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THURSDAY 31 |
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Alonso on the trail
Xabi Alonso is expected to return to full training next
week, after a lengthy lay off with an ankle injury.
The Reds are expecting several other key members back to
full fitness before the end of the season, and boss Benitez
will be delighted that the influential player may now be
able to join them as the team bid for the coveted fourth
spot.
(LFC Online)
Is loyal fan Moores on way out?
David Moores possesses the attributes which many in the game
believe makes him the perfect football chairman - deep
pockets, unwillingness to interfere and unswerving loyalty
to his managers.
He became chairman of Liverpool Football Club in August
1991, saying "This is a life's ambition. As a fan myself,
there is no way I would say no to being chairman of this
fine and great club."
But twice in the past 14 months this most loyal of
Liverpudlians has publicly considered his position.
At a stormy 111th annual general meeting in January 2004,
Moores said: "What has been happening is not good enough for
our club even if I still believe in Gerard Houllier. "Maybe
if it gets any worse I will have to look at my own position
- as chairman the buck stops with me. Hopefully it will not
come to that."
A little less than 12 months later, despite the presence of
a new manager, he aired his frustrations again.
"These past 12 months have not been easy," he said. "Perhaps
it is time now . . . It has been unbearable. It is affecting
my family and we have all tried to do everything in the best
interests of the club."
It seems increasingly likely that if and when new investment
is unveiled at Anfield, it could include the departure from
the boardroom of one of the club's most devoted servants.
(Liverpool Echo)
Cisse is back!
Djibril Cisse is on course for a spectacular comeback for
the last few weeks of the season.
The French striker's dramatic recovery from an horrific
broken leg is well ahead of schedule, according to manager
Rafa Benitez.
And the Anfield boss says he now expects to have Cisse
available for the crucial Premiership climax.
Cisse's early return is staggering, but Benitez says it's
the hard work and attitude of the club record signing which
has inspired him to defy initial medical bulletins.
The 23-year-old has even made staggering progress within the
last week, returning to senior training to force himself
into contention for a shock first team recall.
Benitez today praised the £14m striker's determination to
play again in a campaign written off when he was badly
injured against Blackburn last October.
"Cisse is now training again with the team. He is doing all
the warm-ups and he's kicking the ball again," said Benitez.
"I'm very happy with him. He's running well and doing a lot
of hard work with the physios with the ball. Yesterday, he
completed a full warm-up.
"After talking with my assistant Paco Ayesteran, who
controls the fitness coaching, we no longer believe it's
impossible he'll play this season."
(Liverpool Echo)
Reds need cash to compete
It has been a long, often turbulent year for Liverpool
Football Club with as much drama happening off the pitch as
there has been on it.
But today the ECHO reveals that it could yet end in smiles
for everyone at Anfield, with the hopes of securing major
new investment far from dead.
Despite the first anniversary of the hunt for new backers
arriving last week, the club has by no means given up hope
of doing a deal which could see millions of pounds in new
money pumped into Anfield.
There are at least two major parties talking to the club
about a potential investment deal. While agreement is some
way off and by no means certain to happen, there could yet
be a positive announcement to silence the doubters and ease
concerns of supporters.
The parties are said to be 'serious players of both wealth
and repute' and direct dialogue is known to be ongoing.
If investment comes from either it will almost certainly
herald a new era at Anfield, with chairman David Moores
likely to take on a lesser role or possibly moving out
completely after 15 years in ultimate control.
(Liverpool Echo)
New talks over Stadium funding
New talks will be held to try to break the funding deadlock
over Liverpool FC's stadium plans.
The Northwest Development Agency today confirmed it will
hold discussions with "all relevant parties" after the club
voiced fears about the project's spiralling costs.
The NWDA has yet to decide whether to release an £11m grant
to pay for improvements around the Reds' planned new stadium
in Stanley Park.
And it still backs the idea of a ground-share between
Liverpool and Everton, despite failed talks between the two
clubs.
(Liverpool Echo)
International Reds round-up
Liverpoolfc.tv round-up how the Reds' international
contingent fared on a busy night of World Cup qualifiers.
Steven Gerrard (England) - opened the scoring in England's
2-0 win over Azerbaijan at St James Park.
Milan Baros (Czech Republic) - won a penalty, scored a goal
and set up another in a 4-0 rout of Andorra.
Jerzy Dudek (Poland) - kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory
over Northern Ireland in Warsaw.
John Arne Riise (Norway) - played the full 90 minutes of a
goalless draw with Moldova in Chisinau.
Jamie Carragher was an unused substitute in the England game
while Luis Garcia, fresh from making his full debut for
Spain at the weekend, was not involved in the 0-0 draw
against Serbia & Montenegro in Belgrade.
Steve Finnan was an unused substitute in the Republic of
Ireland's 1-0 friendly victory over China at Lansdowne Road
on Tuesday.
(LFC Official Website)
Vignal wants Ibrox stay
Rangers defender Gregory Vignal has not given up hope of
staying at Ibrox beyond the end of the season, his agent has
revealed.
The Frenchman, who has been linked with Newcastle and Aston
Villa, has severed his ties with Liverpool, who loaned him
to Rangers for the season.
He had been hoping representative Philippe Flavier could tie
up a long-term deal following victory in the CIS Insurance
Cup final earlier in the month.
But no agreement could be reached, with Rangers chief
executive Martin Bain telling the player to look elsewhere.
But Flavier insisted the door remained open for Rangers and
invited them to set up new dialogue.
He said: "Nothing has changed but everything is still open
for Glasgow too. We are waiting and perhaps we will talk
again.
"Okay, we did not find an agreement but the two parties like
working together.
"There is no meeting planned but why not? He is absolutely
happy with Glasgow and it could be a great season for them."
(TEAMtalk)
Kirkland closing in on return
Chris Kirkland has given Liverpool a major boost
by declaring he should be back in action before the end of
the season following a successful back operation.
Kirkland last played for the first team on 11th December
2004 in the derby at Goodison Park and then underwent
surgery to finally cure a persistent back problem.
Kirkland told Liverpoolfc.tv: "The recovery is going very
well. I had the operation on my back eleven weeks ago and it
needed doing because I had been struggling with it for some
time. The club and myself decided that the best thing to do
was get it all sorted out so it's gone very well. I'm
running again but I'm still a couple of week's away from
diving and making saves but I'm hoping to be back in action
this season.
"I hope to play before the end of this season, it's
obviously up to the gaffer when I play but all I can do is
get myself back and fit. If the manager wants me to wait and
work more on my fitness then we will decide that later on."
(LFC Official Website)
Baros not going to Valencia
Milan Baros's agent last night dismissed reports of a summer
move to Valencia - but admitted several clubs are chasing
the Liverpool striker.
Rafael Benitez's former club are reportedly ready to
rekindle their interest in Baros, whose long-term Anfield
future is in doubt.
But his agent Pavel Paska said: "There are many teams that
have asked for Baros, but I can assure you 100% that of
Valencia I know nothing."
(Daily Post)
Liverpool back in dock
Liverpool officials will spend a third and final day in
London today defending an FA charge over last October's
crowd disturbances at Millwall.
The Carling Cup win was marred by ugly scenes at the New Den
when some Liverpool fans reacted to sickening abuse directed
at them by Millwall fans.
Liverpool deny the charge of failing to control their
supporters while Millwall have also been charged by the FA.
A final decision is expected tomorrow.
(Daily Post)
Gerrard: We can win the group
Goalscorer Steven Gerrard is confident England will win
their World Cup qualifying group, despite a frustrating
night at home to Azerbaijan.
The 2-0 victory over the Group Six minnows - captain David
Beckham scored the second - was not what was expected after
main rivals Poland put eight past the same side at the
weekend.
However, even with Poland's 1-0 win over Northern Ireland
earlier in the night England still top the group and with a
home match against the Poles to come, Gerrard believes there
is no reason why England cannot maintain top spot through to
the end of qualification.
"It was difficult. Azerbaijan weren't the toughest opponents
but we had to be professional and get the win and it was a
shame we didn't get more goals," he said.
"I think when you play opposition like this it is important
to score early. Because it took a while to come it got
frustrating and you start to try more things which don't
come off.
"We are in the driving seat and we have still got to play
Poland at home and we are confident we can win the group."
(ITV Football) |
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WEDNESDAY 30 |
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Milan strikes again
Liverpool striker Milan Baros has scored again in the
recently concluded Czech Republic match against Andorra.
The Liverpool striker continued his good form with a goal in
the 40th minute before being taken off in the 60th min.
(Thank goodness for that)
Milan Baros is number eight in the Czech
Republic/Czechoslovakia’s all-time Top Goalscorers list and
just two goals shy of clubmate Vladimir Smicer who is just
above him in the rankings with 25 goals.
(talklfc.com)
Valencia preparing Anfield raid
Spanish outfit Valencia have reportedly short-listed
Liverpool striker Milan Baros as a possible summer target
and have started putting the feelers out about the player's
availability and possible valuation.
(Kop Talk)
Juve ace waits for Reds
Mauro Camoranesi is refusing to focus on Juventus' UEFA
Champions League tie with Liverpool until after the
weekend's game with Fiorentina.
Juventus lock horns with Liverpool in the first leg of their
quarter final encounter next midweek.
But prior to the trip to Anfield, Juventus face a key tussle
against Fiorentina in their quest to pip Milan to the Serie
A title.
Camoranesi is aware of the significance of the Liverpool
game, but does not want to dwell on it before Fiorentina are
out of the way.
"We don't think of the Champions League although we are
aware that, in a few days, we will play a match that will
play a big part in the season," said Camoranesi.
"But before that, we must win in the league and continue our
battle with Milan."
(Sky Sports)
Nando: I can be fit for Bolton
Fernando Morientes says he has a chance of being declared
fit for the visit of Bolton this weekend.
The Liverpool striker is ready to hand manager Rafa Benitez
a rare but massive injury boost having made a speedy
recovery from the thigh injury which prematurely ended his
first Merseyside derby.
Benitez had earlier resigned himself to losing Morientes
against Sam Allardyce's in-form side.
But his Spanish striker has already returned to training and
is refusing to rule out the possibility of making a dramatic
appearance.
"The injury is better. I'm not sure whether I'll be fit for
Saturday, but it's possible,"
said Morientes..
(Liverpool Echo)
Reds must think outside the box
It's hard to know where Liverpool will turn for goals with
the current striking crisis the club has on its hands.
If Fernando Morientes does make a lightning-quick comeback
it will be a massive boost against Bolton on Saturday. But
as it stands, we may well not have a recognised front man to
play against Wanderers.
So the key to victory now and over the next few weeks may
well come from long range. Without a fit goal poacher to get
us the tap-ins, the message to the players from Rafael
Benitez should be to shoot on sight.
(Tommy Smith - Liverpool Echo)
New stadium delay costs £750,000 a month
The soaring price of delays to Liverpool FC's new stadium
plans is costing the club more than £750,000 a month.
As rising construction costs force up the price of the
planned 60,000-seater stadium, some experts say the monthly
rise is nearer £1m.
It comes as the North West Development Agency continues to
stall on releasing an £ 11m grant for the club, in a bid to
resurrect the failed groundshare plan with Everton.
Stanley Park Stadium project has already escalated from £80m
in 2003 to £120m.
(Liverpool Echo)
Board backing Benitez
Despite posting a loss of £21.9m at their last AGM, the Reds
board has still managed to present a sizeable cash-pot for
boss Rafael Benitez to bolster his squad this season.
Already committed to a club record £14m transfer of Djibril
Cisse from Auxerre when Benitez succeeded Gerard Houllier,
the club sanctioned a further outlay of £10.7m on Xabi
Alonso and £2m on Josemi.
Those purchases were largely offset by the departures of
Danny Murphy for £2.5m and Michael Owen for £8m, while the
departure of a chunk of El-Hadji Diouf's salary from the
wage bill allowed the acquisition of Mauricio Pellegrino.
But the board still found a further £6m to land Luis Garcia,
£6.5m to capture Fernando Morientes and £750,000 for the
transfer of promising young goalkeeper Scott Carson.
A nett outlay of £29.45m in the past nine months compares
favourably with Manchester United and even Chelsea, while
putting Arsenal firmly in the shade.
But Rafael Benitez is still far from being in a position
where he has a squad he can call his own - and further funds
are clearly necessary.
(Liverpool Echo)
Newcastle enter Vignal fray
Newcastle United have emerged as contenders to sign Gregory
Vignal.
Rangers had hoped to seal a permanent deal for the left
sided ace, but they failed to agree personal terms.
Now Vignal is on the lookout for a new club, having accepted
some time ago that his Anfield career was over.
(Sky Sports)
Le Tallec is fit
Anthony Le Tallec is fit and available for selection for
Saturday's game with Bolton despite newspaper reports to the
contary.
Many of the weekend papers said Le Tallec had picked up an
injury playing for the French under 21's side on Friday and
would be out for a month. However, Le Tallec was available
for France under 21's game in Israel last night.
Le Tallec was an unused sub in France's 3-2 defeat.
(LFC Online)
Welsh scores for England
Liverpool reserves' captain Jon Welsh scored for England
under 21's as they beat Azerbaijan 2-0 last night.
This was Welsh's first start at this level and he capped his
full debut performance with a cracking goal to put England
on their way to a victory that takes them top of their
qualifying group.
Both Welsh and Scott Carson played the full 90 minutes and
impressed manager
Peter Taylor.
(LFC Online) |
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TUESDAY 29 |
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Traore makes successful comeback
Djimi Traore has given Rafael Benitez a major boost by
returning from injury to play 45 minutes for Liverpool
Reserves in their 2-0 defeat by Wolves at Wrexham's
Racecourse Ground.
Traore played well during the first 45 minutes and made one
superb interception to deny Wolves Colin Cameron a goal
after three minutes. He looked sharp and should come into
contention for Saturday's meeting with Bolton Wanderers.
Besides Traore's inclusion Liverpool Reserve manager Hughie
McAuley fielded a young side largely made up of players from
the Academy Under-18 team. Darren Potter was back from
international duty with the Republic of Ireland Under-21s to
captain the Liverpool team and he and David Raven were the
more experienced Reds players. McAuley was without John
Welsh on international duty with England Under-21s and
Anthony Le Tallec with France Under-21s.
Liverpool Reserves: Harrison, Raven, Traore (D Smith 45), J
Smith, O'Donnell, Potter, Barratt, Mannix, Platt, Noon
(Hammill 72), Wilkie. Unused subs: Luzi, Hitchen, Frayne.
(LFC Official Website)
Djimi set to return
Djimi Traore will play his first game since injuring his
thigh in the Carling Cup final when he lines up for the
reserves against Wolves tonight.
With Stephen Warnock out injured for three weeks, Traore's
return will come as a much needed boost to Rafael Benitez.
Paul Harrison keeps his place in goal with Scott Carson away
on international duty. Darren Potter, David Raven and David
Mannix all play.
(LFC Online)
International Reds in action again
Liverpool's international stars will once again be turning
out for their country this week.
Steven Gerrard will play for England against Azerbaijan on
Tuesday night, despite suffering a knock on his ankle in
Saturday's game with Northern Ireland.
Luis Garcia made his Spanish debut as a 54th minute
substitute against China last weekend, and is likely to be
on the bench again when they face Serbia and Montenegro on
Tuesday.
Jerzy Dudek will be in goal for Poland against Northern
Ireland, while Milan Baros is on duty with the Czech
Republic in Andorra.
(LFC Online)
Cisse returns to France to play in
friendly
Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse and Real Madrid star
Zinedine Zidane were two of the big names doing their part
for charity in France on Sunday.
Turning out to do their bit for a good cause, the
footballers helped raise funds for the fight against the
leucodystrophie disease.
Before 10,000 paying fans, Zidane and Cisse played a
friendly which saw Rennes beat Nancy 5-3.
Founded in 1992, the European Association against
Leucodystrophies (ELA) has been fighting to raise the
awareness of the disease which can paralyse a child's vital
functions.
Each week in France, three to six children are born with the
disease.
(talkfc.com)
Tsunami match raises £500,000
Liverpool's all star charity game raised an estimated £1/2m
for the Tsunami Appeal, Anfield officials revealed today.
Organisers of the match hailed the 'fantastic' response of
the Merseyside public who turned up in their thousands to
support the Easter Sunday event.
A crowd of 39,000 saw a side of Liverpool legends defeat a
Celebrity XI 6-2.
Liverpool's chief executive Rick Parry believes Sunday's
event was a stunning success.
"We knew there would be great support from the Merseyside
public, but even such a fantastic response exceeded
expectations," said Parry.
"To attract a crowd of 39,000 must rank this as the best
game of its kind ever held at Anfield. I'm sure you would
only get this kind of response on Merseyside.
(Liverpool Echo)
Barnes backs Reds to finish fourth
John Barnes is confident Liverpool can overcome their
striker shortage to beat Everton in the race for fourth
place.
Last week's derby victory took the Reds to within four
points of their city rivals with eight games left to play as
the battle hots up for the final Champions League slot.
Barnes said: "The derby win should give Liverpool a lot of
confidence because they are now only four points behind
Everton and Everton have got the harder runin.
"A lot will depend on how long it takes Morientes to get
fit. They may have Luis Garcia back for the Bolton game but
apart from that they don't have anyone else to play up
front."
"It is going to be very difficult over the next few weeks
without any frontmen but I still feel Liverpool have enough
quality to over-take Everton by the end of the season. How
quickly, or how comfortably they can do it, depends on how
long it takes Morientes to recover.
"I still expect Liverpool to finish fourth but I'm not as
confident as I was. Morientes won't play against Bolton and
probably Manchester City and there is no-one else to come in
with Baros suspended so it is going to be tough."
(LFC Official Website)
Benitez hangs fire on Anfield squad cull
Rafael Benitez insists he will reserve judgement on his
Liverpool squad until his debut season in the Premiership
has drawn to a close.
The Anfield manager is expected to implement widespread
changes to his playing staff this summer as he hastens his
own rebuilding programme.
Several high-profile stars, such as Harry Kewell and Milan
Baros, have been linked with an Anfield exit while Dietmar
Hamann, Vladimir Smicer and Igor Biscan will be out of
contract at the end of this campaign.
"In the summer we will look for different things and then we
will make our decisions, that is normal.
"For me the most important thing now is that a player tries
hard and gives his best. If they do that then I cannot ask
for anything more as a manager."
(Daily Post)
Sander hails Benitez impact
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld has given
Rafael Benitez a ringing endorsement as he tries to bring
success to Anfield.
Westerveld was dumped by previous boss Gerard Houllier and
is currently plying his trade at Real Mallorca, but was back
at Liverpool at the weekend to play in the Tsunami Sports
Aid charity match.
He said: "It has been a difficult season for Benitez, he has
not been at all lucky with injuries and when you are missing
your important players it will always bee difficult.
"But he is a big name in Spain and everyone respects him. He
did great things at Valencia and I have every confidence
that he will bring success to Liverpool as well."
(TEAMtalk)
Owen: I'm very happy to stay with Madrid
Michael Owen last night reaffirmed his commitment to Real
Madrid as he insisted his determination to fight for a
regular place in Spain would not harm England's 2006 World
Cup chances.
"Obviously if you're not playing every week, people put two
and two together and start linking players (to other clubs).
But, as I've said many times before, I'm very happy at
Madrid."
Owen, 25, has appeared in a total of 32 Primera Liga or
Champions League games so far this season, many as
substitute, but has still scored 10 goals.
"Obviously people see me sitting on the bench a couple of
times and say that I'm not playing," he added. "But I have
played quite a bit this season - more than 40 games in total
for club and country - and more than half of them have been
starts.
"I'm not pretending that I'm delighted at sitting on the
bench. Even if it's once,
I don't enjoy it.
"But let's not make a mountain out of a molehill. I will
play more than 50 games in total this season and, in
anyone's book, that's not too bad.
(Daily Post) |
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MONDAY 28 |
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O'Neill hints at Henchoz stay
Celtic boss Martin O'Neill has indicated he will offer
Stephane Henchoz a long-term deal at Parkhead.
The Swiss defender joined The Bhoys on a short-term contract
from Liverpool during the January transfer window.
Henchoz has struggled to break into O'Neill's first team
since his arrival, but the Celtic chief admitted he is keen
to keep the player at the club beyond this season.
"When Stephane arrived, he was short of match fitness and
he's trying to get that," said O'Neill.
"I'm sure he will have a few offers in the summer, but I'm
hoping we'll be one of the clubs involved in that."
(Sky Sports)
Riise eyes Norway spot
Bjorn Helge Riise hopes to follow his brother John Arne into
the senior Norway team.
The 21-year-old, who is considering his future at FC
Brussels, believes his elevation to the Norway side will
come in time.
"Of course, I am proud of him. He inspired me much when I
was 14-15 years," Riise told VG.
"If I continue to develop, the national team will come.
"I feel I still have got some work to do."
Liverpool ace John Arne Riise has admitted it would be dream
for him to play alongside his brother at some stage in his
career.
"I am aiming to one day play on the same team as him, just
to have done it," said Riise.
(Sky Sports)
King Kenny: Soccer aid was just fantastic
Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish has spoken of his delight
after taking part in the star studded Easter Sunday Soccer
Aid match at Anfield and paid tribute to those who turned up
to support the event.
The man revered as arguably this club's greatest ever player
was the star attraction as a team of Reds legends took on a
celebrity side to raise money for the Tsumani disaster fund.
And speaking to Liverpoolfc.tv afterwards, King Kenny said:
"It was great for the players to get back together, enjoy a
bit of banter and raise a lot of money for the Tsunami
Appeal.
"We proved we knew how to play when we were younger and I
know we are not as fast as we used to be but we just kept
passing and moving. I'm sure we brought moments of pleasure
to a lot of people. To come back here at Anfield and play
again was just fantastic for all of us.
(LFC Official Website)
Whites ace in Anfield race
Nicky Hunt is facing a race to be fit for
Saturday's showdown with Liverpool at Anfield.
The Wanderers defender was injured in the dying minutes of
England U21s' 2-2 draw with Germany at Hull on Friday.
He was seen in pain clutching his knee, but an early
diagnosis by the England physio suggested the injury was no
more than a dead leg and he would be available for Tuesday's
U21s game against Azerbaijan at Middlesbrough.
Since then, however, there has been some swelling behind the
player's knee, and over the weekend he returned to Bolton
for further examination by the Wanderers
medical staff.
(Bolton Evening News)
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Thor Zakariassen
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