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Premier League Table 2007/2008
2007-12-23 19:20:00
The Live Table can be accessed from the top left of www.myanfield.net.To keep track of matches and events for LFC, there's also the Live Calendar.
More About: League , Premier league , 2008 , Premier

Payback time for 1965 unless the referee....
2007-12-21 12:38:00
....gets bought again (LINK). So Anfield gets to welcome Inter Milan in the next round of the champions league. With the form Inter Milan are in at the moment this is going to be a very tough draw. If we're to win the competition of course we'd have to beat the best teams anyway, but it would've been nicer to meet Inter Milan at the later stages.I don't think we've anything to fear by them and if anything I reckon they should fear us, we're well capable of winning the champions league. Watching the draw take place I could only think thank god we can't get Liverpool ;-)
More About: Time , Payback , Referee

Javi Martinez or Javier Mascherano ?
2007-11-16 12:00:00
They may share the same initials and buy out fees but there's big differences between the 2 players. For one Javier has got more letters in his name and I think it sounds cooler so for that reason alone I would prefer we signed him at the end of the season ;-)The Reds amongst many other clubs are currently heavily scouting the impressive 19 year old Martinez who plays for Athletic Bilbao but at £17 million, I doubt we've got room to buy both himself and Mascherano at the end of the season, plus we've got a packed quality midfield as it is !With Mascherano we've got a proven performer (premiership & europe) both on and off the pitch who has a real hunger to play for the Reds so I really hope he's the one we go for.

Oh purlease ... Madrid should get Real
2007-11-15 11:35:00
I think it's a little rich to hear Real Madrid warning their youth players not to leave and join other teams. Fair enough they may be a little incensed lately having lost Gerardo Bruna to us. Their argument is that most young players who leave will just find themselves playing reserve team football etc.Of course if those same youth players were to stay with Real Madrid, would they really have any better chance of making a breakthrough with all the Galacticos they buy every year ? I think not !The likes of Arsenal (in particular), Liverpool & Manchester United have much better track records of youngsters breaking in to the first teams, which is why I imagine the youngsters are enticed in to leaving Real/Barca.

Tim Bjorkstrom on trial with Liverpool
2007-11-14 16:34:00
While it's unusual for us to be linked with non-latino players, there is the occasional gem which pops up. One such potential player is 16 year old Tim Bjorkstrom who is currently on trial with the Reds.Probably his biggest advantage is that he doesn't play in midfield or goal (Benitez seems to be stock piling in these positions) which should make any possible breakthrough a little easier, the central defender is quite highly rated after a string of good performances for Swedens under-17 side.Given that his trial is of indeterminate length we could be waiting a while for any confirmation of his signing.
More About: Liverpool , Trial

Benitez truly baffles me sometimes
2007-11-12 01:27:00
No this has nothing to do with the ludicrious 'R' word. Instead it's got to do with his choice of substitutions against Fulham.I can understand a manager wishing to make tactical changes during a game, certainly if it's with a view to improving the team. But surely it would make sense to take off players who are not performing, Leiva coming on for Mascherano (who was playing well) instead of Stevie G who was anonymous throughout, Torres coming on for Voronin (who was also having a decent game) instead of Crouch who one header aside did nothing for the entire game :-(I just can't see any logical reason for him doing that, it's hardly a motivational aide for the players if how they perform bears no relation on whether they get picked or not !
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Injuries are hurting our width
2007-11-12 01:22:00
Lovely stuff (not), our treatment table continues to get bigger with the news that Benayoun tore his abductor muscle during the boring game with Fulham (thank god Torres made the trip to Anfield bearable).With an expected 3 week layoff, we won't have him available for the Newcastle & Bolton games but perhaps more crucially he'll be missing for the must win Porto game. Which will only serve to ensure we lack a certain amount of width, both Babel & Gerrard tend to drift inside far too often, which leaves Kewell as the only recognisable winger (Leto isn't ready) available.
More About: Injuries

Mascherano - music to our ears
2007-11-09 15:08:00
Best news I've heard all day is Rafa giving Mascherano the thumbs up for a very likely permanent transfer at the end of the season :-)Right from the start of his 18 month loan with us he's impressed with his exceptional ball winning skills, rarely having an off day, but it's his attitude off the pitch which I like most. You don't hear him moaning incessantly about being left out of the squad or anything like that, he takes his chances when given and is a true team player. If only all our players were like that !
More About: Music , Ears

Is 'Danny G' , the next 'Stevie G' ?
2007-11-09 11:26:00
While I thought that premiership level experience would do Danny Guthrie the world of good if he wants any chance of breaking in to the Liverpool first team, it turns out he got European level experience last night against Bayern Munich. He's on a season long loan with Bolton and played the full 90 minutes against Bayern, even setting up the opening goal for Bolton.True he's a dynamic midfielder with a great engine and even though hailed in some quarters as the next Steven Gerrard, it's hard to imagine him breaking into the LFC first team and I reckon he'll be sold come season end.

Lauri Dalla Valle has signed for Liverpool
2007-11-08 11:15:00
And the youth ranks continue to swell, according to Finnish newspaper Karjalainen, Liverpool has signed Lauri Dalla Valle, they also claim he'll receive a signing on fee of between €0.5m & €1m.While he is widely regarded as one of Finlands hottest ever youth prospects (not that there can be too much competition for that title), I doubt LFC would be willing to pay a signing on fee for a 16 year old attacking midfielder !Having said that he was on trial with us last summer after failing to settle in Italy with Inter Milan and has been hyped for quite a while now (scores a goal every second game), so it's not like LFC have no idea of what they're getting for the money.
More About: Signed , Alla

When can we see our new home ?
2007-11-08 00:12:00
While it's certainly great news that the new anfield/liverpool stadium has been given the go ahead from Liverpool City Council despite some last minute concerns raised by the police regarding the potential terrorist threat element of the project.I'm a wee bit disappointed though that it's opening has been pushed back from 2010 to 2011, I imagine this probably has a lot to do with the rapidly rising stadium costs (£285m to £400m) and the subsequent financing of it pushing back the commencement of contruction (now next spring).Despite all that there still remains the possibility of further delays should the Secretary of State call in the application or if there's any legal challenges....
More About: Home

It'll mean nothing if we don't build on it
2007-11-07 16:31:00
Maybe it's just my post-holiday blues or something, for weeks now I've been saying the lads will soon get their form back, yet I'm lacking the feeling of elation which I would've expected after last nights 8-0 thrashing of Besiktas :-(The way we played against Besiktas though is what impressed me more than the scoreline, despite all the prematch pressure the lads played confidently and actually passed the ball quite well, never mind the corresponding off ball movement. In particular Voronin & Benayoun both had amazing games, but what are the odds that they'll find themselves on the bench come Saturday !Marseille and Porto will provide much sterner tests than Besiktas, but if we maintain the recent momentum, we should qualify from the group :-)
More About: Build

It might be the best thing for the Reds
2007-11-05 07:03:00
I know the Premiership is supposed to be our number 1 target this year but I don't think any of us would have thought we wouldn't at least qualify from the group stages of the Champions League, which is now a distinct possibility. We should comfortably beat Besiktas tomorrow night, but Porto in particular could be a tricky fixture and if we drop any more points we're out.Under Rafa, whenever we progress to the Champions League final it's been at the expense of domestic success, 2 years ago when we were knocked out we ended up finishing with our best points tally (82) for nearly a couple of decades and won the FA Cup. If we don't have Europe as a 'distraction' maybe that could help focus the lads on performing in the Premiership, if we win the Premiership who really cares what else happens ?
More About: Reds , Thing

The Tipping Point for the Reds
2007-11-02 05:35:00
Although we've nicked some points along the way, we've had a diabolical run of performances lasting several games. Ignoring much of the media nonsense about the 'R' word being responsible, when it was really due to a lack of confidence or motivation in the squad, I've felt that all it would take would be a couple of good games for us to get our form back.Tomorrow night we've got a pretty big game with Blackburn who are a point ahead of us. I hope last weeks game against Arsenal does prove to be our Tipping Point and that the hunger the lads showed will carry over and hopefully result in us winning against Blackburn, that could prove to be the result which restores confidence in the side ! If the Arse draws ManUre that would also bring us that bit closer to the top this weekend ;-)
More About: Reds

If only all injuries had quick returns
2007-10-31 10:49:00
Well some good news on our injury front after that triple injury scare against Arsenal. Mascherano is back training already. Agger & Torres could both be back in 2 weeks time. Injury plagued Kewell could be set for a start tonight after impressing in a reserve game last week.As for Alonso he saw a specialist yesterday but the outcome of that is as yet unknown, while he will probably be out for a couple of months, having Mascherano back already hopefully means he won't be missed too much.
More About: Injuries , Quick

No doubt an emotional return
2007-10-31 10:10:00
How many players (from the opposing team) get to be cheered when scoring in front of the Kop ?Well tonight we just might get to see that happen with Robbie Fowler ! It's great to hear the likes of Benitez speaking so highly of him and even joking that maybe they could arrange for him to score in front of the Kop, albeit provided we're 3-0 up at that stage !Kuyt also sang his praises saying how much he helped him to settle in and also to develop better as a striker, hmmm, I think he might have neglected the goal scoring side of being a striker ;-)As long as we win, I'll be welcoming the third coming of Fowler very much.
More About: No Doubt , Return , Doubt , Emotional

Another Reds starlet is leaving
2007-10-30 08:15:00
An agreement is already in place for FA Youth Cup winner Jimmy Ryan to make his loan move with Shrewsbury Town permanent in January. The midfielder was part of our famed youth team from a couple of years back and like the rest of those players he never broke in to the first team.I'd high hopes that from that crop of players we'd get to see another local youngster make the breakthrough, while Spearing and Lindfield remain part of the squad it looks like the very talented Adam Hammill (on loan with Southampton) is the one with most potential. Now that LFC is 'cash rich' I hope it doesn't mean we'll always look to the transfer market for our next player :-(
More About: Reds , Leaving

At least we've got our hunger back
2007-10-29 07:39:00
I have to say I thought it was quite an exciting game, true Arsenal outclassed us at times, but it was great seeing so many of our players (excluding Riise) with their hunger back :-)Tactically I think Rafa was right and if Alonso & Torres were match fit it probably would have worked wonders, although I'm not sure why Arbeloa came on instead of Babel who could have given us some much needed penetration on the wing. Also the triple injury blow could prove problematic for us. Despite Reinas uncharacteristic mistake, Arsenal deserved to score and a draw was a good result for us considering everything. We're moving in the right direction again and soon enough we'll get to see the Reds playing with confidence.
More About: Hunger , Back

Ouch ! That's a triple injury blow for us
2007-10-29 07:27:00
Both Alonso and Torres looked well off the pace throughout the game, biggest surprise was Alonso not being subbed sooner. Torres didn't even look like trying against Arsenal, hope he won't be out for too long after aggravating his thigh injury. While Alonso looked a bit better in the second half, sure enough we end up losing him again probably for another several weeks :-(When Agger is back fit(ish) I hope he gets some reserve team action before being reintroduced to the fold so he can be back to his best before a first team run out. While the extent of Mascheranos toe injury is not yet known he could prove the bigger loss unless Sissoko gets his confidence back.
More About: Injury , Ouch , Triple

Great news for Benayoun
2007-10-27 08:32:00
But not so great news for Pennant who has suffered an acute exacerbation of the stress fracture to his right tibia and will have to undergo surgery which will keep him out for 10 weeks.Which of course opens the door for Benayoun to get a prolonged run of games under his belt, he's such a clever little player, his skill and vision allows him to carve teams open. Having Benayouns creativity on the pitch can only be a good thing for Liverpool :-)
More About: News , Great

Agger lets us play more than anyone
2007-10-26 17:29:00
Defenders sadly don't get the level of exposure they deserve, especially in Agger s case. Since he's been out injured it radically alters how we're allowed to play.His pace allows the defence to play further up the field, but it's his ball control and passing ability which impresses me the most. Alonso may be our best passer, but in the absence of Agger he has to play further down the pitch and has less influence on the game as a result.The cool thing under Rafas regime is that he likes us to play the ball from the back rather than have a random punt of the ball down the field (Houlier). With Agger we have a defender who can really play the ball and start attacks. Despite our excellent defensive record, it's in the attacking stakes that Agger gives us what the other defenders don't. Can't wait till he's back in a couple of weeks :-)
More About: Play

Title challenge is a fair expectation
2007-10-26 08:40:00
Unsurprisingly the Yanks have said Rafa will have to justify his massive spending come season end. If for example we finish with 90 odd points and don't win anything, they're hardly going to give him the boot, these guys are pragmatists (and optimists thankfully).Rafa is in his 4th season and has no real excuses (beyond his own failings) for not mounting a realistic title challenge.Of course the Yanks want a return on their investment, who wouldn't, but I hate all the silly sensationalist nonsense prepetuated by the media that Rafa will be sacked without the Premiership trophy this season :-(
More About: Fair , Challenge , Title , Halle

Reds might get a kick up the Arse
2007-10-25 18:44:00
At this stage I can't see us recovering form against Arse nal on Sunday. We're going to be relying on a healthy dose of luck to take any points off them or perhaps Hyypia can figure out which net to score in ;-)There's few positives to take from last nights game, Gerrard looked to be playing better (about time), Babel on the other hand showed the most potential with some superb control, balance and turn of pace. As a team though we still lack cohesion! Qualification from Group A is still in our own hands thanks to Porto & Marseille drawing, but we have to win all 3 games :-(Regardless of what happens on Sunday we're still in the title race (Arsenal & ManUre will have their own rocky patches too), I feel we only need a couple of good games for the guys to get their act together.
More About: Reds , Kick

I can't see LFC bringing back terraces
2007-10-24 11:14:00
There's going to be a commons debate today regarding the reintroduction of standing terraces in the Premiership. The FSF published a 27 page document last May in order to try and get the all seater rule repelled (they claim the support of 142 MPs). The logic which they're using is that the reason why the 96 died in the Hillsborough tragedy was because of incompetent stewarding and poor stadium design (doubt The Sun would agree).Everton's CEO Keith Wyness told a commons seminar last year his club would consider a pilot scheme for this also (doesn't seem too bright even if they are leaving Liverpool).It'll be interesting to see the outcome of this, no matter what though I can't see LFC ever reintroducing standing terraces.
More About: Back

Back to Istanbul for 3 big points
2007-10-23 10:11:00
Rather irrelevant fact for the superstitious types :- Liverpool have never beaten a Turkish team away !Our away form this season has been excellent (first time for everything!) which I expect we should be capable of carrying over to Besiktas tomorrow night.I'm going to miss the match (will have to settle for highlights) while flying to South Africa and I don't want to wake up on Thursday morning to find us effectively out of the Champions League. Realistically we need to win tomorrow night otherwise we'll find ourselves in a very sticky situation trying to qualify.Although Alonso is in the squad, we're still missing Torres, Agger, Kewell, Arbeloa and Aurelio. So I hope Babel has learnt his recent lesson about sleeping in and doesn't miss the flight to Istanbul this morning ;-)
More About: Back , Points

Stevie shouldn't be too surprised
2007-10-20 15:54:00
The look of disbelief on his face when being substituted was slight cause for concern, surely he didn't really think it was unjustified ?Our captains form has been rather terrible lately, more so than the rest of the team, so it was good to see Rafa taking him off.I like the look of Leiva, while his confidence is not quite there yet he still possesses some sublime touches. The team as a whole didn't play too well until our first penalty against Everton but it was watching how the lads lifted their game once Stevie went off that I found somewhat intriguing.I hope Rafa continues to drop Stevie when he doesn't play too well, he needs to know he has to fight for his place just like everyone else.

The beauty of balance :-)
2007-10-20 15:54:00
I want to feel bad and all, but hey I don't :-) Nevilles penalty/red card was comical (it would've been a good save for a goalkeeper).I don't think there's too many people who having watched the slow motion replay of Evertons penalty claim in the dying seconds will try to dispute the validity of the claim. We were robbed by Styles against Chelsea but things have a tendancy to balance themselves out over the course of a season and I think our balance has been restored a wee bit :-)It was good to see the lads win, shame it took so long for them to play (reasonably) well and hopefully it will prove a much needed confidence booster for the lads.
More About: Beauty , Balance

I wanna know how you scored that goal !
2007-10-15 18:24:00
John Carew landed Riise a right hook on their team bus last year ! I can only assume they have kissed and made up as now Carew claims that John Arne Riise is no longer happy at Liverpool and that the pair of them linking up at Aston Villa is a distinct possibility. Riise has a tendancy to score some phenomenal goals, which has endeared him to Reds fans the world over, so his leaving would be kind of sad :-(I wonder what it is with teammates trying to knock the stuffing out of the poor lad (Carew & Bellamy), maybe it's because he has never told us how he scored 'that' goal ;-)
More About: Goal

Lots of fixture changes for the Reds
2007-10-13 15:06:00
That's the beauty of the 'live' season calendar (top left of www.myanfield.net), with Sky Sports and Setanta Sports changing the times and dates of several LFC games, it's easy for those of you who don't already check it out to keep track of these changes as they arise ;-)The most significant one being the game with Manchester United being put back to December 16th, Reading and Manchester City were also changed. The previously scheduled New Years day game with Wigan Athletic has been put back (watching football with a new years hangover has never been much fun).
More About: Reds , Chang , Chan

Can the Crouch stop being a Grouch ?
2007-10-13 14:27:00
With his poor attitude and performance this season, there's been no shortage of rumours that he'll be leaving in January.I mentioned a few days ago that the one thing I fear most when international breaks come up is injuries. Kuyt (hamstring) and Torres (muscle strain) will both be out of action over the next week or two.Which leaves us with 2 recognised strikers (well 3 if you include Babel), in Voronin I feel we have a very capable striker, however, in Crouch ie we seem to have someone who can't be bothered lately especially against Marseille (we really would have been better off without him on the pitch that night!).Yet come next Saturday against Everton we could find ourselves with having to place our trust in him to perform, but can we ?
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