIN RED LINE: Manager Roy Hodgson prepares his players for a penalty shoot-out – only the second Liverpool have lost in a senior first team match in the history of the club. PATHETIC. Absolutely pathetic. The abomination of a story that is the modern day Liverpool Football Club has reached its most depressing low. Worcester City in 1959 is widely regarded as the most cataclysmic result in Liverpool’s 118-year history but last night 22,577 hardy souls saw Northampton Town achieve a result that must rank alongside it. How the once mighty have fallen. Never mind the fact there was late drama. Ignore that Liver- pool mounted a frantic push to save themselves in the second period of extra time and their proud penalty shoot-out record has taken an unexpected battering. There is only one fact that matters today: Liverpool have been knocked out of the Carling Cup by a side from League Two after a performance that was shameful in so many ways. (Dominic King - Liverpool Echo) Babel on Twitter: I failed in Liverpool defeat, no excuses Liverpool forward Ryan Babel has admitted he 'failed personally' as the Reds suffered a humiliating home defeat to Northampton Town in the Carling Cup. Babel started the match and was substituted during extra time - two minutes after the Cobblers took a 2-1 lead. He was therefore not involved in the penalty shootout, after watching team-mate David Ngog score four minutes from time to force spot-kicks. Babel, who was said to be unsettled at Liverpool over the summer and came close to joining both Spurs and West Ham on transfer deadline day, posted a short message on Twitter to apologise to the club's supporters who were at Anfield. 'No excuses for last nite, we weren't good enough,' he tweeted. 'And I failed personally. Haven't lost faith, so I keep working.' (Metro.co.uk) Jovanovic apologises for 'catastrophe' Milan Jovanovic has apologised to Liverpool fans for the team's performance in the humiliating home defeat at the hands of lowly League Two side Northampton Town. The Serbian international scored his first goal for the club in the Carling Cup game at Anfield last night, but the Reds went on to lose on penalties after the match ended 2-2. "Catastrophe," said Jovanovic. "I am so disappointed. What can I say? "It was a very difficult night for me, for all the players and the team. Of course we feel sorry for the fans. "We know this is not Liverpool. It is very bad. I am so surprised by the performance. "I have not got enough experience of English football but I didn't expect this." (LFC Online) Sampson on a high after win Northampton manager Ian Sampson rated his side's sensational win over Liverpool in the Carling Cup as one of the best night's of his career. "To be a manger and win at Anfield after only one year in the job I'm absolutely delighted, it is a particular highlight." (Sky Sports)
	WEDNESDAY 22
	Hodgson makes Reds apology Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson apologised to the club's fans after their shock Carling Cup exit at the hands of Northampton. Hodgson conceded he and the players had to accept responsibility for the defeat as Liverpool saw one of their biggest chances of silverware this season go up in smoke. "I don't think we came anywhere near what I hoped to see apart from in the last 15 minutes of extra-time when we made a superb effort after going 2-1 down," he said. "When it goes to penalties and you are at home and in front of the Kop your hope is that at least the players will have the composure and confidence to win the penalty shoot-out but we didn't. "All I can do is congratulate Northampton and apologise to everyone; the fans came expecting to see us win and I expected us to win but it wasn't to be." (Sky Sports) Cobblers add to Mersey misery Northampton plunged Merseyside into deeper misery as the League Two club stunned Liverpool with a memorable penalty shoot-out victory in the third round of the Carling Cup. Ian Sampson's minnows produced a merited and major giant-killing, which equated to Brentford's spot-kick win over Everton on Tuesday night, and they came from behind to do so. Goals from Billy McKay and Michael Jacobs seemed set to send Northampton through after extra-time at Anfield, having cancelled out Milan Jovanovic's early opener, but David Ngog took the match to penalties. Ngog and youngster Nathan Eccleston both missed from the spot, allowing Abdul Osman to score the crucial winning penalty and send the noisy travelling supporters into dreamland. For the first time in five years Liverpool have not got past the third round, denying them a chance in a competition they were thinking about winning. (Sky Sports) Duo make bow Brad Jones and Danny Wilson make their full Liverpool debuts in tonight's Carling Cup match with Northampton Town. The duo form part of a side that shows several changes from the one that lost at Manchester United with David Ngog and Dani Pacheco leading the line. The Liverpool team in full: Jones, Kelly, Wilson, Kyrgiakos, Agger, Lucas, Spearing, Jovanovic, Babel, Pacheco, Ngog. Subs: Hansen, Shelvey, Eccleston, Ince, Amoo, Wisdom, Robinson. (LFC Official Website) Purslow assures Hodgson over funds Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow has reassured Roy Hodgson that he will be allowed to spend any money raised from player sales. Liverpool sold a number of players this summer, and Hodgson revealed this month that he did not know whether he would be able to reinvest the full proceeds of Javier Mascherano's move to Barcelona. However, despite the club's debt, Purslow insists that money has been ring-fenced for new recruits. "Every single penny we generate from selling footballers goes back into buying footballers," he told LFC TV. "I wouldn't have it any other way and I wouldn't have taken the job to oversee selling footballers to pay banks or owners money. "We never have in my time here and we never will as long as I am here. If Roy continues to see a new striker as a priority then that's what he'll work on doing in January with the total support of the club and with every penny we have available." (ESPN Soccernet) Purslow dismisses administration fears Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow has dismissed fears the club will go bust should the current ownership issues not be successfully resolved and has warned Tom Hicks the board will not allow him to use Liverpool's assets as security in any refinancing deal. Concern has been expressed that should he fail then there is an outside chance the bank could take over the club and it could ultimately end up in administration, but Purslow has stressed this is not the case and says a sale would make the club the "most profitable" in the league. (The Irish Times) Agent denies Cavani Reds link Napoli striker Edinson Cavani has received no approach about a potential move to Liverpool, according to the player's agent. The Uruguay international, who impressed for his country at this summer's World Cup, has been linked with several clubs during the summer, with Tottenham strongly rumoured to be chasing his services. Reports emanating from Italy suggested that Reds boss Roy Hodgson could be planning a 20million euros swoop for the player in January, but this has been denied. The 23-year-old made the move to Naples on loan in July, where he will face Liverpool in the Europa League group stages at the San Paolo in October. "An offer from Liverpool of 20million euros for Cavani? These are only fantasies, he has got no offers," the player's agent, Claudio Annellucci, told tuttomercatoweb. (Sky Sports) Fowler confident Torres will come good Liverpool icon Robbie Fowler is convinced Fernando Torres will come good. Torres is still searching for top form after a series of injury problems - but the man whose No.9 shirt Torres now wears saw signs of improvement against Manchester United. "It takes time to get back up to the top level after a long period of injury, and he's had more than his fair share in recent times," Fowler, now of Perth Glory, told liverpoolfc.tv. "Even just a fraction of a percentage makes a massive difference at his level, and in a couple of weeks he'll probably look a different man again. "When he's at the top of his game then his touch and pace are a deadly combination, but it's probably not quite there yet as he's still coming back from a series of injuries that can affect that first explosive moment on the ball. "You can never question his contribution to the team, because he is prepared to put in a shift up front on his own against some of the best - and toughest - defenders in the world, and believe me that's not easy. "I watched with interest as Liverpool failed to find him in the first half at United, and the results were obvious. In the second though, their tactics changed, and suddenly he created two goals. That showed he is not as far away as people are making out. "Give him the ball and he will get results, which was evident after the break at Old Trafford." (tribalfootball.com) Thor Zakariassen ©