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THURSDAY 31 |
Glovers sign Liverpool midfielder
Yeovil Town have completed the signing of Liverpool
midfielder Lee Peltier for an undisclosed fee.
The 21-year-old made 23 appearances on loan at Huish Park
earlier this season and has now penned a permanent
three-year deal with the Glovers.
(TEAMtalk)
Rotating Rafa is ruining Liverpool, says McMahon
Rafa Benitez has been warned he must drop his rotation
policy and pick his stars every time if he is to lift
troubled Liverpool out of the slump which threatens their
Champions League place.
Anfield title winner Steve McMahon also insists Benitez's
players must accept that their recent form is partly to
blame, rather than the off-field problems of American owners
Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
McMahon, a midfielder in Liverpool's last championship side
of 1990, admits he cannot see an end to the long wait for
another title unless Benitez has a radical rethink with the
team, who face Sunderland on Saturday, down in seventh
place.
McMahon said: 'As a supporter and an ex-player I'm
frustrated beyond belief. I know about all the off-field
problems but it's gone on longer
than that.
'I went to the Birmingham game at Anfield in September and I
was excited because I wanted to see Fernando Torres play.
I've not been so disappointed in a long time when I found
out he was on the bench.'
(Daily Mail)
Idrizaj snubs Oldham
Oldham’s bid to sign Liverpool's Besian Idrizaj has fallen
through after the striker opted to pull out of the move.
The Latics made an approach for the Austrian and were
confident of wrapping up a deal to sign the 20-year-old.
The deal was announced by Liverpool, but that was premature
as Oldham are claiming the player pulled out following a
meeting with his agent.
Latics chief John Sheridan has stated ‘we do not wish to
employ players who do not wish to play for the club.’
(Setanta Sports)
Date confirmed for cup tie
Liverpool have confirmed the date for their FA Cup fifth
round clash with Barnsley.
It will take place at Anfield on Saturday February 16, 2008,
kick-off 3pm.
The game will not be televised live.
(LFC Official Website)
Reds duo get England call
Steven Gerrard have been named in the England squad for next
week's friendly against Switzerland.
The Liverpool duo, along with on loan goalkeeper Scott
Carson, are in Fabio Capello's first England squad, as are
former Reds Chris Kirkland and Emile Heskey.
(LFC Online)
Yorke injury blow for Sunderland
Sunderland Football Club star Dwight Yorke faces a spell
on the sidelines.
The Trinidad & Tobago international picked up an injury
during the 2-0 win over Birmingham City on Tuesday night,
and he has been ruled out of their clash with Liverpool on
Saturday.
(Fans FC)
Carra: Reds playing for fourth
Jamie Carragher says Liverpool's title bid is over and
believes the club are fighting for a Champions League place.
Defeat at West Ham last night left them 17 points off the
pace in seventh, still without a win in the league since
Boxing Day.
Boss Rafael Benitez is confident they can earn a top-four
place but Carragher is ready for a fight to get back into
Europe's elite for
the next campaign.
"I think the league has gone and we've got to realise that
we're fighting with Everton, Aston Villa and Man City for
that top-four place," said Carragher on the club's official
website.
(ITV Football)
Sami: Team unity will break slump
Sami Hyypia has spoken of the need for team unity in order
to pull Liverpool out of their league slump.
The big Finn knows from experience how hard it is to turn
around a negative string of results – just ask him about the
winter of 2002-03. Back then Gerard Houllier's Liverpool
went 11 league games without a win.
The present run of four points from five games is not quite
at that level just yet – and Hyypia has his own ideas on how
to make sure it
never does.
"It's a group thing," he told Liverpoolfc.tv following
defeat at West Ham. "We need to re-group and as a team find
a way out. We need to work even harder than we have been
doing and then it will come. We have enough quality in the
squad to win games and score goals, so it's a matter of time
before our form comes back."
(LFC Official Website) |
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WEDNESDAY 30 |
Rafa rage over late lapse
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez was left cursing an injury-time
lapse in concentration as West Ham condemned the Reds to a
1-0 defeat
at Upton Park.
"Yes to lose is always a bad thing for us but especially in
these types of games where you have chances and you are
attacking, but you don't take your chances," Benitez told
Sky Sports.
"Especially after a corner in the last minute - they can go
forward and play on the counter-attack when we only had
three players outside [the West Ham box] and they won a
penalty.
"Everything went wrong at the end."
(Sky Sports)
Late Hammer blow for Liverpool
Mark Noble grabbed a stoppage-time winner from the penalty
spot as West Ham beat visitors Liverpool 1-0 in the Premier
League on Wednesday.
With better finishing from Luis Boa Morte at Upton Park, the
Hammers would have had their first win over the Reds since
1999 sealed before Noble struck from the spot.
But Boa Morte wasted two sitters either side of half-time
before home
fans cruelly cheered him off when he was substituted.
Even a draw would have left Rafael Benitez's men still well
off the pace for the title and they remain without a win in
the league since Boxing Day.
(TEAMtalk)
Teams: West Ham v Liverpool
Liverpool face West Ham tonight for the first time this
season and Rafa’s picked a strong side for a match the Reds
are desperate to win after a run of league draws.
Pepe Reina is back in goal after Charles Itandje was allowed
a chance against Havant on Saturday, and Jamie Carragher
comes in for Martin Skrtel who’s back on the bench. Fabio
Aurelio returns at left-back, Finnan stays in the side at
right-back.
West Ham: 1 Green, 2 Neill, 5 Ferdinand, 6 Upson, 3
McCartney, 7 Ljungberg, 16 Noble, 17 Mullins, 29 Bowyer, 34
Boa Morte, 12 Cole
Subs: 21 Wright, 9 Ashton, 11 Etherington, 15 Solano, 18
Spector
Liverpool: 25 Reina, 3 Finnan, 23 Carragher, 4 Hyypia, 12
Aurelio, 11 Benayoun, 8 Gerrard, 14 Alonso, 7 Kewell, 9
Torres, 18 Kuyt
Subs: 30 Itandje, 15 Crouch, 19 Babel, 21 Lucas, 37 Skrtel
Referee: Alan Wiley
(AnfieldRoad.com)
Liverpool FC fans in buy-out sensation
A new group is preparing a plan to buy out Liverpool FC's US
owners.
It is understood the group comprises high-profile LFC fans,
legal experts and people in senior public positions.
(Liverpool Echo)
Sunderland next up for cup holders
Liverpool will play Sunderland in the fifth round of the FA
Youth Cup.
The under 18's will play Sunderland at the Stadium of Light
on Wednesday, February 13th. The two teams were supposed to
meet at reserve level that same night but the reserve game
has been postponed. No new date has yet been set for that
fixture.
(LFC Online)
Mascherano out
Javier Mascherano is unavailable for tonight's game.
Mascherano will have to sit out tonight's away game against
his former club West Ham as the Argentinian midfielder is
serving a one game suspension after picking up his fifth
yellow card of the season against Aston Villa.
(LFC Online)
Kuyt: Tonight could be the turning point for me
If Dirk Kuyt was to hand pick a Premier League club against
whom
to begin his own renaissance he could do a lot worse than
West Ham.
Last season, the Dutchman enjoyed a memorable debut against
the Londoners and also scored one of his finest Liverpool
goals to date in
the return fixture at Upton Park.
Tonight, Kuyt is hoping the sight of those famous claret and
blue shirts will again be enough to bring out the best in
him.
“I have a lot of good memories of West Ham,” he said. “And I
am hoping that tonight’s game will produce some more.
“When I made my debut last season it was against West Ham
and that was a really special occasion for me."
(Liverpool Echo)
Benitez wants the Liverpool
talk to be about football
Rafael Benitez believes it’s time for “everybody to talk
about football”.
The challenge now is to ensure Liverpool’s on-field exploits
are being discussed for the right reasons.
With the refinancing package of the club’s American owners
having been finalised and the revised plans for a new
Anfield unveiled, the uncertainty in the boardroom appears
to have abated – at least for the time being – over the past
few days.
The turmoil behind the scenes has deflected somewhat from a
period of underachievement on the pitch, with Liverpool
being usurped from fourth place despite a nine-match
unbeaten run.
But Benitez says: “It is important for everybody to talk
about football now. Maybe this (the backing from Hicks) can
help.”
Benitez’s side eventually rallied to win 5-2, but his team’s
hugely disappointing performance intensified the scrutiny on
the Spaniard.
But he says: “People have been looking at me for months! The
game was difficult against Havant & Waterlooville because we
couldn’t win no matter what happened. We won 5-2 and we were
criticised."
While they stumbled on in the FA Cup, Liverpool’s recent
indifferent Premier League form has seen them draw their
last four games to drop
to sixth place.
However, their record against tonight’s opponents West Ham
United is encouraging. Liverpool are unbeaten in 10 Premier
League contests with the Hammers and have won the last six.
(Liverpool Daily Post)
Kraft hints at Liverpool bid
American businessman Robert Kraft admits he has not ruled
out a possible takeover of Liverpool.
Kraft owns American football side New England Patriots and
Major League Soccer outfit New England Revolution.
And the businessman - who is founder, chairman and chief
executive of the Kraft Group - was strongly linked with a
bid to buy the Reds before the Merseyside club was taken
over by fellow Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks for
£470million in 2007.
"We haven't ruled it out completely," Kraft told Sky Sports
News.
"But I'm worried a little bit. I want to be able to win
whatever we do. But there are no rules in terms of spending
on players."
(Sporting Life)
Sissoko not sore at Rafa
Mohamed Sissoko has insisted he feels no animosity towards
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez.
Sissoko’s spell on Merseyside came to a close on Tuesday
when he signed a long-term deal with Juventus.
The Malian was tipped to make a huge impression for
Liverpool when making the move to Anfield in 2005.
Benitez rates the player highly, having signed him for both
Valencia and Liverpool, but he slipped down the pecking
order at Anfield following
the arrival of Javier Mascherano.
It has been suggested Sissokko’s relationship with Benitez
soured this term, but the midfielder opted to praise the
manager who gave him his big break.
“I have no problem [with Benitez], he is a good manager,”
Sissoko said
on Setanta Sports News.
”He gave me the opportunity to play in Liga and he is a good
manager.
”I won trophies at Liverpool and I was happy to play at
Liverpool.
“It is a new challenge for me and I want t play well for
Juventus.”
(Setanta Sports) |
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TUESDAY 29 |
Rafa upbeat on Masch deal
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez believes the club can make
Argentinean midfielder Javier Mascherano a permanent signing
before the transfer window closes on Thursday.
His comments come after Mohamed Sissoko switched to Juventus
for £8.2million, giving the Reds the money to finance the
deal.
He said: "Rick Parry (Liverpool chief executive) is working
on the deal. He has also concluded the deal for Sissoko to
go to Juventus.
He added: "I am confident it will be tied up soon. Sissoko
has gone and we are closer to a deal for Javier.
"We are working very hard to achieve that before the window
shuts. I hope for something positive in the next 48 hours.
Javier has made it very clear he wants to stay here and I
believe he will.
"But we do not need to do anything quickly - he is our loan
player until the summer, and it could all be sorted out
then.
"We have two days, and if we can finish everything now it
will be perfect. He wants to stay.
"The fee we have got for Momo can certainly help as we try
to complete the deal."
(Sky Sports)
Leeds confirm Gary McAllister as new manager
Leeds have confirmed the appointment of former skipper Gary
McAllister as their new manager.
Chairman Ken Bates has wasted little time in naming the
43-year-old as successor to Dennis Wise, who quit Elland
Road on Monday to join Newcastle as executive director.
A club statement read: "Gary McAllister is the new manager
of Leeds United. The 43-year-old joins the club initially
until the end of the season and will meet the players for
the first time on Wednesday."
Former Leeds midfielder McAllister becomes the club's third
manager in 16 months following the sacking of Kevin
Blackwell in September 2006.
Since David O'Leary's departure in June 2002, Leeds fans
have seen seven different managers, including caretaker-boss
Eddie Gray, come and go at Elland Road.
(Liverpool Daily Post)
Attacking duo back for Hammers
Striker Dean Ashton (back) and winger Matthew Etherington
(knee) have been passed fit and return to the West Ham squad
for tomorrow night’s visit of Liverpool, but winger Julian
Faubert (calf) is doubtful.
Craig Bellamy (stomach), Bobby Zamora (knee), Nolberto
Solano (hamstring) and Danny Gabbidon (groin) have resumed
training but are unlikely to feature.
James Collins (knee) appears to be out for the rest of the
season, with Scott Parker (knee), Kieron Dyer (leg), Nigel
Quashie (foot) and Calum Davenport (neck) also unavailable.
John Pantsil and Henri Camara are absent on international
duty.
Provisional squad: Green, Wright, Neill, Spector, Ferdinand,
Upson, McCartney, Bowyer, Faubert, Ljungberg, Noble,
Mullins, Etherington, Boa Morte, Reid, Ashton, Cole,
Tomkins, Collison.
(Ireland On-Line)
Sissoko seals Juve switch
Juventus have confirmed the signing of Liverpool midfielder
Mohamed Sissoko.
The Mali international has signed a five-year contract with
the Italian club.
Sissoko struggled to hold down a regular first-team place at
Liverpool this season after falling out of favour under
manager Rafael Benitez.
The 23-year-old Mali midfielder has already passed his
medical despite being on African Nations Cup duty when the
move was announced.
And he is excited at the prospect of playing for Juve.
He told the club's official website: "I am happy to have
signed for such
a big club, this experience is certainly a step forward in
my career.
"I am excited at the thought of playing with great champions
like (Gianluigi) Buffon and (Alessandro) Del Piero and
working again with Claudio Ranieri, a great coach with whom
I already worked with
at Valencia."
The fee has not been disclosed by either club but reports in
Italy suggest it is in the region of £8.2million.
Sissoko, who joined the Merseysiders from Valencia in July
2005, made nine league appearances for Liverpool this
season, scoring once.
His career at Anfield has been interrupted by a serious eye
injury, sustained against Benfica in February 2006, and a
dislocated shoulder suffered against Birmingham in November
that year.
(Sporting Life)
Bellamy unlikely to face Reds
Craig Bellamy is unlikely to line-up against his former
teammates on Wednesday despite being back in full training.
The West Ham striker has been out for three months with an
abdominal injury, and though he played 87 minutes for the
reserves this week, he's unlikely to face Liverpool at Upton
Park.
Hammers assistant Mervyn Day said both he and Nol Solano
would probably not feature, adding: "They are training well
but Nobby's not had
a reserve game or any sort of competitive football since he
did his hamstring against Man United, and Craig has been out
even longer and has only played 87 minutes in a reserve
match."
(LFC Official Website)
Rotation not a problem for Babel
Ryan Babel has followed team-mate Fernando Torres in handing
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez his backing, insisting the
Spaniard’s widely criticised rotation policy is the perfect
way to approach the demands of The Premier League.
“I would obviously relish more playing time,” he told the
Liverpool Echo.
“I am ambitious and want to play. I am sometimes a bit
disappointed not to play but I appreciate Benitez’s ideas."
Despite appearing to adapt seamlessly to life in England
since his summer move from Ajax, Babel has not started a
game for
the Merseysiders since the Boxing Day victory over Derby.
(Setanta Sports)
Liverpool will pay £30m a year interest
Liverpool Football Club will have to come up with around
£30m a year to pay the interest on loans taken out by its
American owners.
In an astonishing announcement that confirms the worst fears
of many Reds fans, a spokesman for Tom Hicks admitted for
the first time that
the club will be responsible for servicing the £350m loan
package.
The loan taken out with the Royal Bank of Scotland and
Wachovia was divided in two. with £105m being loaded onto
the club’s book, and
the remaining £245m going on to the books of Kop Holdings,
the parent company set up by Hicks and George Gillett when
they bought Liverpool last February.
But today’s bombshell news that it is the club, and not
Hicks and Gillett, which will have to meet interest payments
on both sections of the loan
will put huge financial pressure on Liverpool to qualify for
the lucrative Champions League every season.
(Liverpool Echo) |
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MONDAY 28 |
Riise rumours rejected
John Arne Riise's agent has rejected talk linking the player
with a move away from Liverpool.
Premier League rivals Newcastle and Aston Villa have been
linked with the Norwegian international in recent weeks.
Riise's future at Anfield has been the subject of intense
speculation as he has failed to hold down a regular place in
Rafa Benitez's starting XI
this season.
However, Riise's representative Jan Kvalheim says although
clubs may be interested in the full-back, the player is
going nowhere.
"There are probably a lot of teams thinking about making a
bid but nothing will happen," Kvalheim told Nettavisen.
"He has got one-and-a-half years left on his contract.
"It hasn't been an issue or important that he is sold in the
transfer window - it is only journalists in England and
Norway that are speculating."
(Sky Sports)
Reds drawn at home to Barnsley
Liverpool have been drawn at home to Barnsley in the fifth
round of
the FA Cup.
After beating non-league heroes of the 2007/08 campaign
Havant and Waterlooville 5-2 at Anfield on Saturday, the
Reds booked their place in the fifth round draw. Barnsley
beat Southend away to go through to the fifth round.
Only six Premier League teams feature in the final 16 teams
of this year’s competition with “tie of the round” being
Manchester United vs Arsenal.
Full FA Cup fifth round draw
Bristol Rovers v Southampton
Cardiff City v Wolves
Sheffield United v Middlesbrough
Liverpool v Barnsley
Manchester United v Arsenal
Preston v Portsmouth
Coventry City v West Brom
Chelsea v Huddersfield Town
The ties are scheduled to take place on 16 and 17
February.
(This is Anfield)
Sissoko set to seal Juve switch
Liverpool midfielder Mohamed Sissoko is expected to seal his
move to Juventus on Monday for a cut-price fee of just over
£8million.
Sissoko, who is away on international duty at the Africa Cup
of Nations, is keen to leave Anfield after making just six
Premier League starts this season.
Reports in Italy claim the midfielder arrived in Turin on
Sunday and will now undergo a medical before being
officially unveiled on Monday in a deal worth 11million
euros (£8.2million).
It is reported that the 28-year-old will pen a contract at
the Stadio Delle Alpi until 2012.
(TEAMtalk)
Lucas: Benitez blast fired us on
Lucas Leiva has revealed how some harsh words from Rafa
Benitez inspired Liverpool's much improved second half
showing against Havant & Waterlooville on Saturday.
After a shocking first half performance which saw the Reds
go behind
to their non-league opponents twice, Benitez read his
players the riot act during the interval.
And Lucas believes it was the kick up the backside they
needed as Liverpool went on to win 5-2 and earn themselves a
place in today's FA Cup fifth round draw.
"Rafa said a lot of hard things to us at half-time and told
us that we had
to improve because we had conceded goals too easily and I
think we did improve."
(Liverpool Echo)
Gale thanks Rafa
Havant manager Shaun Gale has thanked Rafael Benitez for
congratulating his team on Saturday.
After Saturday's 5-2 FA Cup fourth round win over
non-leaguers Havant & Waterlooville Rafa Benitez went into
the away dressing room to congratulate the Hawks on a
fantastic performance.
"Rafa knocked on the door and came in to say well done at
the end. I've got the utmost respect for him. He's one of
the world's best managers and what he did means the world to
me. I'm gutted to lose but can accept it at Anfield," said
Gale.
"Their players also came in, signed shirts for us, we were
treated magnificently."
(LFC Online)
Bellamy in Reds race
West Ham will be checking on the fitness of star striker
Craig Bellamy ahead of the clash with Liverpool on
Wednesday.
Much as the Hammers would love to see the Welsh hitman in
action they are very wary of throwing him in too early as he
has played just one reserve game since picking up an
abdominal injury over three months ago.
Hammers assistant boss Mervyn Day says he understands that
Bellamy will be desperate to play against his former club
Liverpool, but has warned against risking him too early.
"Players always target the earliest game possible, so we
have got to look at it properly and see whether Craig is
actually fit enough to play any part against Liverpool,"
said Day.
"Certainly he is training well, but Craig has only literally
played 87 minutes in a reserve match since the injury first
struck, so realistically it is going to be a big ask for him
to be involved.
(Clubcall Sports)
No point in spoiling Havant’s day
with Anfield post-mortem
They started as no-hopers. Frightened rabbits caught in the
glare of a media spotlight putting their club under the type
of scrutiny they have never experienced before.
So the last thing they needed was a visit from Havant &
Waterlooville.
Talk about a no-win situation for Liverpool. An 8-0
scoreline wouldn’t even have been enough to give them their
biggest win of the season.
Thanks to the Blue Square South side’s incredible endeavour
– carrying out their manager’s pre-match instructions to
take it all in and seize the day to the letter – there was
never a chance of that happening.
But therein lay Liverpool’s problem. Resounding victory and
the reaction is ‘so what?’ An unconvincing and often
embarrassing 5-2 win and the reaction is still ‘so what?’
(Nick Smith - Liverpool Daily Post)
Thor Zakariassen
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