I'm Back for Updates! Sorry for the Delay!

Well things have been a little hectic around here so I've not had access to the internet but I'm finally back and with quite a bit to talk about.
A lot has happened in the past few weeks and I should really bring things up to speed.


So the latest and the latter lot of news.
As many of you may know now, Liverpool have had a clean out with staff and players and more change is to come including the website itself.


For the sources of information, Liverpoolfc.tv was the site a lot of it came from, but now they will be changing to Liverpoolfc.com within the next month or so. There will be changes to the website throughout making any comment posted on the site and purchases made may have difficulty however they will suspending purchases during the change over and ensuring minimal amount of problems occur during such times of change.


Onto the players and team News Review! 


Dalglish is out after Liverpool's higher-ups were convinced someone else was required to move the new team forward. Now there are a lot of mixed opinion on the matter, whether it was a good idea to sack Dalglish and personally I don't believe it was necessary however I can see some reasoning, whether it outweighed the cons of doing so is still unsure.
Considering the situation, 2 finals, 1 cup and the worse positioning ever in 50 odd years in the top-flight league, it does bring into question whether it was worth having him stay but saying that, this was a team that was under construction, it was being rebuilt, no-one in their right mind would think that a manager was going to be able to fix everything in a single season. No matter who came in as manager, it was going to be difficult and how it all turned out, I wasn't too disheartened as towards the end of the season, we saw a team that was finally fitting together. The players were finally understanding each other, Carroll was finally being utilised properly and the players were really coming together. However the higher-ups were not happy about the league positioning, and with teams such as Newcastle, Manchester City and Chelsea having a good season within the league, competition was going to be tough with a team that was still getting to know each other. Pressure was mounting over the success of the teams form, and with Merseyside rivals finishing above Liverpool by only a single place but with 4 points ahead, fans and the men upstairs were never going to be too happy.
Simply put, Liverpool had bad timing with having to build a new time while all other teams were further developing their teams. You cannot deny that all the teams above Liverpool at the end of the season, were having a decent season in the league, results speak for themselves. Are we willing to take that sitting down? Of course not! That wouldn't be the Reds Way.
This season what is needed, more than ever, is for the fans to get behind the team and usher in a new season, to put this season behind us, and to look forward. We have players of potential and players returning to Anfield and we'll be damned if we let this season be the beginning of our downfall.
With a solid set up front with Carroll, Suarez and Bellamy and our ever reliable skipper Stevie G at the Helm, this is one club that will not fall.
If anything, this season will see us rise to the occasion. With European football back on the plate and a tem that essentially consists of half the England squad, I really doubt there will be problems surviving the Europa League.
No matter what is said, the Europa league is still a league worth playing in, a perfect chance for those in the squad that are not use to playing European football to gain the experience and a chance to gauge what our capabilities are and our outlook for Champions League football.


Returning to our first story, Dalglish's departure sees a a new manager taking on the responsibility of moving Anfield back to Fortress status, that man is Brendan Rogers, Swansea City Manager has handed in his resignation letter and was officially made Liverpool's new manager.
He was happy to also release his letter that he had written to Swansea City of his exit, to read it click here.
Brendan Rogers was said to be first choice, however there was more talk of Martinez becoming the new manager than him. His acceptance was taken after a second attempt to bring him to Anfield.
The man that brought Swansea through promotion and made a huge impact in the Premier League as well as beating Liverpool in their last home game 1-0, I believe a lot of people may question his ability to manage a big team such as Liverpool but his pass ability has proven strong and is a man capable of holding a team that had very few known players to not only stay in top-flight football but also to hold a brilliant home record. Swansea was in the top 5 teams when it came to holding off alien teams on home soil, something Liverpool really need to bring back having lacked wins at home last season.
The man was capable of holding on with an unknown team, it can only be said, what is he capable with a team like Liverpool.
I for one am pleased to see a manager of his calibre come and take the reigns as his experience come more from recent football rather than the past and with the changing face of football, we need the experience of those who are are adaptable to the ever changing game.


Now with the departure of Dalglish, there were others that are leaving, Steve Clark left and is heading up West Bromwich Albion, Dirt Kuyt has expressed his wanting to leave Anfield and has done so. He moves to Fenerbahce.
Dirk Kuyt will be a player that will be missed, a man who I had strong game ethics, the man would literally chase the ball even if it was unreachable, he scored crutial goals constantly, people can question his scoring ability having scored many goals in the last two season with in the 6- yard box, but had he not been there, there would not be goals at all. He has been influential in many ways having set up his own charity to help teach football for those with disabilities, link here. A player brought in by Benitez and stayed for six-years but it was time for him to leave and join the Turkish team. From me, I hope him all the best at his new club.


More rumours are spreading of other players leaving however who, is still in the mist.
Joe Cole has returned after a season spell at Lille where he helped them into the top 3 in La Ligue, I'm sure he will be welcomed back with open arms.
Maxi has also reiterated his intentions on staying at Anfield which was a relief considering his lack of chances given last season.





Now for the England Squad news!


The players involve are Gerrard (Captain of England), Carroll, Downing, Henderson, Johnson and most recently, Martin Kelly.


With any manager, they will always look at players they have worked with and are familiar with and it is no surprise to see England consist of many Liverpool players after Hodgsons spell at Liverpool, although he didn't have the best time, he has seen potential and strength in the English boys at Anfield.


Gerrard was named Captain but I believe we all know why he is, the Skipper has done nothing but the thebest for Liverpool and for country and it was about time he took the armband.
Carroll's impressive performance at Newcastle and his development at Liverpool has shown strength. Downing admits his start at Anfield has not been great but neither was Skrtel's when he first came to Anfield and this season he was the most consistent. Henderson was a surprise as his season has not been great at all at Liverpool but his last appearance has shown promise in the England side. Johnson has always been ever reliable and with Martin Kelly as a back up it would be fitting.
I see this as a damn good opportunity for our players to spend more time on actual competition to work together and work even closer together than before. It would be brilliant warm up to the Europa league for European football and more opportunities to work out plays together.
If anything, I believe this will help strengthen Liverpool as a whole.
Each player has proven capabilities, though my doubts still fall on Henderson, however watching the last few games he has played, he has shown more resilience and focus in the game which is encouraging.


There is a lot of talk about Rio ferdinand not being picked and Martin Kelly being the replacement was a bad choice, but you can see the reasoning. Kelly has proven his ability having held off some of the strongest players in the Premier League at the beginning of the season when Johnson was still out and he has shown strength, and at the young age of 22, he still has many years to play for England. Starting them younger can only help develop them and I can see Kelly growing stronger still and taking over Johnson's position later on in time.
We shall see what England are capable of and with the results we will also be able to gauge Liverpool's squad too.




That's all for today, I'll try to keep it more up-to-date as the summer moves on.




This is Andy Lai, Signing off. YNWA.

Karling Kop for King Kenny's Knights

Well I said this in my last blog, not to underestimate them and they put up such a fight.  A truly brilliant game to go in the history books. However Liverpool managed to once again, find the hardest route to walk and did it in typical style. Having only ever lost 2 penalty shoot outs in a cup game the expectations were high for Liverpool to do well and they did indeed but just about on the skin of their teeth.


From the beginning Liverpool seemed to show more strength but having possession was one thing, actually making use of that possession is another.
Watching the game you just can't help but see, there were a lot of hesitation and lack of confidence in taking chances and the number of attempts against the number of on target shots; you would have believed it was a sign of desperation and not a sign of genuine intellectual play.
Yes Liverpool had put plenty of pressure, yes they had plenty of possession, but what they did with that possession was not as expected. I still don't think Carroll was really in the game and Henderson had a shocking game and should have been taken off much earlier for either Bellamy or Kuyt who would have been able to pick up loose balls from Carroll.
Now I don't want to focus on Carroll too much as there has been a lot of talk about him but my main concerns with him are:

• His attitude. Throughout the season we have seen his attitude towards fouls and such and as a central forward, sitting on the floor whining to the referee and linesman about why he's not getting a free kick while the ball is still in-play is both pathetic and stupid. Number of times he is fouled instead of getting up and carrying on; he sits on the floor pointing at the players, pointing at the referee and complaining. I know some of you maybe thinking, ell Suarez does it too, actually no, he doesn't he complains once the balls out of play as do and should most players.
• His positioning. Particularly in this game, he's not moving, he's solidifying himself into a position and using his strength to hopefully, and yes I stress hopefully, overpowering the opposition and creating something when he should be using it as a back-up to his other skills. There's a difference to playing to your strengths and just using your strengths. He spends too much time alloying himself to be surrounded by players making it impossible for him to really make anything happen. Now this is not to say he is a bad player, absolutely not. I just don't think the rest of the team fits his style of play. Liverpool have a whole host of players who are better with the ball on the ground, and suddenly we have to change the entire style to suit a single player which I find is a mistake at this stage. He definitely needs to work on his movement, and his stamina as it seems to wane after just 45mins. A central forward is meant to be flexible in their abilities, strong in their own court but still have skill in other fields too. When he was at Newcastle, he showed that he was capable but it seems like there is just too much focus on him using his head and not his feet at Liverpool.
• his hair...: I do't like it...

Carroll will develop, no doubt about it, but to have the entire team suit his game is wrong and I do find it odd that this seems to be the situation. Kuyt and Maxi are two players that do not suit Carroll and you can see that happening, as they both have not really featured at all lately. Playing Henderson and Downing who are both brilliant wingers as well as having Enrique and Johnson helping out just to provide for him seems to have disrupted Liverpool's flow of games. Previously having Maxi and Kuyt out, there were a lot of movement up front, a lot of fast paced games, but lately, the games have been slow, hesitant and almost static like.
Simply put, Carroll needs to find his feet... Literally and show his feet are as good as his head, or else he's just another player who loved the money than the game.


Sometimes I feel people fear to doubt Kenny Dalglish but with this way of play, I really don't think it is working. I can understand what he's trying to do, combining Suarez and Carroll, but it doesn't work when only half the combination is working while the other half is still figuring things out. Each game seems to be a struggle, especially with the big games. Bring back Maxi, Kuyt; Henderson really needs to improve his overall game and get Bellamy back on along side Suarez because they are a terror for defenders if they were to play together up front. Bellamy has shown his intelligence to seek out opportune moments and take advantage of them and Suarez has just been a threat from day one.
Kuyt was definitely an Impact Sub, but he is so much more than that and he has proven it in the past. He is a capable player, a man who runs and runs and runs. He came on and immediately changed the tone along with Bellamy of course but he has such stamina, that he would out last any of the players on the pitch and I think he would have been essential, especially on a game of this magnitude, you needed players who have played high pressured games. The man is an international player who has played so much more high profile and extremely pressured games than some of the others that he really should have had a starting position over Henderson.


But as they all say, a win is a win but Cardiff were definitely a team not to be underestimated. They played hard and played with real passion giving everyone a game to remember. Miller having some chances go by and Gestede got into some good positions to become a real threat. Heaton played a game and a half with some brilliant saves as well as a good save from Gerrard's Penalty.
Cardiff's defence were absolutely solid having only random weak moments but the level of concentration was brilliant, their formation was strong, however I thought Liverpool's defence in comparison left too many open gaps letting Cardiff to slip through too easily and it showed with every chance Cardiff had, Miller or Mason were able to make a run through the defence and pick up the ball and considering the amount of chances they actually had, were they to have more, I'm sure they would have walked away with the Cup.


Hopefully after reviewing this game, Kenny makes the right changes.


My Man of the Match would have to go to Steward Downing. The player showed real pace, real fight and brilliant footwork. His crosses were well received on the other end and his general movement was excellent. There were many players that could easily walk away with the Man of the Match but I'd have to give it to Steward Downing.
A brilliant steal from Villa, who's fans weren't too fond of him, why I have no idea.