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SUNDAY 9 |
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Gerrard's £1.5m sponsorship deal
Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard has reportedly signed a
£1.5million advertising agreement with Persil washing
powder.
Gerrard replaces former Liverpool striker Michael Owen to
front their campaigns and he'll begin filming the first ad
later this month in time for the run-up to the World Cup
finals.
Owen signed a £1million deal with Persil in 2004.
(Kop Talk)
Benitez full of praise for goal hero Robbie
Rafael Benitez was full of praise for goal hero Robbie
Fowler after the Toxteth predator settled a tight game with
a first half winner over Bolton.
"To score a goal and the winner is the best thing for a
striker and it was nice for Robbie on his birthday,"
enthused Benitez.
"I like to see Robbie scoring goals and it is good for me to
see him working so hard and playing really well."
(LFC Official Website)
Birthday boy sinks Bolton
Robbie Fowler celebrated his birthday with the only goal in
Liverpool's 1-0 win over Bolton.
The Liverpool hero struck right on the stroke of half time
to give the home side the three points on his 31st birthday.
The win was Liverpool's fifth on the trot and for Bolton it
was their fourth successive defeat and another dent in their
European aspirations.
(Sky Sports)
Liverpool v Bolton - CONFIRMED TEAM
LIVERPOOL: Reina, Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Riise, Kewell,
Gerrard, Alonso, Cisse, Fowler, Crouch.
SUBS: Dudek, Garcia, Traore, Hamann, Sissoko.
(Kop Talk)
Rafa says Stevie will stay
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is convinced Steven Gerrard will
not move on from Anfield in the summer.
The signs of summer approaching are generally apparent when
Gerrard's name starts to crop up in the transfer gossip
columns.
Chelsea came close to signing him in the last two summers,
but the England man remained loyal to Liverpool and Benitez
does not expect a change this year.
"He is happy here," said Benitez. "His commitment is the
best in the club.
"Steven's very happy here and has been settled this season."
Benitez feels the midfield powerhouse may want a new
challenge in the future, but does not foresee him seeking a
move this summer.
"Maybe in the future, if he has won The Premiership three
times, he might like to play abroad," added the Spanish
tactician.
"You can see it in his game - he doesn't want to go anywhere
else."
(Sky Sports)
Rafa impatient over funding
Signs of impatience over the continued wrangling over
funding appear to be growing with Rafa Benitez commenting
ahead of today's Bolton game.
He was asked about his plans for summer transfers and
responded, "I don't know at the moment what my budget is.
"I'm not really thinking about it although it will be easier
to achieve what I'm trying to achieve if I have money.
"Before the World Cup I hope to know more about the
financial situation.
"We can't wait until after the World Cup. We need to know
before then and try and bring them in."
(Anfield-Online)
Happy Birthday to Robbie and Henrik
Robbie Fowler (31) and my son Henrik (25) celebrate their
birthdays today. Love and the very best wishes to both of
them.
(Webmaster) |
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SATURDAY 8 |
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Big Sam delivers Pool dig
Sam Allardyce has reignited his war of words with Liverpool
counterpart Rafa Benitez by claiming the Spaniard's side are
more physical than his own.
Benitez has previously angered the Wanderers chief by
lamenting the manner in which Bolton set out to play.
Allardyce believes Liverpool are now one of the division's
more physical side, stoking up the atmosphere ahead of
Sunday's crucial clash.
''When we played them earlier at The Reebok earlier in the
season, they played the sort of over-zealous football that
Benitez has accused us of playing in the past,'' said
Allardyce.
''It seemed that his team were it at more than us when we
last played them.
''With the players he has bought, Benitez has made the side
more physical.
''They are a huge side and they remind me of the Arsenal
team we used to play when we first came to The Premiership.
''So you have to adapt the way you play against them to cope
with the challenge.''
(Sky Sports)
Carragher hails Sissoko
Mohamed Sissoko is being tipped to be Liverpool's player of
the year - just weeks after being told his career was
threatened by a serious eye injury.
The all-action midfielder, snatched from Valencia by boss
Rafael Benitez last summer from under the noses of Everton,
has emerged as a major influence on the Anfield side.
Now Sissoko, who is expected to face Bolton in the
Premiership on Sunday, has earned the praise of both
defender Jamie Carragher and Benitez.
Carragher said: "Sissoko has been one of the top performers
this season, not just for Liverpool but right across the
country, and he is only 21.
"To come back from the accident he had in Lisbon has been
impressive, and to come straight back into big matches like
the derby says it all, he has been tremendous for us
all season."
(PA Sport) |
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FRIDAY 7 |
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Benitez dangles carrot for Fowler
Rafael Benitez has held preliminary discussions with Robbie
Fowler about the Liverpool star's future at Anfield.
Although Benitez declined to shed any more light on the
prospect of Fowler winning a new contract when his current
short-term deal ends this summer, the carrot was clearly
being dangled for Fowler to finally prove his worth.
(Football 365)
Allardyce has options
Bolton manager Sam Allardyce has his strongest squad
available for four months ahead of Sunday's Premiership
clash against Liverpool at Anfield.
Ivan Campo and Matt Jansen return to the squad after playing
for the reserves in midweek as part of their recovery from
broken foot and knee injuries respectively.
Ricardo Gardner and Gary Speed have also recovered from
viruses which have kept them on the sidelines recently.
Team (from): Jaaskelainen, O’Brien, Hunt, Jaidi, Ben Haim,
N’Gotty, Gardner, Giannakopoulos, Faye, Okocha, Speed,
Nolan, Davies, Vaz Te, Diouf, Pedersen, Walker, Nakata,
Borgetti, Campo, Jansen.
(Ireland On-Line)
Nolan keen to avoid Intertoto route
Bolton captain Kevin Nolan claims he will not be able to
sleep for a week if the Trotters end up in the Intertoto Cup
this summer.
Three successive defeats appear to have wrecked Bolton's
chances of landing a prized top four spot, and with
Liverpool and Chelsea lined up as their next two opponents,
life is not getting any easier for Sam Allardyce's men.
"We have tasted European success and we would like it
again," he said.
(Liverpool Echo)
Search is on for new Liverpool coach
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has been unable to persuade
Paco Herrera into staying on with the Reds.
The boss knows he has a huge void to fill and anyone with an
inch of football knowledge knows that Herrera has played a
massive part in the success that has already been achieved
in such a short space of time.
Rafa is now considering who to bring in and what changes to
make for next season.
He said: "We need to use Paco as much as we can before he
leaves. He's been very important for us with his scouting
and coaching. He is also a fantastic person, so it is a bad
loss.
"But we must understand his reasons. He needs to be with his
family. He has a wife and young daughter in Spain.
"The reasons for his leaving show the kind of person he is.
I know he loves working here and is very grateful to the
club, but you must always think about your family.
"We're thinking how we will change the structure but ensure
we work in the same way. We're very happy with the work of
Frank McParland, who works alongside Paco in the scouting.
"I have some ideas and the main thing is not to change what
we're doing now too much, because there has been a lot of
progression."
(Kop Talk)
Crouch revels in new confidence
Peter Crouch believes Liverpool's problems in front of goal
are a thing of the past.
Crouch will lead the attack against Bolton at Anfield on
Sunday, with Rafael Benitez's men aiming to reach the
70-point mark for only the second time in the last 10
campaigns.
Currently on 67, a victory over a Bolton side who have
stumbled recently with three successive defeats would see
Liverpool reach 70 points for the first time since they
achieved 71 in finishing third in the 1995-96 season.
(PA Sport)
Reds heroes to take leading part in
Hillsborough service
Liverpool heroes Steven Gerrard and Robbie Fowler will give
the readings at this year's Hillsborough Memorial Service.
It will be the first time in 10 years that current players
have taken a leading role in the event.
Previous readers include Alan Hansen, Bruce Grobbelaar and
John Aldridge.
The 17th anniversary of the disaster in Sheffield, which
cost 96 Liverpool fans their lives, will take place on
Saturday, April 15.
Manager Rafa Benitez, with the whole squad and other club
staff, will join around 2,000 people at the Kop in a
minute's silence at 3.06pm, the moment when the FA Cup
semi-final against Nottingham Forest was halted when
officials realised fans were being crushed on the terraces.
Gerrard will read Psalm 23 The Lord is my Shepherd, and
Fowler will read from Isaiah 43:1-3a "Fear not, for I have
redeemed you".
During the service the 96 names of the dead will be read out
and a candle lit in memory of each victim.
(Liverpool Echo)
Gerrard returns to face Trotters
Steven Gerrard returns from suspension to lead Liverpool in
their home league match with Bolton on Sunday.
He missed the victory at West Brom after his two yellow
cards in the Merseyside derby. Also in contention is fellow
midfielder Dietmar Hamann who has been struggling with a
back injury for a fortnight.
Young defender Daniel Agger is out with a shin injury, as
Liverpool bid to make it six successive victories.
Liverpool (from): Reina, Finnan, Kromkamp, Hyypia,
Carragher, Riise, Warnock, Luis Garcia, Kewell, Gerrard,
Alonso, Sissoko, Hamann, Morientes, Cisse, Fowler,
Crouch, Dudek.
(TEAMtalk)
Carson extends Wednesday stay
Sheffield Wednesday have secured the services of Scott
Carson on loan until the end of the season.
Carson's original loan agreement with the Owls was due to
expire after this weekend's clash with Crewe in the
Championship.
Wednesday boss Paul Sturrock has been delighted with the
performances of the Liverpool goalkeeper since his switch to
Sheffield and has moved quickly to retain Carson's services
until April 30.
(LFC Official Website)
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Thor Zakariassen
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