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THURSDAY 6 |
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Roberts hails on-loan Raven
Tranmere defender Gareth Roberts has hailed the contribution
of on-loan Liverpool man David Raven.
The 21-year-old right-back has been a regular since joining
Rovers until the end of the season in January.
Wales international Roberts, who also started his career at
Anfield, has been impressed with the youngster.
He said: "Dave Raven's come in and done well. He's come from
Liverpool, so he's got good experience and he's obviously
been brought through well there.
"He's done really well in the games that he's played."
(TEAMtalk)
Agger good news, Agger bad news
Liverpool defender Daniel Agger was today named Denmark's
young player of the year. The news is a real boost for the
player who is tipped to play a huge part in the club's
future.
The bad news is that Agger has looks likely to miss this
weekend's game against Bolton due to a shin injury which has
been causing him problems for a few weeks.
(Kop Talk)
Benitez: Gonzalez will be huge hit
Rafa Benitez says the successful loan spell of Mark Gonzalez
to Real Sociedad has underlined the Chilean winger's
potential to have a major impact at Anfield.
"Mark is playing really well in Spain. He's been one of the
best players for Real Sociedad, and all the reports have
been impressive about him," said Benitez.
"He has been playing good football against all the top clubs
in Spain, including those who are doing well in the
Champions League and include some of the best defenders in
Europe.
"He has shown he can be a player who can be a fantastic
signing for us when he is given the opportunity. I know he
will be liked by our supporters because of the qualities he
has with his pace, his technical ability and his bravery.
"I'm sure he will give us a lot of very enjoyable afternoons
watching him play."
(Liverpool Echo)
Juve hoping to lure Gerrard
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is reportedly being linked
with a move to Juventus.
The Italian giants suffered a huge setback against Arsenal
in the Champions League on Wednesday and according to The
Sun they see Gerrard as the man to guide them to glory next
term.
However Liverpool have no intention of selling Gerrard after
he signed a new four-year contract back in July although
Juve would tempt them with a whopping £30million offer.
(Sporting Life)
Carragher: Make or break time
Liverpool centre back Jamie Carragher says the FA Cup will
make or break the Merseysiders' season.
The Reds were disappointed to crash out of Europe to Benfica
and are currently third in The Premiership, five points
behind second-placed Manchester United.
Carragher knows his team face a tough proposition when
tackling Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford,
but appreciates it is a game Liverpool need to win.
"I think if we win the FA Cup it'll be an excellent season,
obviously we've [already] got a trophy in the Super Cup," he
told Sky Sports News.
"If we lose to Chelsea or lose in the final, it'll be a good
season because we've progressed a lot in the league and
picked up the Super Cup.
"We're disappointed with the Champions League but I think
there's been progress made.
"Like I say, the FA Cup could make or break us."
(Sky Sports)
Reserves beaten
Liverpool reserves were beaten 2-1 by Sunderland at Durham
FC's Archibald Stadium last night. Academy graduate Adam
Hammill scored Liverpool's consolation goal.
Liverpool started the game well with Paul Anderson and Jack
Hobbs both coming close to opening the scoring inside the
first ten minutes. Lee Peltier and Danny Guthrie were both
commanding in midfield and the Reds were on top.
Sunderland's goal in the 18th minute was very much against
the run of play. However, Liverpool continued to boss the
game and almost equalised in the 25th minute only for Hobbs'
shot to rebound off the post.
The equaliser duly arrived in the 37th minute however, and
it was a fine goal. Anderson sent Robbie Foy clear down the
right wing, then Foy picked out Hammill in the penalty box
and a composed finish from him brought the Reds deservedly
level.
Unfortunately for Liverpool they were unable to take command
of the second half. They were unable to create many chances
and eventually lost when David Martin brought down
Sunderland sub David Dowson in the box to give away a
penalty that the Mackems buried nine minutes from time.
The defeat was harsh on Liverpool who, on their first half
performance, were worthy of a draw at least.
(LFC Online) |
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WEDNESDAY 5 |
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Kewell heading for international row
Liverpool winger Harry Kewell is on a potential collision
course with Socceroos boss Guus Hiddink over his desire to
honour pre-existing media commitments during the World Cup
finals.
The Football Federation of Australia insist that they will
not allow any squad member to be involved with any
commercial media arrangements from May 22 when the Socceroos
meet up in Melbourne with no exceptions to their ruling.
Kewell is tipped to make several hundred thousand dollars
during the finals due to his relationship with the Nine
Network. He is contracted to them to provide up to three
interviews a week if required but paperwork aside, he
wouldn't let down friends at the network.
FFA head of high performance John Boultbee is confident
Kewell will not go against the wishes of Guus Hiddink.
He said: "We've informed his management, and I sat down with
Harry in Mierlo (Dutch training camp) when we were there and
he reiterated most strongly that he wanted to concentrate on
football and he would be doing his best not to become
involved in any extra-curricular activities.
"I'm sure the players, including Harry, will follow the
rules. This is something Guus has absolutely insisted upon -
he knows from past experience that even the most innocent
remark can be misinterpreted, blown up … and generally
become disruptive to
team harmony."
(Kop Talk)
Morientes hoping to stay
Fernando Morientes hopes he has impressed Rafael Benitez
enough to remain at Anfield next season.
Rafael Benitez is expected to make changes to his forward
line once the football season ends. Fernando Morientes is
hoping he remains part of Benitez' plans and will still be
at Anfield next season.
He said: "I have not dodged a challenge anywhere in my
career. I have a lot to offer this club, although I know I
haven't played to my full level as often as I would have
liked. But my best is coming.
"It does not matter what you have achieved in the past, it
is irrelevant. You always have something to prove.
"I have a four-year contract here and I will be running as
hard in the last year of my contract as I did in the first
year.
"I have seen people elsewhere who have played hard at the
time of contract renewals and done enough to get what they
wanted. Once they have the security of a long-term deal they
ease off and don't perform the way they have previously.
"That happens sometimes but not at this club because the
manager would not tolerate it."
(LFC Online)
Rafa reveals transfer hopes
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is hoping to make progress in
the transfer market before this summer's World Cup finals.
The tournament gets underway on 9th June when Germany kick
off against Costa Rica and then runs until the final on 9th
July.
During that time any players that Rafa may be interested in
could perform well and their transfer fees will rise as a
result which is why the boss has already discussed his
targets with the club's chief executive Rick Parry.
Rafa said: "If it is possible to prepare the squad before,
it will be better."
(Kop Talk)
Vignal eyes Pompey exit
French defender Gregory Vignal is desperate to leave
Portsmouth in the summer as he searches for first-team
football.
The former Rangers and Liverpool star has barely featured
for Pompey since Harry Redknapp returned to Fratton Park in
December, having been a regular under Alain Perrin in the
early stages of the season.
Vignal is a target for Lyons, Paris Saint-Germain and
Marseille, according to reports in the French press.
(Football UK)
Reds trial Ham-Kam starlet
Ham-Kam starlet Marcus Petersen says he will join Liverpool
on trial in the summer.
The 15-year-old has made his name as a promising striker and
is expected to travel to Anfield at the end of the season in
order to impress Reds boss Rafa Benitez.
Boasting pace and a fierce shot, Petersen will be keen to
make an impression at the club he supports, but the starlet
says he is focused on breaking into the Ham-Kam team in the
next 12 months.
"It took some days before I decided," Petersen told
Dagbladet.
"I have been a Liverpool supporter since I was born, my dad
is also one.
"It will surely be educative, my ambition is to turn
professional, but I have got to wait a few years.
"Ham-Kam is very good with young players, they work hard
with us and are not afraid to give us the chance."
(Sky Sports)
Reds linked with Real Madrid ace
Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing Real Madrid
ace Raul.
Reports originating from Spain claim that Rafael Benitez has
turned to the Spanish hitman after Valencia's David Villa
closed the door on a possible move to Anfield.
(Kop Talk)
Liverpool submits new stadium plan
Liverpool FC's plans for a new 60,000-seat stadium in
Stanley Park have been resubmitted to the city council for
fresh approval, the Daily Post can reveal.
It is the most robust sign in months that the club remains
determined to proceed with the project despite mounting
doubts about its affordability. And last night the North
West Development Agency confirmed it will hand over crucial
millions to the scheme as long as the club can raise the
necessary private finance.
Costs for Stanley Park have risen from an original £80m five
years ago to at least £160m now.
New planning guidelines have forced the club to seek renewed
permission after it was originally granted way back in July,
2004.
A number of stipulations have been laid out, including one
restricting the stadium to the same crowd capacity as
Anfield - 45,000, instead of the 60,000 it wants to seat -
until it comes up with an acceptable transport plan to cope
with extra fans.
The future of the Stanley Park scheme has been in doubt over
recent months as costs spiralled and the board struggled to
secure the finances.
But last night a Liverpool FC spokesman confirmed: "We
remain confident and are very much committed to making sure
the new stadium goes ahead."
(Daily Post)
Morientes joins Fowler fan club
Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes has added
his voice to the calls for Robbie Fowler to be given a new
Anfield contract this summer.
Fowler admitted on Tuesday that he had no idea if he would
be offered a new deal by Rafael Benitez when his short-term
contract expires at the end of the season.
But team-mate Morientes, whose own Anfield future is sure to
come under the spotlight after a disappointing campaign, is
convinced that Fowler would be a huge asset to the Reds next
term.
He told the club's website: "I'm very aware of what Robbie
has achieved in the past and I know from watching him work,
train and play what he can achieve in the future. It's very
important that he gets a new contract.
"I spent my younger years being very aware of football and
watching it all the time on the television, but even if you
don't watch the game then I'm sure you'd still know who
Robbie Fowler is.
"He's a real idol to the fans here and I think he's partly
responsible for people going to the game almost with an
extra spring in their step because they know they can expect
something special from him."
(TEAMtalk) |
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TUESDAY 4 |
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Daniel Agger player of the year
Liverpool defender danish national player Daniel Agger,
where today elected as the best young player U21 in Denmark.
(Liverpool4ever)
Crouch praises Fowler
Peter Crouch has sung the praises of Liverpool legend Robbie
Fowler.
Crouch has hailed Fowler as an inspiration and says his
return to Liverpool has been a boost to all the strikers at
the club.
"For me personally it's an honour just to be in the same
team as him because he's been such a great player over the
years, and obviously with myself being a striker you watch
players like him and learn from him," Crouch told the
official website.
"It's a pleasure to play with him and if I can learn things
from him in training and take parts of his game to mine then
it can only benefit myself. He has proved over the years
what good movement he has got and what a good finisher he
is. Even in training you can see by his finishing just how
top quality he is and hopefully I can learn from him."
(LFC Online)
Benitez: We need a Cisse alternative
Rafa Benitez believes Liverpool must find a more permanent
solution to their right wing needs than Djibril Cisse.
The French international turned in an impressive performance
for Liverpool in the wide right position in the game against
struggling West Brom at the weekend, but Reds boss, Rafa
Benitez believes Liverpool must find a more permanent
solution:
"He is one solution but not the permanent solution because
we know he is not a right winger, that he likes to play as a
striker.
"He is a solution for certain games. It depends on the
opposition, and in this case we were without Gerrard - so he
was the best option for us being offensive."
(all3points - Liverpool)
McAuley praises Anderson
Hugh McAuley has praised Paul Anderson for his
matchwinning performance for the reserves in their 1-0 win
over Birmingham City.
The young striker scored the only goal of the game in the
dying minutes of the match and was singled out for praise by
the reserves team coach.
"We had to be patient as we were a little bit sloppy at
times in the first half but we upped the tempo in the second
half and got the goal we deserved," McAuley told the
official site.
"Scoring in the last minute is the best time to score if
it's going to be 1-0 so we are pleased with that. Paul
Anderson acted well to score and he was lively on the night
but he wasn't in the game enough for our liking.
"Scoring goals has been a problem for us this season to be
honest but thankfully Paul chipped in with the winner."
(LFC Online)
Cisse cut by Rafa
Rafael Benitez will undergo a major clear-out this summer to
sweep away the Anfield dead wood he inherited from Gerard
Houllier.
The Liverpool boss is ready to swing the axe and lose a
whole SQUAD of players he considers no longer up to the job.
Djbril Cisse will be the highest-profile casualty as the
club looks to raise money to reinvest in a big-name striker
to guarantee goals with Feyenoord's Dutch international Dirk
Kuiyt a prime target.
(Daily Mirror)
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Thor Zakariassen
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