Liverpool FC Fans Reaction To Torres Transfer To Chelsea

Even Hitler got angry with Torres going to Chelsea...

Is Liverpool FC Good Enough This Season?

Liverpool were so awful in the Merseyside derby, so abject, so witless, so gutless, so sorely lacking in rudimentary skills, so disorganised, so inferior to an Everton side who have also struggled this season, so absolutely devoid of hope, that John W Henry and his NESV cronies must have thought about giving Hicks and Gillett a call, and offering them the club back at a hefty discount.

Roy Hodgson's absurd claim that Liverpool "dominated the second half totally" has been roundly derided, although he may be right that: "The second half was as good as I saw a Liverpool team play under my management."

Which says it all about just how ridiculously bad Liverpool have been this season. It is not just that they are 19th in the table, it is that they deserve to be there.

There have been no hard-luck stories, no beach balls or contentious refereeing decisions. Each of their four defeats has been deserved (against Manchester City, Manchester United, Blackpool and Everton), while the most questionable result was their only win, a scraped 1-0 against West Brom.

Theirs has truly been relegation form.

The team has 'not good enough' stamped all over it. In fact, let's go through the senior squad in all its abject misery. It is clear they need major reinforcements in every position except in goal.

Goalkeepers

Pepe Reina - Good

Brad Jones - Perfectly acceptable back-up

Full-backs

Glen Johnson - A bit flaky but basically OK

Paul Konchesky - Would be an OK back-up. Sadly, he's first choice at left-back.

Stephen Darby - Not trusted. We know this because Jamie Carragher plays right-back when Johnson is out. And Carra ain't a right-back.

Fabio Aurelio - Says it all that he was released at the end of last season, then reluctantly re-signed.

Centre-backs

Jamie Carragher - A decent player, a great dessing-room influence.

Martin Skrtel - No-nonsense. If by 'nonsense' you mean 'basic ball skills'.

Daniel Agger - Horrendously injury-prone, and he's got a mouth on him.

Sotiris Kyrgiakos - Really, REALLY not good.

Defensive/central midfielders

Lucas Leiva - Not as bad as everybody thinks and, at 23, has time to improve. But he's plainly not ready to be Liverpool's main man in midfield.

Christian Poulsen - A dreadfully inadequate replacement for Javier Mascherano.

Raul Meireles - Uninspiring, particularly considering his hefty £11.5m price tag.

Jay Spearing - Oddly tiny, and was atrocious in the Carling Cup defeat to Northampton.

Attacking midfielders

Steven Gerrard - Yes. Even if he was subpar at Goodison, Gerrard is inspirational and indispensable.

Dirk Kuyt - Made entirely of blond curls and distilled endeavour. But very much crocked, and quite possibly off to Inter in January.

Joe Cole - Doesn't look so much like the transfer coup of the summer now, does he? There is a small chance Harry Redknapp is glad he got Rafael van der Vaart instead.

Maxi Rodriguez - Drifts through games, contributes little.

Ryan Babel - Much-maligned, and usually rightly. But rarely gets a chance these days.

Milan Jovanovic - Identikit mid-table player. Was at Standard Liege for a reason.

Strikers

Fernando Torres - One of the best in the world when on form, which he isn't.

David N'Gog - Still just 21, and actually quite promising. But like Lucas, he needs time to develop.

Let's say NESV had unlimited resources to build a title-winning squad. How many of the above would they actually want to keep? Who could they realistically see contributing to the first championship in over 20 years? Probably just 5 players maybe?

NESV might be able to rescue Liverpool from crippling debt, but they cannot bring in 15 quality players overnight, they cannot compete with Manchester City or Chelsea in the transfer market, and they certainly cannot do it while bankrolling a new stadium.

It would be melodramatic to describe Liverpool's decline as terminal, but it is hard to see how Henry can ever restore the club to its former glories.

Via: Early Doors

Liverpool suffer Atletico defeat

Goals from Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan gave Atletico Madrid a 2-1 win over Liverpool in a pre-season friendly at Anfield.

Lucas pulled one back for Liverpool late on as the hosts missed a host of chances and had four penalty appeals turned down but lost thanks to poor defending from an inexperienced back four.

There was further worry for the Premier League runners up as star striker Fernando Torres limped off with a knock during the second half.

Liverpool were already short at the back with Martin Skrtel and Dan Agger out, and Sami Hyypia no longer at the club.

So an Achilles' injury to Jamie Carragher a quarter of an hour in did not help, particularly when - down to 10 men while he received treatment - the hosts left an Aguero-sized hole at the back that allowed the Argentina striker a free header.

While the Reds dominated possession they looked a mess defensively, with Glen Johnson having the most experience alongside Spanish teenagers Mikel San Jose and David Sanchez Ayala, and Argentine full-back Emiliano Insua (20).

Liverpool had several chances to equalise but hesitance in front of goal by Torres and Dirk Kuyt allowed impressive young keeper Sergio Asenjo to remain unbeaten.

Torres had a penalty appeal rejected when he went down under a challenge by Paulo Assuncao, while Antonio Lopez made two good clearances to deny the Reds.

At the other end Aguero went close after a mistake by San Jose let him through on goal but Pepe Reina saved well.

Atletico went two up on 33 minutes with another counter attack, led by Simao who combined twice with Forlan before the Uruguayan curled a beautiful shot from the edge of the box that left Reina a spectator as the ball nestled in the top right.

Within a minute, Torres hit the inside of the post after he was played in by Gerrard, while the Spain striker should have scored on 43 minutes after he ran from halfway, beating three men before opting to pass to Gerrard instead of shoot.

Kuyt glanced a Gerrard free-kick over on the stroke of half-time and Atletico held a comfortable lead.

The second half saw little change, with Liverpool making all the play but profligate in front of goal and vulnerable to the counter.

Ayala was agonisingly close to converting Lucas's flick-on following a Gerrard corner, while the Liverpool skipper put wide after good interplay between Kuyt and Johnson, who was the hosts' stand-out player as an attacking right-back.

Gerrard then felt he was denied a goal by a handball from Juanito, but again referee Phil Dowd waved his appeals away.

Torres was denied by a point-blank Asenjo save after a mazy dribble inside from the wing while the former Valladolid shot-stopper - signed in the summer - saved from Torres twice again.

Assuncao cleared off the line from Benayoun as Liverpool cranked up the pressure and they eventually got their goal when Gerrard fed Lucas, who sprung the offside trap and finished to make it 2-1 with eight minutes left.

Rafael Benitez's side had two more penalty appeals turned down by Dowd when Asenjo and John Heitinga appeared to bring down David N'Gog and Lucas respectively.

Ayala went close with an injury-time header but Atletico held on for a win that highlighted Liverpool's defensive frailties going in to the new season.

Via: Yahoo! Sport

Reds claim friendly win

Andriy Voronin and David Ngog netted as Liverpool won their latest pre-season encounter against FC Lyn 2-0 in Oslo.

A largely youthful Reds line-up were often on the back foot during the first half as Lyn, at the foot of the Norwegian Tippeliga, tested Diego Cavalieri on a number of occasions, while Jo Berget hit a post.

However, Voronin headed in Ryan Babel's cross on the stroke of half-time and Ngog steered home a cut-back from Andrea Dossena just before the hour mark.

The only worry for Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was an injury to winger Albert Riera.

Via: Yahoo! Sport

Espanyol crush Liverpool

Liverpool slumped to a 3-0 friendly defeat by Espanyol in the first match played at the new Estadi Cornella El Prat.

A double strike from former Chelsea forward Ben Sahar (pictured) and a first-half effort from Luis Garcia sealed the win, but Liverpool's Steven Gerrard twice hit the woodwork.

The clash was played in front of a noisy sell-out 40,000 crowd as the city of Barcelona marked the opening of the new stadium.

Reds skipper Gerrard had the first real opportunity with 19 minutes gone when he let fly with an effort from 30 yards.

The strike beat keeper Carlos Kameni but, frustratingly for Gerrard, the ball thudded on to the crossbar and away to safety.

Immediately afterwards the hosts launched a quick counter attack and took the lead through Garcia.

Former Celtic man Shunsuke Nakamura played a perfect through ball to Garcia, who held off young Spanish defender Mikel San Jose and fired past Pepe Reina.

Gerrard struck the woodwork for the second time in 10 minutes with a beautifully-curled free kick that came back off Kameni's left hand post after Fernando Torres was brought down.

Liverpool almost found themselves two goals behind after 41 minutes when Raul Tamudo timed his run to perfection and finished expertly past Reina, but the goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside.

The game became a little scrappy in the second half as both sides introduced a host of substitutions and it was not until Sahar came on that the game went beyond Liverpool's reach.

Philipp Degen should have done better as he stood appealing for offside while the Israel striker nipped in and tucked the ball past Reina with virtually his first touch of the game after 63 minutes.

Sahar then added the killer third goal three minutes from time when more hesitant defending from the visitors allowed him to slot the ball home unmarked from close range.

Via: Yahoo! Sport

Liverpool owners reach loan agreement

Liverpool's American owners have finally concluded a deal to re-finance the bank loan they took out to buy the club in 2007.

Co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are not expected to issue a statement but the deal is believed to be for another year and will involve them paying back £60 million of the original debt.

Negotiations between the Royal Bank of Scotland, Wachovia and the owners have continued for months as the worldwide credit crunch has made them tortuous.

There has been real fear the banks would call in the loan, while Hicks and Gillett have searched for someone to take a minority stake in the club for around £100m to no avail.

However, a source close to the owners has confirmed the deal has now been concluded and before last weekend's deadline for re-financing the package expired.

The owners have reduced the £290m they owed to £230m, with £60m being repaid, half immediately.

Hicks, 63, and Gillett, 70, purchased Liverpool in 2007 for £174m, taking on £44.8m of liabilities.

Leading football financial experts believe in the long term the pair will need a huge influx of cash from outside or they will have to sell up.

In January, Kuwaiti billionaire Nasser Al-Kharafi offered £425m for overall control but the Americans only wanted to sell 50 per cent an intention will could prove a significant hurdle to further future investment.

Via: Yahoo! Sport

Reds on song against Singapore

Liverpool secured their first victory of pre-season thanks to a 5-0 thrashing of Singapore at the National Stadium, with Xabi Alonso appearing as a second-half substitute despite continuing speculation regarding a possible move to Real Madrid.

With captain Steven Gerrard absent following his court appearance this week, and reports still hinting at possible departures for both Alonso and Javier Mascherano, Rafa Benitez will have been pleased to secure a convincing victory with Andrej Voronin opening the scoring in first-half injury time.

Liverpool completely dominated after the break and, after Albert Riera added the second goal, Dirk Kuyt took centre stage when selflessly claiming assists for three goals, teeing up Krisztian Nemeth twice and Fernando Torres once.

One of the biggest cheers of the night was reserved for Alonso though as he appeared as a substitute with 12 minutes remaining, the large contingent of Liverpool fans imploring the midfielder to resist the lure of the Bernabeu.

Despite the presence of a huge number of Reds supporters, and a warm reception prior to kick-off that saw 'You'll Never Walk Alone' played to an appreciative audience, any pretence of a friendly encounter was quickly abandoned when Aleksandar Duric flattened Mascherano with an unnecessary shoulder-barge.

Chances were few and far between in a largely uneventful first half, however, with Ryan Babel testing Hassan Sunny in the Singapore goal when connecting with David Ngog's cross after only seven minutes.

The two forwards were dovetailing neatly at times, but Liverpool failed to turn their superior possession into any clear openings as they tended to over-elaborate.

That changed in first-half injury time when Voronin took aim from just outside the box and saw his shot take a deflection to fly past the off-balance Sunny and into the net.

Riera was one of three players introduced at half-time by Rafa Benitez and the winger required just five minutes to make an impact on the game as he controlled a Mascherano pass with his chest and finished with ease.

The changes kept on coming, and substitutes Kuyt and Nemeth combined to put Liverpool 3-0 in front after 73 minutes. The Dutchman took advantage of some sloppy play from the hosts to charge down the right and tee up his young team-mate for an easy finish.

Kuyt was the creator once more after 80 minutes as he found space down the right wing and picked out Torres to leave the Spaniard with a routine finish from five yards out.

Just three minutes later, and following a clever piece of work from Dani Pacheco, Kuyt claimed his third assist when finding Nemeth, the striker scoring with a fine header from ten yards out.

It was a fine cameo performance from the Dutch forward as he helped orchestrate a dominant victory for Benitez's Reds, but Liverpool fans will be hoping that their brief glimpse of leading man Xabi Alonso is not one of their last.

Via: Yahoo! Sport

Gerrard nets in Rovers draw

Steven Gerrard capped a 64 minute run-out with a superb strike as a Liverpool XI needed a stoppage time penalty to earn a 2-2 draw with Tranmere Rovers on Friday night.

The Reds skipper hit a sizzling 25 yard equaliser to cancel out Chris Shuker's first-half opener, but it was down to substitute Adam Hammill to earn a share of the spoils with a 90th minute spot-kick after Gareth Edds looked to have won it for the hosts. 

A pre-season Merseyside derby at Prenton Park was always going to spark local interest, but with the news of Gerrard's inclusion and the summer additions of ex-Reds John Barnes and Jason McAteer to the Rovers dugout, there was a real sense of anticipation in the air as kick-off approached. 

The first opportunity of the match arrived on seven minutes and it was perhaps unsurprising that Gerrard was the architect of the move. 

The Reds number eight fed Vincent Weijl on the left and after a surging run to the edge of the area, the young winger sent over a cross that Nathan Eccleston controlled before firing in a shot that was deflected over the top. 

From the resulting corner the visitors came even closer, Robbie Threlfall powering a near post header just over from Gerrard's pinpoint corner. 

It was a fast start, but as both sides began to settle there was little else of note in the opening half hour other than a speculative drive from Victor Palsson that seared way over the top. 

Rovers had barely threatened the Reds' rearguard but could have gone ahead on 35 minutes when Shuker raced down the right flank and cut the ball back for Terry Gornell who in turn set-up Ian Thomas-Moore to test David Martin with a rasping low drive. 

Liverpool responded and after Gerrard hit the wall with a free-kick in a dangerous position, Palsson saw his tame header well held by Luke Daniels. 

However, the home side were more than holding their own and were playing some neat football; a late spell of pressure at the end of the half leading to an opening goal on 41 minutes. 

A Paul McLaren's left-wing corner floated all the way to the far post where an unmarked Shuker had the simplest task of heading home from within the six yard box. 

It was a poor piece of play from Liverpool's point of view and they began the second period determined to get back into the contest. 

A superb pass from Gerrard released Amoo down the left flank and after a heavy first touch, the former Millwall man sent a low ball across the six yard box that Gerardo Bruna came within a whisker of touching home. 

McMahon then introduced Hammill for Weijl, and the youngster made an instant impact, setting up Gerrard to crash a 25 yarder into the bottom left-hand corner on 56 minutes. 

With the skipper's work done, the Reds made a flurry of changes and within seconds they could have been ahead. Nathan Eccleston seized upon a mistake by Ash Taylor but saw his low shot well blocked by Daniels. 

As time ran out the hosts began to press for a winner and after Taylor forced a great save from substitute keeper Chris Oldfield, Edds thought he had won it with a looping header. 

But Liverpool never gave up and after Hammill was brought down in injury-time, the winger stepped up to convert the spot-kick himself and secure a draw for McMahon's men. 

Via: Liverpool FC

Fans revise Liverpool buy-out

Supporters' groups ShareLiverpoolFC and Spirit of Shankly have unveiled a revised buy-out proposal on the day the club's owners are expected to complete the refinancing of their debt.

The fans' organisations are unhappy with the financial structuring of Liverpool and are behind a proposal for supporters to take ownership of the club in a similar scheme to those operated by Barcelona, Real Madrid and other European clubs.

The key change to the group's original proposal is the reduction of the share price from £5,000 to £500. Initially they hoped to raise £500 million from 100,000 fans each paying the £5,000 'entry fee'.

The aim is to acquire a 60 per cent stake in the club by raising £150m while seeking a "commercial partner" to invest £100m for a 40 per cent stake.

A statement from the SLFC board said: "This is a realistic plan that squares the circle: How to get broadly based fan ownership of the club, and relieve the level of debt, by offering Liverpool fans an affordable entry fee and a chance to get a modest return for their additional financial support.

"Now we need all those Liverpool fans to carefully consider the proposals in detail on our website - and let us know what they think."

Via: Yahoo! Sport

Thailand hold Liverpool

Liverpool drew 1-1 against Thailand in a pre-season friendly at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.

Ryan Babel (pictured) put Liverpool ahead on six minutes, but a well worked Panupong Sutee strike on 72 minutes gave Peter Reid's Thailand the draw.

Before a packed crowd of 70,000, Liverpool started brightly and deservedly took the lead early on.

Jamie Carragher was the architect, sliding the ball into the path of Babel, whose early side-footed finish found the bottom corner.

Dirk Kuyt went close with a long-range effort midway through the half, but for all Liverpool's possession they struggled to create clear-cut chances.

Reid's Thailand side had their only real chance of the half late on, when Datsakorn Thonglao's free-kick fizzed over the bar.

But they pulled level midway through the second half when Sutee played a neat one-two, drove into the box and clipped a left-foot finish past Diego Cavalieri.

The goal prompted Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez to introduce Fernando Torres and the Spanish striker almost made an immediate impression.

Torres collected the ball with his first touch and drove forward before drawing a smart save with a low drive.

Liverpool pressed for a winner, but Thailand held on in driving rain to secure a draw.

Via: Yahoo! Sport

Gerrard faces charges over 'brawl'

Premiership star Steven Gerrard is due to appear in court to face trial over his alleged involvement in a nightclub brawl.

The Liverpool and England player faces a single charge of affray at Liverpool Crown Court.

It is alleged Gerrard, 29, was involved in a melee that saw businessman Marcus McGee, 34, lose a tooth and sustain facial cuts.

The midfielder was at the Lounge Inn, Southport, celebrating Liverpool's 5-1 win over Newcastle United when trouble flared in the early hours of December 29.

The married father-of-two will appear with six other defendants who are all also charged with affray.

They are Accrington Stanley players - goalkeeper Ian Dunbavin, 28, of Guildford Road, Southport, and midfielder Robert Grant, 18, of Enstone Avenue, Litherland - and John Doran, 29, of Woodlands Road, and Ian Smith, 19, of Hilary Avenue, both Huyton, Merseyside; John McGrattan, 33, of Rimmer Avenue, and Paul McGrattan, 31, of Linden Drive, both Huyton.

Via: Yahoo! News

Liverpool slump to Vienna loss

Liverpool slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Rapid Vienna in their latest pre-season friendly in Austria on Sunday night.

Rapid skipper Steffen Hofmann netted the only goal with a second half free-kick to see off a strong Reds side which included Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Yossi Benayoun.

Gerrard and Carragher played the first 45 minutes while Benayoun and Holland international Dirk Kuyt came on at the break as manager Rafael Benitez made a raft of changes.

England defender Glen Johnson was not part of the matchday squad, however, after Benitez opted not to risk him after he took a slight knock to his Achilles in Wednesday's goalless draw against St Gallen.

Rapid had the better of the first half with Erwin Hoffer seeing a goal disallowed for offside while the same player saw a close-range effort well saved by Liverpool goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri.

The goal came after 57 minutes when Hofmann curled a low free-kick past Cavalieri's replacement Peter Gulacsi.

Via: Yahoo! Sport

Liverpool FC line up tour to Asia

Liverpool will play two pre-season friendlies in south-east Asia this summer. Rafael Benitez's side will face Thailand in Bangkok on July 22 before flying to Singapore to take on the national team on July 26. It will be the first time the Reds have visited Thailand since 2003, while they have not played in Singapore for eight years.

"We have a fantastic group of fans in both Thailand and Singapore and it will be great to take the lads out there again," said Benitez.

Ian Ayre, Liverpool's commercial director, added: "South-east Asia is clearly a key region for Liverpool.

"As we continue to develop our international plans, being able to allow fans all over the world to see the team live is paramount."

Dato Worawi Makudi, president of the Thai Football Association, said they were eagerly anticipating the match.

"Liverpool's return to the kingdom is long overdue," he said.

"The experience that our players will receive from this game will help in the development of Thai football."

Winston Lee, general secretary of the Football Association of Singapore, was also pleased to welcome back the Reds.

He said: "Inviting teams such as Liverpool, as well as Brazil and Australia last year, is part of our continued efforts to bring top-class football action to our shores.

"It will not only be a great experience for our fans but our players will get exposure to world-class teams and players."

Source: TeamTalk.com

Parry to leave Liverpool

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry will quit at the end of the season after a breakdown in his relationship with co-chairman Tom Hicks.

The 54-year-old has held the post since 1997, but his position has come under increasing pressure following the club's takeover by Hicks and fellow American George Gillett in 2007.

Parry's departure is not thought to be linked to the current stalemate with manager Rafael Benitez over a new contract.

The pair have clashed over the terms of the deal, with Benitez reportedly seeking complete control of transfers.

"It has been a privilege to serve the club and as a lifelong supporter I wish the owners, Rafa, the players and the wonderful staff all the very best for the future," said Parry.

"I will be leaving at the end of the season knowing that the club remains strong and with a set of supporters who deserve success in all that Liverpool does."

Liverpool confirmed he would stay until the end of the season in order to ensure an orderly transition to his successor.

Hicks said: "Rick's commitment to Liverpool Football Club is epitomised by his desire to ensure that this transitional period is managed efficiently and we are grateful to him for his help. He will always remain a friend of the football club."

Source: Eurosport