Sunday, December 31, 2006

Liverpool v Bolton

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez must wait on Craig Bellamy's fitness ahead of Bolton's visit after the striker felt a tight hamstring in the win over Spurs.

Otherwise Benitez has no new worries, with Boudewijn Zenden, Mohamed Sissoko and Harry Kewell long-term injuries.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 3:45 PM 0 comments

Thursday, December 28, 2006

DIC: We're in for long term

(BBC) The investment company interested in a takeover of Liverpool has dismissed allegations it plans to sell the club in 2014 after making a huge profit.

The claim against Dubai International Capital was made in an article in the Daily Telegraph and it also said funds for new players would not be available.

But a DIC source said: 'DIC has not yet formally made an offer, never mind completed a deal.

'Certainly there are no plans to exit an acquisition not even yet bought.'

The source added: 'It (DIC) is a very serious investor with considerable resources at its disposal and the ability to take a long-term view.

'Equally, we believe that we understand the responsibilities that come with owning Liverpool Football Club.

'DIC has made it clear that, should a deal be concluded, it would not interfere in the day-to-day running of the club.'

posted by LFC in Toronto at 10:05 AM 1 comments

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Dudek Housebreaker Jailed.

A man who pleaded guilty to breaking into the homes of six footballers has been jailed at Liverpool Crown Court.

James Birch, 20, from Tuebrook, Liverpool, admitted breaking into the home of Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek in Caldy, Merseyside, in June.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 11:28 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

New Date for Carling Cup Match Set

Liverpool's postponed Carling Cup quarter-final tie against Arsenal has been rearranged for January 9, just three days after the two clubs meet in the FA Cup third round at Anfield.

The Carling Cup match should have taken place last night but was called off an hour before kick-off because of heavy fog.

January 9 was actually the date for the first leg of one of the semi-finals but with both clubs having packed schedules early in the new year was the first available date.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 8:26 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Fog postpones Liverpool Cup match

Liverpool's Carling Cup quarter-final tie with Arsenal has been postponed due to heavy fog at Anfield.

Referee Martin Atkinson made an initial inspection at 1815 GMT, but with the fog thickening, the official decided to call the game off at 1845 GMT.

With both teams involved in four competitions, no date has yet been given for when this Carling Cup tie can be played at Anfield.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 3:49 PM 1 comments

Carling Cup:
Liverpool v Arsenal Update

Liverpool's Carling Cup quarter-final tie with Arsenal is in doubt with Anfield shrouded in dense fog and a pitch inspection due at 1815 GMT.

If the game goes ahead Daniel Agger, Fabio Aurelio, Luis Garcia, Peter Crouch and Robbie Fowler are all expected to figure for Liverpool."

posted by LFC in Toronto at 1:23 PM 0 comments

Monday, December 18, 2006

Ahead of the Carling Cup Match

Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia knows Liverpool will be 'looking for revenge' when Arsene Wenger takes his much-changed side to Anfield for Tuesday night's Carling Cup quarter-final.

The Spaniard, 29, is likely to captain the Gunners again as Wenger opts to give several of his fringe and young players another chance to impress.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 3:35 PM 0 comments

Injury blow for Gunners

Arsenal will be without the injured Thierry Henry and Freddie Ljungberg for the Carling Cup quarter-final with Liverpool tomorrow night.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 3:33 PM 0 comments

Friday, December 15, 2006

Champions League: It's Barca

Liverpool have been paired with Champions League holders Barcelona in the draw for the last 16.

The first leg will be played at the Nou Camp as Liverpool try to repeat their 2005 Champions League triumph.

Jose Mourinho will have to guide Chelsea past Porto, where he won the trophy in 2004, while Manchester United will take on French outsiders Lille.

Liverpool club secretary Bryce Morrison claimed the pairing with reigning champions Barcelona could be the launch pad for another assault on Europe's top prize for the five-times winners.

Morrison said: "They don't come much bigger than that. We are relishing these games. We hope we can go all the way once again, starting with this big one."

Barcelona director Josep Cubells said: "It's an interesting match to play Liverpool the champions of Europe the year before.

"Both are legendary clubs with very glamorous stadiums and enthusiastic supporters."

posted by LFC in Toronto at 9:47 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Toshack tips Reds to keep Bellamy

Wales manager John Toshack does not expect Liverpool to sell striker Craig Bellamy in the January transfer window.

Bellamy has been linked with a swap deal involving Tottenham's Jermain Defoe, with West Ham also believed to want the Welsh international.

Bellamy only moved to the Reds in the summer and Toshack told BBC Sport: 'It would be very unusual for something like that to happen so quickly.

'I would be very surprised if that was the case.'

Bellamy has scored just five goals since his £6m switch from Blackburn but netted a brace and set a goal up for Dirk Kuyt in the recent 4-0 win over Wigan.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 9:17 AM 0 comments

Dubai in for long haul?

Liverpool are not on the brink of a Roman Abramovich-style revolution, even though their takeover by the Dubai International Capital consortium appears to be moving closer to completion.

The prospective deal is entering a process of due diligence, with neither side willing to make any public pronouncements about what exactly will be in store at Anfield.

But it is understood DIC chiefs were particularly attracted to invest in the club for its existing squad of talented young players, rather than any urge to throw limitless sums in the transfer market.

DIC chief executive Sameer Al Ansari no doubt made the facts clear to Reds boss Rafael Benitez when the pair met shortly after the team's 4-0 Barclays Premiership thrashing of Fulham at Anfield on Saturday.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 9:14 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Tranmere dismiss feeder club talk

Tranmere have dismissed talk that they could become a feeder club to Liverpool as part of the takeover of the Reds by the Dubai International Capital group.

Reports had been circulating that Tranmere had been earmarked as a possible nursery club for Liverpool's talent, enabling some of the younger academy players to get first-team experience at Prenton Park.

The link comes on the back of Jose Mourinho's comments that Chelsea should be able to field a reserve team in a lower league something which Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez agreed with.

Benitez was in charge of Real Madrid Castilla, the club's B team, in the Spanish second division between 1993 and 1995 and subsequently managed Valladolid, Osasuna and Valencia, all three of whom have B teams playing in Spain's second tier.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 2:03 PM 0 comments

Garcia: We must maintain momentum

Luis Garcia has urged Liverpool not to waste the momentum gained by their upturn in Premiership form ahead of the hectic Christmas period.

Rafael Benitez’s side moved into the top four for the first time this season with their 4-0 win over Fulham at Anfield on Saturday.

Garcia believes Benitez’s side must continue their ruthless streak with tricky festive fixtures at Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur and at home to Bolton Wanderers to come.

“No game is easy at home or away,” said the Spaniard. “We know what we have to do and every game is important for us. At home we’ve kept another clean sheet and scored more goals. Now we must do more of the same away. We did a good job on Saturday, it was hard before the first goal but we remained calm to go on and score more.

“The table looks better for us now. It looks better than a few months ago, and now we need to keep this going. From a psychological point of view it’s really important for us to be back in that top four, although sometimes maybe it’s better not to look too much at the table.”

posted by LFC in Toronto at 9:49 AM 0 comments

Blatter yields axe

FIFA have sacked four top executives in the wake of a damaging US court judgement that ruled they had 'lied repeatedly' in negotiations with sponsors MasterCard.

The four - TV and marketing director Jerome Valcke plus marketing executives Stefan Schuster, Tom Houseman and Rob Lampman - have been dismissed after being named in the court judgement as having seriously misled the credit card giants.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter decided on swift action to limit any damage caused by the controversy.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 9:39 AM 0 comments

Monday, December 11, 2006

Toffees New Home good place for Milk, Cheese... and, well, Toffees.

Everton Football Club has confirmed it is in talks to move out of Liverpool to a new site in neighbouring Knowsley.

Shareholders were told of plans to move from Goodison Park to a new purpose built stadium in Kirkby at the club's AGM on Monday night.

A statement from Knowsley Council said the site - which would include a Tesco superstore - would regenerate Kirkby.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 5:28 PM 0 comments

Rafa wary of December Schedule

Saturday's 4-0 victory over Fulham lifted the Reds into fourth place but with the situation so tight at the top - and Arsenal having a match in hand even after their trip to Chelsea - positions can change very quickly.

Just four points separate third and 10th place and two bad results can see teams quickly drop down the table.

Next Saturday's trip to struggling Charlton is the start of seven matches in 22 days, which includes the Carling Cup quarter-final and FA Cup third round ties at home to Arsenal.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 9:32 AM 0 comments

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Cisse returns

Striker Djibril Cisse played his first game for Marseille after a six-month injury lay-off and created the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Monaco.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 11:53 PM 0 comments

Friday, December 08, 2006

Rafa: Kop Key to Liverppol Atmosphere

Rafael Benitez is excited at the prospect of Liverpool having a new home providing they maintain the special Anfield atmosphere.

The prospect of the club moving into a state-of-the art stadium moved a step closer this week.

Liverpool have given exclusive rights to Dubai International Capital (DIC) - a firm owned by the wealthy Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai - to inspect Liverpool's accounts as part of an anticipated £450million buy-out.

The takeover holds the key to a new stadium and being able to compete with the richest clubs in the world.

Liverpool manager Benitez said: 'It would be fantastic if we could get more supporters in and keep the atmosphere like it is at Anfield.

'The club would have more money with a new stadium and for the future of the club it would be a good opportunity.

'Of course we would want to keep some things and that would be Liverpool's tradition.

'We all know what that tradition is -winning games and winning trophies.'

posted by LFC in Toronto at 12:38 PM 0 comments

Liverpool v Fulham

Liverpool plays Fulham this weekend. Steven Gerrard, Jose Reina, Sami Hyypia and Steve Finnan are available again after being rested for the Champions League match in midweek.

Striker Peter Crouch has been troubled with a back problem and may have to settle for a place on the bench.

The Reds look to build on last Saturday's first League away win (0-4 at Wigan) and their biggest Premiership victory since last March, in Rafa Benitez' 150th match in charge. The Merseysiders lead the Premiership's home form table and are eager to extend the second longest unbeaten home to 25 games.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 12:35 PM 0 comments

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Reds advance in Youth Cup

Liverpool are through to the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup, reports LFC Online.
The Reds beat West Brom 2-1 after extra time at the Hawthorns last night to reach the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup.

Academy coach John Owens sent out a strong side last night with last season's winners David Roberts, Stephen Darby, Robbie Threlfall, Ryan Flynn, Jay Spearing and Craig Lindfield all in the starting line up.

It was Robbie Threlfall, who gave the Reds the lead in last season's final against Man City, who opened the scoring last night when he put the Reds in front after only a minute. "

posted by LFC in Toronto at 9:39 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Rafa likes the new 'big picture'

Rafael Benitez admits he is relishing the prospect of being able to spend big in the transfer market if the proposed Liverpool takeover is completed.

The Anfield boss was anticipating the new 'big picture' and an exciting future as he brought his squad back from Turkey following the disappointing - but largely unimportant - Champions League Group C defeat by Galatasaray in Istanbul.

Liverpool were already confirmed as group winners, and can now contemplate the knockout stage draw later this month which could see them paired with second-placed finishers Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Roma or Barcelona.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 10:35 PM 0 comments

Reds lose with the lads

Reds boss Rafa Benitez admitted his under-strength side had paid for a series of mistakes in the Champions League defeat at Galatasaray.

They lost 3-2 in Istanbul, but had already finished top of Group C.

Benitez said: 'We paid for bad mistakes - you cannot expect to win if you make mistakes like that at this level.

'I always felt it was going to be a difficult game for the players. They knew they were already group winners and the job had been done.'

posted by LFC in Toronto at 8:57 AM 15 comments

Monday, December 04, 2006

Liverpool Takeover Talks Confirmed

Dubai International Capital have confirmed they are in exclusive talks for a takeover of Liverpool.

The investment arm of the Dubai government are thought to be nearing a buy-out of the Merseyside club worth almost £400million (or £450 according to the BBC).

The private equity firm claim they have begun to examine the club's accounts but have yet to make a formal offer.

'Liverpool's investment requirements are well publicised,' DIC chief executive Sameer al-Ansari said in a statement.

The proposed deal is expected to include £200m to build a new 60,000-capacity stadium.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 9:48 AM 0 comments

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Rafa: Bellamy can be new player.

Craig Bellamy delivered on a Rafael Benitez demand at the JJB Stadium as Liverpool finally ended their away-day blues.

Cleared of assault charges in a Cardiff court on Wednesday, Bellamy returned to what he does best, scoring twice as the Reds romped to a 4-0 win over sorry Wigan.

Although Benitez feels the case to clear his name has affected Bellamy's first few months at Anfield, he is not quite sure to what extent.

However, as he trained virtually alone at Melwood in the aftermath of the case on Thursday, Benitez noticed a renewed sense of purpose which he hoped would transfer to the Premiership scene.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 8:51 PM 1 comments

Liverpool draw Arsenal in FA Cup

Liverpool have been drawn at home to 2005 winners Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup.

The 2004 Cup winners Manchester United were also handed a tough home tie against Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa.

posted by LFC in Toronto at 8:14 PM 0 comments