The first signing for Brendan Rodgers is Fabio Borini! For an undisclosed fee but thought to be in around the 7.5million euro mark, Borini has been given a full medical today and his own number 29 while signing everything in a number 6 top.
Borini is only 21 and has been hailed as the next Inzaghi.
For his first full interview at Melwood click here
Maxi has officially left Anfield, as sad as it is, he has been a player of immense talent and he will be missed with Kuyt also gone, Liverpool will be looking for a winger who can make the runs and create the crosses.
Maxi is said to have made the decision after talks with Rodgers on a mutual agreement, in which it seemed to be family related rather than any kind of dispute though the actual story has not been disclosed.
Moutinho is also on the target list for Liverpool and is said to be free at the moment so will be up for grabs but with interests coming from all directions Liverpool will need something outstanding to secure a hold on him.
Friday, 13 July 2012
Thursday, 12 July 2012
What's the catch up?
Ok so here are the latest reported rumours...
Andy Carroll has had one of his friends shout out that he has no intention on leaving Liverpool and intends on fighting for his spot to prove himself and to be part of BR's plans.
Maxi Rodriguez is now apparently having talks with Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys, an Argentinian team, seeing as Maxi was not a big part of Kenny's Team however he could be a part of BR's... Talks are still continuing. Would you like to keep him? I know I would like to. He plays well with Bellamy and Suarez having the same style of upbringing in football style and both have pace to strike the heart of any defence. It was a shame he was not featured in Dalglish's team.
Liverpool are apparently on the forefront for Sturridge, what do you think of this buy?
Suarez, Skrtel and Agger to sign a new extension contract.
Rumours are that Reina may want to leave after reports of Spanish teams want him, LLoris is an apparent target for the club to replace him but I don't think we're in too much of a hurry with Doni and Jones both proving they're more than capable. We also still have Gulasci in the back should things go eerie.
Suso is hoping to impress BR and get a spot in the first squad. With Sterling also making the same rate of work to impress the new boss it seems we may actually see more of the new youngsters playing next season.
Fulham's Dempsey has been in the papers quite a lot and yet to have any confirmation about contact with Liverpool but that doesn't strike the whole story down. The price tag is in the region of £7.5. some reports are claiming a swap for Andy Carroll for Dempsey AND cash, which personally makes no sense.
Who would you like to see playing in the new squad? Who would you like to see be signed?
Leave your comments down below!
Andy Carroll has had one of his friends shout out that he has no intention on leaving Liverpool and intends on fighting for his spot to prove himself and to be part of BR's plans.
Maxi Rodriguez is now apparently having talks with Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys, an Argentinian team, seeing as Maxi was not a big part of Kenny's Team however he could be a part of BR's... Talks are still continuing. Would you like to keep him? I know I would like to. He plays well with Bellamy and Suarez having the same style of upbringing in football style and both have pace to strike the heart of any defence. It was a shame he was not featured in Dalglish's team.
Liverpool are apparently on the forefront for Sturridge, what do you think of this buy?
Suarez, Skrtel and Agger to sign a new extension contract.
Rumours are that Reina may want to leave after reports of Spanish teams want him, LLoris is an apparent target for the club to replace him but I don't think we're in too much of a hurry with Doni and Jones both proving they're more than capable. We also still have Gulasci in the back should things go eerie.
Suso is hoping to impress BR and get a spot in the first squad. With Sterling also making the same rate of work to impress the new boss it seems we may actually see more of the new youngsters playing next season.
Fulham's Dempsey has been in the papers quite a lot and yet to have any confirmation about contact with Liverpool but that doesn't strike the whole story down. The price tag is in the region of £7.5. some reports are claiming a swap for Andy Carroll for Dempsey AND cash, which personally makes no sense.
Who would you like to see playing in the new squad? Who would you like to see be signed?
Leave your comments down below!
Monday, 9 July 2012
Kind of a Review of 2011/12
This season we have seen some manic changes with the hope of
glory under the reign of King Kenny but this season has shown the resilience of
the Premier League. We can always look at this year being the lowest of the
season but there is a lot to learn from and for people to look and say, it was shocking
and terrible, one things we all know is the terrible luck we've had.
This season we've had some highs and some lows with results
and it has been a huge development time but there is a lot that needs to be
done. We all knew that this season was a season of building but the number of
chances we had and not consolidated those has been a disappointment.
As a team we've had a lot of work done, we saw a lot of
passes that gave the opposition the chance to score and many times we have seen
them take advantage of it.
But player wise, we have a collection of fantastic players
that need to be more of a team than a work alone man.
Results, beating the big teams and failing against the
weaker sides, as wins against the top teams, Chelsea, Manchester City,
Manchester United, but then to lose or only draw at home against the likes of
Blackburn and Wolves, teams who were at the bottom and struggling for form.
But the positives are what we need to look at and the
negatives is what we need to learn from.
But lets have a look at the top performers and the under
performers.
In no particular order, each player chosen have been one
that has influenced games and made an impact on the team as a whole.
Jose Enrique - The best buy out of all the players. A player
who has started essentially every game and made an impression from the first
game. His ability has done nothing but improve, worked well up front along side
the strikers to provide and has ensured Liverpool to have one of the best
defensive record this season and a reason why no goals have come from his side
of the pitch. Enrique has nothing to prove but to prove himself the best in the
world with his ability, his tackles has been brilliantly done, clean and strong
and committed into those tackles. his eye for a running forward has ensured
Liverpool to survive a not so successful frontal assault on the opposition.
Next season we can see a lot more from him, with nothing to
hold him back, but with only Jack Robinson as our only backup, injuries could
be a concern should anything happen to him.
Gerrard - The Skipper, our Captain Fantastic, with him back
on the seen, Gerrard had retaken his armband and led the team to some amazing
games, scoring a hat-trick against Everton and setting up some beautiful goals
throughout the season. At the Euro 2012 he captained England to the quarter
finals but were defeated on penalties by Italy, however his own record of 3
assists just shows his ability to pick out the players.
At 32 Gerrard will be leading Liverpool to many more
victories and with only the Premier League cup out of his grasp, he will be
ensuring everyone does their bit to win the league this season.
Skrtel - The Most Consistent Player of 2011/12. Skrtel has
exceeded his goal tally hopes for the season and having played a crucial part
on the central defence along side Agger, Johnson and Enrique, Skrtel has made a
name for himself and made himself an idol and future legend of Liverpool FC.
His own abilities and control in the back has ensured the back four have been
strong enough to hold off even the deadliest of attacks.
Although he had a stint with a red card that saw Liverpool
fall to 9 men against Spurs, he was back and playing his role in scoring goals
as well as keeping our net clear of any balls.
Suarez - El Pistolero! The one and only Suarez, scoring more
fantastical goals than ever. Having done well for Uruguay in winning the Copa
Del Rey and securing a place in the next world cup, Suarez has scored the goal
of the season and even with his 8 match ban, has shown his qualities. Hitting
the woodwork this season seemed to have been on the practice regime as a large
number of shots seem to ping off it.
He is an integral part of this team and needless to say, we
will be seeing a lot more from him in the future.
Agger - Agger, having finished his campaign in the Euro 2012
on a high, captaining Denmark to a group stage exit, he proved to everyone that
he was a defender to be feared. Along side Skrtel, Agger was the central
backbone of the defence ensuring nothing got through easily or at all. and the
partnership between the two has been brilliant. With Carragher coming closer to
the end of his career, we will be looking towards these guys to lead the
defence.
Bellamy - After a quick signing before the deadline, Bellamy
has been linked to many teams including a signing for his old club Cardiff City
but with Liverpool wanting to keep their choices open and strength at an all
time high, Bellamy is an essential member of the squad. With Rogers at the
Helm, you'll be seeing a lot more of Bellamy playing not just a role he is most
familiar with but a role he is best and personally I hope to see him upfront
along side Carroll and Suarez a lot more. Everyone sees him as a player that
can cross balls in but they also forget his ability to run with the ball and
his pace to attack down the middle from the sides. His footwork with the ball
is not quite the same as Suarez but his ability to keep up with Suarez and
support him up front will be necessary.
Coates - Having only appeared in a few matches, Coates has
shown his skills and ability and proven that he is a top class player, having
scored the only goal needed to ensure Uruguay a place in the World Cup and
setting up 3 goals for Suarez in the Copa Del Rey, he has huge potential. With
his height he will be essential in the box along side Carroll. his beauty of a
goal against QPR was, not only his first for Liverpool but one of mine and I'm
sure many of yours, favourite goals of 2011/12. Next season will be an
interesting time, having a squad of such ability and attacking prowess.
Those were the players that have done well, but what about
the others?
Henderson - A player of confusion would be the best way to
put it. throughout the season, Jordan Henderson has been a player said to be a
player of huge potential, a player of accuracy and a player who has excellent
ability to spot out the gaps in defences but this season has seen him confused,
not knowing what to do with the ball. Towards the end of the season he seemed
to pick up and his chance to play on the England squad has given him the chance
to improve a lot. Hopefully we shall see some of that improvement on the field
for Liverpool.
Spearing - With Lucas out we had to turn to Spearing and at
first I was quite enthusiastic about letting the younger players to have a go
but disappointment fell as he was sent off for a silly tackle and then his
performance fell and fell. Giving the ball away far too many times, pushing too
far forward than he should and not
landing the tackles and giving away free kicks far too easily. He is not a player
I would say we are in need of as he lacks the practice and intelligence to know
when to and when not to commit to a tackle.
Carroll - Many could argue that he was doing badly, some
would say we weren't utilising him properly, but at the end of the day, if you
are not providing or scoring, then you are not doing your job as a striker or
player. saying that he improved dramatically towards the end of the season,
scoring last minute goals to ensure wins and scoring in the Euro 2012.
Downing - Personally I don't think he has done terribly badly,
as he did his job, he made his runs, supported, crosses were on target and
scored goals but his problem was seen as his fault for not landing a ball on
Carroll's head but even he knows that you cannot cross a ball into an area when
no one is about. Having trained with the England squad I'm hoping to see a lot
more from him in the next season, hopefully more crosses similar to the
accuracy of Gerrard himself, hopefully he'll be able to get some tips from him.
That is the round up for the players, if you have any more
comments about the players leave them down below and lets discuss :)
Performance. Under performed, simply put, Liverpool are
better than this, the team knows this, the Managers know this and the way we
hesitate in the final third was terrible. With only Bellamy and Kuyt willing to
make the runs, we were limiting the chances we had and the amount of time taken
to wait for those people to move forward meant the defences of the opposition
were able to reorganise to stop any attack we had. The defence did well and
were the most consistent out of the positions while our striking force were
extremely lacking. Chances were not being taken, no hope for goals at all and
this seriously needs to be address. The Centre needs more work on their
communication as they were not able to hold
the centre giving the opposition too much space and far too much
possession in that area.
Red Cards. This season has seen to many, and 1 is already
too many though not always avoidable and with Suarez having his 8 match ban,
that put a huge strain on the team making things harder for themselves.
Penalties. How many did we miss? Carroll, Suarez even the
reliable Kuyt. Disappointment but with the Penalties, it is difficult to say,
it is a hit or miss, no other way about it.
Luck. Stressed so many times, Liverpool have had some
terrible luck this season having so many goals disallowed, bans, red cards,
this season has not been a lucky one. But next season we see Lucas return,
Gerrard at full strength, a new manager and a new approach that we hope to see
Liverpool return to their former glory. Luck has a little to do with the game
but in the end it is the players so we will be looking at how well the team
does on their America Tour over the Summer and keeping on top of the transfers
of this season.
To start off.
Gastron Ramirez has been said to sign for Liverpool by the
end of the week.
Diame also said to be linked with Liverpool
Kuyt has left for Fenerbahce. :(
Aurelio has moved... somewhere.
Players rumoured to leave: Maxi :( though he has mentioned
that he has intended to stay,
but we have heard this before from many players,
but lets hope he does not
Jack Robinson (on loan to Norwich or Bolton)...meh.... ,
Bellamy (Cardiff City) but again, he has reiterated his
intention to stay at Liverpool.
So that's it for this wek, I'll try to keep this more
updated with the America Tour and transfers, but until then, this has been Andy
Lai signing off!
YNWA...
Sunday, 24 June 2012
Eyes Fixed On England Tonight
We've seen Germany, Portugal and Spain go through, the favourites to get through but who will be the fourth?
It's that time again for England go into the Quarter-finals to take on Italy and I am sure everyone will be looking to see who will be played. So lets have a look.
As far as I can see, Liverpool and Arsenal will be teams with the players that will make or break it on the offence.
Italy's solid back four has shown through the group stage that they are capable of defending against even the toughest of opponents but what who or what can we do to break it down?!
Italy's defence is indeed solid however inconsistency and random lack of concentration as seen in their match against Spain and Croatia could be their undoing and England's glory.
Andy Carroll has to start.
Carroll's ability to hold the ball and head in the high crosses will be crucial in getting over the Italian defence who have been superb in defending against the Spanish side who excel with fancy footwork. We will be relying on Gerrard and possibly Downing (Though the more likely Milner would be selected) to spot Carroll as well as Walcott who can provide Carroll with the balls to nod them home while Chamberlain will be our counter man, one to attack on the counter and run riot with Walcott as support. However this would be best utilised in the final third, the first part will see England attacking variety points of entry, playing the wide balls as well as having Young and Wellbeck countering. Their familiarity with each other will help provide a strong and constant attacking piece of football.
We will have to see England playing much more aggressively if we have any hope of dealing a blow to Italy and going into the Semi Finals.
This is not going to be an easy game for the defence as Italy still have attacking strength in Di Natale, Balotelli and Cassano, all of who have put themselves on the scoreboard in this competition, our defence will need to look sharp. Balotelli essentially the Italian Carroll with an attitude (in the coolest way possible with a lot less hair), while Cassano has a Rooney style flair about him and Di Natale is your experienced Striker, picking out the weak points in a defence and taking advantage of it to put away the goals.
With only a couple of hours left before the match, I would pick my starting XI as:
Hart
G.Johnson, Terry, Lescott, A.Cole
Downing, Gerrard, Parker, Young
Carroll, Wellbeck
Sub at 60mins
Wellbeck < Oxlade-Chamberlain
Young < Walcott
Score prediction:
Hard to say but I go with...
England 2-1 Italy
Carroll and Gerrard to score
Balotelli to score
Almost time!!! See ya after the game!!
It's that time again for England go into the Quarter-finals to take on Italy and I am sure everyone will be looking to see who will be played. So lets have a look.
As far as I can see, Liverpool and Arsenal will be teams with the players that will make or break it on the offence.
Italy's solid back four has shown through the group stage that they are capable of defending against even the toughest of opponents but what who or what can we do to break it down?!
Italy's defence is indeed solid however inconsistency and random lack of concentration as seen in their match against Spain and Croatia could be their undoing and England's glory.
Andy Carroll has to start.
Carroll's ability to hold the ball and head in the high crosses will be crucial in getting over the Italian defence who have been superb in defending against the Spanish side who excel with fancy footwork. We will be relying on Gerrard and possibly Downing (Though the more likely Milner would be selected) to spot Carroll as well as Walcott who can provide Carroll with the balls to nod them home while Chamberlain will be our counter man, one to attack on the counter and run riot with Walcott as support. However this would be best utilised in the final third, the first part will see England attacking variety points of entry, playing the wide balls as well as having Young and Wellbeck countering. Their familiarity with each other will help provide a strong and constant attacking piece of football.
We will have to see England playing much more aggressively if we have any hope of dealing a blow to Italy and going into the Semi Finals.
This is not going to be an easy game for the defence as Italy still have attacking strength in Di Natale, Balotelli and Cassano, all of who have put themselves on the scoreboard in this competition, our defence will need to look sharp. Balotelli essentially the Italian Carroll with an attitude (in the coolest way possible with a lot less hair), while Cassano has a Rooney style flair about him and Di Natale is your experienced Striker, picking out the weak points in a defence and taking advantage of it to put away the goals.
With only a couple of hours left before the match, I would pick my starting XI as:
Hart
G.Johnson, Terry, Lescott, A.Cole
Downing, Gerrard, Parker, Young
Carroll, Wellbeck
Sub at 60mins
Wellbeck < Oxlade-Chamberlain
Young < Walcott
Score prediction:
Hard to say but I go with...
England 2-1 Italy
Carroll and Gerrard to score
Balotelli to score
Almost time!!! See ya after the game!!
Monday, 18 June 2012
Liverpool Fixtures are out! What's happening I wonder?
LFC's 2012-13 fixtures revealed
Here is our fixture list in full:
AUGUST
18 West Brom (A)
25 Manchester City (H)
SEPTEMBER
1 Arsenal (H)
15 Sunderland (A)
22 Manchester United (H)
29 Norwich City (A)
OCTOBER
6 Stoke City (H)
20 Reading (H)
27 Everton (A)
NOVEMBER
3 Newcastle United (H)
10 Chelsea (A)
17 Wigan Athletic (H)
24 Swansea City (A)
27 Tottenham (A)
DECEMBER
1 Southampton (H)
8 West Ham (A)
15 Aston Villa (H)
22 Fulham (H)
26 Stoke City (A)
29 QPR (A)
JANUARY 2013
1 Sunderland (H)
12 Manchester United (A)
19 Norwich City (H)
29 Arsenal (A)
FEBRUARY
2 Manchester City (A)
9 West Brom (H)
23 Swansea City (H)
MARCH
2 Wigan Athletic (A)
9 Tottenham (H)
16 Southampton (A)
30 Aston Villa (A)
APRIL
6 West Ham (H)
13 Reading (A)
20 Chelsea (H)
27 Newcastle United (A)
MAY
4 Everton (H)
12 Fulham (A)
19 QPR (H)
What are your thoughts?
Here is our fixture list in full:
AUGUST
18 West Brom (A)
25 Manchester City (H)
SEPTEMBER
1 Arsenal (H)
15 Sunderland (A)
22 Manchester United (H)
29 Norwich City (A)
OCTOBER
6 Stoke City (H)
20 Reading (H)
27 Everton (A)
NOVEMBER
3 Newcastle United (H)
10 Chelsea (A)
17 Wigan Athletic (H)
24 Swansea City (A)
27 Tottenham (A)
DECEMBER
1 Southampton (H)
8 West Ham (A)
15 Aston Villa (H)
22 Fulham (H)
26 Stoke City (A)
29 QPR (A)
JANUARY 2013
1 Sunderland (H)
12 Manchester United (A)
19 Norwich City (H)
29 Arsenal (A)
FEBRUARY
2 Manchester City (A)
9 West Brom (H)
23 Swansea City (H)
MARCH
2 Wigan Athletic (A)
9 Tottenham (H)
16 Southampton (A)
30 Aston Villa (A)
APRIL
6 West Ham (H)
13 Reading (A)
20 Chelsea (H)
27 Newcastle United (A)
MAY
4 Everton (H)
12 Fulham (A)
19 QPR (H)
What are your thoughts?
I think this seasons a bit more spread out with the teams we have to play, giving Liverpool less focused stress in a single month. It will be interesting to see how well West Ham, Reading and Southampton deal with the new relegation, will we be seeing the same as last year with the new boys taking everyone by surprise or will the surprise be they lasted that long?
Sam Allardyce has been done well with the Hammers and getting them into the premier league and a lot of new signings are heard to be signed to West Ham to bring back the days of entertaining football, you have to love Di Canio.
But to be frank, they all deserved to be in the premier league as the points between them showed their qualities, fighting for the top three. Only those 3 points separated the teams.
So that rivalry will see them into the premier league as to who can get the better of the other.
West Ham showed a lot of resilience in having to play previous premier league team Blackpool and Carling Cup Finalist Cardiff City to get into the Premier League. But now that they're they, maybe we will see the old dogs bite back.
Or Liverpool will trounce them...
Tell me what team you fear the most and lets break them down :P
Leave it in the comment section below!
Andy Lai! Signing out!
Saturday, 16 June 2012
Marriages All Round!!
Quick update:
The Liverpool squad have plenty to show for when it comes to being the family man, and with latest addition to being on their way are Martin Skrtel and Charlie Adams who have both had their wedding day today, so congratulations to them.
And to all those single liverpool fans... there are still other players you can become wags to :P
Also check out the top 10 liverpool player names being asked for to be placed on the back of the new football kits here ! Who would you have on your back????
The Liverpool squad have plenty to show for when it comes to being the family man, and with latest addition to being on their way are Martin Skrtel and Charlie Adams who have both had their wedding day today, so congratulations to them.
And to all those single liverpool fans... there are still other players you can become wags to :P
Also check out the top 10 liverpool player names being asked for to be placed on the back of the new football kits here ! Who would you have on your back????
Friday, 8 June 2012
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.
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.
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