Liverpool F.c.

[StevieH]

it's making a race of it at least isn't it pauly?

have to say i was pretty shocked at martin o'neill yesterday. goes away to anfield and sets up with a 4-4-2, no holding midfielder despite knowing that's gerrard's space, a right-back at left-back and a holding midfielder at right-back? very strange.

[bkkjames]

it's making a race of it at least isn't it pauly?

have to say i was pretty shocked at martin o'neill yesterday. goes away to anfield and sets up with a 4-4-2, no holding midfielder despite knowing that's gerrard's space, a right-back at left-back and a holding midfielder at right-back? very strange.

You lads are on a roll for sure - and we are not. Just glad there is a two week break.

[StevieH]

it's making a race of it at least isn't it pauly?

have to say i was pretty shocked at martin o'neill yesterday. goes away to anfield and sets up with a 4-4-2, no holding midfielder despite knowing that's gerrard's space, a right-back at left-back and a holding midfielder at right-back? very strange.

You lads are on a roll for sure - and we are not. Just glad there is a two week break.

it's a funny one this james, a break at this time of the season. . . .from united's perspective they could probably do without it, two defeats on the bounce and ferguson probably just wants to get on with another match and get back on the horse. as it is he's got a couple of weeks to dwell on it.

[bkkjames]

it's making a race of it at least isn't it pauly?

have to say i was pretty shocked at martin o'neill yesterday. goes away to anfield and sets up with a 4-4-2, no holding midfielder despite knowing that's gerrard's space, a right-back at left-back and a holding midfielder at right-back? very strange.

You lads are on a roll for sure - and we are not. Just glad there is a two week break.

it's a funny one this james, a break at this time of the season. . . .from united's perspective they could probably do without it, two defeats on the bounce and ferguson probably just wants to get on with another match and get back on the horse. as it is he's got a couple of weeks to dwell on it.

not sure and I guess time will tell, two ways to look at it I suppose, like you mentioned above or the fact that when you are hot, who wants a break? and when you are not (us), perhaps not a bad thing.

[StevieH]

it's making a race of it at least isn't it pauly?

have to say i was pretty shocked at martin o'neill yesterday. goes away to anfield and sets up with a 4-4-2, no holding midfielder despite knowing that's gerrard's space, a right-back at left-back and a holding midfielder at right-back? very strange.

You lads are on a roll for sure - and we are not. Just glad there is a two week break.

it's a funny one this james, a break at this time of the season. . . .from united's perspective they could probably do without it, two defeats on the bounce and ferguson probably just wants to get on with another match and get back on the horse. as it is he's got a couple of weeks to dwell on it.

not sure and I guess time will tell, two ways to look at it I suppose, like you mentioned above or the fact that when you are hot, who wants a break? and when you are not (us), perhaps not a bad thing.

yeah, i'd rather we went straight into our next league match next saturday but as it is i'll be fretting about our players returning from international nonsense uninjured.

[bkkjames]

international nonsense uninjured.

this is one point we agree on.

[StevieH]

international nonsense uninjured.

this is one point we agree on.

how injured is berbatov? just think of your lot's next match which rooney will miss through suspension as i think argentina play on the wednesday night (thursday morning UK time) in la paz, bolivia's capital. it's at altitude which means players get more knackered than usual, then they've got to fly back to europe, so i expect both mascherano and tevez to be shattered for the weekend's games.

[Devil]

I think I mentioned a few pages back about Goal difference possibly being a factor at the end of the season. And I kept saying that we are still in this one right to the end!

Very glad to see we have done this and playing some of the best football the league has seen. I think the way we are playing we can beat any team right now.

Bring on the CL and the League... is a Double on the cards?

YNWA

[maccastime]

it's still out of our hands, we need to win all our remaining and hope united draw a couple or lose one and draw one.

horribly timed international break too.

yes i thought we performed very well Stevie,villa were never in the game,and Torres was never sighted?? probably just as well for Villas sake or it may have been a larger score line.

[StevieH]

tell you what dev, it is amazing that we are the highest scorers in the league considering that rafa is such a boring, defensive manager eh?

it may go to the wire now, but we still need united to slip, probably against one or more of city, arsenal, villa and spurs while we have to really win every one.

[StevieH]

it's still out of our hands, we need to win all our remaining and hope united draw a couple or lose one and draw one.

horribly timed international break too.

yes i thought we performed very well Stevie,villa were never in the game,and Torres was never sighted?? probably just as well for Villas sake or it may have been a larger score line.

might be the worst i've seen torres play for us that mate! just wasn't on his game at all, but the runs he was making still created space for gerrard, riera and kuyt to move into.

[bkkjames]

tell you what dev, it is amazing that we are the highest scorers in the league considering that rafa is such a boring, defensive manager eh?

it may go to the wire now, but we still need united to slip, probably against one or more of city, arsenal, villa and spurs while we have to really win every one.

3 games of 4+ goals tends to distort reality. should you keep it up in the next few games well then...

[StevieH]

tell you what dev, it is amazing that we are the highest scorers in the league considering that rafa is such a boring, defensive manager eh?

it may go to the wire now, but we still need united to slip, probably against one or more of city, arsenal, villa and spurs while we have to really win every one.

3 games of 4+ goals tends to distort reality. should you keep it up in the next few games well then...

one of those 4+ was in europe james.

think it's more a reflection of how few united have scored compared with previous seasons and how much chelsea missed drogba when he was out / being pissy.

[bkkjames]

tell you what dev, it is amazing that we are the highest scorers in the league considering that rafa is such a boring, defensive manager eh?

it may go to the wire now, but we still need united to slip, probably against one or more of city, arsenal, villa and spurs while we have to really win every one.

3 games of 4+ goals tends to distort reality. should you keep it up in the next few games well then...

one of those 4+ was in europe james.

think it's more a reflection of how few united have scored compared with previous seasons and how much chelsea missed drogba when he was out / being pissy.

a few month's back I asked a question on here (based on my own gut feeling) whether or not scoring for the league is down or not... and John Dykes confirmed that last week with a stat saying that this year its 2.49 goals per game.

alot of teams loaded up on defenders and controlling midfielders and it's showing.

now looking closer at our teams, last year you averaged 1.76 goals per game, this year 1.8. Us on the other hand is noticably lower ,,, last year 2.1 this year so far 1.69...almost half a goal a game.

when you look at the goals against this year we are both about the same.. .7

last year you avg .73 against and we managed .57

so it makes sense in away we are pretty tight at the top.

[Jimjim]

Gerrard vs. Skrtel at Wembly Saturday. Crossing my fingers for no injuries.

[bkkjames]

Gerrard vs. Skrtel at Wembly Saturday. Crossing my fingers for no injuries.

come on skirtel, do a pogatitz on stevie wonder!

[Jimjim]

Anyone else have e-season ticket on lfc.tv?

I just watched the candidates for goals of the month and this has certainly been the best month of the season for goals. Which to choose? Some fantastic strikes to choose from: Gerrard vs. Madrid, Aurelio's goal against Man U, Dossena's goal against Man U, Riera against Villa? I actually ended up voting for a reserve goal from Pepper which was about from the half way line. He must have been practicing Alonso's specialty. Have a watch and vote LFC fans if are a member.

[spongeman]

I think Utd will draw a few games. Other teams will be more up for them and show them less respect

The big one is against Arsenal at home. Win that and we could be on our way.

Watch out for Danny Murphy next..........what a legend.

[StevieH]

Anyone else have e-season ticket on lfc.tv?

I just watched the candidates for goals of the month and this has certainly been the best month of the season for goals. Which to choose? Some fantastic strikes to choose from: Gerrard vs. Madrid, Aurelio's goal against Man U, Dossena's goal against Man U, Riera against Villa? I actually ended up voting for a reserve goal from Pepper which was about from the half way line. He must have been practicing Alonso's specialty. Have a watch and vote LFC fans if are a member.

yeah i have an eseason thing jim. i vote gerrard against madrid for the move, the execution and the timing just absolutely flooring them. was like a boxer letting the other guy get off the ropes for a couple of seconds before knocking him spark out.

[Jimjim]

Yes that was a fantastic goal, and really extremely difficult to keep the ball down to get in the goal, but he showed his class on that one.

[StevieH]

yes please, this lad would be a fantastic addition to us this summer. superb player.

Rafael Benitez ready to break bank for David Silva of Valencia

James Ducker

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle5983313.ece

Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, is prepared to break the Merseyside club’s transfer record for a second time in as many years after identifying David Silva, the Valencia and Spain playmaker, as his principal transfer target this summer.

Liverpool may be eyeing a first Barclays Premier League title and second European Cup under Benítez this season, but having ended speculation about his future this month by signing a new contract that will keep him at Anfield for another five years, the manager is already planning for next season and he is willing to spend the bulk of his £30 million summer transfer kitty on Silva.

With debts that stood at £462 million last November, Valencia have conceded that they may have to sell their best players at the end of the season, including Silva, David Villa, the forward, and Raúl Albiol, the defender, and Benítez hopes to take advantage of his former club’s parlous financial state.

Benítez will walk away if Valencia — who asked for a combined fee of about £130 million for Silva and Villa when Manchester City inquired about their availability in January — demand an unrealistic price, but it is feasible that the Liverpool manager could exceed the club-record £20.2 million he paid Atlético Madrid for Fernando Torres, the Spain striker, in July 2007 in order to snare Silva.

Under the terms of his new contract, Benítez has been granted the power to begin transfer negotiations — if not necessarily conclude them — and by moving swiftly for Silva he hopes to wrap up a deal at a reasonable price relatively quickly, rather than allow the situation to drag on throughout the summer.

Eduardo Maciá, the Liverpool chief scout, who brought Silva to Valencia when he was a teenager, was recently sent to Spain to ask about his availability and is thought to have been encouraged by what he was told, even though Liverpool would probably face competition from Real Madrid and Barcelona for the 23-year-old.

The prospect of a move to Anfield would certainly appeal to Silva, not least because of the strong Spanish contingent at the club, from Benítez, Maciá and others on the management staff, to Torres, Xabi Alonso, José Manuel Reina, Albert Riera and Álvaro Arbeloa, his Spain team-mates with whom he won the European Championship last summer, on the playing side.

Silva would certainly be a welcome addition. He operated in an advanced left-sided position for Spain, in support of Torres and Villa, during the European Championship but can play on either wing or directly behind a lone striker, a versatility that appeals greatly to Benítez.

A move for Albiol cannot be ruled out in the event that Daniel Agger, the Denmark defender who is attracting interest from Real, AC Milan and Juventus, fails to sign a new contract and leaves Anfield, but capturing Silva is the priority.

Benítez will have no hesitation looking elsewhere, however, if Valencia are overambitious in their demands, with Aaron Lennon, the Tottenham Hotspur winger, Antonio Valencia, of Wigan Athletic, and Arjen Robben, the Real winger, cheaper alternatives.

Tom Hicks, the Liverpool co-owner, has claimed that he is ready to sell part of his shares in the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball team and possibly his Dallas Stars ice hockey franchise, moves that could be designed to consolidate his position at Anfield. The news comes only days after George Gillett Jr, his estranged business partner, denied that he was looking to sell his 50 per cent stake in Liverpool despite ordering a full review of his assets.

“I’ve been quietly looking for minority investors to come back into the ownership of the Rangers as a way to be prudent in a bad economy,” Hicks said. “I’m doing the same thing with the Stars.”

[bkkjames]

Isn't he on the City wish list? (like everyone else)

[StevieH]

not that i know of james, they're definitely keen on his colleague david villa though.

[Jimjim]

A grab of both Villa and Silva would be welcomed by me...

[StevieH]

don't think we could afford both, jim.

[Jimjim]

With new ownership we could. Crossing my fingers.

Unfortunately a trophy this season would only prove to the owners that they're doing a good job, which they're not. Only good thing they've done is let us get Torres, they were in place by then, right?

Edited March 27, 2009 by Jimjim

[StevieH]

torres was bought under their ownership yeah, but still with loans which they loaded onto the club having said that they wouldn't use the club as collateral against any loans. the lying frauds.

sadly hicks looks like he's digging in for the long-haul lately. i think gillett will go in the summer which could mean middle eastern investment coming in.

[bkkjames]

torres was bought under their ownership yeah, but still with loans which they loaded onto the club having said that they wouldn't use the club as collateral against any loans. the lying frauds.

sadly hicks looks like he's digging in for the long-haul lately. i think gillett will go in the summer which could mean middle eastern investment coming in.

I am no banker but seems to me that any sale to middle east or others includes assets and liabilities (loans payable). You give these guys a hard time but as you can see (hopefully) - perhaps they meant what they said at the time but the circumstances (financial) changed?

[StevieH]

torres was bought under their ownership yeah, but still with loans which they loaded onto the club having said that they wouldn't use the club as collateral against any loans. the lying frauds.

sadly hicks looks like he's digging in for the long-haul lately. i think gillett will go in the summer which could mean middle eastern investment coming in.

I am no banker but seems to me that any sale to middle east or others includes assets and liabilities (loans payable). You give these guys a hard time but as you can see (hopefully) - perhaps they meant what they said at the time but the circumstances (financial) changed?

nah james, they talked total <deleted> from start to finish. no debt loaded onto the club, they loaded debt onto the club. no huge interest payments, we have to pay 35m a year in interest payments alone before we even begin to pay down the debt. a spade in the ground on the new stadium within six weeks, nine months later plans for the new stadium are indefinitely shelved.

they're a couple of frauds who thought they could use liverpool as a way to make a quick but huge profit without having to even put any of their own money in. i still want them both to fuc_k right off.

[bkkjames]

Similar sentiment as us when the ***s took over our club. Funny though, after the intitial furor and a couple of EPL titles and a CL in the Bank, nobody seems to care