Liverpool F.c.

[StevieH]

that was funny. cracking stuff from the embryos flanagan and robinson. wenger really is a bit of a mental these days isn't he?

[SantiSuk]

that was funny. cracking stuff from the embryos flanagan and robinson. wenger really is a bit of a mental these days isn't he?

I looked on BBC sport this morning and the headline read 'Wenger bemoans .... ". I didn't have to read further. Sums him up. In fact I hereby rechristen him Arsene B. Moans. Curiously many Arsenal fans think he should stay - the same fans that think that Arsenal play attractive football (present tense). Don't know what herb they've been smoking for the last two months!

Any update on Carragher? Must be one of the best-liked English players in the League. Real heart in the mouth stuff, the way the physios responded; as though his neck might have been broken; so it was good to hear that he was up and kicking later on in the dressing room.

[SantiSuk]

that was funny. cracking stuff from the embryos flanagan and robinson. wenger really is a bit of a mental these days isn't he?

I looked on BBC sport this morning and the headline read 'Wenger bemoans .... ". I didn't have to read further. Sums him up. In fact I hereby rechristen him Arsene B. Moans. Curiously many Arsenal fans think he should stay - the same fans that think that Arsenal play attractive football (present tense). Don't know what herb they've been smoking for the last two months!

Any update on Carragher? Must be one of the best-liked English players in the League. Real heart in the mouth stuff, the way the physios responded; as though his neck might have been broken; so it was good to hear that he was up and kicking later on in the dressing room.

[smokie36]

Glad to hear he's OK.....It did look bad and yeah their response was spot on and thankfully unneccessary.

[SantiSuk]

I can never remember the Europa qualifying rules.

But if Citeh finish 5th (i.e. Spurs 4th) and they win the FA Cup, doesnt that mean that 6th qualifies for Europa?

Cup runners up would get that sot wouldn't they?

Or maybe the rules have changed again....!

Basically you are right Smokie. Here's an extract from Wikipedia, which must have been updated in the last 12 hours.

If Manchester City qualify for the Champions League by finishing in 4th place or higher in the EPL then Stoke are guaranteed a place in the Europa League. In this case, if Stoke win, they will start in the Play-Off round, if they lose, they will start in the lowest Europa league spot in the 3rd Qualifying round. This last case would promote Birmingham City into the Play-Off round as Manchester City would vacate the Cup Winners spot, and under EUFA rules the cup runners-up cannot qualify in the national associations highest Europa League spot. If Manchester City finish 5th, which qualifies them for the Europa League Play-Off round, the above still applies, except that it is the 5th place spot that is vacated instead of the Cup Winners place.

Simple?! The Europa League qualification rules are mindblowing. Even yesterdays Semi-final commentators seemed oblivious to the import of Stoke's win, beyond the obvious.

[nev]

Van persie taking his shirt off and getting booked cost arsenal the ref added 2 minutes on for this enough for liverpool to snatch a draw.

A very exciting finish to the game and a well deserved draw for liverpool.

[StevieH]

Van persie taking his shirt off and getting booked cost arsenal the ref added 2 minutes on for this enough for liverpool to snatch a draw.

A very exciting finish to the game and a well deserved draw for liverpool.

yep, arsenal fans moaning about the ref not blowing up might want to remember that added time was 'a minimum of' 8 minutes, which van persie's celebration certainly ate into.

[Abrak]

Well girls, i've got us down for homes wins and a point at Eastlands. Very achievable i would say.

You might sneak a point tonight but as someone said it depends on which Arsenal side turns up, and i have to remind myself you are very average.

I think you will need a win at Eastlands to steal 4th (quite possible.)

Otherwise I think Man City will have too many points. You have only allocated them 2 points for their 3 relatively easy away matches and one away win is better than that and enough to beat you guys on GD.

[MrRed]

Talk about cloud cuckoo land

If Hodgson had said this then he would of still been the manager,at least he was realistic <deleted>! 20 years???

[StevieH]

Talk about cloud cuckoo land

If Hodgson had said this then he would of still been the manager,at least he was realistic <deleted>! 20 years???

did you actually read the words in the interview? or just the big print headline? he's speaking as a fan and saying what pretty much every fan believes about their own club. he loves the place and thinks it's the best club in the world. he isn't saying we're the best team in the world <deleted>.

[Abrak]

Basically you are right Smokie. Here's an extract from Wikipedia, which must have been updated in the last 12 hours.

If Manchester City qualify for the Champions League by finishing in 4th place or higher in the EPL then Stoke are guaranteed a place in the Europa League. In this case, if Stoke win, they will start in the Play-Off round, if they lose, they will start in the lowest Europa league spot in the 3rd Qualifying round. This last case would promote Birmingham City into the Play-Off round as Manchester City would vacate the Cup Winners spot, and under EUFA rules the cup runners-up cannot qualify in the national associations highest Europa League spot. If Manchester City finish 5th, which qualifies them for the Europa League Play-Off round, the above still applies, except that it is the 5th place spot that is vacated instead of the Cup Winners place.

Simple?! The Europa League qualification rules are mindblowing. Even yesterdays Semi-final commentators seemed oblivious to the import of Stoke's win, beyond the obvious.

The Wikipedia explanation is about as clear as mud to me. It seems to imply though that Stoke have qualified for Europe whether they win the FA cup or Citeh win and finish 4th or 5th in the EPL.

However, this from todays Times...

'Should Manchester City win the FA Cup and then finish outside the top 4, they would be deemed to have qualified for the Europa League as Cup Winners, rather than via the league route, and the final European place would go to the team finishing sixth in the EPL.'

Hmmmm... could be that LFC have an incentive to let Spurs beat them on May 15th!!

[carmine]

Basically you are right Smokie. Here's an extract from Wikipedia, which must have been updated in the last 12 hours.

If Manchester City qualify for the Champions League by finishing in 4th place or higher in the EPL then Stoke are guaranteed a place in the Europa League. In this case, if Stoke win, they will start in the Play-Off round, if they lose, they will start in the lowest Europa league spot in the 3rd Qualifying round. This last case would promote Birmingham City into the Play-Off round as Manchester City would vacate the Cup Winners spot, and under EUFA rules the cup runners-up cannot qualify in the national associations highest Europa League spot. If Manchester City finish 5th, which qualifies them for the Europa League Play-Off round, the above still applies, except that it is the 5th place spot that is vacated instead of the Cup Winners place.

Simple?! The Europa League qualification rules are mindblowing. Even yesterdays Semi-final commentators seemed oblivious to the import of Stoke's win, beyond the obvious.

The Wikipedia explanation is about as clear as mud to me. It seems to imply though that Stoke have qualified for Europe whether they win the FA cup or Citeh win and finish 4th or 5th in the EPL.

However, this from todays Times...

'Should Manchester City win the FA Cup and then finish outside the top 4, they would be deemed to have qualified for the Europa League as Cup Winners, rather than via the league route, and the final European place would go to the team finishing sixth in the EPL.'

Hmmmm... could be that LFC have an incentive to let Spurs beat them on May 15th!!

Baring in mind our record at Anfield it'll have to be an enormous incentive

[SantiSuk]

I don't think the two articles conflict, because the Wiki extract is looking at the position if Man City qualify for the CL and what happens then for the EPL. The Times article is looking at the position if Man City do not qualify for the CL.

It looks as though the Times analyis and your comment Carmine are correct. There are 3 places for England and it's clear that Birmingham, the winner of the FA Cup and 5th place get into the competition at one stage or another. If the winner of the FA cup comes 5th then they will look to the 6th position*

Boy - I'm looking forward to the red faces of EUFA if they find that, having invented a qualification algorithm, that is equivalent in obscurity to Abarak's application within football of Pythagorean Expectation Theory to Poisson Distributions, they are stuffed with an event of ridicule like a team deliberately losing in a domestic league to get into a European competition. The FA will be furious and it will be delightful to watch that May 15th game to see whether it is possible to detect a game being 'thrown' (surely impossible to detect since even the top teams look as though they are throwing games away sometimes even when they are trying!).

Perhaps Arsene B Moans could be the paid Reds' consultant for the day

Maybe the FA should insist on rescheduling the Liverpool Spurs match to 12 noon on Cup Final day. That would sort it.

PS - there are also some late additional places for teams that do well in fair play. I can't be arseneled to look into any more EUFA rules though I did hear some commentator saying that another mid table UK team (was it Fulham?) have a decent shout.

Jeez the qualification shenanigans are more exciting than the crappy early stages of the competition itself!

*Wiki says about this situation:

"When the domestic cup winners [means FA Cup not 'League Cup'] also qualify for the Europa League through league position, their place through the league position is vacated, and the Europa League qualifiers that finish lower in the league are moved up one place, with the final place taken by the highest-placed league finishers that have not yet qualified for the Europa League."

[Devil]

'Don't forget about Aqua'

Kenny Dalglish today suggested Alberto Aquilani could have a key role to play at Anfield next season.

The Italian midfielder has excelled while on a season loan to Juventus, but he is due to return to Melwood in the summer for the start of pre-season training.

"When people talk about next season, I'm surprised they don't give Alberto a mention," said the Liverpool boss. "Everyone seems to have forgotten about him.

"I know he has done really well at Juventus this season. When the loan finishes at the end of the season, he reverts back to being a Liverpool player.

"Nothing is cast in stone and he could be coming back to play for Liverpool. He could be a valuable asset here next season. He's still our player."

Aquilani arrived at Anfield as a replacement for Xabi Alonso in the summer of 2009, but injury problems restricted his Liverpool career to just 13 starts and 13 substitute appearances before he made the switch to Serie A.

"He certainly didn't have the best of luck last season," Dalglish added.

"At times he did really well and at other times he didn't do quite so well but you can say that about most players. What I do know is that he's had a fantastic season at Juventus."

Edited April 21, 2011 by Devil

[Penkoprod]

'Don't forget about Aqua'

Kenny Dalglish today suggested Alberto Aquilani could have a key role to play at Anfield next season.

The Italian midfielder has excelled while on a season loan to Juventus, but he is due to return to Melwood in the summer for the start of pre-season training.

"When people talk about next season, I'm surprised they don't give Alberto a mention," said the Liverpool boss. "Everyone seems to have forgotten about him.

"I know he has done really well at Juventus this season. When the loan finishes at the end of the season, he reverts back to being a Liverpool player.

"Nothing is cast in stone and he could be coming back to play for Liverpool. He could be a valuable asset here next season. He's still our player."

Aquilani arrived at Anfield as a replacement for Xabi Alonso in the summer of 2009, but injury problems restricted his Liverpool career to just 13 starts and 13 substitute appearances before he made the switch to Serie A.

"He certainly didn't have the best of luck last season," Dalglish added.

"At times he did really well and at other times he didn't do quite so well but you can say that about most players. What I do know is that he's had a fantastic season at Juventus."

I wouldnt mind seeing him back at Anfield, but this time given a fair run in the team

I think he was too "wary" of Gerrard, and didnt play to his strengths

But i think its more a case of Kenny putting pressure on Juventus to stump up what was agreed last summer

Penkoprod

[StevieH]

i'll be amazed if he's back at anfield next season. but the decision to loan him out this season when we already had a thin squad still pisses me right off. insanity it was.

[Abrak]

Supposedly Liverpool have landed a 25m quid a year deal for clothing with Warrior (never heard of them) replacing Adidas. (This is nothing to do with the naming rights that SC have.)

If true that is a massive deal. (You should consider that Tottenham only had 23m of commercial revenues last year). And this is just a clothing deal.

Another way of looking at it, is that the naming rights to LFC shirts and the clothing rights are worth more than all the gate receipts that LFC pulls in, in any given year.

It makes a total farce of those who believe that LFC is no longer a 'big club'. Having to play Konchesky in your team might make you appear a mid table club but deals like this are for the selected few.

[StevieH]

they're a boston based sports kit manufacturer. reckon our shirts are going to look bloody awful but then i've not liked the designs for quite a few years anyway. and it is one absolutely bloody huge sum of money per season.

[Abrak]

they're a boston based sports kit manufacturer. reckon our shirts are going to look bloody awful but then i've not liked the designs for quite a few years anyway. and it is one absolutely bloody huge sum of money per season.

TBH the Adidas product is pretty shocking available on Patpong for Bt300. I dont think Warrior can do any worse. And for 25m a year they can dress the team as Mickey Mouse for all I care. Nice move from FSG. Dont really care if they are giving them a backhander to conform with FFP.

[smokie36]

they're a boston based sports kit manufacturer. reckon our shirts are going to look bloody awful but then i've not liked the designs for quite a few years anyway. and it is one absolutely bloody huge sum of money per season.

TBH the Adidas product is pretty shocking available on Patpong for Bt300. I dont think Warrior can do any worse. And for 25m a year they can dress the team as Mickey Mouse for all I care. Nice move from FSG. Dont really care if they are giving them a backhander to conform with FFP.

Looking forward to the new shoulder pads etc...!

[Devil]

Supposedly Liverpool have landed a 25m quid a year deal for clothing with Warrior (never heard of them) replacing Adidas. (This is nothing to do with the naming rights that SC have.)

If true that is a massive deal. (You should consider that Tottenham only had 23m of commercial revenues last year). And this is just a clothing deal.

Another way of looking at it, is that the naming rights to LFC shirts and the clothing rights are worth more than all the gate receipts that LFC pulls in, in any given year.

It makes a total farce of those who believe that LFC is no longer a 'big club'. Having to play Konchesky in your team might make you appear a mid table club but deals like this are for the selected few.

Thats very exciting indeed!

I was just looking this up now - I understand the current Addidas deal is worth half that and this Warrior deal is apparently higher than the Man U - Nike deal which is around 23 M so this 25M+ sounds fantastic. Although I thought the Addidas kits were some of the best! Warrior are a subsidiary of New Balance brand which I know better, never heard of Warrior before today.

If the owners live up to their word and money generated by the club goes back into the club the transfer kitty wont look too bad given we miss out on the CL money.

[SantiSuk]

they're a boston based sports kit manufacturer. reckon our shirts are going to look bloody awful but then i've not liked the designs for quite a few years anyway. and it is one absolutely bloody huge sum of money per season.

TBH the Adidas product is pretty shocking available on Patpong for Bt300. I dont think Warrior can do any worse. And for 25m a year they can dress the team as Mickey Mouse for all I care. Nice move from FSG. Dont really care if they are giving them a backhander to conform with FFP.

Looking forward to the new shoulder pads etc...!

My wife bless her came back from the Cambodian border at Chong Jom earlier in the week (luckily before the outbreak of fighting!) with an armful of Arsenal shirts for me and the family. They are surprisingly good copies and I get a kick out of seeing them all trooping around Tesco in gooner colours. [No Mr Bojangles, moderating obergropenfurer, I did not request it and I do not condone the practice of buying copies]

When I woke up yesterday, my wife was wandering around in a Chelsea shirt and shorts. What the hell is that?" quoth I (hiding a snaeking feeling that she looked rather fetching in it). "Teelak I know you like Arsenal but the Chelsea shirt is a much nicer colour". Viper in my nest .

I don't think the new manufacturer/sponsors are going to make a load of money in the copy copy haven of SE Asia, although I am under strict instructions for my next visit back 'oop North' to buy an authentic Liverpool shirt for that most important of social connections to a Thai girl, the local gold shop owner. He's probably the only one in the small town of Kantaralak who says he will pay for the real thing and mean it.

[Penkoprod]

I don't think the new manufacturer/sponsors are going to make a load of money in the copy copy haven of SE Asia, although I am under strict instructions for my next visit back 'oop North' to buy an authentic Liverpool shirt for that most important of social connections to a Thai girl, the local gold shop owner. He's probably the only one in the small town of Kantaralak who says he will pay for the real thing and mean it.

The galling thing about getting an authentic shirt is the likelyhood of it being made............in THAILAND !!!!!

That's where the last one i bought from the club shop at Anfield came from

Penkoprod

[StevieH]

Thats very exciting indeed!

I was just looking this up now - I understand the current Addidas deal is worth half that and this Warrior deal is apparently higher than the Man U - Nike deal which is around 23 M so this 25M+ sounds fantastic. Although I thought the Addidas kits were some of the best! Warrior are a subsidiary of New Balance brand which I know better, never heard of Warrior before today.

If the owners live up to their word and money generated by the club goes back into the club the transfer kitty wont look too bad given we miss out on the CL money.

another interesting element of it is that warrior (i am never going to get used to that name) obviously have enough confidence in FSG getting us back into the CL etc that they've invested this heavily in us. it's a huge statement.

i've never really been fond of the adidas kits to be honest, too many of them i associate with a lot of the <deleted> that played for us under souness and evans. umbro kits were where it was at.

[MSingh]

they're a boston based sports kit manufacturer.

No they're not..

[MSingh]

double post

Edited April 22, 2011 by MSingh

[MSingh]

It makes a total farce of those who believe that LFC is no longer a 'big club'. Having to play Konchesky in your team might make you appear a mid table club but deals like this are for the selected few.

Lauagh at the last bit..

With regards to the first bit, Adidas >>> New Balance/Warrior, a Company that not even as an American, you've heard of..

A tad contradictory there..

[Penkoprod]

they're a boston based sports kit manufacturer. reckon our shirts are going to look bloody awful but then i've not liked the designs for quite a few years anyway. and it is one absolutely bloody huge sum of money per season.

http://www.linkedin.com/company/warrior-sports

Headquartered in Warren, Michigan, Warrior Sports is recognized as one of the sporting goods industry's premier manufacturers of innovative, high performance, cutting-edge equipment, footwear and apparel for lacrosse and hockey athletes of all ages and abilities. Founded in 1992 by former champion lacrosse player David Morrow, Warrior was acquired by privately-held New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. in February 2004. The 2007 acquisition of Boston-based Brine Sporting Goods further established Warrior Sports as the dominant force in the lacrosse world.

Warrior is dedicated to a core set of philosophies and strengths: technical superiority, grassroots marketing, original and creative youthful expression, and strong partnerships with retailers and suppliers. Since creating the first titanium shafts in 1992, Warrior has constantly pushed the envelope in the evolution of the game. By taking a fresh, energetic approach to the game, and employing young, enthusiastic lacrosse players like Jesse Hubbard and Mark Millon, Warrior set out to change the game – the best gear in the world, developed by the best players in the world.

[MrRed]

they're a boston based sports kit manufacturer. reckon our shirts are going to look bloody awful but then i've not liked the designs for quite a few years anyway. and it is one absolutely bloody huge sum of money per season.

If you are slim athletic and not a pc junkie then maybe you would look good in one,,,,just maybe works out about a nicker a game to where your clubs colours to the match and around the house!!! thats if you are that way inclined.

I wouldn't be seen dead in one BTW

[mrbojangles]

i've never really been fond of the adidas kits to be honest, too many of them i associate with a lot of the <deleted> that played for us under souness and evans. umbro kits were where it was at.

Agree with that stevie. Umbro make ours now and the slogan is "Tailored by Umbro" and when you look at the detail and the cloth, you gotta agree with them. For instance, on the away shirts instead of embroidering all of the badge, they enbroider onto material from the home shirt and stitch that on, so that you always have a bit of the home shirt with you. Nice touch I think.