My Anfield

So long Pennant, it was nice while it lasted

2009-07-10T11:23:00.001+01:00

Pennant is a talented player and he proved that with many impressive performances in his first 2 seasons with LFC. However, he lacked consistency and eventually fell foul of Rafa for whatever reasons.

Despite repeated attempts by Rafa over the last year to sell Pennant and recoup some of his transfer fee, Pennant choose to sit out the remainder of his contract and leave a free agent (he has now signed for Real Zaragoza).

That decision on Pennants part has failed to endear him to many fans, but I'd prefer to remember the good times he gave us, especially his man of the match performance in the Champions League final. He always claimed to be a childhood red, and it's a shame he didn't fulfill his potential with LFC.

Full back conundrum for LFC

2009-07-09T13:52:00.001+01:00

There was rumours last month that Aurelio twisted his knee while playing football with his kids. Sadly those rumours now appear to be far more factual in nature and he looks like being out for several months. [Edit: LFC have since announced its for a max. of 2 months]

This should be a great opportunity for Insua to cement his place in the first team. But Rafa is unlikely to chance several months without sufficient cover at full back. So what does this mean for Dossena & Arbeloa ?

Arbeloa has only got one year left on his contract and is unlikely to want sign an extension. Dossena did improve (no really!) towards the end of the season, so it might be an idea to give him another chance. Both of them were supposedly leaving LFC this summer but Aurelio's injury complicates things. It will be interesting to see what Rafa decides to do.

Chris Mavinga signs for Liverpool

2009-07-07T13:50:00.001+01:00

Well what do you know, Liverpool has beaten Arsenal to the signing of a French youngster. Now that's something which you don't see every day.

The 18 year old defender (can play at full back and centre back) has signed from Paris Saint Germain for an undisclosed fee. As ever, he's being portrayed as one of those brightest ever prospect types (we'll soon see).

Considering that he's just turned 18 years old, I imagine he'll be going straight to Melwood. But I wonder if he will be fast tracked to the first team in similar fashion to Ngog. Hope we get an early glimpse of him in pre-season.

Reds starlets on display during pre-season

2009-07-07T13:17:00.001+01:00

Pre-season is an exciting time for two reasons. First and foremost because the withdrawal symptoms from the season proper start to fade away. Secondly it provides an opportunity for Reds fans to catch a glimpse of the upcoming youth players who might get a shot at the big time.

The astonishingly talented Pacheco as well as Ayala, and San Jose are players which Rafa has singled out as having had conversations with regarding their immediate future (their destiny is in their own hands).

Nemeth, Gulasci and Kelly have also been training with the senior squad this week. This represents the biggest indicator of which youth players will be on display during the pre-season friendlies (click here for the fixture list).

LFC's worst kept secret this summer

2009-07-03T20:52:00.001+01:00

There's a huge number of changes being made to the Youth Academy this summer. Rafa is making sure that new people with new ideas are being brought in to revamp absolutely everything.

It's a masterstroke on the part of Rafa, that he has managed to persuade our greatest ever player to return to LFC. King Kenny will now play a senior role in the development of our youth players, which should allow him to instill his passion for Liverpool into our youth setup.

Also on the side he'll act as an ambassador for LFC, whatever that position entails it's probably pretty open ended. But with his professionalism and intelligence, I'm sure he can make a go of it. Welcome home King Kenny.

Further transfer speculation to be expected

2009-07-01T21:51:00.000+01:00

Well the transfer window is finally open, no doubt the media will treat us to even more rumours which have no basis in reality. But with Rafa now having more control over transfers, hopefully we won't have to wait too long to see who the real transfer targets are.

There's been quite a few departures from LFC already (Hyypia, Pennant, Hobbs, Anderson, Leto), with more to follow (possibly Dossena, Arbeloa, and Babel). We've already made one big signing (Johnson) and it'll be interesting to see who else Rafa has in mind.

Paul Anderson is off to Forest

2009-06-29T09:22:00.002+01:00

Big things were expected from Anderson over the years. He was an important member of the Youth Cup success of 2006, after that he did well at reserve level, before excelling in League One. Sadly the step up to Championship level proved he wasn't quite up to the standard required by LFC.

The talented and very pacy winger had a couple of promising loan spells with Swansea City and Nottingham Forest which resulted in both clubs chasing his signature. Forest have won the chase with a £250,000 bid.

Reina would like to look like Torres !!

2009-06-26T13:33:00.000+01:00

The tongue-in-cheek title of this post refers to Reinas comments about Torres in an interview on the official LFC site. It's a pretty cool interview where he talks about most of his teammates, click here to check it out.

For all the players mentioned, you might notice one or two who didn't make the list. Most notably Babel didn't get a look in. Just an observation I found a little intriguing, makes me wonder how he fits in at the club.

Hicks & Gillett could be here to stay

2009-06-21T22:04:00.001+01:00

These guys are both businessmen, and they didn't get to where they are in life by being completely stupid. Gillett is after selling his stake in the NHLs Montreal Canadiens for $440m. Hicks is also looking to sell some of his US assets. What this means is that both of them look set to be cash rich.

Hicks & Gillett should be smart enough to realise that LFC without the new stadium is a severly undervalued asset. Of even greater importance is that LFC continues to do well on the pitch (which requires further investment).

If they decide to maximise their LFC profits by making sufficient funds available for acquiring world class players and also build the new stadium, would it really be so bad if Hicks & Gillett were to stay with LFC for another few years ?

Jesus Fernandez Saez has signed for Liverpool

2009-06-21T21:21:00.003+01:00

First we had God at LFC, now it looks like we might have Jesus also (not to imply he's the son of Fowler). According to Sky Sports, Liverpool have beaten Real Madrid & Barcelona to the signing of another highly talented kid.

The 16 year old attacking midfielder, is meant to be in the mould of Cesc Fabregas. That's quite a hefty tag to live up to, but it's also the norm for the media to compare any talented kid to an established star.

We've already got some astonishing youth players who play in midfield, so this kid is really going to have to be something special if he wants to be able to fend off competition from our other starlets.

Finnan left a void which Johnson might fill

2009-06-16T17:58:00.000+01:00

Ever since Steve Finnan left LFC, right back has become one of our weaker areas. Arbeloa has been a very good (not great) right back for us, and Degen is injured more often than not. Although Carragher can do a job when asked, much like Arbeloa he lacks a certain attacking nous.

By now you've probably all heard that Portsmouth have accepted LFC's reputed £17m bid for Glen Johnson (plus he wants to join us). It's a lot of money for a right back, but Johnson could prove to be the kind of attacking right back we need to help break stubborn teams down.

Whether the versatile Arbeloa leaves LFC remains to be seen, but the signing of Johnson should strengthen one of the few weak areas left in our squad.

Spearing and Darby need competitive football

2009-06-13T07:08:00.001+01:00

As several youth players got promoted yesterday from the youth academy up to Melwood and the reserve team set up, it seems high time for some of the more established reserve team youth players to move on.

Spearing and Darby are both nearly 21 and after a few years in the reserves, neither of them have made a much of a break through to the first team. They're talented players but unless they're going to get much action in the first team next season, it seems pointless to let them rot in the reserves.

It's probably best for both players to go out on loan next season. Some competitive football would hugely benefit their development, and from there we can see if they're good enough for LFC (even as future squad players).

Forget all the media reports about LFC's finances

2009-06-09T22:49:00.002+01:00

The important thing for fans to realise is that we can trust Rafa above the media with their sensationalist speculating. Rafa has made it clear he has the funds available to land the players we need to take our club forward, so we should be content in that knowledge, regardless of what the media claim.

All the recent reports of money problems at LFC, hardly inspire any confidence, but the global importance and saleability of LFC is enough to ensure the banks don't allow LFC to go bust. The ownership issue of LFC will sort itself out in due course, we just have to be patient.

It'll be interesting to see who Rafa's real targets are this summer (the media don't really know), and it's comforting to know that despite all the nonsense going on at the moment, our club will continue to move forward.

Dream partnership of Mascherano and Alonso

2009-06-07T22:17:00.000+01:00

It's no secret that Mascherano and Alonso are both awesome world class players. However, over the last couple of seasons, it was very rare to find them both on form at the same time.

During 07/08, it was Mascherano who lorded over our midfield, while Alonso wasn't on top form. During 08/09, it was Alonso who was masterful in midfield, with Mascherano being uncharacteristically inconsistent.

This season will be their 3rd full season together, hopefully it'll be 3rd time lucky for them and we get to see them synchronise their form. How cool would it be to have a full season where they're both on top form ?

Secret bitter history between Rafa & Fergie

2009-06-05T17:36:00.003+01:00

In light of the 4-1 demolition of Man Utd being voted best performance of the season (poll on official LFC site), it has evoked all sorts of wonderful memories and emotions about that match.

It also rekindled memories of the whole feud thing which Rafa & Fergie had going on this year. All sorts of theories have been doing the rounds. One of the more popular theories is that Fergie just can't stand other managers who aren't his cronies and can challenge him.

Or perhaps it's something completely different, maybe, just maybe, there's a sordid secret history between the pair of them. There's a funny little theory on 'Studs Up' which is presented in a comic book style format. Click here to check it out and see what you think yourself.

Reserve player ? More like first team player !

2009-06-03T21:00:00.000+01:00

Such was the impact which Insua made last season during his first team appearances, it's hard to think of him as a reserve player. Insua was deservedly voted the reserve player of the season (poll on the official LFC site). But next season, we can forget all about seeing Insua in the reserves, as he has proven he's definitely good enough for the first team.

Probably the best thing about the progress which Insua has made this season, is the positive effect this could have on the other youth players. Knowing a first team breakthrough is possible, should result in them being more motivated and also encouraging other young talents to sign for LFC. We're bound to reap the benefits of that in the years ahead.

Liverpool FC - Season Calendar

2009-06-01T00:06:00.001+01:00

Click any fixture / result for more information such as google maps for the stadium locations. It can be accessed under the 'Features' of this blog.

Dream partnership of Agger & Skrtel

2009-06-01T00:01:00.002+01:00

The much anticipated partnership of Agger & Skrtel failed to materialise last season for a variety of reasons. Injuries, contract wranglings, political problems, all these things conspired to prevent us from witnessing what could very well become our greatest ever central defensive partnership.

Both Agger and Skrtel are blessed with pace, power, tactical awareness, and an awesome defensive prowess. Yet they differ in their playing styles, with Agger able to make defending look like an art form due to his sheer grace with the ball, and also his attacking nous.

Don't get me wrong, Carragher is still an excellent defender, but the lad is going to have a real fight on his hands next season. Agger & Skrtel represent the future of our central defense, and injuries aside (or Carragher being awesome), we should get to see that future very soon.

Fernando Torres wedding a low key affair

2009-05-29T14:54:00.001+01:00

Looking through my Google Analytics data, it's clear that thousands of people have been searching for details on when (and to who) Torres was going to get married. Unfortunately they always ended up at this older post.

So for the curious amongst you, it's now official that he has married his childhood sweetheart (Olalla - who is 7 months pregnant). Most footballers typically have huge lavish affairs for their weddings, but not our Torres, who had a very low key ceremony with just 2 guests present.

That's what I like about the guy, despite being a global superstar, off the pitch, he keeps his private life to himself. It makes for a refreshing change from other footballers. Anyways, congradulations to Fernando & Olalla.

Lauri Dalla Valle - profiled starlet

2009-05-27T22:41:00.000+01:00

This Finnish starlet has had an impressive season, and was probably our best youth player. At just 17 he became the youngest player at Melwood, then he went on to score 20 goals in all competitions (8 in the Youth Cup).

It's not just his goal scoring feats which attract attention, but his overall awareness of what's happening around him. The midfielder/striker, can easily find space between defenders and also pick out his team mates with killer passes.

Although Dalla Valle is still very much developing, he comes across as one of the few youth players who has got a real chance of making the step up to the first team. Realistically it'll be another year or so before he's pressing for a first team place, but the raw potential is there for all to see.

Uphill battle for the youths tonight

2009-05-26T10:02:00.001+01:00

Arsenals youth team ran riot last week and beat our youth team 4-1 in the first leg of the FA Youth Cup final. Tonight marks the return leg of the final at Anfield Road. It might seem almost inconceivable that our youths can overcome that deficit, but there's a bit of symmetry at play here.

You see back in the good old days (80s), it seemed almost inconceivable that any side could come to Anfield and beat Liverpool 2-0. Sure enough Arsenal managed it and won the league in the process. Today is the 20th Anniversary.

There would be a certain sense of poetic justice if our youth players could do the unlikely and beat Arsenal to win the Youth Cup tonight. Also over the next month, we'll be taking a closer look at the most promising youth players in a new starlet series (starts this Thursday).

Alonso or Gerrard for player of the season

2009-05-25T10:01:00.001+01:00

I'm sure everyone has their own ideas as to which player deserves to be named player of the season, and the official site has started a poll to see who the fans prefer. Despite some excellent performances from many of our players, it looks like being down to either Alonso or Gerrard.

Gerrard is probably the best player in the world at the moment, simply because there's just so much to his game. He did finish our top scorer this season, but like Torres was missing quite a fair bit due to injuries, yet this doesn't appear to have limited his chances in the poll.

Alonso is my personal favourite, simply because he responded so well to all that crap last summer, and produced his most brilliant and consistent season ever for us. The pass master is the one who pulled all the strings in midfield for us this season. Anyways, check out the poll and vote for your own favourite.

Testimonial for Sami Hyypia

2009-05-21T08:17:00.002+01:00

Well the last game of what has been an exciting season is coming up this Sunday. After that the withdrawal symptoms will kick in. But enough of that and onto far more important concerns.

You see, this is also the last competitive game for Sami Hyypia, and considering the lack of an announcement regarding an official testimonial for him. We can take it as red that this doubles a psuedo testimonial match.

Hopefully our benevolent captain will relinguish his armband so Hyypia can once again lead the reds out for one last time at Anfield. No doubt the legendary Sami Hyypia will get an amazing reception from the Anfield faithful.

Pre-planned Rafa rant on a graph

2009-05-20T09:24:00.001+01:00

There's an interesting post on "Some People Are On The Pitch", which shows a graphical representation (marking some notable events) of the title chase between Liverpool & Man Utd this season. Click here to view the post.

Looking at the graph you'll notice a wee period where Liverpool nearly flatline. Out of curiosity I decided to have a quick look back over that period. What transpired was a run of 7 league games, whereby we got 10 out of a possible 21 points (our worst period of the season).

This isn't one of those anti-Rafa rants, I just thought it an interesting coincidence, that Rafa's rant against Fergie, immediately preceeded that period. Hopefully next season the graph will look blip free for Liverpool.

Great progress has been made this season

2009-05-18T09:05:00.001+01:00

Ok, so we didn't win any trophies this season. But it's not the end of the world, and looking back over this season, there's plenty to be thrilled about. In the recent past, we've had difficulties scoring goals, winning away from home, and beating the other members of the big four. That has all changed this season.

As a team we've been scoring goals for fun (even without Torres for most of the season) and remained solid at the back. Whatever mental blocks the players had away from Anfield, are well and truly gone. We did the double over both Chelski & Man Utd, and Arsenal were lucky to have drawn twice with us.

The lads have proven that they're credible title challengers and will have gained considerable confidence from all of this. Over the years, we've become accustomed to thinking that 'next year' will be our year, but this time it's different as the potential is genuinely there. 'Next year' really could be our year.