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FRIDAY 27 |
Fowler expected to retain Reds place
Robbie Fowler is to retain his place alongside Peter Crouch
as Craig Bellamy, Dirk Kuyt and Fabio Aurelio are struggling
to face Aston Villa.
The Welshman, the Dutchman and the Brazilian are all
struggling with calf injuries, while Chilean winger Mark
Gonzalez is sidelined by a groin problem and joins long-term
victim Harry Kewell on the casualty list.
Captain Steven Gerrard returns following Wednesday's 4-3
Carling Cup win over Reading - in which Fowler scored the
opening goal - along with Steve Finnan, Jamie Carragher and
Sami Hyypia.
Liverpool (from): Reina, Martin, Finnan, Carragher, Agger,
Warnock, Paletta, Hyypia, Riise, Luis Garcia, Gerrard,
Zenden, Sissoko, Xabi Alonso, Pennant, Crouch, Fowler.
(TEAMtalk)
O'Neill promises to attack
Martin O'Neill has promised his Aston Villa side will go to
Liverpool on Saturday and "have a go".
The Midlands club are looking to protect their unbeaten
start to the season and O'Neill has never lost as a manager
at Anfield.
The Villa boss told the club website: "We are going there to
defend an unbeaten record and we are going to try to do our
very best to do so."
(Clubcall Sports)
Rafa knifed in the back
It comes as no surprise Rafa Benitez was today attacked by a
'nameless' member of Liverpool's board.
Several of the seven man committee have been faceless for so
long, they've specialised in their anonymity.
Today, chairman David Moores must face up to the
responsibility of flushing out the guilty colleague.
Liverpool fans will demand to know the identity of the man
who's stabbing Benitez in the back, and Moores and chief
executive Rick Parry must take instant action, calling for
his resignation with immediate effect.
It's inconceivable both Moores and Parry won't be equally
disgusted by comments which, given the ongoing pressures on
them, couldn't have been timed worse.
It was presumed Liverpool's defeat to Manchester United was
the low point of the season.
Today's scandal comfortably eclipses this.
(Chris Bascombe - Liverpool Echo)
Reds come out in defence of Benitez
Rafael Benitez insists he has the full support of
Liverpool despite an astonishing verbal attack by an unnamed
director at the Anfield club.
Benitez discovered savage words attacking his regime in the
Friday morning media, and chose to make a dignified, calm
response ahead of the tough home clash with Aston Villa.
Liverpool have made no attempt to rubbish the media report,
and believe they know which of their seven-man board is
involved.
Benitez said: "I know that I have the support of the
chairman, chief executive and the board.
"I have seen the words written, and people have to write,
and talk about football. I was surprised, but I would prefer
to talk about football. I prefer to think about Aston Villa
and how to beat them."
(TEAMtalk)
Rafa not fazed by morning headlines
Rafael Benitez today brushed off reported criticisms from a
Liverpool director and insisted: "I only want to concentrate
on football."
One of this morning's tabloid newspapers has carried an
interview with a senior figure of the LFC board who has gone
public with his concerns over how the season is panning out.
Benitez is aware of the story, but was today in a relaxed
mood as he refused to get embroiled in a war of words.
He said: "I have too much respect for the club and for the
board to talk about this. I prefer to speak about it in
private.
"I learnt a good phrase off John Toshack when he was in
Spain - 'no comment'.
"This story hasn't affected preparations for the game this
weekend though. We have been working on the match for two or
three days and we will continue to do so."
(LFC Official Website)
Kirkland joins Wigan permanently
On-loan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland has joined
Wigan from Liverpool on a permanent basis, it was announced
on Friday. The England international signed for a fee in the
region of £2.5 million, with the deal allowed to take place
outside the transfer window as part of the terms of the
initial loan deal.
Kirkland, 25, joined Liverpool in 2001 from Coventry for £6
million, becoming the most expensive keeper in British
transfer history.
His Anfield career was riddled with injuries, however, and
he failed to make a regular impression on the Liverpool
first team before being farmed out to West Brom after the
arrival of Jose Reina from Villarreal last season.
Kirkland suffered a serious kidney injury that kept him out
for much of a 20005/6 season which culminated in the
Baggies' relegation from the Premiership.
However, the 1.91m shot-stopper made his England debut
against Greece in August this year, and has impressed since
joining Wigan on loan this summer.
The Leicestershire-born player becomes Wigan boss Paul
Jewell's 10th signing this season, joining Emile Heskey,
Fitz Hall, Emerson Boyce, Denny Landzaat, Luis Antonio
Valencia, Kevin Kilbane, Tomasz Cywka, David Cotterill,
Svetoslav Todorov and Andy Webster at The JJB Stadium.
(Eurosport)
Benitez set for 99th rotation
It is 99 and counting for Rafael Benitez as he prepares to
face revitalised Aston Villa.
The Liverpool chief will change his side for the 99th time
in succession as he attempts to rebuild the Anfield club's
Premiership campaign at Anfield.
But the Spaniard admits to growing tired to the constant
match-by-match references to his system of managing players.
Pointing to other major clubs to support his methods, he
said: "I suppose it will be another statistic to discuss,
but it is not unusual.
"It is not just Liverpool, all the big clubs change their
side regularly to rest their players.
"There are other ways to be successful, sure, but this is
working. We have won four finals in two years so I'm happy
with it."
(PA Sport) |
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THURSDAY 26 |
Gerrard: Team over individuals
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard insists he will play in any
position for the good of
the team.
The 26-year-old has found himself deployed on the wings
rather than his favoured central midfield position by Reds
boss Rafa Benitez this season.
Gerrard's dip in form of late has been put down to Benitez's
decision to play the England international out wide, whether
that be on the left or right.
The Spaniard looks like sticking with the plan for the visit
of Aston Villa on Saturday and Gerrard is adamant he is not
affected by the ongoing debate over where he should play.
"The position is not the issue," Gerrard said.
"When you are a young player breaking through you want to
play in your favourite position, you are desperate to get
into the team.
"But I am 26 now, I have to think of the team first. If the
manager needs me to do a job on the right or the left I have
got to accept it."
(Sky Sports)
Shields finally allowed home
A Liverpool football fan "wrongly" jailed in Bulgaria has
been granted permission to serve the rest of his sentence in
the UK.
Michael Shields is serving 10 years for the attempted murder
of a barman during a brawl in the Black Sea resort of Golden
Sands last May.
The 20-year-old student, who was there to watch Liverpool FC
win the Champions' League final in neighbouring Turkey, has
always denied any involvement.
He was sentenced to 15 years, reduced to 10 on appeal, and
fined £90,000.
The Bulgarian authorities refused to release him to a UK
prison until the fine was paid, which his family were only
recently been able to do.
A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed today that the
Bulgarian authorities have now authorised the transfer.
He added: "We will now be making arrangements for the
transfer of Michael Shields to a UK prison."
It is understood the transfer may take place within the next
fortnight, but the Home Office said the exact date will not
be revealed.
(TEAMtalk)
Kuyt: My hero is coming to Anfield
Dirk Kuyt has spoken of his pride that his father will be at
Anfield for the first time on Saturday – just three weeks
after undergoing lifesaving surgery.
The Dutchman feared his dad would never see him don a red
shirt after being diagnosed with cancer.
But doctors have now given Kuyt senior the all-clear to
travel to England to watch his son.
"That will be a special moment for us because before the
operation we didn't know if he'd ever be able to watch me,"
Kuyt told liverpoolfc.tv.
"He had cancer between the throat and the stomach. He had a
big operation three weeks ago but he's doing very well now.
The doctors tell us the cancer is out of his body but we
still have to pray everything will be all right."
The striker idolised the likes of Marco van Basten and Ruud
Gullit as a child – but he has just one hero nowadays.
He said: "My dad is really an inspiration for me. Three days
before he had his big operation I was in Holland for the
nomination of the best player of the year, and he presented
the award to me. I told him afterwards that it really meant
a lot to me that he
did that."
(LFC Official Website)
Sorensen wary of Crouch
Thomas Sorensen expects Peter Crouch to pose a danger to
Aston Villa's unbeaten record on Saturday.
Crouch spent just over two years as a Villa player after
costing £5 million from Portsmouth, but scored just six
goals in 43 appearances.
But since leaving Villa Park for Southampton in 2004, Crouch
has gone on to win international honours with England and
clinch a £7 million switch to Liverpool.
Villa travel to Anfield this weekend and Danish keeper
Sorensen outlined what to expect from his former team-mate.
"He's a very good player," Sorensen told Sky Sports News.
"He's technically very skilled."
(Sky Sports)
McCann doubtful for Anfield trip
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has admitted influential
midfielder Gavin McCann is a major injury doubt for their
weekend game.
The 26-year-old midfielder has missed the last two games
with a calf problem and could again be absent for their trip
to Liverpool.
O'Neill said: "Gavin is still having a problem so we'll see.
It's day by day, we'll have a look.
"But if he's not fit for Saturday then we'll have to do
without him."
(BBC Sport Online)
O'Neill staying upbeat
Martin O'Neill is looking for more of the same when Aston
Villa visit Liverpool at the weekend.
Villa are the only unbeaten side remaining in The
Premiership and have drawn six of their nine games.
A trip to Anfield awaits on Saturday and, rather than worry
about the Liverpool team, O'Neill has urged his players to
maintain their own standards after the 3-2 Carling Cup win
over Leicester City.
"We played the other evening and I thought we played our
part in a very entertaining and exciting game that went the
full distance," O'Neill told Sky Sports News.
"When you look at some of the other games played in the cup
competition this week, Premiership sides have gone out and
some Premiership sides have struggled, and we did okay.
"We'll have to put Fulham to the back of our mind and just
go and apply ourselves properly as we have done for most of
the season.
"Liverpool change accordingly and I wouldn't know what team
there might be out there.
"We will try and look after ourselves and that's what we
intend to do."
(Sky Sports)
Benitez backs Fowler to fire
Rafael Benitez is backing Robbie Fowler to fire in all
competitions after the striker moved second in Liverpool's
all-time League Cup scorers.
Fowler, 31, notched his 28th goal in the competition when he
chipped in against Reading on Wednesday, one strike clear of
Kop legend Kenny Dalglish but still trailing Ian Rush
by 20.
"We know Robbie's record is amazing," Benitez said. "As we
did against Reading, if we create a lot of chances he can
score goals. If you have quality you can score goals in all
the competitions."
(TEAMtalk)
Fowler happy to fire reminder to Rafa
Robbie Fowler hopes his stunning goalscoring comeback will
be enough to force his way into Rafa Benitez's Premiership
plans this weekend.
But despite reaching another Kop milestone, the striker
admits he's known since his emotional return to the club he
has to be realistic about his first team prospects.
Fowler struck a superb opener in the dramatic 4-3 win over
Reading, and at the very least he's virtually confirmed his
place for the fourth round tie away to Birmingham.
However, with Aston Villa arriving at Anfield this weekend,
and Craig Bellamy still struggling with a calf injury,
Fowler's league ambitions must have improved.
"I don't know what to expect this weekend," said Fowler
today. "Obviously I hope I'll be involved, but it's not me
who decides these things. Apart from the first 30 or 40
minutes last night, I thought I did well, and all I can hope
is the manager liked what he saw."
(Liverpool Echo)
No end to Kewell nightmare
Harry Kewell has revealed he will not be back in action
until March at the earliest.
The Liverpool winger has yet to kick a ball this season due
to a combination of foot and groin injuries which have
sidelined him since this summer’s World Cup.
“It’s going to be a while,” he told the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation on a visit to a school in Sydney.
“We’re looking past February.”
The 28-year-old has been undergoing treatment in his native
Australia for seven weeks and is hoping a new boot will help
solve his foot problems and prolong his career.
The boot is produced by a little-known company in Brisbane
and Kewell has been so impressed, he says he has ended his
contract with current suppliers Adidas.
(BreakingNews.ie)
Liverpool feel pressure to sell
The clock is ticking for a decision on who will buy
Liverpool. I understand the board are keen to settle this
long-running saga – it has been going on for three years –
before the club's annual general meeting, to be held in
December or January.
At recent annual meetings there has been much acrimony about
the failure to do a deal and the board are unlikely to want
a repeat of such scenes.
There is also the commitment the club have made to the local
council that they will start work on the new stadium,
estimated to cost £200 million, by next year. However, until
a deal is done, money secured and Liverpool's ownership
settled, there is unlikely to be any progress on the
stadium.
(The Daily Telegraph) |
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WEDNESDAY 25 |
Liverpool to face Birmingham
Liverpool will play Birmingham City in the fourth round of
the Carling Cup. The Reds will travel to St Andrews in the
week commencing November 6 after they beat Reading 4-3 at
Anfield this evening.
Birmingham were viewed as something of a 'bogey side' for
Rafael Benitez before their relegation from the Premiership
last season, although the Reds will return to the scene of
their 7-0 FA Cup quarter-final thrashing of Steve Bruce's
side.
Benitez said of the draw: "There are no easy games in
football and Birmingham away from home will be a tough game
for us."
"Birmingham are playing well in the Championship and towards
the top of the table. I know we won 7-0 in the FA Cup but
this will be a different game."
"It will be good for Jermaine Pennant to go back to
Birmingham and maybe he can score like Craig Bellamy did
against his former club when we played Blackburn in
the Premiership game."
(Shankly Gates)
Mixed emotions for Benitez
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez was delighted with the
four-goal haul against Reading but admitted his side had
lessons to learn after allowing their opponents to set up a
thrilling finale.
"At the end of the day it is a cup tie and we are in the
next round," Benitez said.
"There are a lot of positive things, we scored four goals
and all of them were fantastic goals, there were young
players playing at Anfield which is also very positive.
"We need to learn because we conceded three goals and need
to manage the game in another way."
(ITV Football)
Reds survive Reading fightback
Three goals in a five-minute spell either side of half time
helped Liverpool stutter through against Reading at Anfield.
However, they had to survive a late fright as The Royals
threatened to turn the game on its head in the final 15
minutes.
The tie had failed to spark into life during a turgid first
40 minutes, with both sides failing to make the most of
their possession.
However, first-half strikes from Robbie Fowler and John Arne
Riise, followed by Gabriel Paletta's debut goal just after
the interval seemed to have put the game out of sight.
Even Andre Bikey's header with 15 minutes left looked like
little more than a consolation effort as Peter Crouch
restored Liverpool's three-goal advantage with a fine
finish.
However, late strikes from Leroy Lita and Shane Long ensured
the home fans had to endure a nervy final few minutes.
(Sky Sports)
Liverpool v Reading
As we predicted earlier today, Robbie Fowler has
been handed the captain's armband for tonight's Carling Cup
tie between Liverpool and Reading at Anfield.
Rafa Benitez has has picked a very strong team by the usual
standards for this competition. Peltier and Paletta are two
players getting a rare chance to join up with the first team
players who make up the rest of the side tonight.
Liverpool: 25 Reina, 37 Peltier, 29 Paletta, 5 Agger, 28
Warnock, 16 Pennant, 22 Sissoko, 32 Zenden, 6 Riise, 9
Fowler, 15 Crouch
Subs: 40 Martin, 18 Kuyt, 23 Carragher, 35 Guthrie, 45 Smith
Reading: 21 Stack, 23 De la Cruz, 22 Bikey, 16 Ingimarsson,
14 Halls, 7 Little, 6 Gunnarsson, 11 Oster, 10 Hunt, 8 Lita,
24 Long
Subs: 1 Hahnemann, 18 Sodje, 20 Hayes, 26 Osano, 36
Joseph-Dubois
(Anfield Road.com)
Barry: Villa should have kept Crouch
Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry regrets the day the club
sold Peter Crouch as they prepare to face the beanpole
striker again on Saturday.
Barry has claimed previous Villa manager David O'Leary was
wrong to offload Crouch to Southampton as the Liverpool
frontman prepares to face his former colleagues in the
weekend Premiership clash at Anfield.
Crouch was sold by O'Leary to Saints for a cut-price
£2million in the summer of 2004 after struggling to earn a
regular spot at Villa.
"I always felt during Crouchy's time at Villa, when he got
his chance he did pretty well for us. His goalscoring record
wasn't always prolific but his size and his ability caused
teams problems.
"It was very unfortunate for us that we let him go."
(TEAMtalk)
Gerrard: Don't rule us out of title race
Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard is refusing to give up on
the Premiership title and believes Chelsea and Manchester
United will eventually slip up.
Gerrard, 26, struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford on
Sunday and defeat to rivals United left Rafael Benitez’s men
11 points behind the leaders and second-placed Chelsea.
Liverpool have yet to win away from Anfield in the league
but Gerrard believes getting trips to Stamford Bridge and
Old Trafford out of the way could work in his side’s favour.
“We haven’t made the start to the season we hoped we’d make,
but we’re more than capable of going on a run of 10 games or
more without defeat and that would put us right in the mix
along with the title contenders,” Gerrard said.
“Both United and Chelsea have difficult games coming up but
we have to sort out our own form and get ourselves in a
position to take advantage of any slips that anyone else
makes. And they will slip up.”
(Ireland Online)
Ex-Red to take over the US Options
The number of ex-Liverpool players currently
employed in management seems to be on the wane, yet for one
the possibility of international recognition could be on
it's way. Whilst the likes of Thompson, Souness and Whelan
have tried as managers or coaches and now find themselves
otherwise employed, Steve Nicol is building a growing
reputation.
Currently managing the New England Revolution, Nicol has
been mentioned as a possible candidate for the USA national
coach position as a possible replacement for Bruce Arena. It
would be a good opportunity for the Scot to expand his CV
and potentially gain greater recognition on the World stage.
(talklfc.com)
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Thor Zakariassen
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