Steven Gerrard's fresh-air dive. Replays from the stands and a single side-on shot made plain that contact, if any, was minimal between Czabo Feher on Gerrard in the play that lead to an England free kick in yesterday's Match.

The Pundits are getting restless. Is he a knave for the dive?

LFC midfielder Xabi Alonso has suffered an injury scare just 10 days before the World Cup.

A leg injury forced the 24-year-old Liverpool star out of training on Tuesday but the exact nature of the injury is not yet known.

Jamie Carragher looks set to face Hungary tonight as a holding midfielder, with Steven Gerrard pushed forward in support of Michael Owen.

Sven-Goran Eriksson has pledged to play the team that will start against Paraguay in the opening game of the World Cup when England face the Hungarians at Old Trafford, and it now seems that Carragher is part of his first-choice line-up.

Carragher has been preferred to both Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves as the deep-lying midfielder, with Eriksson opting for a no-nonsense player. Former Reds boss Roy Evans is sure Carragher will respond to the challenge in typical fashion.

"There's no-one deserves the chance more than Carra. Over the years he's developed not only into a great player, but a great leader".

"I think using him in midfield is an excellent idea. He'll be perfect there. It's something many of us have thought would be the answer for some time at international level."

The Swede's lack of fit strikers means that only Owen and Peter Crouch are experienced front men, and Crouch is quite rightly seen as a better option for the bench.

That leaves Gerrard as the obvious choice to play in a role he has often occupied for Liverpool, with Carragher taking his berth in midfield.

Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse appeared to pave the way for a return to French football after admitting he does not get along with Reds manager Rafael Benitez.

The 24-year-old France international, currently preparing for the World Cup, claims to have spoken with three of Ligue 1's biggest clubs about a possible transfer.

Revealing the rift, Cisse said: "I'm happy at Liverpool. But there is only the manager that I don't like. It will be hard to stay with Liverpool, and I want to resolve this as quickly as possible, before the World Cup."

Speaking to reporters at France's World Cup training base at Clairefontaine, Cisse admitted he had already started looking for a new club.

Harry Kewell will discover in the next week whether he is facing finals misery for a fourth time.

The winger has limped out of three finals while at Liverpool, the most recent in Cardiff earlier this month with a groin injury that threatens his participation in next month's World Cup.

Kewell has remained on Merseyside for treatment but will meet up with the rest of the Australia squad when they arrive in Eindhoven tomorrow for training.

The 27-year-old is not expected to be fit for a friendly against Holland on June 4 and, with concerns persisting over his recovery, Kewell could also miss his country's final warm-up game against Liechtenstein three days later.

Wayne Rooney will definitely miss England's World Cup group stage games - after a scan revealed he cannot train for at least another three weeks.

Rooney's club confirmed the 20-year-old will require another scan on 14 June to determine when he can return to action.

If the striker's broken metatarsal is given the all-clear, he would have 10 days to get fit for a last-16 tie.

Liverpool have announced this evening that striker Fernando Morientes has joined Valencia for an undisclosed fee.

The 30-year-old former Real Madrid striker failed to live up to his reputation during his 16 months on Merseyside and managed just 12 goals in 61 games for the Reds.

He was left out of the Spanish squad for this summer's World Cup after failing to play a major role in the Liverpool first team last season.

Mark Gonzalez boosted his hopes of joining Liverpool in the summer by playing a starring role in Chile's 1-0 friendly victory over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin last night.

Liverpool supporters will have been impressed by the 22-year-old winger's performance at Lansdowne Road. He had a hand in the winning goal, with his free-kick causing panic in the Irish defence before Manuel Iturra stabbed in the loose ball three minutes into the second half.

Gonzalez was always a threat and forced two good saves out of Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given, while he also saw another volley cannon off the post.

The Chilean, together with Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, must hope his display will aid his cause of finally being able to play in the Premiership.

Liverpool will formally make a second application next week for Gonzalez to be granted a work permit.

Injured England striker Wayne Rooney will have a scan on his broken metatarsal today but the results are not expected to be available to England team doctors until Friday.

Rooney is having an MRI scan on his injury and specialists will analyse the result with a club doctor before they are passed on to England. England's team doctor Leif Sward has to inform FIFA by Tuesday if he expects Rooney to recover in time to take part in the World Cup.

FIFA's chief medical officer Dr Jiri Dvorak said: "Each team physician has to confirm by May 30 that their players are physically and mentally fit to participate in the World Cup. If Wayne Rooney is on the list then that is, in principle, confirmation that it is anticipated he will have recovered in time to participate in the tournament."

Liverpool have entered the race to sign Dirk Kuyt, according to Dirk Kuyt. He told The Independent that the Feyenoord president 'has informed me of a new approach from last year's European champions, but it is out of my hands.'

The high-flying Kuyt (>drum snare<) might be disappointed if the Daily Mail prove to be correct, however, since they report that Liverpool have entered the race to sign Mark Viduka, who says Steve McClaren's departure could spark his own move from Middlesbrough.

Liverpool are to make a fresh bid to secure a work permit for 21-year-old Chilean winger Mark Gonzalez.

Liverpool's bid to sign Gonzalez in 2005 collapsed after the Home Office refused him a work permit because Chile's Fifa ranking was too low.

REDs can watch Gonzalez in action for Chile this evening in a friendly match against Republic of Ireland at Lansdowne Road. The game is being televised live by SKY Sports.

Real Betis want to sign Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes, but his financial demands could scupper the deal.

The Spanish international moved to Anfield from Real Madrid for a fee of 6.3M in January 2005.
But since then he's failed miserably to live up to his lofty reputation, and has struggled to make a regular first-team impression.

Liverpool now seem ready to offload him, and are resigned to losing cash in the process. Espanyol and Fenerbahce are also reportedly interested in signing him.

Sevilla full-back Daniel Alves has not ruled out the possibility of joining Liverpool this summer.

The 23-year-old Brazilian claimed the Barclays Premiership club have made an offer - reported to be 7M - to secure his services, although Alves insists he is no rush to decide where his future lies.

Alves, who played an integral role in Sevilla's UEFA Cup success, insists his final decision about his future will be based purely on footballing reasons.

Sven-Goran Eriksson insists he has never seen Michael Owen in such red-hot form and has been impressed by the sharpness of the Newcastle striker since the World Cup squad met last week.

Owen will captain England's B team against a Belarus side on Thursday, where he will start up front with Peter Crouch. Eriksson wants to give vital match-practice to Owen, who has played only 30 minutes of competitive football since breaking his foot on New Year's Eve.

Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has retired from international football after being overlooked for Germany's World Cup squad.

TRhje 32-year-old won 59 caps and scored five goals, among them the last ever goal at the old Wembley Stadium when Germany beat England in an October 2000 World Cup qualifier.

"It's not really a big surprise to me I wasn't in the squad," he said on www.liverpoolfc.tv. "That's it for me now at international level. I'm 32 now and this would have been my last tournament."

Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse has again opened the door on a move to Marseille by revealing he would be willing to listen to an offer from the Mediterranean giants - having almost moved to the side in January.

The French international, who will showcase his talents in this summer's World Cup in Germany, is continually being linked with a move back to his homeland after struggling to cement a regular first-team place at Anfield.

Marseille have made no secret of their interest in the pacy 24-year-old and almost got their man in the January transfer window before Liverpool pulled the plug on the deal.

England International and Red Jamie Carragher believes 2006 is ripe for England to again capture some major silverware as they prepare for next month's finals in Germany at a training camp in Portugal.

'Greece have done it but we've never won a European Championship. It's about time that England did do something on an international stage.

'Everyone else seems to do it and we always seem to fall short for whatever reason.

'But I think the group of players we have is one of the best probably since we last won the World Cup - and hopefully we can go and win it again this summer.'

Didier Drogba wants to quit Chelski and leave the Premiership behind because he is sick of being labelled a cheat.

The Ivory Coast striker, who is going to the World Cup this summer, has been involved in a number of incidents in the last couple of seasons which has led to him being labelled a diver.

Now the 28-year-old, a 24million signing from Marseille two seasons ago, has had enough. 'It's not a joke. I want to move on and avoid all the pressure and scandals here.'

Spurs are looking to next season without Jermain Defoe, who is reportedly keen to move to Anfield, but the clubs are yet to agree a transfer fee.

Spurs want 15m for the England man, and although Rafa Benitez has offered Harry Kewell in a part-exchange deal, the White Hart Lane club are yet to be tempted.

Steven Gerrard can't wait for Chilean winger Mark Gonzalez to arrive at Liverpool.

Gerrard believes the highly-rated player - nicknamed Speedy because of his electric pace - will fit perfectly into the Anfield system.

Reds officials hope Gonzalez - who has been on loan at Real Sociedad - will be cleared to join the Reds during the summer and Gerrard admits he's excited about the prospect of playing alongside him.

'We actually trained with him for a couple of weeks before he went back to Spain earlier in the season and it was clear to us all then that he's got loads of ability. '

Pako Ayesteran is also keen on the young Chilean - - "I've spoken to a lot of people in San Sebastian about him, and they told me how he was the key player for Real Sociedad in the second half of the season. He will make an important difference for us."

Samuel Eto'o today singled out Liverpool Football Club as the inspiration behind Barcelona's fantastic Champions League final comeback in Paris on Wednesday night.

The Cameroon international scored a late goal to level the game before Barcelona grabbed a winner with just minutes remaining. The comeback was nothing like as dramatic as what happened in Istanbul a year earlier but Eto'o believes the Barca players all had the Reds on their minds as they refused to admit defeat.

Rafa today identified Momo Sissoko as the unsung hero of Liverpool's FA Cup Final triumph.

Benitez accepts many of his stars were below par in Cardiff, but he says Sissoko was as inspirational as skipper Steven Gerrard in helping the Reds fight their way back from two down.

The aftermath of the final summed up Sissoko's season, with few outside Merseyside recognising the importance of the Mali international.

Benitez, however, believes the 21-year-old has proved to be one of his most successful signings.

'Momo did for us what he's done all season,' said Benitez.

'He worked very hard right until the end, and he was very important for us, not just on Saturday, but throughout the year.

'Some of my staff came to me at the end of the game and said they thought Momo would have been their man-of-the-match as well as Steven Gerrard.

'Maybe a lot of people don't recognise how important Momo is, but everyone at the club knows it.'

Norwegian assistant referee Ole Hermann Borgan has been stripped of his duties for today's Champions League final after being pictured in a Barcelona shirt.

Borgan was photographed by a newspaper in his home country wearing the colours of the finalists, who face Arsenal at the Stade de France.

The BBC's coverage of the FA Cup Final was the most-watched sporting event of the year so far, according to unofficial overnight figures.

The match started with 6.8 million viewers, but rose to 11.3m as Liverpool won the penalty shoot-out which decided the tie against West Ham United.

A further 700,000 saw coverage of the game on Sky Sports 1. As the match went into extra-time and penalties, some 65% of all viewers were watching the BBC's coverage.

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson says he has not ruled out the possibility of using Steven Gerrard as a striker at the World Cup finals.

With Wayne Rooney a doubt with a broken foot and Michael Owen only just back from a similar injury, Gerrard has been touted for a forward role.

Eriksson said: 'Steven Gerrard can play in a lot of positions and one is as a second striker.

'I'm sure he could play as first striker but a lot depends on Rooney.' "

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has been placed under administration in a response to the match-fixing scandal that has stunned the country.

Four teams, including champions Juventus, are under investigation for match-fixing and illegal betting. FIGC officials have resigned amind allegations that the governing body had allowed Juve to pick and choose referees for their games.

And on Sunday Juve's general manager Luciano Moggi, the man at the centre of the scandal, quit ahead of his grilling by prosecutors in Rome on Monday.

The Italian media on Tuesday published further intercepted telephone conversations between Moggi and football officials.

Fans are calling for Stevie G to be named England Captain. The best summary of his traits?


Passion + Courage + Bravery = Steven Gerrard

King Kenny is of a similar mind - he has insisted that, whatever Thierry Henry or Ronaldinho produce in the European Cup final, they will not surpass the England international as the most influential footballer at work today.

According to the Daily Mirror, West Ham midfielder Yossi Benayoun is a summer target of Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez after his outstanding FA Cup final performance.

Benayoun cost West Ham 2.5m last summer - and they would demand more than double that for the Israeli, with 'sources' saying that the midfielder would cost Liverpool 6m.

Should Benitez decide to move for the man who gave his team such a torrid time in the final, however, that would not present a problem, with the Spaniard currently sitting on a transfer war-chest of 20m.

Benayoun can play wide on both flanks or as an attacking central midfielder, and it is thought that Benitez would use him on the right and move Steven Gerrard back into the middle of midfield.

LFC Striker Fernando Morientes has been left out of Spain's World Cup squad.

The Liverpool forward had been named in his country's provisional squad but was one of four players cut by coach Luis Aragones in the 23-man selection.

English-based Xabi Alonso, Jose Reyes, Cesc Fabregas, Asier Del Horno, Luis Garcia and Jose Reina were included.

Liverpool defeated West Ham 3-1 on penalties after a truly epic FA Cup final at The Millennium Stadium finished in a 3-3 draw.

Jose Reina's save from Anton Ferdinand settled an incredible match as the 2006 final came down to a single kick after 120 minutes of compelling action which West Ham had seemed destined to win as the 90 minutes drew to a close.

Gracious Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez said the FA Cup final was a match no team deserved to lose after his side beat West Ham in a penalty shoot-out.


Steven Gerrard scored a 90th-minute equaliser to tie the scores at 3-3 and Benitez said: "It was difficult to say we deserved to win or the other team.

"It was a magnificent final. We knew that they could score goals but that we could also.

"We needed to keep going but after 63 games it was really difficult."

West Ham led 2-0 after 27 minutes before goals from Djibril Cisse and Gerrard pulled Liverpool level. A cross-cum-shot from Paul Konchesky seemed to be taking the Hammers to victory before Gerrard, suffering from cramp, smashed a spectacular last-minute equaliser.

The match went to penalties and goalkeeper Pepe Reina, who was at fault for at least one West Ham goal, made three penalty saves.

Reds skipper Steven Gerrard said: "West Ham were brilliant, they gave us a really good game but we had a never-say-die attitude and we stuck in there," said Gerrard.

Liverpool fans whose FA Cup final tickets were stolen will not receive duplicates for the Millennium Stadium showpiece event, the Football Association have confirmed.

Around 1,600 tickets were stolen following a raid on a Royal Mail van last week in Liverpool, with Reds chief executive Rick Parry looking to work with the FA to resolve the problem. However, fans who had paid for the tickets for the clash against West Ham will not get replacements and police have warned against buying from touts as anyone with a stolen ticket is liable to arrest.

Rafael Benitez is looking beyond Liverpool's FA Cup final date to an assault on Chelsea's Premiership title next season, insisting: "We are closer now than for a long while."

The Liverpool boss knows that after Saturday's match against West Ham he must make the right decisions in the transfer market to give the Anfield club an opportunity to build on the past two campaigns. A Champions League triumph, a runners-up spot in last season's Carling Cup, plus European Super Cup success, have been followed by this season's third place in the Barclays Premiership.

With league glory in mind, Benitez said: "We're a lot closer, and now we need to make the right decisions for the future. The next step we have to take is the most difficult."

Liverpool still hope to have Xabi Alonso fit for Saturday's climax to the season. Alonso has become an integral member of the team, following his summer 2004 switch from Real Sociedad, and Benitez will be looking to make more successful signings in the same vein.

"This is a time when we must be careful with our decisions," said the Reds boss. "When I talk with (chief executive) Rick Parry and the chairman (David Moores), they know we are closer now than we've been in a long time.

"They have more experience than me of what's happened at the club and they know we must be careful with new signings. We know the areas where we need to sign the right players.

"I know we can improve. That's the sensation I feel now. With the players we have, and by signing the right players, we will be better. Other clubs will be looking to improve, too, and we need to be aware of what they do to make sure if they improve their squad a little, we improve even more."

Tottenham will wait for the results of food tests before deciding whether to take action after 10 of their players fell ill before their game at West Ham.

Martin Jol said players vomited in the dressing room before the 2-1 loss which ended their Champions League dream.

Reds Gerrard, Carragher and Crouch are all named to the Provisional England Squad. As is keeper Scott Carson.

But there are also some surprises. Theo Walcott and Aaron Lennon are in England's provisional World Cup squad, but Shaun Wright-Phillips, Jermain Defoe and Ledley King miss out. Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing and Bayern Munich's Owen Hargreaves are other surprise inclusions.

Chelsea winger Wright-Phillips, an England squad regular this season, does not even make the standby list, which also includes uncapped West Ham midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker and Crystal Palace striker Andy Johnson.

Eriksson admitted he was taking a gamble after selecting untried Walcott, who is yet to make a first-team appearance for Arsenal after joining from Southampton in January.

'It is a gamble, of course it is a gamble I can't deny that but it is a nice one,' he said.
'He is a great talent. I have 23 players, why not take one gambling?'

Crouch will likely be viewed as a controversial pick as well. But Rafa takes a typically practical view of how Crouch could deputise for Rooney in Germany.

"He is not Rooney, but he's a different player. He hasn't got the pace of Rooney, but he is a little bit better than Rooney in the air, wouldn't you say?" Benitez said. "Rooney is a fantastic footballer, he can change a game, he can win games, but Crouch can do the same. He can give an assist, win in the air, keep the ball, play good passes.

"He's not the kind of target man you can say, 'Okay, stay there, we'll only pass you long balls'. The first time he was with us, when we were preparing to play Olympiakos in pre-season, a Spanish coach was watching our training and he said, 'Hey, he is really good, this player. Look at him, short passes, both feet'. And against Olympiakos he did what we call in Spanish a 'bicycle'; you call it a stepover; and went on a dribble.

"Maybe in other countries as a manager you might prefer another player, but the way you play in England, to have a target man but with his game intelligence and qualities, it's difficult to find better."

Peter Crouch is being tipped to play a leading role for England in the World Cup if fellow striker Wayne Rooney fails to recover from a broken foot.

Gavin Peacock, who played with Crouch at QPR, thinks his former team-mate could prove to be a big hit in Germany. 'Crouch is becoming a big player for England now,' Peacock told BBC Sport.

'He's not an out-an-out goalscorer, as we all know, but he can hold the ball up and bring people in. What he needs to work on is his heading at goal.' Crouch silenced some of his critics by scoring and setting up the winner for Joe Cole in the 2-1 victory over Uruguay in March.

Liverpool are hopeful that midfielder Xabi Alonso will be fit for the FA Cup final after a scan revealed he had strained ankle ligaments on Sunday.

The 24-year-old appeared to twist his right ankle after landing awkwardly playing in the 3-1 win at Portsmouth. The Spanish midfielder was carried off on a stretcher in the first half at Fratton Park but later returned to the dug-out walking unaided. Rafael Benitez's team are already without the suspended Luis Garcia and Robbie Fowler, who is cup-tied.

Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler will sign a new one-year contract to stay at Anfield next week.

The 30-year-old was on a short-term deal after joining on a free from Manchester City in January.

'This is fantastic news,' said manager Rafael Benitez. 'Robbie has done really well and he deserves this.'

Speaking exclusively to Liverpoolfc.tv at Melwood, Fowler said: "It's not signed yet but you can imagine how happy I was when the manager offered me another year. I can't put my feelings into words, this is something I have wanted for a long time.

LFC AIMING FOR NO.1 WITH CUP FINAL SONG: "LFC AIMING FOR NO.1 WITH CUP FINAL SONG "



Liverpool Football Club will release a brand new re-working of the legendary Johnny Cash classic 'Ring of Fire' as their official song for the FA Cup final with all proceeds being donated to charity.

Originally penned by June Carter and Merie Kilgour, the song reached No.1 in the Country Charts when recorded by Cash in 1963 and now Liverpool Football Club are hoping to score a number one of their own when the new version is released next week.

Performed by 'The Boot Room All-Stars' - Tim Speed and Apollo 440 - and featuring the distinctive vocals of Echo and the Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch, the song will be available as a download only on liverpoolfc.tv. The single will first be available to download during the week of the FA Cup final.

All proceeds from the sales of the download will go to the Marina Dalglish Appeal, an organisation set up by Marina and Kenny Dalglish to raise money for a new Oncology ward at University Hospital Aintree.

'Ring of Fire' Trivia: Did you know?


Johnny Cash's version of 'Ring of Fire' was first adopted by Liverpool supporters travelling to away matches as long ago as 2002 but grew in popularity as the Reds trailed a blaze through Europe on route to last season's Champions League final in Istanbul.


The song was played in the Liverpool players dressing room in the Atatürk stadium in Istanbul before the Champions League final against AC Milan in May 2005 and after winning the game on penalties, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard were caught singing the song's tune 'Der-der-der-der-der-der-der-derrrrrr' live on TV.


Ian McCulloch is a lifelong Liverpool supporter and Main Stand season ticket holder. He first started visiting Anfield as a young boy and his first hero was 'Sir' Roger Hunt.


The Boot Room All-Stars' version of 'Ring of Fire' contains backing vocals from the travelling Liverpool supporters at Old Trafford during the FA Cup Semi-Final victory over Chelsea and also the Kop during the final Premiership game of the season at Anfield against Aston Villa.


'Ring of Fire' was played by the English cricket team in the dressing room on the final day of the 3rd Test match against India on 22 March 2006. Inspired by the effect it had on the Liverpool players, England came out and took seven wickets for 25 runs in the space of 89 balls to complete their first victory on Indian soil for 21 years.


The Boot Room All-Stars featuring Ian McCulloch are not the first group to cover 'Ring of Fire'. Past cover versions of the track have been performed by Frank Zappa, Ray Charles, Grace Jones, Coldplay and Joaquin Phoenix.

Rafa believes Liverpool are back as serious contenders for automatic Champions League qualification as they bid to pip Manchester United to the Premiership runners-up spot.

The Reds boss feels his side's odds of completing an unlikely chase are much healthier following United's Bank Holiday draw with Middlesbrough.

Had United won, only a home defeat to Charlton and a high scoring Liverpool win at Portsmouth would have been enough.

But now Sir Alex Ferguson knows his side must win on Sunday, or the Reds can sneak past with victory at Fratton Park.

Steve McClaren's appointment as the next England manager is set to be confirmed by the Football Association.

The FA's board began meeting at its Soho Square headquarters in London at 1030 BST to discuss the successor to current coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.

The Middlesbrough manager's name will be recommended to the board by the selection panel.

Wayne Rooney has more than one fracture and maybe needs a 'miracle' to be fit for the World Cup, according to England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.

The England striker has since had a second scan on his metartarsal.

Eriksson said: 'I knew [Tuesday] that he had more than one fracture. Miracles happen in life now and then, but I don't really know.'

His club believe Rooney is six weeks away from training but Eriksson is still set to include him in his squad. Danny Murphy is blaming pitch quality for the injury: "I personally believe it's the pitches that are more of a factor than the boots because they are so firm."

If England is Rooney-less, who gets the call instead? Some are pointing to Robbie Fowler as the stand-up man.

Football legend Diego Maradona believes Sven-Goran Eriksson's England side can win the World Cup in Germany.

Speaking before striker Wayne Rooney picked up a foot injury, Maradona, 45, said in a BBC documentary to be shown on Tuesday: 'England has a good team.

'It is much stronger than at previous World Cups.'
In the interview with ex-England star Gary Lineker, the Argentine added: 'With the experience of its players it could be a good World Cup for them.' "

Join us at Scallywags for the FA Cup

FA CUP TICKETS AVAILABLE IN ADVANCE

for paid up members only!



The FA Cup Final
West Ham vs Liverpool
Saturday May May 13 at 10am (9am ET Pre-Game)
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Paid-up members will be able to purchase two tickets ($20 each). Scallywags staff will have a current list of Paid-Up members of the Toronto Supporters Club. Tickets under this offer will be available to purchase at Scallywags, May 1st - 6th inclusive - there will be no exceptions.

* The cover charge, as with all Setanta broadcasts, goes direct to Setenta - not to the Supporters Club or Scallywags