|
|
|
A forum about football, for football fans
At 3.00pm GMT, today, it will be exactly 12 days until the first round of Premier League fixtures get underway.
At Ewood Park, Craven Cottage, Anfield, Loftus Road, White Hart Lane, The DW Stadium and at St. James' "We-don't-know-quite-what-the -stadium-will-be-called" Park, the first whistle of the season will blow, and with it, absolute joy will wash over millions of football fans up and down the country!
After the (shorter-than-it-seems) Summer period where limited football is played and the back pages become filled with news of Cricket and Golf, we will finally start to see normality return as football will start to dominate
The fixture list in full, then, for the weekend of 13th-15th August:
Saturday, 13 August 2011
Blackburn v Wolverhampton, 15:00
Fulham v Aston Villa, 15:00
Liverpool v Sunderland, 15:00
QPR v Bolton, 15:00
Tottenham v Everton, 15:00
Wigan v Norwich, 15:00
Newcastle v Arsenal, 17:30
Sunday, 14 August 2011
Stoke v Chelsea, 13:30
West Brom v Man Utd, 16:00
Monday, 15 August 2011
Man City v Swansea, 20:00
After Newcastle Uniteds two nil loss to Chelsea on the weekend, it all but seems like the Geordies will be a Championship team next year.
The Geordies are currently sitting third from the bottom in the Premiership, and are four points from the safety position.
Newcastle United also welcomed back favourite son Alan Shearer, this time as manager of the northern English side, but his arrival back at Newcastle was not enough to hold off third placed Chelsea, whom are also in intention for the Premiership title.
Owen who is said to be delighted to have Shearer back at the club, after these two have teamed up so many times when Shearer was a player for Newcastle and England, has also backed the appointment of Shearer as manager.
The press in England is also saying appointing Shearer as manager of the Geordies, is the last chance for the club to stay alive in the premiership.
Michael Owen (left) with former Newcastle player and now manager Alan Shearer. Courtesy of Skysports
If by any chance the Geordies lose their battle to stay in the premiership. Michael Owen like Robbie Fowler, who are favourite sons of the red side of Liverpool, must be a damn certainity of returning to his old club. Benetiz who has shown interest in getting Owen back to merseyside before must be thinking of the same again.
Owen who is too good of a player to play in the Championship, and help Newcastle back in to the Premiership, if Newcastle gets relegated will somehow have a clause in his contract where he can leave the club shall they not be in the premiership. You see this with most players.
If Newcastle goes down, it will be another fight for the Geordies to hang on to Owen, pathing the way for him to return to Liverpool.
Owen who is also in good form currently with Newcastle, and was considered for the recent internationals for England will only get better for the rest of the season while Newcastle fights to stay in the top league, and will play a big role in that fight.
Michael Owen the player. Courtesy of Skysports
Owen who left Liverpool on the 14th August 2004 to join Real Madrid for a undisclosed fee, only lasted a year with the Spanish giants before being signed by the Geordies on the 31st August, one year later.
Liverpool then was the other team to make a unsuccessful bid for Owen .
The 29 year old striker from Chester England has scored 40 goals in 89 games for his country, and is still in intention to play more international games.
Just weeks ago now, football critics like myself were handing the silverware to Manchester United, but with a end of year revival by Liverpool and with Chelsea slowly creeping to the top as well, despite a loss this week, it is coming down to one of the most exciting finishes to the Premiership in seven years.
Liverpool this week who trounced a 10 man Aston Villa at Anfield 5-0 including a hatrick by captain courageous Steven Gerrard, coming off enormous wins thrashing Manchester United at Old Trafford 4-0 and beating Real Madrid twice in recent weeks are in outstanding form which we must say is better than their form at the beginning of the season.
Steven Gerrard-Liverpool
Liverpool who were going through another mid season slump in January and February were slowly slipping out of contention for the flag, and were starting to be written by everyone.
A mid season slump in January and February is nothing new to Liverpool under Benitez and even his predecessor Gerrard Houliard. This is something that Liverpool has to overcome if it is going to win more Barclaycard Premierships.
Can we say that the mid season slump this season by Liverpool ' May have cost them the Premiership again". I think we can. At the start of the season, they were also in tremendous form, opening up a 6 point lead on their rivals.
With nine weeks left in the season, leaders Manchester United have two more matches more to play than their closest rivals Liverpool and I have to unfortunately say that they are still the favorites to take out the Premiership, on their games in hand.
Manchester United are still to play Aston Villa, Sunderland, Portsmouth, Tottenham, Middlesborough, Manchester City, Wigan, Arsenal and Hull City in their last match.
While Liverpool has only seven matches to play in the premiership with their next Premiership match not until the 11th of April against Blackburn, then it is Arsenal, Hull City, Newcastle, West Ham, West brom and then Tottenham to finish off the Premiership season.
We still can not write of Chelsea who has one more match to play than Liverpool, and they have slightly the easier run home with Newcastle in their next match, and then Bolton, Everton, West Ham, Fulham, Arsenal, Blackburn and Sunderland.
For Liverpool to hold up the silverware at the end of the Premiership season we can not afford to drop a game while we need two or three of Manchester United games to go our way, and for Manchester to lose.
One thing going Liverpools way, is that, they have creeped in front of Manchester on the for and against goal tally, which may come into account if the teams end up on the same amount of points at the end of the season.
Also to take into account that Manchester United and Chelsea still have a Champions League and FA Cup season to play while Liverpool still have a Champions League season to play, and it may come down to who is the fittest team at the end.
One thing we can say it is going to be an exciting finish to the end of the Premiership season.
Just weeks ago now, football critics like myself were handing the silverware to Manchester United, but with a end of year revival by Liverpool and with Chelsea slowly creeping to the top as well, despite a loss this week, it is coming down to one of the most exciting finishes to the Premiership in seven years.
Liverpool this week who trounced a 10 man Aston Villa at Anfield 5-0 including a hatrick by captain courageous Steven Gerrard, coming off enormous wins thrashing Manchester United at Old Trafford 4-0 and beating Real Madrid twice in recent weeks are in outstanding form which we must say is better than their form at the beginning of the season.
Steven Gerrard-Liverpool
Liverpool who were going through another mid season slump in January and February were slowly slipping out of contention for the flag, and were starting to be written by everyone.
A mid season slump in January and February is nothing new to Liverpool under Benitez and even his predecessor Gerrard Houliard. This is something that Liverpool has to overcome if it is going to win more Barclaycard Premierships.
Can we say that the mid season slump this season by Liverpool ' May have cost them the Premiership again". I think we can. At the start of the season, they were also in tremendous form, opening up a 6 point lead on their rivals.
With nine weeks left in the season, leaders Manchester United have two more matches more to play than their closest rivals Liverpool and I have to unfortunately say that they are still the favorites to take out the Premiership, on their games in hand.
Manchester United are still to play Aston Villa, Sunderland, Portsmouth, Tottenham, Middlesborough, Manchester City, Wigan, Arsenal and Hull City in their last match.
While Liverpool has only seven matches to play in the premiership with their next Premiership match not until the 11th of April against Blackburn, then it is Arsenal, Hull City, Newcastle, West Ham, West brom and then Tottenham to finish off the Premiership season.
We still can not write of Chelsea who has one more match to play than Liverpool, and they have slightly the easier run home with Newcastle in their next match, and then Bolton, Everton, West Ham, Fulham, Arsenal, Blackburn and Sunderland.
For Liverpool to hold up the silverware at the end of the Premiership season we can not afford to drop a game while we need two or three of Manchester United games to go our way, and for Manchester to lose.
Also to take into account that Manchester United and Chelsea still have a Champions League and FA Cup season to play while Liverpool still have a Champions League season to play, and it may come down to who is the fittest team at the end.
One thing we can say it is going to be an exciting finish to the end of the Premiership season.
September 15th 2008 04:15
Sat, Sep 13:
Liverpool 2 - 1 Man Utd
Blackburn 0 - 4 Arsenal
Fulham 2 - 1 Bolton
Newcastle 1 - 2 Hull
Portsmouth 2 - 1 Middlesbrough
West Brom 3 - 2 West Ham
Wigan 1 - 1 Sunderland
Man City 1 - 3 Chelsea
Sun, Sep 14:
Stoke 2 - 3 Everton
SUMMARY:
Every fan was looking forward to this weekend's Premier League action because it had all the ingredients for an explosive weekend. First there was arguably the biggest club match in world football - Liverpool vs. Man Utd; the match-up between two of the world's most cash-rich clubs: Man City vs Chelsea including the British record signing Robinho and whether Mike Ashley would survive the weekend as Newcastle takes on Hull for their first match since Kevin Keegan walked out on the club.
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez finally got one over his Manchester United counterpart as the Reds beat United 2-1 at Anfield on Saturday - their first win in eight league games against their bitter rivals.
The early signs were not good for the home side as they fell behind to an early Carlos Tevez goal after a neat pass from new signing Dimitar Berbatov in the 3rd minute. But Liverpool never buckled under the pressure and were level with a Wes Brown own goal before dominating the second half, playing the best football they have played this season, and grabbed a priceless win with 13 minutes left when Dutch winger Ryan Babel came onto score the winner.
Arsenal turned on the style against Blackburn at Ewood Park by scoring four unanswered goals against Paul Ince's men. Emmanuel Adebayor became the second Gunner to score a hat-trick this week following teammate Theo Walcott's exploits for England earlier in the week.
The 19 year-old didn't get on the scoresheet in this match but he set up the opening goal for Robin van Persie in the eighth minute before Adebayor stole the limelight with three goals.
Meanwhile, new British record signing Robinho scored on debut for Manchester City but could not stop his side from falling to a 3-1 defeat against Chelsea. The Brazilian forward lashed home a superb 13th-minute free-kick but it was downhill all the way after that as Chelsea scored three times without reply to register a seventh straight win over the Sky Blues.
[Video Source: DailyMotion]
When the fixtures list is released for a new season of English Premier League football, it's almost second nature for me to find the Liverpool vs. Manchester United games before I do anything else.
What's interesting though is that this doesn't necessarily apply to just Liverpool or Manchester United fans - this 'derby' garners the interest of supporters from other clubs/ leagues/countries, or the 'neutrals' because of the reputation of both sides and the intense rivalry over the years.
These are, without a doubt, the two biggest games in English football. Some would go as far to say that the Liverpool and Manchester United rivalry is bigger than any other in club football in any football league, including that of Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, Arsenal vs. Tottenham, AC Milan vs. Internazionale, River Plate vs. Boca Juniors etc.
For the 2008-09 season of the EPL, the first Liverpool vs. Manchester United blockbuster takes place on September 13. Players from both teams will be pumped for the game, there's no doubt about that, but with some big players from both sides set to miss this fixture due to injury - there could be more by the time the latest round of international fixtures finishes - things are looking rather underwhelming.
Liverpool will not only be without their top striker, Fernando Torres, they will also be without talismanic captain Steven Gerrard who has effectively ruled himself out of the match after recently undergoing groin surgery.
While United will point to injury problems of their own with Portugese winger Cristiano Ronaldo still recovering from ankle surgery, they will be buoyed by the arrival of Bulgaria striker Dimitar Berbatov who is set to make his debut for the Red Devils against Liverpool on Saturday.
Despite the match being played at the fortress that is Anfield, it appears Liverpool will be the big underdogs in this match.
Liverpool will wear a new 'Euro Away' kit as they travel round the continent next term. Finished in a retro-looking aqua/green/teal colour with black collars and white adidas stripes, the shirt is matched with black shorts.
Manufactured by Adidas, the shirt is made from 100% polyester, anatomically cut and features Climacool technology to bring out the best performance in the players under any given conditions.
The Euro Away kit will also double up as the team's third kit in the English Premier League.
[Source: LiverpoolFC]
Liverpool have signed Tottenham striker Robbie Keane on a four-year contract for a fee that could rise to £20.3m.
The 28 year-old Republic of Ireland captain will join the club he has supported from a young age on a reported salary of around £80,000 a week and will be a direct replacement for the recently departed Peter Crouch.
Despite becoming the fifth summer addition to Rafa Benitez's first-team squad after the arrival of David Ngog, Diego Cavalieri, Philipp Degen and Andrea Dossena, Keane is by far the biggest and most expensive signing to arrive at Anfield and is tipped by most pundits to form a formidable first-choice partnership with the prolific Fernando Torres in attack.
The transfer is the sixth major move of Keane's career which includes spells at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City, Inter Milan, Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur. In his personal statement to Spurs, the striker said:
"I would like to place on record my thanks to the board, players and fans of Tottenham for the past six years, which were the best and most enjoyable of my career to date.
"I will never forget them. I would specifically like to thank chairman Daniel Levy for understanding, that, as a fan, joining Liverpool is a lifelong dream of mine and one I couldn't let pass me by.
"I hope one day the Spurs fans, who have been brilliant to me, can understand this too.
"I have only good things to say about my time at Tottenham and expect them to go from strength to strength under Juande Ramos and Daniel Levy."
The Republic of Ireland's all-time leading goalscorer could make his first start in a Liverpool shirt this Saturday.
[Source: LiverpoolFC]
Liverpool will be wearing a grey coloured away kit for the 2008/09 season of the English Premier League.
The shirt features a chequered pattern design with the three stripes of manufacturer Adidas and the collar finished in red. The end of the sleeves on the short sleeve shirt is also finished in red.
The 'Carlsberg' sponsor's logo is finished in white which happens to contrast quite well with the grey shirt and red inserts. The underside of the shirt features a unique red and white chequered pattern.
The new away kit will be officially launched on July 17 but is already available for pre-orders.
[Source: LiverpoolFC.tv]
The Reds will kick off the 2008/09 English Premier League season with an away trip to Sunderland on the first day of the season on August 16.
Gareth Southgate's Middlesbrough will be the first visitors to Anfield in the new season on August 23 with a mouthwatering home tie against reigning champions Manchester United as soon as the fourth game of the new season on September 13.
In the same month, the first derby of the season takes place at Goodison Park on September 27 with the corresponding Anfield fixture taking place after the new year. Liverpool will make a trip to Stamford Bridge on October 25 with manager Rafa Benitez pitting his wits against new Chelsea boss Scolari for the first time.
The Boxing Day clash next season will be a home game with Bolton with an away trip to Arsenal just six days before. The season ends in May 24, 2009 with a home game against Tottenham.
Liverpool's fixture list for the 2008-09 Barclays Premier League campaign is as follows:
August:
16 Sunderland (a)
23 Middlesbrough (h)
30 Aston Villa (a)
September:
13 Manchester United (h)
20 Stoke City (h)
27 Everton (a)
October:
4 Manchester City (a)
18 Wigan Athletic (h)
25 Chelsea (a)
29 Portsmouth (h)
November:
1 Tottenham Hotspur (a)
8 West Bromwich Albion (h)
15 Bolton Wanderers (a)
22 Fulham (h)
29 West Ham United (h)
December:
6 Blackburn Rovers (a)
13 Hull City (h)
20 Arsenal (a)
26 Bolton Wanderers (h)
28 Newcastle United (a)
January:
10 Stoke City (a)
17 Everton (h)
27 Wigan Athletic (a)
31 Chelsea (h)
February:
7 Portsmouth (a)
21 Manchester City (h)
28 Middlesbrough (a)
March:
4 Sunderland (h)
14 Manchester United (a)
21 Aston Villa (h)
April:
4 Fulham (a)
11 Blackburn Rovers (h)
18 Arsenal (h)
25 Hull City (a)
May:
2 Newcastle United (h)
9 West Ham United (a)
16 West Bromwich Albion (a)
24 Tottenham Hotspur (h)
[Source: LiverpoolFC.tv]
The countdown to the new 2009 home kit has begun
***UPDATE: SEE THE OFFICIAL IMAGES OF THE 2008 - 2010 HOME KIT HERE***
According to the official Liverpool FC website, registered members will be able to exclusively preview and pre-order the new home kit for season 2008-09 starting from next Friday (May 2, 2008).
The club has also offered supporters an added incentive to pre-order online - a free £10 LFC retail voucher with every adult and junior shirt purchased.
The new Liverpool home kit for 08-09?
As you can imagine, the club has tried its hardest to keep the design of the new kit under wraps until its official launch for members next week but it seems the new design has already been leaked on the internet.
If this is genuine, the collar design of the kit worn by Steven Gerrard and co. for the past two seasons is out the window and replaced with a white V-neck design. The body of the shirt forgoes the thin white stripe of the current kit and is plain red although if you look closely, you can see that it isn't all that plain with contour lines visible down the side of the shirt.
Genuine or not, all will be revealed next week when the kit is available for pre-order and images will be posted on here as soon as they come to hand!
[Source: LiverpoolFC.tv]
Liverpool Chief Executive Rick Parry
Just days after sealing a semi-final berth in the Champions League, news have emerged from Anfield that Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has written to the club's chief executive Rick Parry calling for him to resign.
The American is thought to feel that Parry is siding with co-owner George Gillett in the club's ongoing power struggle while the club's prospective buyer Dubai International Capital (DIC) said it will wait for the saga to be resolved before pursuing its interest in the club again.
Rick Parry may not be the most dynamic chief executive in the Premier League - he did, after all, sell the club to these buffoons - and there have been times where fans have been frustrated with his slow movings in the transfer market.
However, this just isn't the time to be airing dirty laundry with two vital games against Chelsea coming up in the Champions League and to qualify for next season's competition by securing at least a fourth place finish in the league.
According to the reports, the ownership of the club is split 50-50 between the two Americans thus Hicks would need approval from Gillett to force Parry out of his positionanyway. Unless he is forced, it appears unlikely Parry would want to leave the club he has supported his entire life on his own accord.
Reds fans across the world will be praying that this latest twist won't affect the team's preparation for the remainder of the season.
Liverpool striker Peter Crouch appears to be on the brink of a summer exit from Anfield in search of regular first team football for next season.
Despite Liverpool's offer of a new contract, the bean-pole England striker feels that he needs to be playing regularly if he was to harbour any aspirations of playing for England and furthering his career at the highest level.
The tallest player in the Premier League arrived at Anfield from Southampton in a £7million deal during 2005 but is well down the pecking order behind boss Rafa Benitez's first choice pairing of Fernando Torres and Dirk Kuyt.
"I would love to stay, it is a fantastic club and I love everything about it, but I have got to be realistic.
"If I want to have any aspirations of playing for England, or furthering my career, then I have to be playing - and that doesn't seem to be the case at the moment.
"I will have to look at it - but that's certainly something I won't be doing now, I will be doing it at the end of the season." said Crouch.
Crouch's height at 6'7" has meant that his role for Liverpool and England has largely been that of an impact substitute where his aerial ability can be used to threaten tiring opposition. However, long ball tactics would often have to be used in order to exploit his aerial ability and height advantage and that hasn't worked out as much as Liverpool or England would have liked in the past.
Although he possesses fantastic technique with the ball on the ground for such a tall player, he lacks the goal scoring prowess and track record of players such as Liverpool's Spanish striker Fernando Torres and Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen for England.
Having had just seven Premier League starts this season, you can't blame him from wanting to leave in search of more regular football but in reality, would he make it at any of the other big clubs i.e. Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea etc.?
You'd be hard pressed to say yes and given how many of the players at the smaller clubs moan about a lack of exposure to European football thus harming their selection for the national team, Crouch should actually remain at Anfield if he really harbours aspirations of featuring for England in the future.
Javier Mascherano in happier times
Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has been handed an additional two-match ban and fined £15,000 by the English FA for improper conduct after being sent off against Manchester United on March 23.
The Argentina international reacted badly when sent off by referee Steve Bennett for a second bookable offence after questioning the booking of Liverpool's star striker Fernando Torres. The 23 year-old seemed baffled by Torres' booking and approached the referee to remonstrate before he was shown his second yellow card and a subsequent red.
Despite the fact that Mascherano had already admitted to improper conduct when he appeared before the FA's disciplinary commission, it appears the highly-rated defensive midfielder has been made a scapegoat in the recent crack down of player dissent towards match officials.
Mascherano picked up an automatic one-match suspension for the red card but will now be slapped with a further two-match ban PLUS a £15,000 fine on top of the fine of two weeks' wages imposed by his club! Ouch!
Having already missed last week's Merseyside derby against Everton through suspension, Masch will now also be absent with the Premier League games against Arsenal this Saturday and Blackburn a week later. He will, however, be available to contest next week's mid-week Champions League fixture with Arsenal because suspensions are only related to domestic fixtures.
As harsh as the decision may be, there's no doubt that Mascherano will now think twice before speaking to the ref. Liverpool are now considering an appeal for the ruling.
Hicks and Gillett can no longer work together
The relationship between Liverpool co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett has broken down to the extent that they have asked not to be seated together for the Champions League Quarter-final 1st leg against Arsenal at the Emirates tomorrow.
A few days ago, George Gillett Jr admitted that his relationship with co-owner Tom Hicks had been under strain for some time and that it had become unworkable between the US pair which bought into the club last season.
He also revealed that he made an offer to sell his own stake to Dubai Investment Capital (DIC) but the deal to fell through. An alternative was to sell up to his co-owner, but this would incur the wrath of the fans as Hicks has been a chief antagonist on numerous occasions.
Gillett also revealed how the number of e-mails he has received, have been directed mainly at Hicks when he said: "We get as many as 2,000 emails a week,
"Ninety five per cent of them have been directed at some of the comments made by my partner.
"The fans don't want him to have even one share of my stake in the club, based on what they are sending to me. As a result of that we have received many phone calls in the middle of the night threatening our lives, death threats. A number came to the office and my son, Foster, and daughter-in-law, Lauren, have received them."
Although it does appear that Gillett is the 'better' of these two blokes, you just have to question the poor timing of his latest comments. With three vital games against Arsenal in the Champions League AND Premier League, these comments have been completely inappropriate. With all to play for in Europe's premier club competition, the Reds' focus should be on the football pitch and not off of it.
In the Liverpool club magazine Steve Gerrard has spoken out about the team's season and about the behind the scenes wrangling at the club.
"In the position we find ourselves now, fourth is the least that is acceptable. But we have bigger ambitions than that," He said.
"The only way we can fulfil those ambitions is in the Champions League. And I am not going to pretend that even winning that trophy - and we are a long way away from it at the moment - will make up for the disappointment of the league campaign."
Gerrard's honesty about the Premier League being more important to him than the Champions League may not go down too well with his boss, as Rafa would appear to feel the opposite.
Gerrard also claimed that the constant speculation over a possible takeover at the club and the future of Rafa Benitez has affected everyone at the club.
"It's sad so much of the club's business has been conducted in public," added Gerrard.
"The club I have grown up supporting always did its business behind closed doors, and that is what we have to get back to. It's been a damaging situation for everyone."
Again, this appears to be directed at Rafa as well as the American owners. Come the end of this season, I suspect the Liverpool board may be faced with an "either he goes, or I do" situation.
If that does happen, I would expect Rafa Benitez to move on.
The transfer saga over Javier Mascherano is expected to be completed this week with Liverpool set to pay £18.6 million for the Argentina midfielder who is currently owned by a company called Media Sports Investment (MSI).
The defensive lynchpin spoke to Liverpoolfc.tv after the 3-0 victory over Sunderland on Saturday and was hopeful a deal could be sealed by the end of the week.
Proclaiming his love for the Kop, Mascherano said: "The fans like me and I love the fans. They are great and that's the reason I want to stay here.
It's not finished yet but I am hoping to stay here. I have a lot of confidence that after the next week I will be able to say, 'Everything is right and I am staying here in Liverpool.'
"We now need to wait. We are very close but we need to talk again next week. I think everything will be okay. I've waited a long time, so I can wait one week more."
Mascherano up against his mate Carlos Tevez of Man Utd
The Argentina midfielder is currently registered as a Reds player on a long-term loan from owners MSI. He previously played for West Ham but joined the Merseysiders in January 2007 and helped play a vital role in Liverpool's march to the Champions League final.
'Masch' came through the ranks at South American giants River Plate and such was his potential that he earned his first international call-up before kicking a ball for his club.
He has since made 35 appearances for his country.
[Source: LiverpoolFC.tv]
The latest report out of the UK is that Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have completed a £350m refinancing deal to repay money borrowed for their £218.9m takeover in March 2007.
BBC sports editor Mihir Bose said: £60m of the package will provide the start-up money for the new ground.
The deal, which is expected to be announced on Friday, underlines the pair's determination to remain at Anfield despite interest from Dubai International Capital (DIC), the investment arm of the Dubai government.
It also means that the club can finally launch their long-awaited plan for a new stadium at Stanley Park.
Fans would happily usher these two out of Anfield
While the refinancing deal could come a long way to offering some much needed stability at the club, it is likely the pair will continue to incur the wrath of the Kop for their despicable treatment of manager Rafael Benitez for some time yet.
The Kop faithful are still fuming over reports that the American owners approached Jurgen Klinsmann as a possible replacement - 'insurance policy' in the words of GIllet and Hicks - for manager Rafael Benitez.
According to the BBC: A survey carried out by the Liverpool Supporters' network showed that 76% of 2,000 fans questioned said they would "seriously consider reducing their financial commitment to the club" if the current owners stayed in charge.
When asked to choose between the owners and the manager as to who had the best interest of the club at heart, 99% backed Benitez.
And when even Sir Alex Ferguson, boss of bitter rivals Manchester United, comes forward to say that "what happened was a bad piece of business on Liverpool's part, no doubt about that", that really is saying something.
[Source: BBC]
Liverpool's failure to beat Aston Villa last night leaves them outside of the Champions League qualifying places and two points behind their rivals Everton. After the 2-2 draw Steven Gerrard publicly stated that the off field matters surrounding the owners, their arguments with manager Rafa Benitez, and the fact that the club might soon be sold to Dubai Investment Capital, are all beginning to have an effect on the players.
Gerrard went on to say that the players try to put these things to the back of their mind and get on with playing the game, but with the issues being discussed all day, every day, that is proving impossible.
It is clear that unless the future of the club is sorted out quickly, the team will continue to under perform. The players at Rafa Benitez's disposal are good enough to be challenging for the Premier League title, yet they are struggling to achieve fourth place.
The fans have been vocal in their support for Benitez, but that will not last for ever. He has done an amazing job with The Reds in their European campaigns but has failed miserably to deliver the domestic success that the Koppites crave.
Benitez has spent millions of pounds on players and demands even more. The owners are not so keen to provide the extra capital and may well be looking to sell. Unfortunately for Liverpool, with every point they drop, and the less likely European Champions League qualification becomes, the less saleable the club becomes.
For such a great club, with such great players, the current situation is totally unacceptable. The next two or three weeks will be absolutely crucial to the future of then club. I just hope that those involved do not destroy the club in the process of sorting out the current mess.
Is Liverpool defensive midfielder Mohamed "Momo" Sissoko leaving or not?
That is the discussion on the lips of most Kop fans at the moment. The player has been quoted saying that he was 'very close' to joining Italian giants Juventus during this month's transfer window.
The Mali international has failed to win a regular place this season and some would go as far as to say that he hasn't been the same ever since the eye injury he suffered last season. The player has been further unsettled by boss Rafael Benitez's admission that the club were open to the 'right club and the right offer' for the 22-year-old.
Despite all this, there has yet to be a firm offer for the player from Juventus or any other club for that matter with Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli scoffing at the rumours and that the club will not make any acquisitions in the January transfer market.
While Sissoko remains an important member of Benitez's squad, the club would actually be better off selling the unsettled player and using the funds generated by his sale to secure the long-term services of Argentine Javier Mascherano.
With Mascherano's loan deal set to finish at the end of the season, it should be Rafa's priority in securing the services of this talented defensive midfielder and not on retaining an unsettled player whose heart is set on a move away from the club.
|
|
|
footballnotsoccer
Paladin
Hardy
KC Hill
techman
Graham Fisher
Andrew Aigner-Muehler
LukeS
Craig Hill
Add Comments
Comments (2)
