THURSDAY 6
	Benitez opens talks on his future Liverpool have had the first in what they hope will be a series of meetings with manager Rafael Benitez amid speculation he could move to Juventus. Benitez, 50, had reportedly cancelled two meetings with chairman Martin Broughton before they met on Thursday. "The meeting was constructive," said a Liverpool spokesman. (BBC Sport Online) Carragher plans Liverpool talks Jamie Carragher is planning to hold talks with Liverpool about a new deal at the start of next season. Rumours have suggested Carragher was considering his future at Anfield if he was not offered a new deal at the club. However, the defender has moved to clear up the confusion by insisting he wants to finish his career at Liverpool and says he decided with Rafa Benitez to put off contract talks until next season. "I've spoke to the manager about it and we both agreed that it would be better if we talked about it at the start of next season," Carragher told LFC Weekly. "There was an interview with a national newspaper and the headline was a bit misleading, saying that I would be prepared to leave Liverpool. "Really, I said that if Liverpool didn't want me, I'd be forced to sign for someone else because I'd have no other option. "I don't want to retire yet. I understand at my age, you can only make decisions season by season. But I want to finish my career at Liverpool. I don't want to play for anyone else." (Sporting Life) Kuyt picks up Carlsberg player of the season Liverpool One was buzzing with excited footy fans as Carlsberg hosted an end of season party for the Reds. Hundreds of Liverpool fans tried to catch a glimpse of their favourite LFC players past and present including Dirk Kuyt and Daniel Agger, and legends Alan Kennedy, David Johnson and Phil Neal. The bash took place in the luxurious settings of Palm Sugar Lounge which was packed with over 250 VIPs and players. Lucky invited guests were greeted by a host of Carlsberg models from Liverpool agency Pulse while DJ Dave Graham kept the party bouncing as everyone tucked into Thai canapes. Man of the night was Dirk Kuyt who was presented with the Carlsberg Man of the Season Award by Christina Brandis, head of Carlsberg sponsorship. (Liverpool Echo) Carragher announces testimonial against Everton Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has revealed he will hold a testimonial against Everton later this year. Carragher says he will mark his 14 years at Liverpool with a testimonial match against local rivals Everton on September 4th. Carragher, who was a boyhood Everton fan, will celebrate his time at Anfield with a game against the Toffees during an international break. The game will see a number of old Liverpool stars, including Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Dietmar Hamann, Jamie Redknapp and Michael Owen return to Anfield with all proceeds from the match going to local charities through Carragher's '23 Foundation'. "It has been in the pipeline for four or five months and I've had to keep things quiet but I'm delighted now that I can start to talk about it properly," Carragher told LFC Weekly. "Hopefully it should be a great occasion, one that the Merseyside public get behind. "Every single penny that gets raised will be going to charity and it would nice to see the stadium full of families because that is what the day is going to be about. It's a huge honour to play for Liverpool and I just want to try and give something back." (tribalfootball.com) Liverpool FC co-owner Tom Hicks dashes fans' hopes of quick sale Tom Hicks believes there are “plenty” of people willing to invest in Liverpool – but has hinted it may be up to another 18 months before the club is sold. And that could impact on the future of Rafael Benitez with the manager poised for showdown talks with new chairman Martin Broughton in the next 48 hours. Hicks, along with fellow co-owner George Gillett, appointed Broughton last month to oversee the sale of the club after the pair expressed a desire to completely cut ties at Anfield. Benitez is seeking assurances over significant funds in the forthcoming transfer window which is likely to only come from the cash injection brought by a swift takeover. (Liverpool Daily Post) Agent reveals Fiorentina interest for Liverpool midfielder Aquilani The agent of Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani admits a move to Fiorentina this summer could be on. Aquilani has struggled with form and fitness in his first season at Anfield, but has remained a long-term target for Fiorentina sports director Pantaleo Corvino. The former Roma star's agent, Franco Zavaglia, told Forzaroma.info: "Can we talk about a possible deal? It is too soon. First of all he wants to finish the season well, then we need to know what the future of Liverpool will be. Then we can make concrete findings. "The interest of the Viola is not new. Talk of Aquilani and the Viola has been going on for three years. Once again, Alberto is in the sights of Corvino, so there is nothing new." (tribalfootball.com)
	WEDNESDAY 5
	Carragher battling to break milestone Jamie Carragher doesn’t often suffer injuries. So the surprise of him being forced off the field during the Chelsea game will have been as much a shock to the player as the fans. However he is determined to return to the side for the final league game of the season this weekend at Hull City. If he starts against Hull City he will be making his 435th league appearance for Liverpool, surpassing another defensive legend Alan Hansen. It will also be his 630th total Liverpool appearance. “My target at the start of every season is to play in 50 games so I’m glad that I have achieved that again. “You have to have a bit of luck with injuries to make sure that happens and I have been fortunate throughout my career not to suffer with little niggles. “At a top club like Liverpool, there are always players who want to take your place, so to play 50 games a season here is something that I am proud of.” If 32 year old Carragher continues at Anfield next season he looks likely to push hard to push in to 2nd place in the Liverpool all-time top appearance table. Top 10 all time appearances (as of 5th May 2010) 1. Ian Callaghan (867 total appearances) 2. Ray Clemence & Emyln Hughes (665) 4. Ian Rush (660) 5. Phil Neal (650) 6. Tommy Smith (638) 7. Jamie Carragher (629) 8. Bruce Grobelaar (628) 9. Alan Hansen (620) 10. Chris Lawler (549) (Anfield Online) Skrtel returns to full training Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has left the treatment table and returned to full training at Melwood. However, the player is unlikely to feature in the reds final game of the season at Hull on Sunday. The Slovakian international broke a metatarsal bone in the Europa League victory over Unirea Urziceni at the end of February. The player has featured in half of the reds Premier League games this season but will be aiming to be back to match fitness by the team Slovakia take on New Zealand in the World Cup on June 15th. (Anfield Online) Smith calls for Benitez to come clean Liverpool legend Tommy Smith has labelled the Reds' current campaign as "the season from hell" and pleaded with manager Rafael Benitez to clarify his future at the club. It has all been too much for Smith, who spoke out in his Liverpool Echo column. "Rafa has always said he loves the club, the fans and the city. For the sake of all three, he must now come out and make his intentions clear - one way or the other," Smith said. "Rafa has said nothing publicly to suggest he is still up for the challenge, ready to try and sort out the problems and go again. That is only adding to the anxiety and fuelling more controversy. "We all know the problems the American ownership has brought - and at times caused the manager. It can't have been easy for him to a degree but in truth he has made mistakes which cannot be blamed on (Tom) Hicks and (George) Gillett." (Football 365) Liverpool FC on its knees as season ends in strife There was a time, not so long ago, when Liverpool supporters used to ask, then discuss, five straightforward questions. They went along the following lines: Who are we playing? When and where is the game? Which players are injured? What are our transfer plans? It was a simple time. Occasionally results would go askew and that would lead to some frustration but, in the main, feelings of angst were always assuaged by the fact the club had firm foundations and were capable of recovery. If only the same could be said now. Pre and post match chatter these days, particularly after Sunday’s harrowing defeat against Chelsea, is consumed by one alarming quandary – why? Why has it come to this? The end of the season from hell, which will finish with Liverpool taking the road to Hull, cannot come quickly enough but when the final whistle sounds at the KC Stadium on Sunday afternoon, it will not signal the termination of all woes. Far from it. Liverpool, as it has been noted on many occasions, is a club on its knees, lacking direction, the rudderless ship sailing into the eye of a storm; each passing day brings about a new, complex set of woes. (Dominic King - Liverpool Echo)     Reports: Chelsea bid £70m for Torres Chelsea have launched a dramatic and potentially record-breaking £70m offer for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, according to reports. The Daily Mail, splashing the bombshell across its back page, claims that 'preliminary discussions have already taken place, with the outcome of those meetings positive enough to convince Roman Abramovich that he will beat his big-spending rivals at Eastlands to the 26-year-old Spaniard'. (Football 365)
	TUESDAY 4
	Rafa cancels Broughton meetings to stir future rumours Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has recently cancelled two meetings with new club chairman Martin Broughton, it was revealed today. The first of the meetings was scheduled when Liverpool fell into problems getting to their Europa League semi-final against Atletico Madrid in Spain two weeks ago, amid air issues with the volcanic ash from Iceland. The second is thought to have been in the build-up to the second leg of the Atletico tie, in which the Reds crashed out of Europe, despite winning 2-1 on the night after extra-time. Speculation as to whether Benitez has a future at the club is reaching fever pitch, after an under pressure season at the club and reports in Italy suggesting he has an offer from Juventus on the table. Some other reports suggest Benitez is keen to crack on with a plan for the club, once he knows his transfer budget for this summer’s transfer market. (This is Anfield) Dalla Valle sinks Black Cats Liverpool Reserves ensured they ended their 2009-10 Barclays Premier Reserve League North campaign with a victory thanks to a 1-0 success at Sunderland on Tuesday evening. Lauri Dalla Valle gave John McMahon's men the three points with a finely worked move that resulted in the 18-year-old finding the back of the net from 20 yards on 34 minutes. Sunderland pressed for an equaliser in the second half, though their cause was hindered by the dismissal of Liam Noble 15 minutes from time, with the visitors remaining resilient. The result brought the Reds second-string's five-match losing streak to an end as they collected their first win since a 2-1 triumph at Bolton on March 29. Liverpool Reserves: Hansen, Flanagan, Kacaniklic, Palsson, Mavinga, Irwin, Saric (Brouwer 62), Amoo, Dalla Valle, Kholert (Coady 80), Bruna (Cooper 32). Subs: Chamberlain, Sokolik. (LFC Official Website) Torres may miss World Cup opener Spain striker Fernando Torres may not be fit for the start of the World Cup, according to medical staff at his club side Liverpool. The 26-year-old is recovering from surgery to repair knee cartilage torn in the 4-1 win over Benfica on 8 April. "Whether he will be fit for the first game or not is uncertain," said Peter Brukner who is overseeing his recovery. "But, if he continues to progress the way he is, he should be fit to play at some stage during the World Cup." (BBC Sport Online) Financial expert David Bick fears for Liverpool's future as board deliver nothing but 'broken promises' Liverpool need a "rescue" rather than just a takeover, according to football finance expert David Bick, who believes the club is at an important cross-roads in its history. Bick, chairman of Square 1 Consulting, believes fans of the Reds should not be fooled by financial results set to be released by the club, which he believes will see them announce a profit of around £35 million. "Liverpool has potentially reached its most important historic point," Bick wrote in an open letter, as reported by ESPN Soccernet. "The club has now gone 20 years without winning the English league title. It has never won the Premier League. It was drummed out earlier than expected from this year's Champions League and now, as one of the world's biggest clubs, faces the ignominy and reality of failing to qualify for next season's premier European competition." (Goal.com) Agent: Rafa wishes to stay with Reds Rafael Benitez's agent claims the Liverpool boss has not received any offers from Juventus or any other club - and wants to stay at Anfield. Speculation over Benitez's future shows no signs of abating, with Manuel Garcia Quilon's comments in the last few weeks having ranged from suggesting Juventus were ready to sign Benitez this summer to the latest proclamation that he has no intention of leaving Anfield. "We have not received any offers from any club," Quilon told Press Association Sport. "Benitez's aim is to remain at Liverpool and try to help the team improve with new owners. "He is under contract and his wish is to remain at Liverpool." (TEAMtalk)  Go now Rafa, holding your head high If Rafael Benitez truly respects Liverpool Football Club he'll leave Anfield today. The players have lost the faith, the boardroom is unimpressed with the politicking and the supporters are suffering, albeit in silence. If Benitez exits quickly, accepting Juventus' generous offer, he goes with some dignity. If he stays, the inevitable long goodbye becomes indescribably messy, distressing for all concerned and demeaning to a club of Liverpool's great history. This is not a warning for Benitez, this is a fact. He's lucky. The Kop's refusal to call for his head, in the wake of a disastrous season and four trophy-less years, speaks handsomely of their substance and loyalty. At any other major club, probably barring Arsenal, restless natives would have been chanting for the manager's removal. Benitez now meets Liverpool's new chairman, Martin Broughton, to discuss transfer budgets but why should the board trust him with the club's cash? His record is too inconsistent. They give him money for a table and he comes back with a lampshade. He's got a centre-back at left-back and a holding midfielder at right-back. Liverpool's squad is an exercise in mismanagement. (Henry Winter - Irish Independent)   Thor Zakariassen ©