Official Liverpool FC Supporters Thread

[Wall]

Hicks and Gillett given just 11 days to accept Chinese bid
Banks set deadline for Liverpool owners to accept deal even if it leaves them in the red

Liverpool have 11 days to consider the take-it-or-leave it offer for the club made by the Chinese businessman who says he is backed by sovereign funds, although doubts remain about whether this bid, or one of as many as five others, will be successful, with the club's investment bankers indicating a preferred bid will be selected by next week.

Some critical details of Kenny Huang's bid remain vague, including the precise nature of the Chinese state-owned investment funds which sources close to him claim will deliver the money. It is also unclear whether the trenchant opposition from Liverpool co-owner George Gillett, which is probably shared by his partner at Anfield, Tom Hicks – Huang's bid which could see them make a loss on their initial investment in the club – will prevent the Liverpool board from sanctioning them.

But the club's non-executive chairman Martin Broughton and investment bank Barclays Capital, who are leading the sale of Liverpool, do consider the bid to be credible. Mr Huang has imposed a deadline of Friday-week because he and his backers want enough time to give Roy Hodgson money to spend in the summer transfer market before it closes on 1 September.

Related articles
A deal-maker on Wall Street, an altruist in China. But can Huang be a saviour at Anfield?
Search the news archive for more stories
It appears Broughton believes he can drive through a deal in the face of opposition from Hicks and Gillett. Having taken up his position on the understanding that a three-man majority on the Liverpool board would be enough to see Hicks and Gillett voted down, it remains unclear whether he has some duty to the Americans who hired him. Broughton, Hicks, Gillett, Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayre each have a vote.

The bid, which would see the Chinese guaranteeing the £237m debt built up by the Americans, is certainly a serious one, although Liverpool's owners will bitterly resist a bid which would see them taking nothing from the club, despite their own £130m investment. The fact there are multiple bids under consideration reveals that the end-game has arrived for Hicks and Gillett. Broughton feels his duty is to the club rather than the owners and will not necessarily go for the highest offer, as the sale of the club to owners who ultimately prove unreliable would damage his reputation. It remains unclear whether Broughton, who will leave when a sale is completed, will be rewarded financially by the Americans for the size of the bid he agrees to.

The club's bankers, Royal Bank of Scotland, have said they are not in direct negotiations with Huang over the purchase of the club and that any bid would be referred to Liverpool, though Huang's representatives suggested that he had bypassed the Liverpool bidding process by going directly to the bank with what for Hicks and Gillett is effectively a hostile bid. In a day of denial and counter-denial, it emerged that it is a contest which is under way to become the club's preferred bidder, rather than a one-horse race for Mr Huang. Mystery surrounds the Chinese businessman's track record. He did not, as has been suggested, take a share in the Cleveland Cavaliers National Basketball Association last year.

But his representatives said he was keen to do a deal quickly to secure investment before the transfer window closes and then turn his attention to finally getting Liverpool's new 60,000-seat stadium built in Stanley Park after three years of inertia. "He wants to get it done quickly so investment can come this summer," said a source close to the bid. "Liverpool need investment in the playing squad and infrastructure and Huang wants to build the stadium. The club has an outstanding reputation but does not have the infrastructure to keep with it."

Whether or not Huang's bid proves successful, the timing of his disclosures has certainly been effective, providing a sense of movement on the ownership stalemate on the very day Fernando Torres returned to training following his summer break. Torres declared last season that Liverpool need 'four or five' new players and the movement at the club suggests there may be funds available. Securing a deal before the transfer window closes may not be straightforward, though, as the time between agreement to an individual offer and completion can be weeks.

THE BUYING GAME: ANFIELD'S MANY SUITORS SO FAR

Since Tom Hicks and George Gillett took over in February 2007, the club has attracted a succession of uber-wealthy – and exotic – parties from around the globe reported to be interested in buying out the unpopular American duo. There are six bids on the Anfield table now, but among those who have been said to be keen on a takeover in the past are:

The Indian billionaires

It was in February that Mukesh Ambani, the seventh richest man in the world, and Subrata Roy, chairman of the Sahara group, a huge Indian conglomerate, were said to be mounting a joint bid to takeover 51 per cent of the club. A day later a spokesperson for Ambani's Reliance Industries said: "There is no truth to the report. We deny it completely."

The IPL owner

Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao was already the owner of a cricket team – the Delhi Daredevils of the Indian Premier League – and was said to be interested in getting involved in football. As a Liverpool fan, Anfield was flagged up as the object of his investment. His representatives watched the 4-4 draw with Arsenal in April amid speculation of a £500m takeover that came to nothing at the time.

The Chinese gaming tycoon

In May Zhu Jun held at least two meetings with Barclays Capital, the company charged with finding a buyer. Zhu already owns the Chinese club, Shanghai Shenhua. The 44-year-old made his fortune through online gaming although he is not in the same financial league as most of the other reported buyers and would have needed to conduct a leveraged buyout.

The Syrian footballer

Over the weekend it was claimed that Yahya Kirdi, a former Syrian international, was heading a consortium of Arab businessmen looking to buy out the Americans. Gillett informed Royal Bank of Scotland of Kirdi's interest – he is a friend of Gillett's son, Foster – in a move that has widely been dismissed as a stalling tactic against Huang's approach to RBS.

The Arabs

Dubai International Capital have long held an interest in taking control at Anfield. Even before Hicks and Gillett's ill-fated tenure began three years ago, DIC, the investment arm of Dubai's ruling family led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, were linked with the club. They have maintained their interest on and off ever since and there have been reports this summer that they are back in the game. In 2008 Sheikh Mohammed had even considered making his own bid for the club.


took this from www.independent.co.uk

[Wall]

The sale of Liverpool could be concluded this month, but chairman Martin Broughton insists the board remain in control of any deal.

Chinese businessman Kenny Huang has expressed his interest in assuming control of the Reds, with suggestions he would seek to acquire the club's £237million debt from the Royal Bank of Scotland.

However, Broughton, who was brought into the club in April to facilitate a sale, revealed there had been "several" bids for the Reds and insisted the decision over the sale will be made by the Liverpool board.

"Any bids that go straight to RBS - and there have been several - come to me and are directed to Barcap (Barclays Capital)," he told the Guardian.

"RBS are not involved. The control remains with the board."

Broughton, who was brought in to oversee the sale process, added: "It still remains the objective to conclude a deal before the end of the transfer window.

"That remains the objective but there are no deadlines, and we will continue working to complete the process.

"Both George Gillett and Tom Hicks remain on the board and they have given commitments that the board of Kop Holdings (Liverpool's UK parent company) is the party that is responsible for the sale."

Huang is the head of Hong Kong-based investment company QSL Sports Ltd and is believed to be keen to secure an agreement as soon as possible in order to give manager Roy Hodgson plenty of time to bring in reinforcements before the end of the transfer window.

Huang is believed to have already spoken to senior figures at Anfield to express his seriousness about a buy-out and in the hope that his message will filter down to help persuade top stars like Fernando Torres that the club does have a better future.

Torres has yet to publicly commit himself to the club and speculation still links the Spain striker with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City.
Source:http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_6292407,00.html

[poolmania]

Torres Interview.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/i-m-at-the-best-club


First of all Fernando, congratulations on winning the World Cup - have you had a good summer?

Yes, as you can imagine it was an amazing day for Spaniards all over the world. Winning the World Cup happens maybe once in your life so it was a fantastic feeling and a great way to end the season. I have had a break over the summer and I'm now glad to be back here at Liverpool to see all of my teammates.

We know you picked up an injury in the World Cup final. How are you feeling now, are you fit and ready to go again?

Yes, I am looking forward to the first game. I have less than two weeks to get ready but I felt really good in my first session back with the physios and the doctor. I will try to be fit as soon as possible and I am looking forward to playing at Anfield again.

We know it's hard work early in pre-season, but are you enjoying being back around your teammates again?

Of course. After a nice break enjoying the summer with my family I was looking forward to coming back to Melwood to see the staff, my teammates and the new players. I'm excited about the new season and about the targets of the club.

We obviously have a new manager now who you met in Spain. How impressed are you with Roy Hodgson's plans for the club and how much are you looking forward to working with him?

I really appreciated the fact that Roy came out to see me while I was on my holidays. He told me about his plans for the club and what he wanted from me and I appreciated that. I hope he will be the right man to reach the targets of Liverpool Football Club and I am really looking forward to working with him. At the moment I am training just on my own but as soon as I can I will train with the team and with the new manager.

Steven Gerrard has already said he is looking forward to the new season, Joe Cole has arrived and made his debut at the weekend - how excited are you about the future here at Liverpool?

I was talking to Stevie a lot today and I also met with Joe. I think Joe is exactly the kind of player we need to improve the history of our club. We are keeping our best players and so it's nice to be back with them. Hopefully we can play together as soon as possible.

How excited were you when you heard Joe Cole was signing for Liverpool?

He is the kind of player I like to play with and the kind of player who can take the team to a higher level. His passing is unbelievable so hopefully he can start the season well because I am sure he will be a key player for us.

Joe has said he's looking forward to creating a lot of chances and a lot of goals for you this season...

Hopefully that will be the case. I'm excited about playing with him and hopefully we can all help him settle into the team and the city to make sure he can reach his best as quickly as possible. It's up to us to help the new players.

What are your personal targets this season and what do you think Liverpool can achieve?

This is the best club in the country so the targets and expectations are always high. Hopefully we can stay at our level. At Liverpool the aim is to fight for every title. It was difficult last season but we are sure we can improve this season. I am really happy to be back, really happy to stay with all my teammates. My commitment and loyalty to the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed. I am looking forward to the challenge ahead.

Why does this club mean so much to you?

From my first day I got the same welcome as Stevie or Carra or players who have been here for a long time. I felt at home from the first day, I feel the fans love me and everyone knows I am really happy here and really happy to play at Anfield. As I said earlier, I'm looking forward to starting the season and playing with my teammates and for the fans.

Is the dream to score the goals which wins trophies for this club?

Of course. I know that one trophy here at Liverpool - maybe the Premier League - means more than three or four with another club. This was my target from the day I came and it's still my target. Hopefully this season we can feel this sensation here at Liverpool.

[Nimz]

AH now thats what i like to hear!

YNWA

[Alan]

I thinks its a whole lot of Bullocks.
I left work and we had Huang as the only bidder, when I got home we suddenly had 6 bidders.

Yeah a lot of media hype.

For example....


'According to sources close to Huang, who is head of Hong Kong investment company QSL Sports Ltd, Hodgson could identify any player in the world, and the new regime would check on availability and an asking price.

'''It could be Lionel Messi, and every effort would be made to sign him,' said one source. 'This guy is deadly serious about taking over and wants it done this month so Roy can significantly improve the team''.'

[Casanova]

Yeah a lot of media hype.

For example....

Yeah, read that on one of the other forums earlier, guys going crazy.

I also read the following a few minutes ago,


This may well now be moving towards its end-game. There's a board meeting this afternoon (nobody knows whether all five will be in the same room, where it will take place or whether it's a conference call). There is lots and lots to tell, but for now my priority is not to say anything that may jeopardise any deal. Two things, though. 1) I've spent the last 24 hours trying to re-establish from those who know him, and his team, what sort of an owner Ken Huang would be. Again, the people I trust most have re-iterated that nobody who does business on an international scale is a perfect fit for Liverpool F.C. We're talking Money Men, here. But they're convinced that Huang is a decent man, understands what's special about LFC, reveres our legend as much as our potential and is as good as it's ever going to get in modern football terms. He's in a hurry, because he wants a big season for Liverpool. He wants to give the manager funds to spend now. 2) Nobody should be in any doubt as to the critical role Martin Broughton has in this process. His reputation is at stake, and he is under the closest possible scrutiny. That was part of the rationale in letting this story go wide yesterday. This is now out in the open where everyone can see what's happening. This club and its worldwide support has a million eyes, and nothing can be done under the table. It is now up to him, as much as anybody, to do the right thing.

For now, I'd best shut up. I want this to happen.

[Wall]

Liverpool have witnessed a twist in their takeover saga after the emergance of reports that a consortium of Arab and Canadian businessmen are in advanced discussions with the Premier League club.

Kenny Huang was thought to be in pole position to buyout American duo George Gillettand Tom Hicks at Anfield, and Sky Sports News reported on Tuesday that the Chinese tycoon had made a formal offer.

But now a group containing investors from the Middle East and Canada, fronted by former Syria international Yahya Kirdi, are said to be finalising a purchase price, repayment of debt and financing for Liverpool's planned new stadium in Stanley Park.

Co-owner Gillett is understood to have introduced Kirdi, a Unicef representative, to senior Anfield staff and the Royal Bank of Scotland, to which the club owes a reported £250million.

Sky Sports News have quoted Kirdi as saying: "Liverpool is a massive football club with passionate and proud fans in Merseyside and in every part of the world.

"With additional money to improve the squad and financing in place to build the new stadium, Liverpool will be on a solid foundation to compete in the Premiership and in Europe for years to come."

Gillett and Hicks put Liverpool up for sale in May and appointed Martin Broughton as chairman to oversee the process and Barclays Capitalhas been hired to assist.

Liverpool also received a major boost on Tuesday when star striker Fernando Torresconfirmed that he wanted to stay at the club.
source:http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_6293794,00.html

[akescpt]

source:http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_6293794,00.html

can this bloody media circus end now! bloody yanks turning everything into a circus...accept a bid and line allready...

[Casanova]

I have given up, I'll rather sit back and wait to hear what the outcome is. Whenever that is though.
Now again there is the syrian bidder "Kirdi" :confused:

[Wall]

I have given up, I'll rather sit back and wait to hear what the outcome is. Whenever that is though.
Now again there is the syrian bidder "Kirdi" :confused:

He is a good friend of GG's son. Initially it was thought that his bids are a stalling tactics on the part of Hicks and Gillett... seem's we could be wrong

[Casanova]

Something to giggle bout. :-)


YOSSI Benayoun's rendition of the Liverpool anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone went down like a lead balloon during his Chelsea initiation.


But the Israeli international has vowed to make it up to John Terry and Co by helping Chelsea to a glut of trophies.

Double winners Chelsea were shocked when Benayoun roared out the Anfield hymn during the now famous Blues tradition of welcoming new players.

Former Stamford Bridge chief Avram Grant sang Frank Sinatra’s classic My Way during his baptism, while big-money flop Andrei Shevchenko was booed off the stage during his crack at Queen’s We Are the Champions.

But Benayoun has revealed his choice of ditty took everyone by surprise. He said: “I started my song but they didn’t let me finish. I started with You’ll Never Walk Alone. They stopped me in the middle of it and I moved into Hebrew, my language, so it was OK!”

But any Chelsea fans now doubting former West Ham midfielder Benayoun’s real colours after his red-faced error of judgment need not worry as he insists he is now a true Blue.

Benayoun has not picked up a medal since winning the league with Maccabi Haifa in 2002 – a fact that has not been lost on the Chelsea new boy.

He said: “I won two leagues in Israel, but I didn’t play in big teams until I came to Liverpool. I played for Racing Santander and at West Ham I was very close to winning the FA Cup, but Stevie Gerrard took it away from me in the last minute.

“But I’m happy with what I have done in my career. To play for Liverpool for three years and to come to Chelsea, I don’t think many players can say this. I’ve played in the Champions League over the past three years and I’ve proved myself.


http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/191039/Yossi-Benayoun-so-happy-to-be-singing-with-Chelsea/

[Randhir]

What a clot.

[Casanova]

411 on Insua


Liverpool defender Emiliano Insua's move to Serie A side Fiorentina has fallen through, the Italian club's sporting director has confirmed.

Pantaleo Corvino said they had been unable to agree terms with the Argentine who came to Anfield in January 2007 from Boca Juniors.

The two clubs had agreed a fee last month but discussions with the 21-year-old have proved fruitless.

"Insua is not coming. He had high economic demands," said Corvino.

"I was in talks with the sporting director at Liverpool, who is our guest here, until two this morning.

"At the end we decided to give up on Insua, who will remain in England.

606: DEBATE
Does Insua have a future at Anfield?
"The player would have entered into Fiorentina's technical and financial plans, but we couldn't reach an agreement with the player. Today, the deal can be considered finished."

Insua has played 62 games during his time at Anfield, scoring once.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8882728.stm

[Alan]

He's our subversive agent .....

[Wall]

Seymour Pierce, the company representing one of the parties interested in buying Liverpool, claims their client is 'very serious'.

Reports on Wednesday have suggested that a consortium made up of Arabian and Canadian businessmen are looking into a possible takeover of the Reds, while Chinese tycoon Kenny Huang is also believed to be in the running.

Current co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks have been looking to offload the club for some time, but have yet to find a bidder willing to match their valuation.

However, interest appears to be mounting again and Keith Harris of Seymour Pierce has told Sky Sports News that one of his clients has expressed a desire to acquire the Merseyside giants.

He said: "All I am prepared to say is that we have looked at it very carefully on behalf of would-be buyers, who we know are very serious, we know are cash rich, we know have the right incentive and are prepared to take a long-term view. I can't say any more at the minute."

The interested party is reluctant to make themselves known publicly at present, but Harris believes that could help proceedings.

"That's not the way business should be done," he said when pressed on why those involved have refused to step forward.

"A few years ago this firm represented Randy Lerner acquiring Aston Villa and until the word got out, we hadn't said a word. The deal was then done quickly and decisively. There was then a public splash but it went quiet again.

"That's the right way football clubs should be dealt with. It's a huge media event when one changes hands. I don't think the media event should be the run up to that, it should be when it happens."

Prices

Harris has also questioned the figures being bandied around in regards to how much it would cost to take control at Anfield.

It has been claimed that £325million would be enough to push through a takeover, but Harris believes that sum is far too low.

He added: "The kind of prices I have read about do not properly value this asset and I doubt it would be sold for that. It sounds way too low for me."

Asked what it could take to gain control of the Reds, he said: "It depends entirely on the eyes of the would-be investor.

"What we know about Liverpool is that there is a sum of money required to acquire it and to deal with the debt situation. That frankly is a market trade - what can be paid, what can be accepted by the owners, what is acceptable ownership structure, who the people are.

"In the case of Liverpool there are then other considerations.

"There is a new manager and the previous manager was not short on money, he spent pretty liberally and didn't get a squad that was good enough, frankly. So there is an investment in the squad, how much does a new owner have to invest in the squad to get it to the standard which can challenge for a top four place, which I think Liverpool fans will rightly say they should be.
source: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_6294245,00.html
It's getting pretty ridiculous now! too much media circus. Let's hope this can get sorted ASAP and these Yanks can get the **** out of our club

[Alan]

Syrians, Chinese.... Where are the Englishmen>

[akescpt]

Syrians, Chinese.... Where are the Englishmen>

vra ek ook meneer met trane in my oe!

[Casanova]

Anybody know if tommorow nights match against Rabotnicki will be broadcasted in SA ?

[Alan]

Don't think so

[Wall]

yrian businessman Yahya Kirdi says his consortium of Canadian and Middle East investors is in the "final stage of negotiation" to buy Liverpool.
The group claims it has agreed terms with current owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks and is negotiating a purchase agreement with the Americans.
Meanwhile, Chinese investor Kenny Huang has admitted his interest but said he had made no formal bid.
It is understood as many as six rival bids were submitted last week.
Kirdi, who is now a Canadian resident and represents the Canadian-based group of investors, said: "Agreement has been reached on all major terms including the purchase price, repayment of the existing bank debt and financing of a new stadium in Liverpool's Stanley Park.
"A formal purchase agreement between the parties is in the final stage of negotiation."
Kirdi promised that if the consortium was successful in its bid, money would be made available to Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson.

606: DEBATE
I think the takeover race is coming to the boil nicely
martin skrtel99
He added: "With additional money to improve the squad and financing in place to build the new stadium, LFC will be on a solid foundation to compete in the Premiership and in Europe for years to come."
Hicks and Gillett put the club on the market in April, with Liverpool's main creditor, RBS, owed about £237m.
Martin Broughton was brought in as chairman to oversee the sale process and is hopeful a buyer can be found before the transfer window closes on 31 August.
Huang, who is the head of Hong Kong-based investment company QSL Sports Ltd, is thought to value the club at around £325m.
A statement issued from his Hong Kong representatives said: "Mr Huang would like to emphasise that he has registered interest in investing in Liverpool FC but has made no formal bid."
Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8886437.stm

[fishfly]

Syrians, Chinese.... Where are the Englishmen>

they flat broke, didn't you know china is the way of the future!

[Wall]

rospective Liverpool owner Kenny Huang has refused to comment on reports his consortium is being backed by the Chinese government.

George Gillett and Tom Hicks are looking to sell and several parties are reportedly considering a takeover.

Chinese businessman Huang revealed earlier this week that he was interested in investing in Liverpool, although he has yet to make a formal offer.

Reports in Thursday morning's press have now suggested that the Chinese government is Huang's mystery backer.

China Investment Corporation (CIC), is the country's overseas investment arm that was set up in 2007 and reportedly has $332billion to spend abroad.

Premier League

Huang has yet to make a statement in response to the story but any potential buyer must be cleared by the Premier League.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore will not look into the matter further until China's involvement is confirmed but says such a scenario would be acceptable.

"If they had the backing of the Chinese government we wouldn't have any problem with that, any more than we do the Manchester Citysituation, with effectively sovereign wealth out of Abu Dhabi," Scudamore told Sky Sports News.

Asked about China's human rights record, he added: "I don't think that is something we would get into. I don't think it is right to be going into detail."

SOURCE:http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_6295435,00.html

[Alan]

they flat broke, didn't you know china is the way of the future!

Were there not Englishmen in the attempted 1bn pound take over of Manure?

[Casanova]

LIVERPOOL FC chairman Martin Broughton will today issue a “show us your money” demand to Syrian businessman Yahya Kirdi who claims he is on the verge of buying the club, the ECHO understands.

Mr Kirdi, who represents a group of investors from the Middle East and Canada, claimed a price had been agreed and a formal purchase agreement “is in the final stage of negotiation”.

The ECHO understands Mr Broughton and advisors Barclays Capital are trying to establish where the money for the deal would come from.

Mr Kirdi, like the other five bidders, is being asked to prove exactly who his backers are and how money is being raised.

Mr Broughton is keen any deal includes cash to pay off the club’s £237m debt to Royal Bank of Scotland, money for players and investment in a new stadium.

Today former Celtic player Andy Lynch, who is advising Mr Kirdi, said he hoped a deal would be done soon, possibly as “early next week”. He added it was not his place to go into the financial details of a deal but insisted Mr Kirdi, a former Syrian international, would be good for the club.

Kirdi announced: “The group is in advanced negotiations with Thomas Hicks and George Gillett, co-owners of Liverpool Football Club, to purchase 100% of the club. Agreement has been reached on all major terms including the purchase price, repayment of the existing bank debt from RBS and Wells Fargo and financing of a new stadium in Liverpool’s Stanley Park.”

Meanwhile Chinese businessman Kenny Huang issued a statement insisting he has not made a bid for LFC but was interested in doing so.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/08/05/syrian-yahya-kirdi-will-be-told-to-show-us-the-money-by-liverpool-fc-chairman-martin-broughton-100252-27000589/

[smokey]

Seriously - Bold and the Beautiful schit right there...

[dbecks]

Were there not Englishmen in the attempted 1bn pound take over of Manure?And how did that go..

[poolmania]

They look mighty happy together.

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0e7K2lFfdH4oS/1000x.jpg

[akescpt]

Don't think so

dstv! they suck no?

[dbecks]

They look mighty happy together.

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0e7K2lFfdH4oS/1000x.jpgThe odd couple..:D

[Alan]

And how did that go..

It's the offer that counts....


Christian Poulsen's agent has opened negotiations with Liverpool but is not sure if an agreement will be reached.

Poulsen has emerged as a transfer target for the Reds this summer, with Roy Hodgson confirming his interest in the Juventus midfielder this week.

Liverpool have spoken to Poulsen's representative, Joern Bonnesen, and are reported to have offered a three-year deal.

However, it does not look like anything will be finalised in the near future after Bonnesen returned to Denmark.

"I don't know if we will reach an agreement," the agent told Tipsbladet.

"I will go home without a contract and we will work from there.

"This is not something which will be resolved in two minutes."


:wtf:

I'm sorry but he's no where near Masch's league. :(

[Alan]

Degen set for Stuttgart switch (http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/transfer-gossip/degen-set-for-stuttgart-switch)


Palermo to increase Lucas bid (http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/transfer-gossip/palermo-to-increase-lucas-bid)


Palermo are ready to make a renewed bid for Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva.

The Italians had a £3million bid rejected last month when new Anfield boss Roy Hodgson insisted that Lucas was part of his plans.

The Reds are poised to lose Javier Mascherano and Hodgson would be reluctant to lose another midfielder.

However, Palermo sporting director Walter Sabatini insists the door has not been closed on a deal and hopes to tempt Liverpool with an improved £5m bid.

'There is a dialogue with Liverpool,' said Sabatini. 'I believe there is room to negotiate.'

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.


5mill for Lucas. Very tempting indeed :whistle:

[Wall]

Degen set for Stuttgart switch (http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/transfer-gossip/degen-set-for-stuttgart-switch)


Palermo to increase Lucas bid (http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/transfer-gossip/palermo-to-increase-lucas-bid)


5mill for Lucas. Very tempting indeed :whistle:
I would not sell Lucas this season... With Masch going he could well be our best holding midfielder... I think the problem last season was seeing him with Mascherano. Both aren't creative and as a result we look devoid of any ideas in midfield. I personally don't have a problem with him playing alongside Stevie or Alberto in the coming season.

[Casanova]

From what I've heard, the guys were pretty impressive last night against Rabotnicki.
2 - 0 to Ngog & Stevie G

[Wall]

From what I've heard, the guys were pretty impressive last night against Rabotnicki.
2 - 0 to Ngog & Stevie G

Yeah i was reading a couple of match reports and apparently Joe Class. looking forward to him linking up with Torres.

Good to see Dani also got a run out which will only do him good. I hope he gets about 20 games this season.

[Casanova]

Here a link to see the goals from last nights match.....

http://today24news.com/sports/liverpool-vs-rabotnicki-highlights-videos-062726

[Alan]

Good game. Should have scored 10 though :twisted:

Cole was fantastic. Pacheo and Kelly impressed. Kelly made a fantastic interception at the end to prevent a goal.

[stevengzn]

Cant wait for the season to begin!!
The prospect of Cole, Gerrard and Torres in attack is quite mouth watering after seeing those highlights. Numbers 8,9,10 :)
Really impressed with Roy Hodgson so far. Nice to have a calm head in charge of us for a change.
Nice to see Ngog getting on the score sheet aswell. Admittedly against weak opposition but will be nice to see him develop into a half decent back up striker to Nando.

[Wall]

How do you guys think we will line up next Sunday?
i think it will be close to this:

pepe
Johnson-Carra-Agger-Insua/Fabio
Cole-Lucas-Gerrard-Jovanvic( sp?)
Aqualani
Ngog / Torres ( more likely Ngog)

[Wall]

Roy Hodgson admitted he was thrilled with Joe Cole's competitive Liverpool debut after the midfielder played a starring role in the 2-0 Europa League victory over FK Rabotnicki on Thursday evening.


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Hodgson was left buoyed by the industrious performance of the summer signing, who can consider himself highly unfortunate not to have marked his Anfield bow with a goal.

"His energy and enthusiasm tonight meant he had a really good home debut," the boss told reporters at a post-match press conference.

"Joe is desperate to play. He came here because he thought he might get the opportunity to start more games than he did at Chelsea.

"He is a very enthusiastic, effervescent footballer who the more he plays, the happier he is. He is the type of player who wants to play every minute of every game.

"Whether that is going to be possible is another matter, but it's a good quality to have."

A crowd of 31,202 turned up at Anfield to watch the Reds progress into the next round of the Europa League 4-0 on aggregate thanks to first-half goals from David Ngog and Steven Gerrard.

Hodgson admits he was taken aback by the turn out, but is confident those inside the stadium will have been impressed by the performance of Cole.

"I must say I am surprised by the size of the crowd," he said. "I think it is quite incredible that a tie, in which we won 2-0 away from home against an unfancied opponent, can still attract over 30,000 people.

"That is fantastic and it's great for me that Joe, on his debut in front of such a big crowd, has shown them they are going to get a lot of joy from him this season."

As he was in the pre-season friendly against Borussia Moenchengladbach, Cole was deployed in an advanced role just behind the main striker.

However, Hodgson believes the No.10 is versatile enough to operate in a number of different positions on the pitch that will benefit the team.

He added: "Joe can play a lot of positions but it is going to be a question of where we need him most and how he will fit in best with us and the rest of the players.

"When you have got a player of his quality, you work hard to get him on the field and you put him on the field in a position where he is going to best serve the team."

The game not only marked the Liverpool home debut of Cole, but it was also Hodgson's first outing as Reds boss at Anfield.

"It is certainly something I have looked forward to," he said. "It was nice to mark the occasion with a good performance and win. I am as happy as the players and hopefully the fans are."

Liverpool's margin of victory could have been much greater - although a flurry of missed chances meant the Reds were forced to settle for just two goals on the night.

Hodgson said: "It's enough. One more (goal) than the opposition is always enough.

"I am perfectly satisfied. I thought we were good in both games, and today in particular we played some very attractive football and created lots of chances - probably more than the scoreline would suggest.

"The important thing is we kept our discipline and way of playing throughout, even though the game was at times relatively easy for us. It's so easy in these games to lose your way.

"The players impressed me enormously with their discipline and continuing to play in the right way and creating chances."

The boss also had words of praise for Ngog, who played a key role in both goals.

After heading home an early opener from Cole's cross, the French striker won the penalty which was converted by Gerrard just before the break.

"Like the rest of the players, he was involved in a lot of goalscoring opportunities," said Hodgson.

"The important thing is he is up there to be involved in these opportunities. He was unlucky not to add to his tally on at least one or two occasions.

"Once again his work rate was very good and he provided the focal point for our attacks that players like Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard and Alberto Aquilani playing behind him need."

Liverpool will now wait 10 days before playing their next fixture - the Barclays Premier League opener against Arsenal in front of the Kop on August 15 - due to the international break.

Hodgson said: "It is frustrating, not just for me but for 90 per cent of my colleagues. In the Premier League there are very few teams who don't have a lot of international players on their books going away.

"Unfortunately FIFA set this date a long time back and we have known August 11 is a FIFA date. It is a bit unfortunate they have decided to start the league three days after that.

"In my opinion, it would have been nice if that could have been pushed back and we had same sort of time the teams in Italy, Spain and Germany have to prepare because their leagues don't start until after ours."

Author: James Carroll at Anfield
Source:http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/roy-delight-at-cole-bow

[stevengzn]

How do you guys think we will line up next Sunday?
i think it will be close to this:

pepe
Johnson-Carra-Agger-Insua/Fabio
Cole-Lucas-Gerrard-Jovanvic( sp?)
Aqualani
Ngog / Torres ( more likely Ngog)

Ya, dont think Torres will start!??

What about Dirk Kuyt?
I keep forgetting about Aqualani!! If he comes right this season with his atatcking flair that will be like a new signing aswell!

[Wall]

Ya, dont think Torres will start!??

What about Dirk Kuyt?
I keep forgetting about Aqualani!! If he comes right this season with his atatcking flair that will be like a new signing aswell!

I doubt we will see Torres, Kuyt and Babel starting against the gooners. They haven't played a single minute of football since returning.They won't last 90 minutes and they will be rusty!

I agree, I think Aqualani will definately have a major role this season.. Looked quality when played last season.

[poolmania]

5mill for Lucas. Very tempting indeed :whistle:

That is why you are not the Manager Alan.

[Wall]

A key member of the Chinese consortium bidding to buy Liverpool has defended their approach which he says is in the best interest of the club.

Marc Ganis, whose Chicago-based company Sportscorp Ltd. has helped form the investment group, said that any takeover would not enrich American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

Instead, he has implied that a significant amount of cash would be given to construct the long-delayed new stadium which will replace Anfield.

He has also suggested that a large sum would be available to invest in new signings which would make a debt-free Liverpool major challengers in the upcoming campaign.

In the club's interest

Ganis said: "We haven't submitted a formal proposal but we submitted the broad parameters of what a proposal would look like to see if it would be welcomed, and it was.

"What is not one of our goals is the enrichment of the existing owners.

"If we submit a proposal and it is accepted, it would be focused on the future and not the past."

Barclays has told potential bidders they will have to prove their financial status before any proposal is accepted.

Current co-owner Hicks has said he wants a minimum $950million (£600m) for Liverpool whose known debt last stood at $375million (£237m).

Ganis, though, said his consortium would not bid close to that sum, leaving the door open for other investors to pip them to the post.

Competition
Syrian businessman Yahya Kirdi looks a leading player with his consortium of investors from the Middle East and Canada who have claimed they are close to completing a takeover.

"If anybody wants to (bid that sum), good luck," said Ganis, who is yet to reveal how much his group are willing to invest.

"We know what we would be prepared to do. If somebody else wants to look at it in a different way, it's their money. That would be their business, not ours."

Ganis has also moved to reassure current members of the management team.

He said: "From what we have seen from afar, many of the people currently running Liverpool are doing a good job.

"There shouldn't be an expectation there would be a mass upheaval if we submit and we are approved."
source:http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_6297234,00.html

[Wall]

Liverpool will play Trabzonspor in the next round of the Europa League.

[Wall]

Was hoping we avoid the Turkish to be honest but nonetheless we should overcome them fairly easily!

[Alan]

Was hoping we avoid the Turkish to be honest but nonetheless we should overcome them fairly easily!

Yeah long way to travel. As if our start to the season wasn't hard enough

[Alan]

REINA FOR ARSENAL?
Lordy, we weren't expecting this when we started writing the gossip this morning. According to The Sun (yes, we know), 'Arsenal have launched a stunning £23million raid for Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina'.

Now this is the kind of move potential title winners without a goalkeeper should be making, but it's not the kind of move we associate with Arsenal. Spending £23m would be really very unusual. Spending £23m on a goalkeeper would be truly astonishing.

Pepe Reina signed a six-year deal with Liverpool in April so - as The Sun acknowledge - 'Wenger knows he faces a massive battle to lure one of Liverpool's prize assets away from Anfield'.

And The Sun face a massive battle to persuade us that any of this is true.

ROFL :D

[smokey]

Yeah long way to travel. As if our start to the season wasn't hard enough

Tsk... don't be like that it could have been worse. Rafa could have still been your manager...

[Wall]

source:http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2010/08/09/revealed-liverpool-bidder-kenny-huang-in-embezzlement-puzzle-as-doubts-remain-over-background-090801/


Kenny Huang, the Chinese businessman who hopes to lead a takeover of Liverpool financed by backers yet to made public, was sued in March last year in America over allegations that he embezzled $2.9m in a business deal.
This is one of five legal actions against him in the USA, past or ongoing, that sportingintelligence has learned about to date, and details of each have been confirmed by his Miami lawyer.
In the $2.9m case, it was alleged he was given the money by a Florida-based import company, AutoChina, to help pay for deals involving the exportation of vehicles from China.
The case initially went against Huang when the judge made a “default motion” against him; this was because Huang did not respond to the writ against him.
After a civil trial in Florida earlier this year, Huang won, with none of the claims against him proven. He was also awarded costs of more than $300,000. An AutoChina appeal is ongoing.
In a twist today, sportingintelligence has discovered that Huang lied under oath about his background during the trial. He claimed to be the leader of an investment group that owned 15 per cent of the NBA basketball team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He was asked directly: “You are the leader of an investment group that owns 15 percent of that basketball club?”
He replied: “Correct”.
As the NBA told the Financial Times last week: “Mr Huang has never had an ownership interest in the Cleveland Cavaliers or any other NBA team nor was he ever affiliated with an owner of an interest in an NBA team.”
Huang also claimed, according to an official transcript of the trial, which is available for public scrutiny and has been obtained by sportingintelligence, that he was “sitting on the board of Bank of Communications, assets management, which is the fourth largest bank of China.”
According to the Bank of Communications, he is not on the main board.
A spokesman for Huang said: “He is on the board of one of the bank’s asset management funds, not the main board.”
A number of other claims that Huang made in court about his background and business dealings have yet to be verified as true.
Concerns over the authenticity of Huang’s current business credentials are heightened by the fact that one of the parties behind the allegations of embezzlement was David Herzig, who remains, with Huang, listed as a co-director in one of Huang’s firms, Aspen Infrastructure.
But Huang’s lawyer, Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, a partner in Duane Morris LLP, based in Miami, says that the business relationship between Huang and Herzig “has been over for a very long time, and it is purely through oversight of the parties to remove the website [from the internet] that it is still there.”
Ms. Rodriguez-Taseff has told sportingintelligence that Huang has won three other cases against him; these were related to AutoChina and involved accusations of tortious inference with a business relationship, fraud, and defamation (and conspiracy to commit all three of those), and a breach of fiduciary duty.
Ms. Rodriguez-Taseff insists Huang has “won” all those cases and says they are, effectively, finished for good. She concedes, however, that “a lawsuit stays on the books for ever and ever”, and sportingintelligence understands parties involved in those cases are pursuing, or are planning to pursue, further action.
Kenny Huang has one judgement against him, Ms. Rodriguez-Taseff confirmed, relating to unpaid debt from the 1990s. The debt at the time of the judgement against him was $788,300 (and 54 cents), according to a legal document that states the debt would accrue interest at 10 per cent per year. Huang was resident in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the time of judgement (1998), and his appeal is ongoing.
Sportingintelligence has put a series of questions to Huang’s PR representatives at Hill & Knowlton in their offices in London and Hong Kong relating to his background and business dealings. The majority have yet to be answered.
Sportingintelligence has established that Huang is now a US citizen and US passport holder whose main residence is in New York, where he lives with his wife, Louise, and two children.
He may or may not have a qualification from Columbia University, New York. He says he studied there. Checks show he never graduated.
He has claimed he was the first person educated in mainland China to work on the New York Stock Exchange. No corroborative evidence has been produced.
It remains possible that Huang does front a “credible” bidding team for Liverpool, although the most substantial business figure so far linked to that group has yet to confirm or deny his own involvement. That person is Dr Guang Yang of the hugely respected Templeton Equity Group.
In statements to the Telegraph newspaper and to the Financial Times late last week, different spokespeople for Templeton denied the involvement of either Templeton or Yang in Huang’s group.
Dorine Johnson, a spokeswoman for Templeton, reiterated to sportingintelligence today: “I’d like to confirm that we have no involvement with the Liverpool FC bid. I would refer you again to our statement: ‘Franklin Templeton has no involvement in the Liverpool FC bid and Guang Yang, EVP, Templeton Equity Group, has also stated that he has no involvement’.”
Liverpool’s board wants proof of funding from bidding groups to be provided this week. The Independent reported on Saturday that Huang remained in talks at that time with Liverpool about a £400m – £450m package to safeguard the club’s future. This piece included “an acknowledgement that the consortium of investors he has gathered does not have the funds to relocate Liverpool immediately to a new stadium and that he cannot say when that vital move might happen.”
.

seems like a shady character. Hope we find the right buyer and the club can have some stability.

[nivek]

Joe Cole is better than Lionel Messi, insists Liverpool's Steven Gerrard

"[Lionel] Messi can do some amazing things, but anything he can do Joe can do as well, if not better. He used to shock us in training by doing footy tricks with a golf ball that most players can't even do with a football. I really fancy Joe for the [Player of the Season] award this season."

lol :D

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/aug/10/joe-cole-messi-gerrard-liverpool

[Casanova]

:D we'd be kicking ass if this ought to happen :D

http://www.thenewsgrind.com/sport/football-sport/jackie-chan-is-secret-liverpool-bid-backer/


Racist football rumourmongers wrongly attributed Far East attempts to buy Liverpool Football Cub to the Chinese government, Mike Richards reports.

The real money man behind Hong Kong businessman Kenny Huang’s approach is none other than Jackie Chan.

And the martial arts legend will echo his hands-on acting style by sensationally ousting Roy Hodgson to take over the manager’s job at Anfield.

“We grabbed a picture of Mr Huang with a mysterious foreign fella,” explained a national tabloid newspaper picture editor.

“And we thought ‘that geezer’s the bleedin double of Chinese leader Hu Jintao’.”

In fact, the image showed a secret meeting between Huang and Hollywood high-kicker Jackie Chan.

Mr Chan was in the crowd to watch Liverpool see off Sonic The Hedgehog baddie Dr Robotnik last night as the Anfield club booked their place in the Europa League Play-Offs.

But club insiders say the karate master is ready to give several big-name stars the chop.

That news has already lead tabloids to speculate that Chan will start with a Far Eastern shake-up of his backroom staff.

Several members of the coaching staff will be sacked to make way for Stan, Francis and Sammy Lee, who are apparently step-brothers of Kung-Fu legend Bruce.

Rumours that Hong Kong Fuey will become the club mascot have also been fabricated.

[Wall]

Kenny Huang, the Chinese businessman linked to a potential Liverpool takeover, has yet to decide whether to send the club a proposal, let alone a bid for the club, one of his American business partners has told sportingintelligence.

Marc Ganis, of the Chicago-based Sportscorp Ltd, contacted this website last night about a story involving Huang published yesterday (more of which in a moment), and in an extensive email exchange, said that “no proposal has been made and no decision to offer a proposal has been made.”

This will come as a shock to many Liverpool fans, who rightly or wrongly believe that Kenny Huang, backed by the sovereign resources of China, is a frontrunner to take control at Anfield.

During the email conversation with Mr Ganis late last night and in the early hours of this morning, sportingintelligence told Mr Ganis that his clarification of the situation was exactly the kind of information fans are seeking from him and Huang, if only to set the record straight on what they are proposing, or not.

Sportingintelligence requested permission to reproduce a key email from this exchange, verbatim, so here it is, solely and wholly in the words of Marc Ganis:


Email from Marc Ganis to Nick Harris of Sportingintelligence, received 1.24am UK time

“I have tried to not only be honest, but set the record straight.

“Among the most important points I have tried to get out, either directly or through Kenny’s releases, is that no proposal (in relation to a Liverpool bid) has been made and no decision to offer a proposal has been made.

“There were many reports about CIC, yet at no time to (any) party, whether (to) the media, Sir Martin (Broughton) or Barcap, have we ever identified that CIC was an investor.

“We have not identified any investors and I offered only one point about CIC in the AP story, and at that I made it clear they were not committed in any way.

“I made it clear there were no deadlines, meetings or discussions with players, their reps or managers, nor issue(s) with regard to the date the transfer window would close. And I clarified many other points. I also made it clear that the PR firm that purported to represent us has and had no role with us.

“But for whatever reason our efforts to offer accurate information often falls on deaf ears.

“Kenny made it clear in a press release on April 12, 2010 that he had no interest in the Cavaliers. Yet the media continued to write he did. (Extract from aforementioned press release: ‘QSL Sports also confirmed that its two co‐founders and co‐chairmen Huang and Cheng do not hold any stake personally in Cleveland Cavaliers of NBA in the US.’)

“It’s hard to say why this all has been the case, but the facts are the facts.

“Reporters want Kenny to demonstrate all aspects of a bid – yet no bid has been presented and no decision to submit one has been made. If and when that time comes, the financial support will be presented to Barcap and the board.

“It is entirely inappropriate to do so to the media, despite requests and demands that it be done. That is simply not the way sports deals are done – and on this I have a fair amount of experience.

“If a proposal is submitted (and) if it is lacking in financial wherewithal that will be demonstrated by its rejection or its inability to close.

“For some reason, some in the media are insistent on tasting the cake before it is fully baked, when the very process of opening the oven and taking a taste in itself will adversely impact its baking.

“I know this is a difficult concept to recognize but it is the case in such deals.

“In any event, good luck with your columns.

“All the best

“Marc.”


Mr Ganis gave his permission, unconditionally, for this email to be published.

We publish it on its own merit, without comment, to allow fans to make up their own minds about a week of reports that led them to believe Huang and the Chinese state would save Liverpool from Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

Mr Ganis did request that sportingintelligence “revisit the story on Kenny” from yesterday, “particularly the headline, and see whether attaching his name to the claim that was found by a federal court and unanimously by a jury to be sheer rubbish is appropriate. There is no confusion on the fact that the federal court and unanimous jury found for Kenny and against these scurrilous charges.”

As sportingintelligence has made clear, Huang has prevailed in four cases (one appeal in motion against one win, according to his own lawyer, and other action pending say plaintiffs in other cases), and has one judgement against him.

We will continue to look at these, in detail, and as soon as we are able (if we are able) to substantiate some suggestions made to us by Mr Ganis, who tells us he is considering his own legal action against certain parties in these cases; as and when he takes that action, we will be happy to report it.

The embezzlement case remains a genuine puzzle and that headline was intended to reflect the puzzle that it was business colleagues of Kenny Huang himself who accused him, and those same business colleagues who ended up losers; and the ongoing puzzle is that he is still closely linked to one or more of those colleagues on his own websites.

Our story yesterday prompted a response that can most generously be described as “passionate”.

Sportingintelligence would like to make clear that we have tried to ascertain verifiable facts about Mr Huang and his bid direct from him, from Mr Ganis and from Mr Huang’s various representatives at Hill & Knowlton PR firm over the past eight days.

We have had limited replies. We will be happy to publish detailed replies as we receive them, and provide evidence about who said what at trial, including publishing transcript screen-grabs where appropriate.
source:http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2010/08/10/exclusive-kenny-huang%e2%80%99s-business-partner-%e2%80%98no-decision-on-liverpool-proposal-cic-never-mentioned%e2%80%99-100801/

[Alan]

Stevie G looking in great form. Lets hope Torres is also. Hope he hasn't lost any of his explosive pace due to those injuries.

[Casanova]

Loved Gerards first goal..... brilliant
Infact both his goals were great.

[RexxGrim]

Stevie G looking in great form. Lets hope Torres is also. Hope he hasn't lost any of his explosive pace due to those injuries.

Showed some real class on and off the pitch. Really like him as a player, but here's hoping he does not take that form into Sunday. ;)

[Alan]

If you watch closely as Gerrard peels away to celebrate his second goal one of the Hungarian defenders has a classic "WTF just happened" expression on his face :D

[Wall]

We have just signed Poulsen. Really hoped we didn't sign him... but whilst wearing that red shirt he will have my full support. :)

[Alan]

Liverpool have confirmed the signing of Juventus midfielder Christian Poulsen for a fee of €5.475 million.

Poulsen, 30, joined Juventus from Sevilla in 2008 and made 33 Serie A starts in two seasons in Turin. He also anchored the Denmark midfield in all three of the country's appearances at the World Cup finals.

A statement from Juventus read: "Juventus Football Club can announce that it has completed the agreement with Liverpool FC for the outright transfer of Christian Poulsen for a fee of €5.475 million (£4.5 million) payable in two instalments.

"The fee will further increase by up to €1.2 million depending on his achievements during the contract period.''

Liverpool also confirmed the deal on their official website and revealed that Poulsen has signed a three-year contract with the Reds.

Roy Hodgson has recruited the player as a like-for-like replacement for Javier Mascherano, who revealed on Thursday morning that while he enjoys playing for Liverpool, he is keen to leave England for a new challenge. Both Inter Milan and Barcelona are known to be interested in the Argentina captain.

Poulsen joins Joe Cole, Danny Wilson, Jonjo Shelvey, Fabio Aurelio and Milan Jovanovic in joining Liverpool this summer, and his international colleague Daniel Agger expects him to be a success at Anfield.

"Christian would be a perfect addition to most of the big clubs in Europe, so he will certainly fit in here," Agger said recently. "He is a top player and will make us stronger. We need to have big signings so we can compete and he is one of those players.

"Christian will improve the team. But we need more improvements if we want to be at the top of the league this season."

Hmm lets hope he rises to the level of the Kaiser :cool:

[Wall]

Hmm lets hope he rises to the level of the Kaiser :cool:

I Doubt he will be anything like the Kaiser! I think Lucas is much better than him. Hope he doesn't start many games :(

[Alan]

I Doubt he will be anything like the Kaiser! I think Lucas is much better than him. Hope he doesn't start many games :(

I don't rate him either but worse than Lucas:eek:

[Wall]

I don't rate him either but worse than Lucas:eek:

I actually think Lucas is a fairly good player. I think the problem, last year, was him playing alongside Masch. No creativity at all. and that's was the problem. With Masch looking like he is leaving, I reckon Lucas can step into the DM postition easier provided he plays alongside Gerrard or Aquilani. He does a tidy job. Breaks up opposing play and lays a simple ball to the more creative players.

[akescpt]

I actually think Lucas is a fairly good player. I think the problem, last year, was him playing alongside Masch. No creativity at all. and that's was the problem. With Masch looking like he is leaving, I reckon Lucas can step into the DM postition easier provided he plays alongside Gerrard or Aquilani. He does a tidy job. Breaks up opposing play and lays a simple ball to the more creative players.

plus his cheap..manager got him for cover in that position i reckon..and he knows him so that a bonus for him...gave him his big break apparently...i'm worried that we will not get a quality striker in again this season...ngog looks better than last season but i feel we need another one..unless of course he is gonna give babel a run there!! i would like to see that!

[Wall]

plus his cheap..manager got him for cover in that position i reckon..and he knows him so that a bonus for him...gave him his big break apparently...i'm worried that we will not get a quality striker in again this season...ngog looks better than last season but i feel we need another one..unless of course he is gonna give babel a run there!! i would like to see that!

I rather see Kuyt as our striker. i don't think babel can play upfront.

[fishfly]

I actually think Lucas is a fairly good player. I think the problem, last year, was him playing alongside Masch. No creativity at all. and that's was the problem. With Masch looking like he is leaving, I reckon Lucas can step into the DM postition easier provided he plays alongside Gerrard or Aquilani. He does a tidy job. Breaks up opposing play and lays a simple ball to the more creative players.

Poulson will occupy that DM posi tho...

[Wall]

Poulson will occupy that DM posi tho...

I pray he doesn't. I honestly think lucas will do a better job there.

[Alan]

Barcelona Agree Deal With Liverpool For Javier Mascherano (http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2010/08/12/2068142/barcelona-agree-deal-with-liverpool-for-javier-mascherano)


Spanish giants Barcelona are set to land Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano, after striking a deal with the Reds, according to reports.

The deal will be comprised of a player-plus-cash offer, with the Anfield outfit set to receive midfielder Aliaksandr Hleb and approximately €15 million for the Argentina captain, according to Ole.

The report also claims that the player's agent has already met with Barcelona officials, and confirmation of the deal could come in the next few days.

Mascherano had recently expressed his desire to leave the Reds and join the Spanish side, or reunite with former coach Rafael Benitez at European champions Inter.

The Blaugrana were seeking another midfielder, after Yaya Toure departed the Camp Nou for Manchester City during the summer.


Hmm only 15 mill Euros plus Hleb. Not a great deal IMO.

Still Hleb is a good technical attacking play which is what we need. Although we still need a proper winger ffs.

Will miss Masch. He was a pleasure to watch in the Liverpool shirt. May he have a successful time of it at Barca.

[Wall]

Barcelona Agree Deal With Liverpool For Javier Mascherano (http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2010/08/12/2068142/barcelona-agree-deal-with-liverpool-for-javier-mascherano)



Hmm only 15 mill Euros plus Hleb. Not a great deal IMO.

Still Hleb is a good technical attacking play which is what we need. Although we still need a proper winger ffs.

Will miss Masch. He was a pleasure to watch in the Liverpool shirt. May he have a successful time of it at Barca.
I think the deal may be on but the source is pathetic. I want 20m atleast and then offer us some players. maybe maxwell?

[Alan]

I think the deal may be on but the source is pathetic. I want 20m atleast and then offer us some players. maybe maxwell?

Yeah Goal.com are rather lame.

20mill and Maxwell would be a good deal. The club is battling to move Insua on though. I wonder what kind of wage Rafa had him on :eek:

Would prefer Hleb though. If Cole plays central we got nobody to threaten from out wide except for Babel

Tom Hicks and George Gillett face £20m bank penalty if Liverpool is not sold (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/7941815/Tom-Hicks-and-George-Gillett-face-20m-bank-penalty-if-Liverpool-is-not-sold.html)


Though Kenny Huang, the leading contender to oust the Americans, yesterday insisted talks are progressing smoothly, he admits he is only "50 per cent" confident of securing a £400 million takeover.

The bank, which holds £237 million of debt placed on the Anfield side by its American owners, has imposed the so-called "ticking fees" against Hicks and Gillett, rather than Liverpool, in an attempt to force a sale of the club.

Hicks and Gillett are also thought to be personally liable for millions of pounds in punitive interest charges since RBS agreed to a new refinancing deal in April. The bank will take the fees out of the proceeds of a sale of the club, though should Liverpool fetch less than the £282.4 million sum of its total debt, RBS will pursue the Americans for the extra funds.

Liverpool's current owners are holding out for a £600 million deal to cover liabilities elsewhere in their business empires, but sources familiar with the sale have suggested that such a price remains a pipe-dream.

Yahya Kirdi, the Syrian-Canadian businessman acknowledged as the Americans' preferred bidder, has denied he will meet that valuation, while Huang is thought to be preparing an offer of around £400 million.

The Chinese entrepreneur yesterday broke his silence on his prospective takeover in an interview published by Love Basketball magazine in his homeland, insisting an outline proposal has been approved by Liverpool's chairman, Martin Broughton, and the club's board.

He also moved to assuage a number of doubts over his offer, including the provenance of funds and the identities of his backers, though he stopped short of confirming whether he had tabled a formal bid to buy the club.

"We have signed a confidentiality clause with regards to the acquisition of Liverpool," Huang was quoted as saying. "I am 50 per cent confident we will acquire the club. We have provided a large number of documents. Liverpool's board has approved our proposal and we will have an answer in less than 10 days.

"Liverpool's board have given us a positive response, but there are still plenty of unknowns. Our competitors are very strong and the board has not confirmed they will accept us. There are rivals from North America and the Middle East. We still have some distance to go, but we were informed the board regard our proposal as acceptable in the macro."

Huang also dismissed suggestions he would walk away should a deal not be completed by the end of the week and confirmed that Yang Guang, his partner in Liverpool's would-be parent company QSL, is involved in the bid in an advisory capacity.

Though Liverpool fans will be unconcerned by personal debts accrued by their unpopular owners, the club's future, should Hicks and Gillett manage to retain control at Anfield, will be a cause of considerable distress.

"Liverpool's is not a long-term business model," said Philip Long of PKF accountants, who conduct an annual survey into football finance. "There simply is not a happy ending to leveraged buy-outs. The burden of the interest outweighs any profits the club make, and that becomes unmanageable.

"The two Americans hanging on and seeing their debt refinanced by RBS, continuing to pay interest, is a far worse scenario than the bank taking over the running of the club. The debt burden will just increase to a point where the interest is not being serviced any more. The ultimate end game, if Hicks and Gillett cling on, is that Liverpool goes bust."

Meanwhile, Huang could come face to face with one of the American owners he is trying to oust from Anfield at a London conference later this year, writes Paul Kelso.

Huang has not spoken to the UK media since making public his bid for the club, but regardless of what transpires with Liverpool, he has already agreed to give a presentation at the Economist Global Sport Summit at the end of October.

Juang is listed under his Chinese name, Jian-Hua Huang, among the speakers on the conference website. A spokesman for the conference said he had confirmed his attendance weeks before his interest in Liverpool became public.

In a twist that could add a little tension to events, George Gillett is among the delegates who have indicated they will attend the conference, which will be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Oct 29, two days before the annual NFL match at Wembley.

Whether the ownership of Liverpool will have transferred between Huang and Gillett is a moot point, and it remains to be seen whether both men fulfil their commitment to the event. Two years ago both Gillett and Tom Hicks attended the conference.

[Wall]

Yeah Goal.com are rather lame.

20mill and Maxwell would be a good deal. The club is battling to move Insua on though. I wonder what kind of wage Rafa had him on :eek:

Would prefer Hleb though. If Cole plays central we got nobody to threaten from out wide except for Babel

Tom Hicks and George Gillett face £20m bank penalty if Liverpool is not sold (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/7941815/Tom-Hicks-and-George-Gillett-face-20m-bank-penalty-if-Liverpool-is-not-sold.html)
I think Rafa had him on a 40k p/w. I i rather get a LB than another attacking midfielder. Babel, Milan, Kuyt, Cole can all play on either flank so i don't see him as a priority. LB is were we struggled last season especially when Auerilo (sp?) got injured.

[Cantera]

15 million and Hleb would be an absolute steal for Masch.

Hope it works out.

[Stickfigure]

Joe Cole... HAHA

[Sting]

Joe Cole... HAHA

Should never have been a straight Red Card.

[Sting]

Ngog !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stickfigure]

Should never have been a straight Red Card.

Will admit I'm not watching the match on tv. Just saw it mentioned on the website I'm using to follow the match.

[Mamajyot]

1-1 final score......... Pepe Raina you idiot!!!! What a crap blunder.......

[Sting]

So close!!!

[hawker]

Heartbreaking. Poor Pepe. But good first game of the season. No shame in drawing 1-1 with Arsenal with 10 men.

[Wall]

1-1 final score......... Pepe Raina you idiot!!!! What a crap blunder.......

give the guy a break. Consistently our best performer last season.This was his 1st mistake in god knows how long so cut him some slack

[Wall]

Heartbreaking. Poor Pepe. But good first game of the season. No shame in drawing 1-1 with Arsenal with 10 men.
+1 we showed good fighting spirit yesterday.

[Casanova]

Unlucky for Reina, should thank him for the save prior to the OG, Could have been worse.
Ngog starting his PL season on a goody.
Cole's tackle was a bit silly, deserved a yellow not a red.

[hawker]

give the guy a break. Consistently our best performer last season.This was his 1st mistake in god knows how long so cut him some slack

Exactly. The guy is real class. Thats probably going to be the only real blunder he makes all season.

Cole didn't deserve red though :(

N'gog's goal was pretty classy, looks like he is a bit better than last year (hopefully). Also good to see Torres moving around even if he isn't 100% yet, good to see him play some football.

Mad respect to Agger! Does anyone know what the problem was? Concussion? Heat exhaustion?

[Alan]

Exactly. The guy is real class. Thats probably going to be the only real blunder he makes all season.

Unfortunately Reina has a bit of a history. I recall a game against Everton where he went mad. Just before the blunder he went walk about as well. In his defence it was his first game back.



Cole didn't deserve red though :(

Indeed


N'gog's goal was pretty classy, looks like he is a bit better than last year (hopefully). Also good to see Torres moving around even if he isn't 100% yet, good to see him play some football.

Fantastic for the lad after being dropped in the deep end last season.



Mad respect to Agger! Does anyone know what the problem was? Concussion? Heat exhaustion?

Indeed. Must have been concussion. He took a hit flush in the face from a cross about 10 minutes before he went off for treatment.

[Wall]

Exactly. The guy is real class. Thats probably going to be the only real blunder he makes all season.

Cole didn't deserve red though :(

N'gog's goal was pretty classy, looks like he is a bit better than last year (hopefully). Also good to see Torres moving around even if he isn't 100% yet, good to see him play some football.

Mad respect to Agger! Does anyone know what the problem was? Concussion? Heat exhaustion?


Yeah real courage to get back on the pitch. Roy said in his post match press conference that he was concussed. I am assuming it's from the cross that hit him on his face.
N'gog's hold up play was superb and he seems to have bulked up a bit so he has strength to hold off opposition players. He took his goal well and i am proud for the kid. Looks like he got great potential.

[dbecks]

Liverpool will be without Joe Cole for three matches after the Anfield club decided not to appeal against the red card that their summer signing received against Arsenal.

The former Chelsea star's Premier League debut for the Reds was ruined on Sunday when he was controversially sent off shortly before half-time in the eventual 1-1 draw with the Gunners.

Cole was adjudged to have committed a foul that was worthy of an instant dismissal by referee Martin Atkinson when the playmaker challenged Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny.

Replays suggested that the 28-year-old was unfortunate to have been shown a straight red card and Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson spoke of that belief in his post-match interview.

Hodgson said that the club would consider appealing on Cole's behalf, but the ex-Fulham boss was also wary of their plea being deemed frivolous by the authorities.

The Football Association has since confirmed that Liverpool have decided not to appeal and will therefore be without Cole for their Premier League matches against Manchester City, West Brom and Birmingham.

But the England midfielder will be available for Thursday's Europa League play-off round first leg with Trabzonspor and the second leg the following week.

Sky Sports (http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_6315731,00.html)
Think they had the United game in mind maybe - he returns in time for that game - an appeal could have resulted in him missing that

[SlowInternet]

So close but yet so far....

[akescpt]

bit disjointed..jancovic struggled to get into the game...ball didnt go out that way enuff. he ended up picking up the ball sometimes centrally. oh and he should have crossed. some white line fever there. cole made a stupid tackle. studs up then you let the ref decide. i dont like that ref from yesterday and he duly obliged. ngog the sausage really surprised me no end. looks like he has been busy off-season. disappointing goal to concede but these things happen! all in all a decent start...

[Alan]

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has revealed that defender Daniel Agger has no recollection of Sunday's game against Arsenal.

Agger suffered concussion after a knock in the second half of the 1-1 draw at Anfield. He will not be in the squad to face Trabzonspor in the Europa League on Thursday and could be a doubt to face Manchester City in the Premier League on Monday.

Hodgson said: "Daniel is not doing that well. It is three days after the incident and he is still suffering from the concussion. He has no memory of the game. It was quite a serious concussion he received and we can only hope it will settle down in time for Monday's match against Manchester City. There was never any question he would be fit for tomorrow. He is not able to do very much at the moment because he is still suffering from headaches.

"Even something as simple as reading a newspaper or watching TV can give him a headache so it is just a question of him taking things easy.''

Midfielder Javier Mascherano will also miss the clash against the Turks with a calf injury but could be back in contention for Monday's trip to Eastlands.

"He will always be in my plans until the day comes when he leaves the club,'' Hodgson said. "For me that will be a long time in the future. If I could get my wish, he would always play.''

Hodgson is hoping that Holland winger Ryan Babel, who has been linked with a £9 million switch to Wolfsburg, will stay.

"I'm afraid we are in the realms of speculation,'' Hodgson said. "You know how many stories you are getting every day, and many of them are completely unfounded, many of them are just really attempts to put their players in the spotlight. We've had no written or formal offers for Ryan Babel and he is a player I am expecting to play for us.

Hope he's ok

So much for the new docs at Liverpool allowing him to play on with severe concussion :rolleyes:

[Sting]

Starting line up for tonight's game:

Reina
Aurelio
Kyrgiakos
Carragher
Kelly
Jovanovic
Poulsen
Lucas
Rodriguez
J Cole
Babel

Bench: Cavalieri, Torres, D Wilson, Ngog, Spearing, Skrtel, Pacheco

[Alan]

Is it on SS or must one watch it online again?

Interesting line up. Obviously not taking Europe seriously this season. Good for the youngsters to get some experience.

Where's Aqualani though?

[nivek]

Online.. SS still being cheap

[Alan]

Thanks watching it now online

[Alan]

1-0 HT

Babel scored

[Wall]

Aquailani going on loan??????? WTF????

[akescpt]

Aquailani going on loan??????? WTF????

link? we are only going to see the benefit this season. that cant be right.

[Wall]

link? we are only going to see the benefit this season. that cant be right.

Homepage on the official website http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/aqua-set-for-italian-loan

I was expecting him to have a huge impact this season

[hawker]

link? we are only going to see the benefit this season. that cant be right.

True story. Saw it on sky sports news.

Makes me sad :(

I really want him to play this season!

[Randhir]

Ahaahahaaaa.. Why????
Does Hodgson really have that much faith in Cole?

[akescpt]

it are the truth. just read it myself. must say i am disappointed. he should some promise at the end of last season. would have taken an on form aquaman over a stuttering start by cole. mistifying :(

[Casanova]

not a smart move by Hodgson's. Let's hope something goes wrong in the interim. :cry:

[akescpt]

not a smart move by Hodgson's. Let's hope something goes wrong in the interim. :cry:

shoulda have played him last night. screw it!

[kat06sa]

Looks like Kuyt is thinking about leaving :cry::cry::cry:


Source: De Telegraaf.

Kuyt's agent, meanwhile, acknowledged that his client was considering Inter's offer carefully before deciding on anything.

"Dirk is being professional," Kuyt's agent Rob Jansen told Voetbal International.

"Yes, there is real interest from Inter, but Dirk has not decided yet whether he does want to leave Liverpool. He must think carefully before leaving."

Jansen also acknowledged that the move might not be that straightforward to complete quickly.

"This is also a complicated transfer. Dirk Kuyt is a Liverpool player," he explained.

"He has an ongoing contract and was recently in the World Cup final. There will be a transfer fee involved. The deal can not simply go ahead. "

Kuyt does seem to be in a strong personal position about the possible move.

"Regardless of the choice Dirk must first consider himself. He can move to Inter or just stay at Liverpool. This is a good position to be in," he added.

"It is also an option that a player from Inter will be involved in the deal with Kuyt."

He doesn't score that many goals, but he's really a presence and provides a bit of a morale boost with his hard work rate. Would be a sad day if he left.

[theone]

it are the truth. just read it myself. must say i am disappointed. he should some promise at the end of last season. would have taken an on form aquaman over a stuttering start by cole. mistifying :(

I agree with you. I was expecting Aquailani to play a major role this season. Cole should be put on one of the wings he's not the play maker he fancies himself to be.

[Cantera]

Has Masch played in in the UEFA cup this season yet?

[Randhir]

Has Masch played in in the UEFA cup this season yet?

Nah, apparently he was injured. Might be code for "trying not to make him cup tied"

[stefan9]

Has Masch played in in the UEFA cup this season yet?

There is no such as thing the uefa cup anymore. But if you are referring to the europa league neither mascherano or kuyt has played this season so far. Mascherano had an injury and kuyt was mental exhausted according to hodgson.

[smokey]

BEYANOUN SCOREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!




whoops, wrong thread... sorry.

[Alan]

BEYANOUN SCOREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!




whoops, wrong thread... sorry.

Joe Cole on the other hand has managed to get sent off and miss a penalty :erm:

[smokey]

An interesting article on the difference between City and 'Pool...

AggBot (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1305072/Liverpool-versus-Manchester-City-like-King-Kong-versus-Mickey-Mouse.html)

[Casanova]

So Kenny Huang withdraws his bid. :wtf:

[akescpt]

should be interesting tonight...wonder if he will start with 2 strikers...suppose not..cant remember if we are away but if we are then a point will prolly be the first priority..but then again seeing 2 strikers upfront would be a sight for sore eyes..cant remember the last time i watched a pool game when this happened!

[Alan]

Dirk Kuyt has apparently claimed that Inter Milan have made a bid for him.

The Dutch forward has reportedly been the subject of interest from Rafa Benitez's new side this summer, and Kuyt appears to have confirmed this.

The Mail on Sunday carries quotes from Kuyt, in turn taken from a Dutch newspaper, claiming that Liverpool have told him about an offer.

They quote Kuyt as saying: "On Thursday night, during the Europa League game against Trabzonspor, the board of Liverpool informed me officially that they have received a fax from Inter.

"You can call this a luxury situation for me now."

The Mail claims the bid is around £15million, and that Kuyt will now decide whether to rejoin his old boss.

Indeed, the Dutchman's agent said on Friday: "Yes, there is real interest from Inter, but Dirk has not yet decided if he wants to leave Liverpool.

"This is also a complicated transfer. Dirk Kuyt is a key player for Liverpool, he has an ongoing contract and was recently in the World Cup final.

"He may move to Inter or just stay at Liverpool. There is also the possibility that a player from Inter could be included in the deal with Dirk Kuyt."

However, this contradicts the view of Roy Hodgson, who said on Saturday:

"I spoke to Massimo Moratti about the fact they are not going to buy Liverpool players.

"I believe they were only interested in two of our players and they are not going to buy them. Moratti said they are not going to do that."


http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_6329255,00.html

15mill is a good price considering Jovanovic looks like he can play in Kuyt's role

[smokey]

http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_6329255,00.html

15mill is a good price considering Jovanovic looks like he can play in Kuyt's role

I really doubt Jovanovic can work as hard as Kuyt, but I have been to known to be wrong on occasions...

[Alan]

Well nobody works as hard as Kuyt but Jovanovic showed he has a very high work rate. So far at least.

Loved the way he shrugged off Sagna against Arsenal :D


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKGk1S43_ZE

[Wall]

http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_6329255,00.html

15mill is a good price considering Jovanovic looks like he can play in Kuyt's role

I wouldn't sell Kuyt. He's a good squad player and he is a consummate professional. He's a leader in the dressing room and he is hardly ever injured.

Plus he loves liverpool so it doesn't make sense.

[Casanova]

Liverpool FC up attempts to sign PSV Eindhoven pair Ola Toivonen & Carlos Salcido

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/08/23/liverpool-fc-ready-to-step-up-attempts-to-sign-psv-eindhoven-pair-ola-toivonen-and-carlos-salcido-100252-27116542/


LIVERPOOL are ready to step up their attempts to make a double swoop for PSV Eindhoven pair Ola Toivonen and Carlos Salcido.

Reds boss Roy Hodgson has been tracking the Mexican left-back and the Swedish striker, as he looks to plug the gaps in his squad.

And last night Academy ambassador Kenny Dalglish flew to Holland to watch them in action at the Phillips Stadion, as PSV beat AZ Alkmaar 3-1.

Salcido was an unused substitute but Toivonen played for 82 minutes before being replaced by Ibrahim Afellay.

Hodgson himself watched Toivonen in action 12 days ago when the 24-year-old scored as Sweden beat Scotland 3-0 in Stockholm.

Toivonen began his career with his hometown club Degerfors, then moved on to Orgyrte before making his name at one of Hodgson’s old sides, Malmo.

A towering presence with an eye for goal – he has scored 38 times in 49 appearances for PSV – Hodgson has identified the 6ft 4ins Toivonen as the man he wants to provide cover for Fernando Torres.

Liverpool were today refusing to comment on the matter but sources in Holland have confirmed that a bid has been tabled for Toivonen; a swap deal for Ryan Babel, however, is not an option

[smokey]

Oh my word... that Sagna shrug was priceless... waaahahahahaha :D EPIC!

[Alan]

The crowd roared with approval. That's why I love the Prem


David Trezeguet's agent claims Liverpool are interested in signing the Juventus forward.

Reports in Italy claim Liverpool made an enquiry for Trezeguet after allowing Alberto Aquilani join Juve on loan.

Reds boss Roy Hodgson is keen to bolster his attacking options before the close of the transfer window and he is believed to be considering a swoop for French international Trezeguet.

Trezeguet's future at Juve has been the subject of speculation for some time with the Frenchman dropping down the pecking order at the Bianconeri.

The player's agent, Antonio Caliendo, admits Liverpool and Spanish duo Real Zaragoza and Hercules are chasing Trezeguet's signature.

"An interest of Liverpool? There are requests, not just of Liverpool," Caliendo told calciomercato.it.

"In Spain there is the interest of Real Zaragoza and Hercules.

"We are considering [offers], today is a day of reflection, we will know more tomorrow."


Hmm we already have Ngog for the clinical poacher role.

Also Salcido is not a bad player at all.

[Alan]

Javier Mascherano is refusing to play for Liverpool against Manchester City on Monday night as he seeks to negotiate a transfer away from the club.

Mascherano is effectively going on strike and doubts will be raised whether he will ever turn out for the club again.

The player has previously said that he wants out of Anfield this summer, although Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has remained confident of keeping his star midfielder. However, despite Inter Milan dropping their interest in the Argentine, Barcelona are reported to have made a bid for his services.

The Guardian claim that the bid is €15 million (£12.2 million) and includes former Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb and Uruguayan defender Martin Caceres as makeweights.

Liverpool are understood to have rejected the offer as they want €30 million (£24.4 million) up front with no player exchanges as part of the deal.

Mascherano was excellent in the opening draw against Arsenal, but missed the Europa League tie through Trabzonspor through injury - thus allowing him to play in European club competitions if he secures a move before the end of the transfer window next week.

Lucas, who took Mascherano's place against Trabzonspor, looks set to replace him in the starting line-up against City.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=816976&sec=england&cc=3888

:wtf:

Find that hard to believe. Would lose all respect for him if this true.

Masch wouldn't do that surely. Gutter journalism must be.

[smokey]

Ha! Who'da thought that the person to score against you would be Barry...

[theone]

The only good thing that I can say about this game is damn Balotelli's gf is fine.

[smokey]

Sorry... meant to say... The person who would get the first goal against you...

[Sting]

I'm still too pissed off to comment!!! :mad::cry:

[PoiZoNouZ]

That was a hopeless performance by Liverpool.

Outclassed and outplayed in every area of the pitch.

I feel sorry for Pool fans, gonna be a tough season.

[R13...]

Good luck Liverpool, the scum have now attached themselves to you,

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson on Javier Mascherano: "His head is being turned by Barcelona, who are making overtures to him but they can't agree a fee with the club. There is speculation about his future and at the moment his mind is not right. Until an offer matches our valuation he will stay with us."

[Wall]

It was a disappointing performance by all accounts. Outplayed, out thought, lacked creativity. That said there is no harm losing to Man City away from home. Very disappointed by mascherano's behaviour. He is still a Liverpool player, until such time a transfer goes through, and for him to refuse to play is pathetic. He would have made a Huge difference in midfield. I expect the club to fine him for this. Johnson for me was the worst player on the pitch. Had absoultely no idea what to do. As for agger, he was getting skinned constantly by A Johnson and you can see that he is not a left back. Roy was naive in the way he set us up. going 4-4-2 away from home against man city was a big mistake and we lost control in the middle of the park.

the only good thing about this result is we have 36 games left and it is early doors.

[Alan]

Firstly I'll start off by repeating my mantra again, ignore it if you have grown tired of it by now

For the love of god we need a fsking quality winger. WHY the fsck won't Liverpool purchase a fscking a quality WINGER. All the other top teams have them. City has 3!!!!! MAn UTD 2!!!! *breaks down crying uncontrollably *

Ahem got that out the way


Same old problems from last year. No attacking threat besides Torres. Jovanovic and Kuyt are too similar to play in the same team. Flog Kuyt and keep Jovanovic and use that 15mill for a quality WINGER!!!!!!! FFS GET A QUALITY WINGER!!!!! * breaks down crying yet again*


Lucas proved yet again that he should be playing in the championship. Did he make one successful tackle the entire game?

Another disturbing Rafa like hangover was Woy didn't make any changes until 70mins into the game when things clearly weren't going to plan. It was clear Agger was struggling so why did he not move Kuyt over to help out instead of leaving it to an overawed Jovanavic .

On the positive side at least Woy went there with positive intent. I don't think we played that badly considering how well Man City played. They would have beaten any opposition last night.

Oh and wellesnd as we know Johnson is no good against quality opposition. That's the reason Chelsea sold him in the first place.

[arf9999]

I still say the decline started with the sale of Alonso. We don't have a player that can hold and distribute, freeing up the attacking midfield to push forward.

[arf9999]

For the love of god we need a fsking quality winger. *snip*
Like Benayoun?...

[Alan]

No an "out and out winger". A player who has explosive pace to exploit space, a player who can beat his marker, a player who hugs the touchline and whips in accurate cross. A player that stretches defences making then nervous and unbalanced.

Right now all a team needs to do against Liverpool is tuck in and squeeze Torres out the game and Liverpool are left impotent.

[Datura]

lol

[Datura]

Just lol

[Wall]

Firstly I'll start off by repeating my mantra again, ignore it if you have grown tired of it by now

For the love of god we need a fsking quality winger. WHY the fsck won't Liverpool purchase a fscking a quality WINGER. All the other top teams have them. City has 3!!!!! MAn UTD 2!!!! *breaks down crying uncontrollably *

Ahem got that out the way


Same old problems from last year. No attacking threat besides Torres. Jovanovic and Kuyt are too similar to play in the same team. Flog Kuyt and keep Jovanovic and use that 15mill for a quality WINGER!!!!!!! FFS GET A QUALITY WINGER!!!!! * breaks down crying yet again*


Lucas proved yet again that he should be playing in the championship. Did he make one successful tackle the entire game?

Another disturbing Rafa like hangover was Woy didn't make any changes until 70mins into the game when things clearly weren't going to plan. It was clear Agger was struggling so why did he not move Kuyt over to help out instead of leaving it to an overawed Jovanavic .

On the positive side at least Woy went there with positive intent. I don't think we played that badly considering how well Man City played. They would have beaten any opposition last night.

Oh and wellesnd as we know Johnson is no good against quality opposition. That's the reason Chelsea sold him in the first place.

I think he's great against relegation fodder but against quality opposition he's out of his depth.
Don't make Lucas the scapegoat. THE WHOLE TEAM PLAYED BADLY.



I still say the decline started with the sale of Alonso. We don't have a player that can hold and distribute, freeing up the attacking midfield to push forward.
Agreed. We do seem to miss him. but he is gone and we got to move on!

[Alan]

I think he's great against relegation fodder but against quality opposition he's out of his depth.
Don't make Lucas the scapegoat. THE WHOLE TEAM PLAYED BADLY.

I did not. I just pointed out how badly he played like you did with Johnson.


I still say the decline started with the sale of Alonso. We don't have a player that can hold and distribute, freeing up the attacking midfield to push forward.

I think Gerrard can fill that role. IMO it started with Rafa wasting 40mill+ on Aqualani and Johnson.

Spent wisely 40mill could buy you 3 or even 4 quality players.

Man City's best player last night cost them just 7mill and he's English.

[theone]

I think he's great against relegation fodder but against quality opposition he's out of his depth.
Don't make Lucas the scapegoat. THE WHOLE TEAM PLAYED BADLY.


Agreed. We do seem to miss him. but he is gone and we got to move on!

I can never understand this constant blaming of Lucas when the team plays badly, if some fans really watch the game they would notice that we were over run in the midfield and just because gerrard is trying to do is all action hero GH era CM play doesn't mean it was good for the team. Gerrard is playing out of position in CM he can plays crap whole game and score a goal then the headlines state what an amazing game he had. The team was on a hiding to nothing with that formation. Aquilanni's loan is even more baffling to me now if you look at the bench.

[Alan]

Gerrard playing out of position at CM :wtf:

I can see why you rate Lucas :erm:

[fishfly]

wow it's only the second match and you guys are all crying already... this is going to be a long season!

[guru_pitka]

Gerrard playing out of position at CM :wtf:

I can see why you rate Lucas :erm:

Alan Im gonna have to agree with him ,Gerrard was playing out of position
remember gerrard hasnt played in CM since GH's era , He is very bad positionally

Why do you think Chelsea play with 2 holding mids in Essien and Mikel its because Lampard is the same they (gerrard and Lampard) are
poor tactically in their Positioning when they play CM ,that is why England fail evertime with those 2 in CM because
england just dont have quality Holding midfielders to cover them

When i heard Woy saying Gerrard will be moving back into CM i knew we were in for trouble

Why break up a world class partnership in Gerrard and Torres ,he should have just bought someone in CM ,I think we need a box to box Midfielder along with Poulson or Lucas but someone in the mould of Keane/Viera/Rossi

[Randhir]

Man City's best player last night cost them just 600 000 and he's English.

Fixed

[smokey]

Alan Im gonna have to agree with him ,Gerrard was playing out of position
remember gerrard hasnt played in CM since GH's era , He is very bad positionally

Why do you think Chelsea play with 2 holding mids in Essien and Mikel its because Lampard is the same they (gerrard and Lampard) are
poor tactically in their Positioning when they play CM ,that is why England fail evertime with those 2 in CM because
england just dont have quality Holding midfielders to cover them

When i heard Woy saying Gerrard will be moving back into CM i knew we were in for trouble

Why break up a world class partnership in Gerrard and Torres ,he should have just bought someone in CM ,I think we need a box to box Midfielder along with Poulson or Lucas but someone in the mould of Keane/Viera/Rossi

Don't agree with you at all. Their problem is that they lack the patience to be distributers of the ball like Xavi, midfield linchpins. They were brought up to be all-action performers and when they don't do that it's as if they switch off. It's not because they can't, it's because they are programmed to be direct - they don't seem to want to settle for a Xavi-esque role. That sort of play was practically beaten out of English midfielders in favour of the "run as much as you can and be like Dirk Kuyt" way of thinking. I doubt Gerrard will adapt to a similar role simply due to the fact that he is far too important to Liverpool in his current position. Lampard will change because Ancelotti wants him to - either that or he'll boot him. Simple.

[Cantera]

What u okes think will happen to Masch? He has made his intentions clear.

Barca really need a player like him now that Yaya is gone.

[Wall]

What u okes think will happen to Masch? He has made his intentions clear.

Barca really need a player like him now that Yaya is gone.

He is definately gone. But we need to get good money for him.

[GRBoy]

Now the scum has found someone else with their DNA. Never mind his contract. And in spite of fifa rules their players tell the world that he belongs at the cntalans and he has made his intentions clear. Despicable trash.

They sell Toure for £28m and then offer Liverpool £16 for Mascherano. If they prefer Mascherano to Toure they obviously think he is a better player and therefore he should be worth more than Toure. Simple as that. £30m plus. But they are broke and cannot afford that so they come with their tricks.

How quickly they have turned from everyone's second favourite club to the pariah of the football world. Lowest cast

Good luck Liverpool. Hope Roy follows Arsenal's example and tell the scum to fsck off.

[akescpt]

The only good thing that I can say about this game is damn Balotelli's gf is fine.

very nice i must say. okh dont take this the wrong or nuthing but when i hear a name like balotelli i assume its a caucasion. imagine my surprise on monday night. geez that game must have sucked if we taking about the opposition players wags. lol. wrong combinations on monday night by roy. hopefully he will get it right as the season goes on. and that first goal, i wanted to get on that pitch and klap gerrard. he looks at milner and just keeps on standing on the same spot? lazy bum. i hope u realizes he cant hang gat behind torres anymore, he actually gonna have to put in some effort during the game.

kuyt, jovanovic and ngog should have been substituted @ halftime allready. and i almost screamed 'where is aqauman' at the tv on monday night. if cole is not there we will have a lack of creativity. and judgin by coles injury record the past seasons it would have been a no-brainer to keep aquaman IMO. they were as flat as a pancake on monday...

[akescpt]

What u okes think will happen to Masch? He has made his intentions clear.

Barca really need a player like him now that Yaya is gone.

masch and barca se ma se. i cannot belive barca has such disgusting tactics. they have unsettled him and now hoping he forces through a cheap transfer. who wants that arsenal reject? liverpool should stick to their guns. screw masch. if he refuses to play, they should fine him. no work no pay. fine him and put him in the reserves to rot.

[akescpt]

Alan Im gonna have to agree with him ,Gerrard was playing out of position
remember gerrard hasnt played in CM since GH's era , He is very bad positionally

Why do you think Chelsea play with 2 holding mids in Essien and Mikel its because Lampard is the same they (gerrard and Lampard) are
poor tactically in their Positioning when they play CM ,that is why England fail evertime with those 2 in CM because
england just dont have quality Holding midfielders to cover them

When i heard Woy saying Gerrard will be moving back into CM i knew we were in for trouble

Why break up a world class partnership in Gerrard and Torres ,he should have just bought someone in CM ,I think we need a box to box Midfielder along with Poulson or Lucas but someone in the mould of Keane/Viera/Rossi

uhm gerard was a box to box midfielder. he is now leka lazy from playing in the hole. he needs to pull his finger out of his hole and start playing hard again.

[Randhir]

Barca really need a player like him now that Yaya is gone.

I thought you said that Busquets was better than Toure? If that's the case, why do you need Mascherano?

[smokey]

I thought you said that Busquets was better than Toure? If that's the case, why do you need Mascherano?

:mad: Shurrup dammit! You people who make sense and don't know a thing about Spanish people and their descendants having some sort of special DNA are just JELAS! :mad:







Obligatory /sarcasm footer

[Randhir]

:mad: Shurrup dammit! You people who make sense and don't know a thing about Spanish people and their descendants having some sort of special DNA are just JELAS! :mad:





Haha, are you imitating Genius or Julius?

[Casanova]

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/08/25/new-overseas-buyer-in-the-frame-for-liverpool-fc-100252-27127848/


Renowned deal-broker Keith Harris claims an overseas buyer is considering making an offer of between £400million and £500million for Liverpool.

The former Football League chairman, who has had a hand in the sales of Aston Villa, West Ham and Manchester City in the past, said due diligence has already been done.

Harris also said the party he was representing was not one mentioned publicly before.

"The overseas buyer we represent has completed due diligence. A huge amount of work has been done," he said.

"It is none of the groups mentioned in the press. The ball is now in our client’s court to make an offer.

"I do not think the deal will be done before the transfer window closes this month but the next pressure point is October when some of the RBS loan of £237million has to be repaid.

"It may happen then. But in the present climate these things are impossible to predict."

[guru_pitka]

Don't agree with you at all. Their problem is that they lack the patience to be distributers of the ball like Xavi, midfield linchpins. They were brought up to be all-action performers and when they don't do that it's as if they switch off. It's not because they can't, it's because they are programmed to be direct - they don't seem to want to settle for a Xavi-esque role. That sort of play was practically beaten out of English midfielders in favour of the "run as much as you can and be like Dirk Kuyt" way of thinking. I doubt Gerrard will adapt to a similar role simply due to the fact that he is far too important to Liverpool in his current position. Lampard will change because Ancelotti wants him to - either that or he'll boot him. Simple.

you say you disagree with me but then you agree as well ,in the fact that they lack the know how (tactical sense) to be the playmakers in their team ala Xavi/Pirlo because they werent brought up like that ,you said it perfectly its when they switch off that the ****e happens ,the problem though is that you are not allowed to "switch off" at their level and in that position hense why the need people who can read the game better than them to cover their asses and at their ages I dont think they can change so you have to adapt to their strengths which is what Rafa,Mourinh and Ancelloti does brilliantly

I hope roy realises that playing gerrard in CM in that formation is setting himself up for failure especially against the big teams ,against the minnows he could prolly get away with it

[smokey]

Haha, are you imitating Genius or Julius?

It's becoming more difficult to separate the two every day...

[smokey]

you say you disagree with me but then you agree as well ,in the fact that they lack the know how (tactical sense) to be the playmakers in their team ala Xavi/Pirlo because they werent brought up like that ,you said it perfectly its when they switch off that the ****e happens ,the problem though is that you are not allowed to "switch off" at their level and in that position hense why the need people who can read the game better than them to cover their asses and at their ages I dont think they can change so you have to adapt to their strengths which is what Rafa,Mourinh and Ancelloti does brilliantly

I hope roy realises that playing gerrard in CM in that formation is setting himself up for failure especially against the big teams ,against the minnows he could prolly get away with it

I'm just saying that they can do it if they were to transcend the years of it being kicked out of them (I mean this is 10 odd years of childhood programming we're talking about here). I believe they have the capabilities - but whther someone will have the patience and trust in them to help them change is another matter entirely. That said... Lampard is better withdrawn than Gerrard is and could change his game in the future (esp once his legs start giving way to his rotund belly:p)

[Cantera]

Now the scum has found someone else with their DNA. Never mind his contract. And in spite of fifa rules their players tell the world that he belongs at the cntalans and he has made his intentions clear. Despicable trash.

They sell Toure for £28m and then offer Liverpool £16 for Mascherano. If they prefer Mascherano to Toure they obviously think he is a better player and therefore he should be worth more than Toure. Simple as that. £30m plus. But they are broke and cannot afford that so they come with their tricks.

How quickly they have turned from everyone's second favourite club to the pariah of the football world. Lowest cast

Good luck Liverpool. Hope Roy follows Arsenal's example and tell the scum to fsck off.

/hijack
Your own supporters have proved that Barca are not broke. Must hurt you when clubs signs big names and your pathetic club cannot sign anybody worth noting.

akecsp, you are delusional if you think Masch didnt want to move a very long time ago. He has said so publically that he wants a move. He wants to move badly, irrespective if it is to Barcelona.

Randhir, Barca need to cover the DM position. What if Busquets gets injured? For someone who comments on football so much, why does one always have to spell out certain things to you?

/sorry for the hijack

[smokey]

/hijack

Your own supporters have proved that Barca are not broke. Must hurt you when clubs signs big names and your pathetic club cannot sign anybody worth noting.

akecsp, you are delusional if you think Masch didnt want to move a very long time ago. He has said so publically that he wants a move. He wants to move badly, irrespective if it is to Barcelona.

Randhir, Barca need to cover the DM position. What if Busquets gets injured? For someone who comments on football so much, why does one always have to spell out certain things to you?

/sorry for the hijack

So why sell Toure? It just smacks of idiocy... then again... if the shoe fits...

[Cantera]

So why sell Toure? It just smacks of idiocy... then again... if the shoe fits...

Yaya threatened to move when Pep played Busquets over him. He was disgruntled for an entire season. Pep kept him on the bench even though many believed he was better than Busquets. Busquets has developed into a much better player now, probably because of all the faith Pep placed in him.

Anyways, that was Yaya's biggest problem at the club, it wasnt long before Pep decided he needed to be sold. The last transfer window there wasnt any offers for him. This window there were a few offers and he was sold.

Simple. Pep will speak to Masch and explain to him that he will probably share the DM role with Busquets. Pep wont bring him in if he wont agree to that. Problem with Yaya was that he wanted that position for himself. Pep didnt see it that way.

[Randhir]

Randhir, Barca need to cover the DM position. What if Busquets gets injured? For someone who comments on football so much, why does one always have to spell out certain things to you?


Ah OK, thanks for the advice oh wise one.

Read my post again you child. That was my point. You responded to me by saying that Mascherano plays if Busquets gets injured, so therefore the implication is that Mascherano will predominantly be on the bench.

Oh and I thought that Barca had enough depth in squad, didn't you say that? Why do they need more cover if they have enough depth :D Odd, don't you think? Or do you disagree with Pep?

[iceman23]

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/08/25/new-overseas-buyer-in-the-frame-for-liverpool-fc-100252-27127848/

Keith Harris is a moron. Says that we wont hear anything of a sale in the media, and at the same time says he is representing buyers "in the media". In his last interview he said that 350m is too little and 500m is the right price. I am sure the people he is representing will be happy with him pushing up the price. Ridiculous. What a negotiator. Now he says between 400 to 500 million. Which is it Keith, 400 or 500? There is a big difference you know.

Adding to that, "I am working on a deal for Liverpool but I am a manc supporter and if you want to buy Manu dial 0800 122333"

Rory Smith of the telegraph thinks that he is just being mischievous.

[nivek]

Javier Mascherano is a disgrace
http://threeandin.com/2010/08/25/javier-mascherano-is-a-disgrace/

[nivek]

'Liverpool must act humanely and let him go.'
^^ Messi

Welcome to our world..

[smokey]

^^ Messi

Welcome to our world..

You'd be forgiven for thinking he was talking about an old dog...

[nivek]

You'd be forgiven for thinking he was talking about an old dog...

haha.. yeah
Nice quote here:

"How embarrassing for Barca? It'd be like my girlfriend asking Gordon Ramsey to behave humanely and accept my £23 for the £210 meal I want." Arsenal_legrove on twitter

[Randhir]

I agree with the sentiment of the article, but it is blatantly racist. All things English are good and all things foreign are bad? The English can do no wrong?

[smokey]

I agree with the sentiment of the article, but it is blatantly racist. All things English are good and all things foreign are bad? The English can do no wrong?

It's not so much racist as it is neo-luddite in footballing terms and overly nostalgic for the good ol' days of Blighty.

[Cantera]

Ah OK, thanks for the advice oh wise one.

Read my post again you child. That was my point. You responded to me by saying that Mascherano plays if Busquets gets injured, so therefore the implication is that Mascherano will predominantly be on the bench.

Oh and I thought that Barca had enough depth in squad, didn't you say that? Why do they need more cover if they have enough depth :D Odd, don't you think? Or do you disagree with Pep?

Listen kid. Masch and Busquets will share the DM role. Get over your hate for Barcelona. It is sickening.

[Randhir]

Listen kid. Masch and Busquets will share the DM role. Get over your hate for Barcelona. It is sickening.

Listen kid: If Mascherano plays when Busquets is injured, as you yourself said (
Randhir, Barca need to cover the DM position. What if Busquets gets injured? For someone who comments on football so much, why does one always have to spell out certain things to you? ), that is not sharing the role. What is your definition of sharing? :D

[Sting]

Liverpool 2-1 Trabzonspor

Kuyt + OG

[GRBoy]

Get over your hate for Barcelona. It is sickening.

haha. Makes you sick that the rest of the world hate the scum. That's your problem not ours.

[Cantera]

Thank you for Masch.

Good deal.

[akescpt]

Thank you for Masch.

Good deal.

good deal for you yes u deplorable trolls. cant afford a decent transfer fee so you unsettle players and force through a transfer. trolls.

[Cantera]

good deal for you yes u deplorable trolls. cant afford a decent transfer fee so you unsettle players and force through a transfer. trolls.

How exactly did we unsetlle the player and force through a transfer?

Catch a wake up. Masch wanted to leave before Barca stepped in, but i guess you to blind to see that.

[akescpt]

How exactly did we unsetlle the player and force through a transfer?

Catch a wake up. Masch wanted to leave before Barca stepped in, but i guess you to blind to see that.

a player that refuses to play for his current employers has been flipped. its one thing wanting to leave, then handing in a transfer request, and then refusing to play. if u dont have decent money to pay for players dont make bedroom eyes at them. have your players pleading in the media for a transfer, it distasteful. u tried the same tactic with fabregas and failed. looked like it worked this time though. just make sure u transfer trolls win nice trophies so we can get the rest of our money.

[nivek]

trolls is putting it politely :)

[Cantera]

a player that refuses to play for his current employers has been flipped. its one thing wanting to leave, then handing in a transfer request, and then refusing to play. if u dont have decent money to pay for players dont make bedroom eyes at them. have your players pleading in the media for a transfer, it distasteful. u tried the same tactic with fabregas and failed. looked like it worked this time though. just make sure u transfer trolls win nice trophies so we can get the rest of our money.

Mach has come out publically and said he wanted to leave England. This was before Barca even made an offer for the player. You need to catch a wakeup. The player wanted to leave and was looking for and exit. Barca offered him the exit and he took it with open arms. Dont hate the club, hate the player. He was the one who refused to play for Liverpool. He was the one who said he wants to leave England.

Good business from Barcelona.

[akescpt]

Mach has come out publically and said he wanted to leave England. This was before Barca even made an offer for the player. You need to catch a wakeup. The player wanted to leave and was looking for and exit. Barca offered him the exit and he took it with open arms. Dont hate the club, hate the player. He was the one who refused to play for Liverpool. He was the one who said he wants to leave England.

Good business from Barcelona.

always squeaky clean hey. always in the clear. please. u transfer trolls dont get to wash your hands in innocence. but like i said win some trophies so we can get our money. you need to catch a wakeup and realise the soccer world doesnt swoon over barca anymore. the true barca has been help up to the light and found to be dirty. so please stop with your holier than thou attitude. there is no need to debate this, win some trophies transfer trolls so that we can get our money and buy a couple of bricks for the stadium.

[Cantera]

Mes que un club

[akescpt]

Mes que un club

transferencia de troll ganar trofeo

[poolmania]

there are only two to blame here, the liverpool board and javier.

[arf9999]

Meireles may be a good signing. He's a better distributor than Mascherano, possibly the best performer for Portugal during the World Cup (not that's saying much ;)). Having Meireles and Poulsen in the team may let Gerrard start playing further forward.

[Randhir]

Meireles may be a good signing. He's a better distributor than Mascherano, possibly the best performer for Portugal during the World Cup .

Coentrao gets my vote.

I don't think it'll be Poulsen and Meireles, probably Meireles and Lucas in a 4-2-3-1, with Kuyt RW, Gerrard AM and Joe Cole LW.

[arf9999]

Coentrao gets my vote.

I don't think it'll be Poulsen and Meireles, probably Meireles and Lucas in a 4-2-3-1, with Kuyt RW, Gerrard AM and Joe Cole LW.

Maybe not.


http://www.breakingfootballnews.com/english-premier-league/lucas-leiva-asks-to-leave-liverpool-due-to-family-unable-to-settle-on-merseyside/7797

woohoo!!!

[Sting]

Love this comment!!!

Dave Aragorn says:
August 27, 2010 at 7:59 pm
Finally there is A GOD…

[Wall]

We are getting linked with Carlton Cole and Llorente this morning.

hopefully we get one of them.

[Casanova]

Raul Meireles to Anfield

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/reds-agree-meireles-fee


Liverpool have confirmed a fee has been agreed with FC Porto for the transfer of Portuguese midfielder Raul Meireles to Anfield.

The 27-year-old, who started all four of his country's games in this summer's World Cup, will now undergo a medical and discuss personal terms on Merseyside before completing his move to the Reds.

[superskully]

I am glad Masch is gone (cos he wanted to) but many people dont realise how important he is.
Yesterday's display (and against City) shows that we have no midfield.
Masch makes players like Lucas and Alonso look good.
I mean against WBA, a side we scored 24 goals against in the last 8 games, we were outplayed in midfield.
Its not looking good, a bigger squad but too many average players.

[ALFAHOLIC]

I am glad Masch is gone (cos he wanted to) but many people dont realise how important he is.
Yesterday's display (and against City) shows that we have no midfield.
Masch makes players like Lucas and Alonso look good.
I mean against WBA, a side we scored 24 goals against in the last 8 games, we were outplayed in midfield.
Its not looking good, a bigger squad but too many average players.

Yes and No...Yesterday we played a game we NEVER played while under the reign on Benitez...during half time did you see the stats on attackings either on left/centre/right...the bulk of our attack was through the middle..something Liverpool NEEEEVAH did...even the goal came as a result of going through the middle, from reina, then torres(middle) the kuyt again and then torres again...

I like this style of play. Also, did ya'll see our guy on the left's running? I like that...the new Poulsen guy...didn't really see much of him.

[superskully]

Yes and No...Yesterday we played a game we NEVER played while under the reign on Benitez...during half time did you see the stats on attackings either on left/centre/right...the bulk of our attack was through the middle..something Liverpool NEEEEVAH did...even the goal came as a result of going through the middle, from reina, then torres(middle) the kuyt again and then torres again...

I like this style of play. Also, did ya'll see our guy on the left's running? I like that...the new Poulsen guy...didn't really see much of him.

The goal came from the wing.
Reina to Kuyt on wing, 1-2 with Torres, cross and ...
Point is we were outplayed in midfield.
Lucas and poulsen are too slow, all simple passes they made - not spreading the ball and allowing the opposition to be stretched - which also give players like SG and FT more space. It does not help that our width is 2 slow strikers (Kuyt and Jovanovic).
A better team (like City) will make out midfield pay.
No natural width with Johnson poor and Agger not a LB.
Some will say SG had a bad game, but like last season, i beleive he is gettin cramped.
Apart from the goal, SG was the only person with creativity.

[Randhir]

Yes and No...Yesterday we played a game we NEVER played while under the reign on Benitez...during half time did you see the stats on attackings either on left/centre/right...the bulk of our attack was through the middle..something Liverpool NEEEEVAH did...even the goal came as a result of going through the middle, from reina, then torres(middle) the kuyt again and then torres again...


I was under the impression of the opposite. Pool haven't had natural winger except for Riera in a while, so most of the attack would come through the middle, Reina, Lucas, Gerrard - Torrres...

[poolmania]

We are getting linked with Carlton Cole and Llorente this morning.

hopefully we get one of them.

Please Roy, don't do it.

[akescpt]

first win. compact dont have ss7 so no watch. excited by the new portuguese. but depends how long he takes to settle. manure next if i'm not mistaken. gerard has been horrible so far. maybe he should pretend his playing for england. losing masch is a big loss. lucas cant shine his boots i'm afraid. gerard + cole + moreiles in the center looks like an exciting combination but who will be doing the chasing down and harassing? unless cole goes left and morieles + lucas/poulson in center. gerard doesnt look too interested in running around and doing bread and butter midfielder work anymore...

[MartyMarts]

I'm not a Liverpool fan but I always though the Gerrard + Torres combination was rather effective. I'm surprised that Hodgson seems to be using Gerrard in a more withdrawn role. I don't think he's the same box to box midfielder he was a few years ago.

[akescpt]

I'm not a Liverpool fan but I always though the Gerrard + Torres combination was rather effective. I'm surprised that Hodgson seems to be using Gerrard in a more withdrawn role. I don't think he's the same box to box midfielder he was a few years ago.

yes he has gotten a bit older and lazier. but it looks like he wants to use cole in the hole i think. by the looks of it..

[smokey]

I'm not a Liverpool fan but I always though the Gerrard + Torres combination was rather effective. I'm surprised that Hodgson seems to be using Gerrard in a more withdrawn role. I don't think he's the same box to box midfielder he was a few years ago.

when did that combo start? How long ago? I mean to seriously expect Gerrard to play at the same tempo in the same fashion year in, year out is a bit hopeful no? Look, even Lamps had to adapt his game to his age. I mean he was never the epitome of speed but he is quite a different player to the one he was under Mourinho. I reckon Gerrard will change for club, but still be used as a semi-forward for international games (as they are few and far between).

[Wall]

first win. compact dont have ss7 so no watch. excited by the new portuguese. but depends how long he takes to settle. manure next if i'm not mistaken. gerard has been horrible so far. maybe he should pretend his playing for england. losing masch is a big loss. lucas cant shine his boots i'm afraid. gerard + cole + moreiles in the center looks like an exciting combination but who will be doing the chasing down and harassing? unless cole goes left and morieles + lucas/poulson in center. gerard doesnt look too interested in running around and doing bread and butter midfielder work anymore...

You do know that you can connect the full package for a day for R16. Call them up and ask for an upgrade. the next day you just call them up and downgrade. Note you can only do this once a month.

that's what i always do when liverpool don't play on SS3

[akescpt]

You do know that you can connect the full package for a day for R16. Call them up and ask for an upgrade. the next day you just call them up and downgrade. Note you can only do this once a month.

that's what i always do when liverpool don't play on SS3

yep i know. but they tend to do it more often than not these days...at one stage i was going to email and ask whats going on..:twisted:

[Wall]

sky sports are reporting that babel is heading to Spurs. wonder if there's any truth in it. I seriously doubt Hodgson would let him go so late in the day.

Harry also stated that he is unlikely to be signing anyone today. this is after the GK he signed

[poolmania]

sky sports are reporting that babel is heading to Spurs. wonder if there's any truth in it. I seriously doubt Hodgson would let him go so late in the day.

Harry also stated that he is unlikely to be signing anyone today. this is after the GK he signed

The rumours going around is that we're trying to generate cash for Carlton Cole. I don't like Babel as most on here know as he's a self centered lazy git but if it's to get Cole then no thanks.

[poolmania]

sky sports are reporting that babel is heading to Spurs. wonder if there's any truth in it. I seriously doubt Hodgson would let him go so late in the day.

Harry also stated that he is unlikely to be signing anyone today. this is after the GK he signed

The rumours going around is that we're trying to generate cash for Carlton Cole. I don't like Babel as most on here know as he's a self centered lazy git but if it's to get Cole then no thanks.

[fishfly]

The rumours going around is that we're trying to generate cash for Carlton Cole. I don't like Babel as most on here know as he's a self centered lazy git but if it's to get Cole then no thanks.

Generate cash? you sold Masch... there's some moolah

[akescpt]

sky sports are reporting that babel is heading to Spurs. wonder if there's any truth in it. I seriously doubt Hodgson would let him go so late in the day.

Harry also stated that he is unlikely to be signing anyone today. this is after the GK he signed

doubt it since we are competing i think for the same thing - 4th place. that would not be clever at all

[Wall]

Paul Konchesky has completed his move to Liverpool, signing a four-year deal with the Premier League club. Lauri Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic have moved in the other direction, joining Fulham.

source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/8954459.stm

[Wall]

Paul Konchesky has completed his move to Liverpool, signing a four-year deal with the Premier League club. Lauri Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic have moved in the other direction, joining Fulham.

source: official homepage

[Wall]

doubt it since we are competing i think for the same thing - 4th place. that would not be clever at all

SSN now reporting the helicopter has changed directions! heading for west ham apparently in a swap deal for C Cole

[guru_pitka]

The rumours going around is that we're trying to generate cash for Carlton Cole. I don't like Babel as most on here know as he's a self centered lazy git but if it's to get Cole then no thanks.

Could'nt have said it better myself ,the guy (Babel) has all the physicall attributes to be a monster of a footballer but lacks the 2 most important assets ..HEART and a freaking football BRAIN :(

[Alan]

What started out with so much promise with the signing of Joe Cole has degraded into a farce. Every football supporter and his dog knew the club needed a striker and a wideman at least. Then to add insult to injury at the end sources link the club with Carlton ROFL Cole.

Furthermore against West Brom Hogson plays 4-5-1 at home!!!!!!! I'm sorry didn't we change manager? Why then are we seeing the same timid pathetic home performances

If hodgson intends to impliment the same policies as the last manager he's going to suffer the same fate.

[sh4rpz]

Lauri Dalla Valle looked really good for the youth and reserves. I can't believe they got rid of him.

[Alan]

Just read online that Meireles cost 11 million pounds!

Can afford that for another CM but not a quality second striker or quality winger WTF

Atleast we attempted to sign Hleb while Al Zahr has been loaned out and Plessis has moved to Greece

[superskully]

Just read online that Meireles cost 11 million pounds!

Can afford that for another CM but not a quality second striker or quality winger WTF

Atleast we attempted to sign Hleb while Al Zahr has been loaned out and Plessis has moved to Greece

I am also quite disappointed with the transfer.
But i checked this morning the 25 man squad (Roy named 21). Apparently they are required now to have atleast 8 homegrown players (did not know this rule was also in force now).
Of the 8 home grown, Brad Jones, Paul K and JC are defined as homegrown.
Now i see why he signed those players - makes sense.
English players are also more expensive now - quite obvious why, and possibly the reason why he also went for C Cole.

I still think though we could have taken some of City's baggage, SWP, S Ireland, RS Cruz on the cheap (doubt if they would have sold to a competitor team though).

[poolmania]

It doesnt work like that, the rule is that u can have no more than 17 foregners over the age of 21. Chelsea for example submitted their squad with only 4 home grown players above the age 21.

[sh4rpz]

Top-flight clubs must register a squad of up to 25 players for league games, which must include no more than 17 'non-homegrown' players.

'Homegrown' players are defined as those who, irrespective of nationality or age, have been affiliated to the FA or Welsh FA for a period of three seasons or 36 months prior to their 21st birthday.

Hope that helps.

[ALFAHOLIC]

I'm kinda UPSET that we missed out on ASIMOAH GYAN!!! We NEED an African in our TEAM...ANYWHERE! I so like that player...and he's only 24! DAMN Liverpool why did we not act quickly enough!

[superskully]

It doesnt work like that, the rule is that u can have no more than 17 foregners over the age of 21. Chelsea for example submitted their squad with only 4 home grown players above the age 21.

Thanks.

[Alan]

KUYT INJURED ATTEMPTING SCISSOR-KICK

Dirk Kuyt could be out for up to two months after injuring his shoulder while attempting a scissor-kick in training.

The Liverpool wideman suffered the injury while preparing for Holland's Euro 2012 qualifier against Finland on Tuesday.

Kuyt will now miss that game, and if fears that he has torn ligaments in his left shoulder are true, he could face a spell on the sidelines.

He will almost certainly be out of Liverpool's next Premier League game against Birmingham, their opening Europa League clash with Steaua Bucharest and probably their trip to play Manchester United on September 19.

Despite the apparent foolishness of attempting such a needless manouevre in training, Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk didn't seem too angry.

He said: "Dirk does that a lot. There was nobody close to him, but this time it went wrong.

"He has strained and possibly torn ligaments in his shoulder. He'll probably have a few weeks off."

Kuyt scored in Holland's 5-0 win over San Marino on Friday.


*facepalm*

[akescpt]

*facepalm*

+1. why am i not getting emails of the all the posts in this group. rather annoying to miss all the banter. its so funny that so many players get injured in training. kuyt a scissors kick. of all people..

[smokey]

Well you all have Wenger to blame for faking RVP's injury and not having the regular "international star injured while on national team duty" missing from Holland. Frankly, I'm surprised that Robben didn't get injured... if he's part of the squad at all.

[dbecks]

Well you all have Wenger to blame for faking RVP's injury and not having the regular "international star injured while on national team duty" missing from Holland. Frankly, I'm surprised that Robben didn't get injured... if he's part of the squad at all.Think he is already out for the season isnt?

[smokey]

Think he is already out for the season isnt?

Is why I added (if he's part of the squad at all)... Balance has to be kept, and if that means that RVP and Robben aren;t there to be injured - well - that just means that someone will have to take their place :D

[Randhir]

RBS moves to force George Gillett and Tom Hicks to sell Liverpool (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/sep/09/rbs-tom-hicks-george-gillett-sell-liverpool)


Tom Hicks and George Gillett's ill-starred reign as owners of Liverpool looks like having less than a month to run after the club's loans with Royal Bank of Scotland were placed into its toxic-assets division.

The deadline for the refinancing of the owners' personal loans from RBS is 6 October, and that now looks set to be the date that Hicks and Gillett's association with England's most successful club will end. The bank's decision to switch the debts to its Global Restructuring Group is the strongest possible signal that these loans will not be extended.

The co-owners' previous attempt to refinance the debts in June, when they are believed to have offered to secure the loans against their US assets, was overruled by the club's board, led by the chairman, Martin Broughton. Now, with the loans having been shifted into RBS's so-called "bad bank", where all toxic assets have been housed since last year, it is clear the club's lender has also adopted a more steely stance towards the Americans.

One source with a knowledge of Liverpool's dealings with RBS said: "If it has been taken out of the hands of the corporate banking department they'll have a much more ruthless approach on 6 October." An informed view from another source close to the situation is that the bank would hope to sell the club, possibly at a knockdown price, in the coming weeks or as soon possible after 6 October.

According to the club's accounts to July 2009 Liverpool's owners owe £237.4m to RBS. Through companies in the UK and overseas, Hicks and Gillett are also personally exposed to tens of millions of pounds in other commitments to the club and its lender. These have been a mixture of cash, which the pair have injected through equity, and guarantees to the RBS loans. Last year's accounts stated these amounted to £145.3m, but it is believed to have risen dramatically after the last refinancing agreed five months ago.

[smokey]

RBS moves to force George Gillett and Tom Hicks to sell Liverpool (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/sep/09/rbs-tom-hicks-george-gillett-sell-liverpool)

Could be a bad move for Liverpool if they don't sell to the right people...

[Alan]

Here's a bit of trivia. When last did LFC have a quality winger?

[arf9999]

2003? Patrick Berger.

[arf9999]

Evidently you don't actually need a striker to score three against Man U... Everton 3 - 3 Man U. Everton playing with 5 midfielders and 5 backs .

[Alan]

2003? Patrick Berger.

More a wide midfielder than a winger IMO

[smokey]

So um... nice game? :p

[hawker]

Lucas is a piece of donkey crap. He must go. Once he was replaced with Merielies it was an entirely new game.

[smokey]

Heard Poulsen was utter shyte...

[MartyMarts]

Lucas is a piece of donkey crap. He must go. Once he was replaced with Merielies it was an entirely new game.

+1. A little too late though.
I watched the 2nd half and only noticed that Maxi Rodríguez was playing right at the end of the match - he was totally anonymous imo.

[superskully]

Roy is starting off like rafa, playing same team over and over and not making subs fast enough - esp for players playing poorly.
Maxi was awful, yet he played the whole game - atleast babel or pacheco should have been given a run.
Lucas and Poulsen are 2 similar - but i think they are the backup - with Raul and Stevie G in mid and Cole behind Torres.
I liked Milan - though i feel he is not a left winger. He had good touches and turns - but seemed to be on a different wave length than anybody else.
I would like to see him on the right - cos he likes to cut in (aka Johnson of city and Robben).
Why though is Skrtel ahead of Agger (who is our best CB by miles).

[Alan]

Unfsckingbelievable. New manager exactly the same tactics/gameplan WTF!!!!!

What can one say when faced with this? Hell this doesn't even happen on FM :erm:

[smokey]

Unfsckingbelievable. New manager exactly the same tactics/gameplan WTF!!!!!

What can one say when faced with this? Hell this doesn't even happen on FM :erm:

:erm: That's because in FM YOU'RE in control...

[Alan]

No I mean the AI damit

I wonder what makes Rafael Hodgson think the same tactics that failed for Roy Benitez will work for him. FFS cut our losses now and see if O'Neill wants a job

[akescpt]

aaaaai

[poolmania]

Some of the comments on here are laughable. Alan, 4 games in and you want a change. Get a grip. I'm not Roy's biggest fan but he's our Manager and deserves time and respect. O'Neill my arse.

[Alan]

People are slow today. Was not meant to be taken literally damit.


No doubt you're chuffed Hodgson has decided to carry on with Rafa's tactics :p

[Alan]

Liverpool new-boy Milan Jovanovic insists he has far more to offer the Anfield outfit than he has shown so far.

The Reds are still finding their feet under Roy Hodgson and following Sunday's goalless draw at Birmingham, currently find themselves in the wrong half of the Premier League table.

Star man Fernando Torres is coming under scrutiny for his lacklustre displays but Jovanovic accepts others must make a bigger contribution too.

The 29-year-old Serbia international is yet to score since his summer move from Standard Liege.

But he insists it is a situation he does not expect to continue for much longer.

"I was happy with how I played against Birmingham but I know I can do better," the striker told the Liverpool Echo.

"I am disciplined and trying to build an understanding with the other players.

"I am not in the best form and I can play better than I have shown so far.

"But I know I can score goals and make assists for this team. I am sure I can."

Hodgson has already pleaded for patience as he tries to galvanise a side that had slipped to seventh by the end of Rafael Benitez's final season in charge.

Jovanovic shares the sentiments.

It might not be easy without spending huge sums of money Liverpool do not currently have access to.

But, ahead of Thursday night's Europa League showdown with Steaua Bucharest, he is convinced life will soon start getting better for the Anfield giants.

"It is going to take time because there are a lot of new players," he said.

"But if we keep getting the ball to Stevie (Gerrard), we will be much better.

"I have no doubts that we will climb the table.

"The Premier League is tough but we are Liverpool. That is what matters."

Yeah that'll solve our problems. Just sit back and give the ball to Gerrard and Torres. Not like we've tried that before :rolleyes:

[superskully]

Yeah that'll solve our problems. Just sit back and give the ball to Gerrard and Torres. Not like we've tried that before :rolleyes:

Giving the ball to SG & FT seems like the way we play now. But there is a difference between giving them good balls and bad balls. For instance, MJ received balls always with his back facing the goal, with defenders breathing down his back.
And thats our prob.
Most will say Lucas did a good job last year, but as a CM, he and Poulsen dont provide the forwards with decent balls where they can face the goal, lookup and have the space to do something. Yet we critisize SG or Torres for their display. Even Messi as a forward will struggle in our set-up.
I ask why dont Lucas and Poulsen spread the ball instead of making simple 3m passes - is it the tactic of the manager or their incapabilities.
I think though raul and SG in midfield and Cole behind Torres yield better results, as we did against Arsenal.
Big mistake releasing Aquaman and keeping Lucas.

[akescpt]

everybody should play with their own balls. as long as it gets into the net. who cares. passing to those 2 big heads will not help the team in the long run...gerarrd should pretend he plays for england and torres ahould imagine he is playing for spain cos when they play for pool they suck no end...

[Randhir]

everybody should play with their own balls. as long as it gets into the net. who cares. passing to those 2 big heads will not help the team in the long run...gerarrd should pretend he plays for england and torres ahould imagine he is playing for spain cos when they play for pool they suck no end...

Torres and Gerrard both suck for their countries. Both have been asked why they don't take their club form into international matches.

[millennia]

Currently they not that much, if any, better when they play for their national teams...

I'm starting to ponder if spending that money on a tour of Anfield last month was worth it :P

[superskully]

Torres and Gerrard both suck for their countries. Both have been asked why they don't take their club form into international matches.

Agree, but Gerrard has been doin quite well for England in the last year or so. He is doing for Eng what Lucas and poulsen are not doing for LFC, or what Alonso does for Spain - not flashy, but efficient.

[akescpt]

Currently they not that much, if any, better when they play for their national teams...

I'm starting to ponder if spending that money on a tour of Anfield last month was worth it :P

u lucky sod..when gerrard plays for his country he actually looks interested in what he is doing and torres is more motivated as well. they seem to be not as jacked up for the people who pay their wages..

[Randhir]

Agree, but Gerrard has been doin quite well for England in the last year or so. He is doing for Eng what Lucas and poulsen are not doing for LFC, or what Alonso does for Spain - not flashy, but efficient.

Not the last year, maybe last 6 months... It's also that whole policy of Lampard+Gerrard+tournament=disaster.


u lucky sod..when gerrard plays for his country he actually looks interested in what he is doing and torres is more motivated as well. they seem to be not as jacked up for the people who pay their wages..

They also get paid by the English/Spanish FA. Also, Torres is #2 for his country, #1 at Liverpool, and his strike rate isn't as good on the international level. It's just been one thing after the other at Liverpool, whether it's management infighting, injuries, very defensive setups. Last year from Feb - May, Rafa took the shackles off and Liverpool became the most destructive team in the EPL, scoring an average of 3 per match. Next season, instead of capitilising on that, he reverted back to his defensive formations. It's silly to keep blaming Gerrard and Torres when the rest of the team can't keep up.

[Alan]

I ask why dont Lucas and Poulsen spread the ball instead of making simple 3m passes - is it the tactic of the manager or their incapabilities.

Bit of both. Even if they could spread the ball Rafael Hodgson won't allow our ahem "widemen" that far out anyway.



I think though raul and SG in midfield and Cole behind Torres yield better results, as we did against Arsenal.
Big mistake releasing Aquaman and keeping Lucas.

Won't make much difference at all. The oppostion will just keep it tight and squeeze them out the game for lack of room. Everything coming down the middle FTL



u lucky sod..when gerrard plays for his country he actually looks interested in what he is doing and torres is more motivated as well. they seem to be not as jacked up for the people who pay their wages..

I find it annoying that people attack Torres for not single handledly taking on the opposition's entire defence and tearing them apart scoring wonder goals every game. Then people complain when he gets annoyed on the pitch because for 60 minutes he's had his back to goal in the middle of the pitch, no service and had the **** kicked out of him. I'll be surprised if puts up with this crap all season.

Sure he can be a little petulant from time to time but cut the guy some slack. He had just flown out to Argentina and back during the week too.

[superskully]

Bit of both. Even if they could spread the ball Rafael Hodgson won't allow our ahem "widemen" that far out anyway.
Won't make much difference at all. The oppostion will just keep it tight and squeeze them out the game for lack of room. Everything coming down the middle FTL


I find it annoying that people attack Torres for not single handledly taking on the opposition's entire defence and tearing them apart scoring wonder goals every game.

It is a question of whether our widemen (wingers and fullbacks) are not wide enough, or whether the midfield is not allowing them to be so. Cos if your Cm are not spreading the ball fast enough or more than 3m passes, it forces the wide men to come in to collect, Otherwise if they just sit there hugging the touchline trying to make space, its to easy for defenders to defend simple passes.
Ofcourse it could also be that they are not wingers, we will wait and see.
I take the e.g. of Eng and the SG/FL vs FL/GB vs SG/GB partnerships. Clearly the latter one works well, after all, i have never seen ENG control the game the way those 2 do.

Regarding Torres, he is almost a perfect striker except in one aspect. He is not and never has been a Target man. So when ppl complain that he gives the ball away too much or dribbles too much - its like asking why does not Drogba dribble and beat defenders with speed as torres does.

[Alan]

Even if our widemen get the ball early out wide they can't do anything with it. None have the pace or ability to beat their marker.

Rafael Hodgson failed to address our 2 main weaknesses. Why I do not know. There is no logical, sane explanation since every person and their dog knew those were the problem areas and why Rafa lost his job. Instead Woy Benitez decided to spend his limited time and money messing around with center midfield and left back. Perhaps it's just bad timing.

happened to sign up a man just as he went senile.....

[millennia]

4 - 1 was a bit flattering at the end of it all but a worthwhile confidence booster ahead of sunday :)

[Wall]

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks is in talks about arranging a refinancing agreement to help him retain an interest in the 18-time English soccer champion, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Hicks was in London this week for talks about his and business partner George Gillett’s future as owners of the U.K.’s most successful team. He has been negotiating with American banks to find new funds, according to the people, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the talks.

Hicks and Gillett put the club up for sale in April after Royal Bank of Scotland Plc agreed to give the owners an extension on 237 million pounds ($370 million) they owed. That debt matures Oct. 6 and could lead to the bank taking control of the club if it isn’t repaid.

Mark Semer, a spokesman for Hicks, declined to comment. Gillett’s assistant, Jennifer Stenseth Rogus, said he wasn’t available. The Daily Telegraph reported the story earlier yesterday.

RBS, a government-controlled lender, moved the debt to its restructuring team and is taking a role in finding a buyer for the team, two people with knowledge of the situation said earlier this month.

Hicks and Gillett bought the club in 2007 for 219 million pounds, including debt, and their holding group now has debt of 351 million pounds. The five-time European champion failed to reach this year’s Champions League and the owners have faced fan protests because of the club’s finances and the failure to build a new stadium.

Buyers

RBS said in a statement it retained confidence in the sales process being conducted by Barclays Capital and British Airways Plc chairman Martin Broughton, who was named Liverpool chairman in April and is trying to find a buyer.

Groups from India and Hong Kong linked with Liverpool have released statements saying they are no longer interested in bidding. Yahya Kirdi, a Canada-based Syrian investor, says he represents a group interested in acquiring the team.

In March, Hicks and Gillett turned down a 110-million pound offer from New York-based Rhone Group LLC for 40 percent of the club. The money would have been used to pay down the debt.

source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-16/liverpool-co-owner-tom-hicks-said-to-be-in-negotiations-to-refinance-debt.html

this could prove to be a disaster for us!!! let's pray it's not true....
**** i hate these yanks

[Wall]

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks is thought to be ready to snap up George Gillett's stake in the club.

Gillett is believes to be struggling under financial pressure in the United States as next month's deadline on a £75 million loan that was taken against his stake in the club.

The American is reported to have taken a £75m from U.S. Hedge Fund Mill Financial when the two owners were pushed into reducing the debt with the RBS.

Now The Mirror claims that Hicks is now trying to push through a refinancing package and take control of the Merseyside club.

It has been reported that the former Corinthians top boss wants to pick up his partner's stake so as to buy some time to make a profit by selling the club.

Liverpool's are believed to be more than £350m in debt.


source: goal.com

i know the source is crap but this is being doing the rounds on twitter and such. hopefully also not true... could be worse than the re-financing

[Wall]

ollowing reports regarding Hicks and Gillett's possible attendance at tonight's match against Steaua Bucharest, Spirit Of Shankly has enquired with Merseyside Police to ascertain whether this is true. Subsequently, after they themselves checked with the club, we have been informed that neither Hicks and Gillett nor any member of their families will be in attendance tonight. There will, however, be business representatives at Anfield to show potential purchasers around the club.

Even with the prolonged 'sale' of the club, Spirit Of Shankly reiterates the message that Tom and George are Not Welcome Here, and that for any potential purchaser we would welcome the opportunity to engage with them about the sale process and the role supporters can play.

source: http://www.spiritofshankly.com/news/Tom-Hicks-and-George-Gillett-_-Tonight-sss-s-Game.html

i hope this is true

[superskully]

4 - 1 was a bit flattering at the end of it all but a worthwhile confidence booster ahead of sunday :)

Best performance of the season. Yeah it was great, good, but not great, this shows how bad our other performances have been.
And from a second string side.
What i liked: Raul and Spearing in midfield (though i have seen other comments saying Spearing was crap - i disagree).
Yes they did leave some holes - but they did what Poulsen and Lucas did not - pass the the ball more than 3m towards the goal. They gave space to the front men.
Babel - a talent - but bad game - i dont understand though y he does not play on the right, he does have good crosses - and playing him more in the centre was laughable, to a player that is such a bad passer - maybe Roy misuderstood, he wants to to play as a Centre forward - not CM.
Maxi - awful - he better not start on Sun.
Impressed with kelly, defensively - needs to teach Johnson.
Cole did well, though tried too many difficult passes at times.
Overall it was a decent game to watch - as compared to prev games.

[Wall]

good win last night. nice crisp passing from midfield. i can't wait to see gerrard and merelies in midfield with cole in the 'hole' behind torres. That would be a very attacking dynamic midfield.