Liverpool Forum (Anfield)

[United_Treble]

really hope liverpool can beat arsenal

[keltan]

Well.... win or lose I'm always a die hard liverpool fan. Never miss a single game whenever there is live matches on TV or commentary on ESPN.com.
^5

YNWA

[Jinyu]

really hope liverpool can beat arsenal
agree :o .....we must win on anfield this sunday no matter what.....

[United_Treble]

agree :o .....we must win on anfield this sunday no matter what.....
draw will be gd cuz liv dun have gd strike force at e moment

[CanIsayNo]

RB really should've brought in a striker when he came... but who would've thought this would happen lol

[Mohawks]

wow.... is this the same Liverpool that have been playing like sh!t the past 3 games??

amazing transformation....

noticed that JAR has clear instruction to just run in Ljunberg.... like bodychecking :P

[CanIsayNo]

i never see arsenal 1st half kena so jialat before

[CanIsayNo]

undeserved equaliser

[United_Treble]

liverpool played so well but vieira manage to equalise, hope liv can win

[CanIsayNo]

nunez!!!!!!

[CanIsayNo]

holy sh1t!!! mellor!!!!!!

[CanIsayNo]

why benitez like not happy that liverpool win

[spinelli]

guys!lets rejoice!!!

[hueman]

superb game with 3 superb goals... gunners might feel devastated but i feel we deserve to win. what a moment for mellor....!!!!

[gerrard17]

oh man, this is the best game i;ve seen for a long long time. never have i been so excited over a win, not since the 4-3 win over Newcastle many yrs back.

even if we didn't win, we can take heart from this performance, as a team, as a unit we were superb.

how rite were we, blessed wif talented strikers over the decades and here is Neil Mellor.

[United_Treble]

well done liv, whole arsenal was in mess

[CanIsayNo]

i have a feeling mellor is those kind of 1 match wonder... i hope not though

[gerrard17]

btw, mark my words.

this game will be 1 of the classics, classic of the EPL.

[KeyserSoze]

High note - WE WON !!!!

Low point - weakest link is still Kewell. Get rid of him please. Kop's youth system was never bad. so why buy junk ?

[United_Treble]

who e man of the match? gerrard?

[stansays]

who e man of the match? gerrard?

Gerard. Well.... Kwell look super out of pace and unfit. Sigh... when is he gonna be ship out like GH? :s27:

[melankholy]

Stunning!! I jumped and yelled like mad after mellors goal!!!!
YNWA!!!

[United_Treble]

Gerard. Well.... Kwell look super out of pace and unfit. Sigh... when is he gonna be ship out like GH? :s27:
yeah my fav liv player is gerrard, kewell give him time la, he juz now nearly socred header

[stansays]

yeah my fav liv player is gerrard, kewell give him time la, he juz now nearly socred header

Somehow he look out of pace most times. Cant dribble past like what he use to. His step over etc? Is good as gone bro... :s22:

[keltan]

Excellent goal by mellor!

Never write pool off, we still pack a punch. :)

[melankholy]

YNWA! I was expecting the worst. By the 20th minute i was praying for a win. We deserved it!!

[keltan]

i have a feeling mellor is those kind of 1 match wonder... i hope not though
nope i dun tink he will be a one match wonder... he will prob be the striker that is quiet througout the game, but just give him a glimpse of goal and BANG...

:D

[stansays]

Excellent goal by mellor!

Never write pool off, we still pack a punch. :)



Ole Ole Ole... Ole.... Ole.... Glad to see Liverpool conceded only few fouls and free kick. No corners conceded I think. They close than down and exploit them on the break. :s12:

[CanIsayNo]

nope i dun tink he will be a one match wonder... he will prob be the striker that is quiet througout the game, but just give him a glimpse of goal and BANG...

:D
like owen? :D

[crazynut06]

gd job liverpool!

give kewell sometime...
i believe he can get back to his best again...

[melankholy]

on a sidenote, i have no idea why pongolle was being played wide right. He cant drill in a decent cross. He should have stayed further in.

[keltan]

gd job liverpool!

give kewell sometime...
i believe he can get back to his best again...
yah.. give him some time..

he is beginning to show glimpses of his past form..
and i believe RB will be able to help him rediscover his form..

[keltan]

like owen? :D
hmmm a lil different..
cos he does not have pace like owen...

he will prob be a "in-the-box" predator.

:D

[keltan]

on a sidenote, i have no idea why pongolle was being played wide right. He cant drill in a decent cross. He should have stayed further in.
hmmmm cos there is no right sided player atm after both garcia and josemi are injured.

gerrard can play on the right, but he is more effective when he has the license to roam, thus the decision to play pongolle to provide some cover on the right...

[melankholy]

pongolle shouldnt have strayed so far. he looked isolated for the most part. i think nunez would have played that part better. although im a big fan of pongolle. and did you see his little trick to make viera and the other defender look like schoolboys.. :D

[keltan]

pongolle shouldnt have strayed so far. he looked isolated for the most part. i think nunez would have played that part better. although im a big fan of pongolle. and did you see his little trick to make viera and the other defender look like schoolboys.. :D
nunez will prob feature more in the next match..
he just came back from an injury and only played 1 reserve game (60 mins of it) before the arsenal match, so i dun think he would be a gd choice for the right wing for this game either...

[melankholy]

yah. i know all about nunezs lack of games. just thinking out loud that nunez would fit that role better. unfortunately, pongolle had to do it. he did an okay job.

[CanIsayNo]

pongolle didnt really do much... and kewell seemed alright in this match, making tackles, helped set up the 1st goal etc

[melankholy]

he set up the 2nd goal too. LoL

[xllms]

personally i feel both wide players didn't do enuff today

kewell is seriously short of confidence...while pongolle is too inexperienced, tho' i really appreciate his backheel trick tat left 2 arsenal players bewildered

would hope benitez gives the youngest, patridge and warnock more chances to show their worth on both the flanks

xllms

[keltan]

I think the whole team played well... If we can adopt this "fight for every ball / close the opponent down fast" attitude, i believe we can go very far..

and i do not only wish to see this happening at anfield with the home crowd behind the team, but at away games as well...

[United_Treble]

I think the whole team played well... If we can adopt this "fight for every ball / close the opponent down fast" attitude, i believe we can go very far..

and i do not only wish to see this happening at anfield with the home crowd behind the team, but at away games as well...
if liv cont to play like tonight

christmas

1 chelsea
2 everton
3 liverpool
4 man u
5 arsenal

[keltan]

personally i feel both wide players didn't do enuff today

kewell is seriously short of confidence...while pongolle is too inexperienced, tho' i really appreciate his backheel trick tat left 2 arsenal players bewildered

would hope benitez gives the youngest, patridge and warnock more chances to show their worth on both the flanks

xllms
yah, patridge is a talent!
and we really cant fault pongolle today... he did well, considering right mid is not his natural position.

[keltan]

BENITEZ AIMING HIGHER THAN FOURTH
Paul Eaton 28 November 2004

Rafael Benitez today hailed his Liverpool players after their 2-1 victory over Arsenal and declared: "We can finish higher than fourth."
Neil Mellor's 90th minute winner secured the points for the home side after Patrick Vieira had cancelled out Xabi Alonso's first half opener.

"This is a fantastic result," said the boss. "Fantastic for the players and fantastic for the supporters.

"We played very well in the first half and then Arsenal played well in the second half and we went on the counter attack.

"The players did everything we talked about building up to this game. We worked hard during the week and the lads did what we wanted them to do today.

"All the goals in the game were very good and it was nice to see Mellor's late strike go in.

"We want to keep doing the right things now in the coming games. Can we finish higher than fourth? Sure, why not? I don't know how high we can go but we will keep working to win matches."

[CanIsayNo]

wah media really know how to exaggerate... the reporter only ask him if he thinks liverpool can finish higher than 4th, and he say yes, and they say he aiming for higher than 4th haha

[xllms]

i'm curious wats happening in wenger's mind now or his comments on this match...anyone has any links so far?

xllms

[melankholy]

if liv cont to play like tonight

christmas

1 chelsea
2 everton
3 liverpool
4 man u
5 arsenal


argh.. why is everton above us! :mad:

[Jinyu]

We win Arsenal.......yeah =:p

[hacktic]

made my day!

[koxinga]

yeah! THIS IS ANFIELD! Whadda U Think?!

[silent_espy]

Awesome game. An almost completely depleted Liverpool wins a full strength Arsenal. If only Liverpool can play like that when they face every team I'm sure we the fans would be much happier.

[crazynut06]

gerard made a very big difference when he play....

gd for liverpool..just hope they keep on fighting hard for every match...

go go!!!

u will never walk alone!!!!

[Mohawks]

Awesome game. An almost completely depleted Liverpool wins a full strength Arsenal. If only Liverpool can play like that when they face every team I'm sure we the fans would be much happier.
actually Arsenal had a tough Thursday match playing parts of it with only 9 man... (ok ok... the 2 who were sent off should be better rested :D )
their passing last night was very lethargic...


as for Liverpool.... great contribution from most players...
no Josemi... Finnan did a much better attacking/defending job at the right back
SG and XA taking turns to attack...
DH with a superb defensive mid performance
Sinama-Pongelle making monkeys out of experience defenders
JC... other than small slip-up for Arsernal's goal also did very well
SH... cleared 80% of the balls going into Liverpool's box
Mellor... quite anonymous during the game... but WHAT A GOAL!!!

now let's see who's missing from the list above...

oh yeah...

our friend from down under with his 'assist' :D

http://pachome1.pacific.net.sg/~boon.wei/mellor_g.jpg

[m0rb1us]

to be honest, can't really blame JC for ARSE's goal. The through pass by Pires was great.

Dont think many defenders could have cut that out

[hwaa]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, yeah we beat Arsenal :D

well done liverppoool, hope we'll keep up the good work lol.

A wonderful goal by mellor, haha i was shouting alone in my room when he scored the shocking stunner goal...

and Veira :s27: he should wake up his idea man, hamann dint even touch him and he fell, YAWNS .. he should get another yellow card man for that disgraceful act.

[mizera]

Was so happy watching the game that I couldn't sleep till about 6 in the morning, oh well..I'm still beaming away, a very good monday to all Liverpool fans!!

[iwish]

hehe gd win last night :) and my prediction was right..hehehe too bad i didnt watch the whole match properly..was outside and miss mellor goal :( nm will catch the repeat tonight..anyone knows what time is the repeat telecast on SCV?

[dy_lan]

yeah...pool beat arsenal...very exciting game, even tho i need to wake up early today and intend to watch only the first half, it was too exciting that i watched the full match, now super tired....was over the moon when i saw meller long and powerful shot went passed the arsenal gk. tot i was dreaming....haha...too good to be true...but overall, pool performance was really good last nite

[NHT]

hehe gd win last night :) and my prediction was right..hehehe too bad i didnt watch the whole match properly..was outside and miss mellor goal :( nm will catch the repeat tonight..anyone knows what time is the repeat telecast on SCV?

tonite 9.30 :D before that, the highlights of EPL

also missed the winning goal. slept after half time

[windcloud03]

i think some players want to prove to the manager wrong, the young players should be given chances to play...some conclusions of last night match:

1. no josemi - means the right-back is not always out of position as he always overlaps and leave holes on the left hand side
2. no garcia - is unpredictable and likes to play balls which even deceive his own teammates, oso lack strength and pace
3. use of 4-4-2 formation - a more solid formation which clearly each players' roles and positions
4. no baros - he is good but sometimes selfish, without him, liverpool can play a better passing game, with him, the gameplan is more direct
5. no taore - he seems clumsy in that left-back position - riise seems a faster and more attacking choice

[CanIsayNo]

if only liverpool can play like this for the rest of the season

[iwish]

tonite 9.30 :D before that, the highlights of EPL

also missed the winning goal. slept after half time
thanks..got to watch the repeat tonight...this will be the few times i am willing to watch repeat telecast ..hehe usually cant be bother with repeat cos result already out ..hehe

[Mohawks]

and Veira :s27: he should wake up his idea man, hamann dint even touch him and he fell, YAWNS .. he should get another yellow card man for that disgraceful act.
he would have gotten a yellow card... i think the referee didn't give coz Vierra already had a yellow card

[iwish]

i think some players want to prove to the manager wrong, the young players should be given chances to play...some conclusions of last night match:

1. no josemi - means the right-back is not always out of position as he always overlaps and leave holes on the left hand side
2. no garcia - is unpredictable and likes to play balls which even deceive his own teammates, oso lack strength and pace
3. use of 4-4-2 formation - a more solid formation which clearly each players' roles and positions
4. no baros - he is good but sometimes selfish, without him, liverpool can play a better passing game, with him, the gameplan is more direct
5. no taore - he seems clumsy in that left-back position - riise seems a faster and more attacking choice

agree with 1 & 2
as for pt 3...i tot we played 4-5-1 from the reports i read...(Pongolle was playing right mid, mellor as lone striker)
pt4: no comment
pt5: still prefer Traore at left back

anyone read soccernet's (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=317847&cc=4716) article on HK? i agree with the author "Only a lack of fit bodies will see him (HK) retained in this side " actually would have prefer Warnock over HK now

[Mohawks]

tonite 9.30 :D before that, the highlights of EPL

also missed the winning goal. slept after half time
available here

i saw the goal this morning...still i watched this clip again and again :D

http://www.soccerclips.net/upload/P6U10AS6K9A8.avi

[gerrard17]

available here

i saw the goal this morning...still i watched this clip again and again :D

http://www.soccerclips.net/upload/P6U10AS6K9A8.avi

whahaha, i watch this 20 times, his techinque in striking the ball is jus breathtaking.

like wat they said, u couldn't write a fairy tale like that.

pools fans, rejoice

[United_Treble]

whahaha, i watch this 20 times, his techinque in striking the ball is jus breathtaking.

like wat they said, u couldn't write a fairy tale like that.

pools fans, rejoice
i think spurs will knock out liv in carling cup

[keltan]

i think some players want to prove to the manager wrong, the young players should be given chances to play...some conclusions of last night match:

1. no josemi - means the right-back is not always out of position as he always overlaps and leave holes on the left hand side
2. no garcia - is unpredictable and likes to play balls which even deceive his own teammates, oso lack strength and pace
3. use of 4-4-2 formation - a more solid formation which clearly each players' roles and positions
4. no baros - he is good but sometimes selfish, without him, liverpool can play a better passing game, with him, the gameplan is more direct
5. no taore - he seems clumsy in that left-back position - riise seems a faster and more attacking choice
1. Prefer finnan at right back too. Actually finnan is quite attacking too, but he is fast in getting back to his position.

2. I still think garcia is a good player. After he has gelled more with his teammates in terms of understanding, we will have a weapon there.

3. I prefer the 4-4-2 to 4-5-1 formation too. If not the lone striker will be very jialat, just running his socks off. But it really depends on the tactics too. Sometimes when we are away, i support the 4-5-1 counter-attacking plan too, but we must at least have 2 quick wingers in that 5 man midfield to have successful breakaways.

4. Baros is a good player. He needs to involve his teammates more and RB has acknowledged tt point...so I believe we will see a more all-rounded baros soon.

5. Traore has come good this season. His defensive qualities are better then Risses but Risse is a better all-rounder with his overlaps. But if traore is playing, i dun think slotting Risse into the left midfield position is a good idea. He is not creative enough although he packs a punch in his left foot.

[keltan]

i think spurs will knock out liv in carling cup
I think RB will continue to use the second stringers for the Carling cup...and they might just prove us wrong, as they are hungry for more games...

[Mohawks]

whahaha, i watch this 20 times, his techinque in striking the ball is jus breathtaking.

like wat they said, u couldn't write a fairy tale like that.

pools fans, rejoice
yah boy.... 15 secs left when CK kick the ball...

even my wife was saying that that moment CK kick that "sigh... stay up to watch only to see Arsenal score" (she looks after the 2 young kiddos so usually very tired)...

next thing we knew.... GOAL!!! almost shouted so loud could've woken the baby :s13:

[hwaa]

he would have gotten a yellow card... i think the referee didn't give coz Vierra already had a yellow card

that doesnt mean he shouldnt get another coz the dive was quite obvious. anyway it's over =:p and kudos to liverpool! :D

[hwaa]

1. Prefer finnan at right back too. Actually finnan is quite attacking too, but he is fast in getting back to his position.

2. I still think garcia is a good player. After he has gelled more with his teammates in terms of understanding, we will have a weapon there.

3. I prefer the 4-4-2 to 4-5-1 formation too. If not the lone striker will be very jialat, just running his socks off. But it really depends on the tactics too. Sometimes when we are away, i support the 4-5-1 counter-attacking plan too, but we must at least have 2 quick wingers in that 5 man midfield to have successful breakaways.

4. Baros is a good player. He needs to involve his teammates more and RB has acknowledged tt point...so I believe we will see a more all-rounded baros soon.

5. Traore has come good this season. His defensive qualities are better then Risses but Risse is a better all-rounder with his overlaps. But if traore is playing, i dun think slotting Risse into the left midfield position is a good idea. He is not creative enough although he packs a punch in his left foot.

i think finnan should play more on the right back, he is definitely gifted in that position ..
and RB should play risse in the left back instead of the traore. yesterday back 4 was best of the best, the back 4 should remain the sameeeeeeeeee :D

[spinelli]

you kno what impressed me most.its not the scoreline.its 1 shot on target,1 off target.0 corner. :D

[spinelli]

NEWS STORY
WENGER PRAISES RAFA'S REDS
Paul Eaton 28 November 2004

http://img93.exs.cx/img93/8449/070404-arsenal-Arsen.jpg Arsene Wenger today admitted his Arsenal side were second best to Liverpool during their 2-1 defeat at Anfield.
The Gunners looked to be heading for a point when Patrick Vieira equalised Xabi Alonso's first half strike, but Neil Mellor's late strike won a dramatic game for the home side.

Wenger said: "Liverpool were very good in the first half. They were physically very strong and they made it hard for us.

"In the second half we improved and we should have got a point but we made a mistake at the end and they scored. It's hard to swallow when that happens because it is very disappointing. We just have to live with it and accept it.

"Liverpool were tough, they were well disciplined and they defended very well. I'm surprised they are where they are in the table after that performance.

"You could say all three goals were brilliant but I disagree. The first two were, but in my opinion the third goal came from a bad mistake by us in the last seconds of the game."

[spinelli]

NEWS STORY
GERRARD PRAISES MATCH WINNER MELLOR
Steve Hunter 28 November 2004
http://img93.exs.cx/img93/8281/gerrard_monaco_120.jpg Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was full of praise for match winner Neil Mellor and said he thoroughly deserved the dramatic late winner against the champions.
Gerrard said: ""Neil will be dreaming about that goal for years. He deserved it. He worked hard."

The Reds powerhouse midfielder believes the 2-1 win will give the squad a lot of confidence and says Liverpool's aim for the season is to finish higher than fourth place in the Premiership.

"We're very pleased with the first-half performance," added Gerrard. The gameplan was to stop them playing and press them back.

"But Arsenal came back into it. We expected that, they are a fantastic team but we never gave up.

"When you come off a couple of defeats Arsenal is the game you don't want but we went in with the right attitude. We want the top four but we are aiming higher than that."

[spinelli]

NEWS STORY
RAFA PRAISE FOR GOAL HERO MELLOR
Mark Platt 29 November 2004
http://img93.exs.cx/img93/3773/270404-Mellor_120_01.jpg Rafael Benitez praised the tireless endeavour of Neil Mellor and described his last-gasp goal that gave Liverpool a famous victory over Arsenal as a 'great moment'.
Benitez was understandably delighted with 2-1 win over reigning Premiership champions Arsenal.

It was a well-deserved triumph for the Reds and Mellor's stunning late winner capped a truly memorable afternoon.

"This was a very, very good game and after 90 minutes of running and tackling the players got their reward with a fantastic victory. It makes everyone proud," says Benitez.

"We saw great goals, but for me the best one was at the end. I was delighted for Neil Mellor. He was up front playing against two very good centre-halves and kept going right to the end.

"We had decided to play with just one striker, and with Harry Kewell, Steven Gerrard and Florent Sinama-Pongolle supporting him the system proved to be very effective.

"For Neil to score his first Premiership goal in front of the Kop was a great moment. The win is good for him, for the club, for the supporters and all the squad. It will work wonders for our strength of character."

[RobbieFowler]

Any place we can download XA goal?
IMO, that was a better goal. Pure class, and the most importantly its a team effort.
NM goal also very nice, just that I like goals which has build up.

And congrats to all of us. Finally, 1 match which we will be so proud of. Hopefully there will be many more to come. Though still have to work at 230am in the morning, never regretted watching it. This is 1 hellva good match.

THIS IS ANFIELD
You'll Never Work Alone. :)

[Mohawks]

XA's goal

http://www.soccerclips.net/upload/0RDDGAQEZ92O.avi

[gerrard17]

i dunno why, this win can make me happy until the next pools game.

catching the replay of the match in 25mins time. :)

[gerrard17]

alamak thanx to mohawks i watch the replay of alonso's goal another 20 times. it's really the better goal of the 3 becos the off the ball movements is jus better. look at how mellor drag defenders away wif his run.

alonso also make up a lot of ground b4 he reach the ball. look where he is when finnan has the ball!

[__CcW__]

i tink pongolle was put on the right to tire ashley cole and also to expose some of his weak defence qualities.. not much of a winger...

and for tt alonso goal, phew.. for a moment i tot cole(was it?) was going to hack the ball away with a sliding tackle from alonso at the last min..

[Mohawks]

alamak thanx to mohawks i watch the replay of alonso's goal another 20 times. it's really the better goal of the 3 becos the off the ball movements is jus better. look at how mellor drag defenders away wif his run.

alonso also make up a lot of ground b4 he reach the ball. look where he is when finnan has the ball!
haha... me not so bad... only watched it about 15 times

[keltan]

i tink pongolle was put on the right to tire ashley cole and also to expose some of his weak defence qualities.. not much of a winger...

and for tt alonso goal, phew.. for a moment i tot cole(was it?) was going to hack the ball away with a sliding tackle from alonso at the last min..
whatever it is...RB's tactics work...
and the kudos to the players for being so hardworking..chasing after every ball, closing down the opponent, and cutting off the supply to henry n co.

Lets hope this is not a one-match affair. If we cont to play like this, irregardless of who our opponents are, or whether we are home/away, we will be marching up the premiership table n cruising to the next round of the CL..

YNWA!

[keltan]

HERO MELLOR WANTS TO REMAIN A RED
Mark Platt 29 November 2004

Man-of-the-moment Neil Mellor hopes his much-celebrated match-winning strike against champions Arsenal will help cement his future at Anfield.
Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock made no secret of his desire to sign the striker last week but Mellor insists he doesn't want to leave the Reds.

As he deservedly basks in the glory of his sensational last-gasp winner against the Gunners he says: "You never know what can happen to you in football. You can be the hero one week and out the next. I've enjoyed my time at Liverpool and this goal peaks everything.

"I definitely want to stay and prove myself to the gaffer. If that means going back to the reserves I'll be prepared to do that. I don't want to leave, that's for sure.

"In football there are a lot of ifs and buts. I scored those goals against Middlesbrough in the Carling Cup and that made sure I was playing yesterday. If I hadn't done that, who knows? Maybe I wouldn't still be here.

"The gaffer has shown his faith in me by playing me against Arsenal, but there are still aspects of my game I need to improve.

"I felt I let myself down in certain parts of the game yesterday but I persisted and kept getting in the right areas. I feel I was rewarded for that. A goal like that won't do me any harm. It's well known we have our striker problems, but I feel I've done my best."

[keltan]

HAMANN: VIEIRA SHOULD HAVE BEEN OFF
Mark Platt 29 November 2004

Dietmar Hamann believes Patrick Vieira was fortunate not to be sent off during Liverpool's 2-1 defeat of Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday.
The Gunners captain tried to con referee Alan Wiley by clearly diving when Hamann attempted to tackle him in the second half.

He?d already been booked for an earlier infringement and the Reds midfielder says: "I think he was a bit lucky. People have been booked for that kind of thing before. He never said anything about it, but the way he reacted afterwards showed he knew it wasn't a foul."

[keltan]

GERRARD SETTING HIS SIGHTS HIGHER THAN 4TH
Mark Platt 29 November 2004
Steven Gerrard insists Liverpool are determined to better the fourth place finish they achieved in last season's Premiership.
Sunday's impressive victory over Arsenal has given everyone at the club renewed cause for optimism and the skipper is setting his sights higher than simply scraping into the Champions League via fourth spot.

"Nobody here will settle for fourth place," he roared defiantly after the defeat of the Gunners. "That isn't good enough for Liverpool Football Club."

"We want to finish higher than that and will be doing everything we can to make that possible. This should give us the confidence and we have to go on from here now."

[stansays]

So Liverpool will be travellig to Villa Park this Sat. Hope that this result will spur them to greater height. I have watche the repeat of Ars and Liverpool twice. And the goals timelessly. Wow... definately be the match of the season. :s12:

[hwaa]

So Liverpool will be travellig to Villa Park this Sat. Hope that this result will spur them to greater height. I have watche the repeat of Ars and Liverpool twice. And the goals timelessly. Wow... definately be the match of the season. :s12:

yeah haha, yesterday watched the EPL highlights, wow the mellor goal was really nice, and the anfield faithfuls all go crazy shouting, even got one fan come in and hug mellor haha, very touching scene =:p

[samshio]

actually, that was one of the subs warming up, ... warnock I believe. See this pic :s7:

http://www.rwa.org.uk/2_1.jpg

[AhnNakata7]

dis will become my wallpaper:D:D

[hwaa]

actually, that was one of the subs warming up, ... warnock I believe. See this pic :s7:

http://www.rwa.org.uk/2_1.jpg

LOL, i thought it was one of the fans. =:p

but this pic is nicely taken man! :love:

[samshio]

can't take the credit for it. It was taken of the forums of ynwa.tv


man look at alonso's face. This guy loves liverpool man ! :)

[Keo_86]

actually, that was one of the subs warming up, ... warnock I believe. See this pic :s7:

http://www.rwa.org.uk/2_1.jpg


hey....got any bigger size of this pic??? I wanna make as my wallpaper.....

[spinelli]

hey....got any bigger size of this pic??? I wanna make as my wallpaper.....


yeah any bigger?? :D

[roadrunner_552]

hope u all can view this video clip taken fr liverpool ground when mellor score


http://www.servecast.com/downloads/liverpoolfc/preview/preview_matchcentre_0405_afc_home_pl_dialup.wmv

[samshio]

another funny pic

http://www.soccernet.com/images/draynor/mellor_**_g.jpg

edit : bloody hell, c b got censored

[Mohawks]

another funny pic

http://www.soccernet.com/images/draynor/mellor_**_g.jpg

edit : bloody hell, c b got censored
i posted the same picture liao ;)
post #7805

[gerrard17]

i prefer this :D

http://tinypic.com/pakpz

i set it as wallpaper, kinna weird when i resize it to 1024*780 but who cares. :D

[gerrard17]

this is rather funny.

http://liverpoolfc.tv/images4/royoftherovers_headline.jpg

[SongLongZi]

i prefer this :D

http://tinypic.com/pakpz

i set it as wallpaper, kinna weird when i resize it to 1024*780 but who cares. :D




whahaha...jump until so high..

[X18]

I like the formation we are playing rite now..especially suits our current situation which facing shortage of strikers.

I just love the way our captain Gerrard roaming ard the pitch, the way Alonso organise the play, the way Hamann breaks down our opponent attacks.

I would say give mellor more chances..hopefully he will becomes the next great liverpool academy graduate, following gerrard and owen..

By the way, Finnan was excellent that day..PLS PLS PLS PLS play him instead of Josemi.

Cheers to every Liverpool fans!!!!!! :D

[gerrard17]

whahaha...jump until so high..

whahha, players always jump twice the height they normally do when they score.

notice how high the kee siao henry jumped when he scores. :s13:

[keltan]

I like the formation we are playing rite now..especially suits our current situation which facing shortage of strikers.

I just love the way our captain Gerrard roaming ard the pitch, the way Alonso organise the play, the way Hamann breaks down our opponent attacks.

I would say give mellor more chances..hopefully he will becomes the next great liverpool academy graduate, following gerrard and owen..

By the way, Finnan was excellent that day..PLS PLS PLS PLS play him instead of Josemi.

Cheers to every Liverpool fans!!!!!! :D
yah, gerrard suits the free role very well..

i was watching the lineup the other day, and was worried that he will be playing on the right flank instead..it will b a waste of his talent..

luckily it was not to be, with pongolle filling up tt role in a 4-5-1 formation..

:D

[keltan]

KIDS EARNING THEIR SPURS
Liverpool Echo 30 November 2004

RAFA BENITEZ has vowed to persist with a youth policy in tomorrow's Carling Cup quarter-final at Spurs.

Tottenham are expected to field their strongest line-up at White Hart Lane, but that will not dissuade Liverpool from giving Zak Whitbread, Steve Warnock and Darren Potter another opportunity to continue their impressive cup form.

Benitez says he will give Antonio Nunez his first start in a Liverpool shirt, while Steven Gerrard is also likely to figure to pick up more match fitness.

"We need all the players we have at this moment," said Benitez.

"Our squad is not big enough to use all our first-team players all the time.

"If we can win this competition with the squad we have, it will be great. But I have to think about the Champions League and the Premiership first. We must use all the players we have to succeed."

Nunez was a late sub in Sunday's 2-1 win over Arsenal, and Benitez welcomed a much-needed addition to his squad.

"I used Nunez on Sunday, but sometimes when you are coming back you use too much energy too quickly. I was a bit worried about that," said Benitez.

"He may not be a 'galactico' but he is someone who will give us options. He needs to play now."

Meanwhile, Didi Hamann believes the tactical changes which undid Arsenal could become permanent.

The midfield trio of Hamann, Xabi Alonso and Gerrard dominated Patrick Vieira and Francesc Fabregas.

And the way Gerrard was given the freedom to wreak havoc in an attacking role could become the blueprint for the rest of the season.

"The manager thought long and hard about how to approach the game from a tactical point of view and it worked perfectly," said Hamann.

"We pressed them high up the park and they never threatened to score much at all.

"Their equaliser showed the risk of playing them because they have so much class. But Chris Kirkland didn't have many saves to make.

"It's the best we've played for a long time. We've got to use this as a springboard."

The timing could not be better with matches against Aston Villa, Olympiakos and Everton on the horizon.

"We know beating Arsenal was a massive result for us. We've not had the best results in the last week and some decisions went against us which were unlucky," said Hamann.

"Now we have to take advantage of a victory like this. We've tough games coming up and we need to step it up in the league and produce the same against Olympiakos in the Champions League next week.

"We have injuries, but that doesn't mean you stop playing for four weeks.

"When you are short of players everyone must respond."

Hamann was particularly pleased that match-winner Neil Mellor made life so tough for Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure.

"It's tough when you are playing against two of the best centre-halves in England. He gave them a lot to think about," said Hamann.

"He was always challenging for the ball and never gave up, even when things weren't going so well.

"His winner wasn't even what you'd call a goalscoring opportunity. He's proved he's a very good finisher. No-one can take that away from him.

"When he gets a chance he's clinical, and he's even better when he's closer to goal."

[keltan]

I totally agree with hamann's view..

mellor might not have the pace and perfect ball control..but he is very hardworking, running his socks off, harrasing the opposition's defence..
and when he gets a sniff of goal..he is a clinical finisher...

he is to me a RVN without pace...

:D

[keltan]

BAROS TARGETING EURO RETURN
Paul Eaton 30 November 2004

Milan Baros is hoping to be back in the Liverpool attack for their Champions League clash with Olympiacos next week.
Baros has been battling to overcome a hamstring injury sustained while on international duty and is now doing some light training with the rest of his team-mates at Melwood.

Despite the wonderful victory over Arsenal on Sunday manager Rafael Benitez is desperate for his striking options to increase, and he today revealed the Czech ace could be just a week away from playing again.

He said: "Milan is back doing some jogging. I think he will be out for another week.

"He wants to play against Olympiacos next Wednesday. We'll see. It will be good for us if he can make that, but we will have to wait and see. I don't want to use him too early and risk losing him for another two months."

[keltan]

Hopefully we can see baros come back soon..

I personally want to see the pairing up of baros and mellor, as I feel their style will complement each other..

any others here with similar thoughts?

[Mohawks]

Hopefully we can see baros come back soon..

I personally want to see the pairing up of baros and mellor, as I feel their style will complement each other..

any others here with similar thoughts?
yeah....

Baros is the chiong all the way into the box type...

whereas Mellor is the shoot at goal whereever you get the ball type

:D

[keltan]

yeah....

Baros is the chiong all the way into the box type...

whereas Mellor is the shoot at goal whereever you get the ball type

:D
so imagine got baros to run rings around defenders and pass to mellor in the box for him to finish it off...

assuming RB can cultivate the "involve your teammates more" mentality into baros..

[spinelli]

so imagine got baros to run rings around defenders and pass to mellor in the box for him to finish it off...

assuming RB can cultivate the "involve your teammates more" mentality into baros..


your last point is....kinda of hard...

[gerrard17]

nice, Liverpool vs Spurs live on TV later.

gonna catch some wink and see how Nunez and co peform.

[keltan]

true..
anyway if he is selfish and manages to score, i will not blame him..

:D :D :D

but he shld at least learn how to pass when his team-mates are in a MUCH BETTER goal-scoring position then he is...
that i believe RB will be able to cultivate...

[keltan]

nice, Liverpool vs Spurs live on TV later.

gonna catch some wink and see how Nunez and co peform.
hopefully the "future of liverpool" can beat a full-strength spurs..

[keltan]

REDS TARGET BERBATOV
SKY Sports 01 December 2004

Liverpool have been linked with a January swoop for Bayer Leverkusen striker Dimitar Berbatov.

The Bulgarian international has been mooted as a possible answer to solve The Reds' shortage of proven goalscorers.

With Djibril Cisse out for the rest of the season, Milan Baros is the only senior striker at manager Rafa Benitez's disposal although he is a week away from returning from a hamstring injury.

That has left Neil Mellor leading the line and, despite his stunning winner against Arsenal on Sunday, he is not proven at Premiership level.

Benitez has hinted he will strengthen his squad when the transfer window reopens in the New Year, with reports suggesting Berbatov is a target.

The 23-year-old's future at the BayArena is due to be discussed next week after Bayer's clash in the UEFA Champions League against Dynamo Kiev.

The European game is likely to be crucial to any prospect of Liverpool signing Berbatov, as Bayer will not sanction the forward's departure if they reach the knockout phase of the competition.

But a group stage exit will increase the likelihood of Berbatov's exit, despite the German club's desire to extend his contract until 2009.

Berbatov's agent Emil Dantchev is aware of Liverpool's interest in his client and insists the Premiership giants are not new suitors for the hit-man.

"The Liverpool interest is not from yesterday," commented Dantchev.

"Anyway, I have not been informed by Bayer of any offer for my client.

"I have an appointment with the representatives of the club after the Dynamo Kiev match to make a decision on Dimitar's future."

The predatory attacker is trying to ignore the speculation concerning his position with the Bundesliga club, preferring to concentrate on matters on the pitch.

Berbatov said: "I asked my agent not to talk to me about any possible transfer options or interests from other clubs.

"I just want to concentrate on playing my best for Bayer."

[keltan]

hmmm, if they are targetting CL cup-tied players..
i think i will prefer morientes anytime...

[keltan]

Cisse reveals he nearly 'lost his leg'

French striker Djibril Cisse has revealed he could have lost his left leg in the aftermath of the horrific injury which wrecked his first season at Liverpool.

Cisse was carried off with a double fracture of his leg after a tackle in the Barclays Premiership match at Blackburn on October 30 - and will not play again this season.


And the £14million signing from Auxerre claims his whole career could have been destroyed and that had he not had expert medical treatment at Ewood Park, there was the prospect of amputation.

Cisse, in an interview with club magazine LFC, said: 'When I was taken from the field, what they did next was so important for my career, what they did in those first few moments was vital.

'My bone were overlapping and I had no circulation in my foot.'

And the 23-year-old insists: 'They had to give me drugs to help with the pain and then they had to pull my bones back into place with their hands.

'If they had waited until I had got to the hospital I might have lost my leg, it was that serious.'

Cisse is still on crutches but is back at Liverpool's training ground having daily treatment and has told manager Rafael Benitez he has set a target of being able to play in the final few games of the season.

But he is clearly very aware of the debt he owes to Liverpool's medical team for their swift action at the ground when he was first injured.

[SongLongZi]

REDS TARGET BERBATOV
SKY Sports 01 December 2004

Liverpool have been linked with a January swoop for Bayer Leverkusen striker Dimitar Berbatov.

The Bulgarian international has been mooted as a possible answer to solve The Reds' shortage of proven goalscorers.

With Djibril Cisse out for the rest of the season, Milan Baros is the only senior striker at manager Rafa Benitez's disposal although he is a week away from returning from a hamstring injury.

That has left Neil Mellor leading the line and, despite his stunning winner against Arsenal on Sunday, he is not proven at Premiership level.

Benitez has hinted he will strengthen his squad when the transfer window reopens in the New Year, with reports suggesting Berbatov is a target.

The 23-year-old's future at the BayArena is due to be discussed next week after Bayer's clash in the UEFA Champions League against Dynamo Kiev.

The European game is likely to be crucial to any prospect of Liverpool signing Berbatov, as Bayer will not sanction the forward's departure if they reach the knockout phase of the competition.

But a group stage exit will increase the likelihood of Berbatov's exit, despite the German club's desire to extend his contract until 2009.

Berbatov's agent Emil Dantchev is aware of Liverpool's interest in his client and insists the Premiership giants are not new suitors for the hit-man.

"The Liverpool interest is not from yesterday," commented Dantchev.

"Anyway, I have not been informed by Bayer of any offer for my client.

"I have an appointment with the representatives of the club after the Dynamo Kiev match to make a decision on Dimitar's future."

The predatory attacker is trying to ignore the speculation concerning his position with the Bundesliga club, preferring to concentrate on matters on the pitch.

Berbatov said: "I asked my agent not to talk to me about any possible transfer options or interests from other clubs.

"I just want to concentrate on playing my best for Bayer."



i have watched afew times this guy playing..very good in holding up the ball..making space for the forwards...hmm i think he is the sort of player that is very good in playing lone striker..a good buy..?

[gerrard17]

i have watched afew times this guy playing..very good in holding up the ball..making space for the forwards...hmm i think he is the sort of player that is very good in playing lone striker..a good buy..?

I saw the ESPN show which featured him in it. No joke, he has the skills of Zidane, finishing skills of Henry. U jus have to see how he turns during those tight situation and scoring wonderful goals.

From wat i know he jus needs to step up his consistency, which may not be a gd thing for us. :s7:

I say give Mellor a chance, the kop loves him, i love him and i think so does the rest of pools fan.

[SongLongZi]

he is abit like patrick kluivert patten...i dont mind pool buying him..

[keltan]

i still think we need another forward...

i still think morientes will be a good choice...as he is a proven scorer, and is hungry for action...
at 28, he still has at least 3 -4 gd yrs in him...

[keltan]

anyway, i think we need more of a finisher then a hold-up player..

we already have a baros who is willing to take the ball from midfield and go on his own...just need someone to give him more support and options in the box...

if we can have strike tt balance in our strike-force, we will be able to finish opponents off better then now...

what do ya all tink?

[CanIsayNo]

no one watching the match? as i type now, its a penalty shootout

[CanIsayNo]

wooooooooot liverpool win the shootout!!

[melankholy]

unexpected but terrific!!
well done LFC!

[X18]

we draw watford in the semi while man u and chelsea clash in the other semi..wahaha.

hopefully we will be able to get into the final with the kids! :D

[fantasy21]

well done lads... now for aston villa..

[hwaa]

yeah, quite lucky to face watford in the semis!

time for cardiff! :D

[SongLongZi]

we were very lucky~!!...

[keltan]

yeah, quite lucky to face watford in the semis!

time for cardiff! :D
remember minnows like watford thrive in competitions like this...making a few upsets every year..

so we cant afford to be overconfident..

[CanIsayNo]

spurs dominated but couldnt score

[stansays]

spurs dominated but couldnt score

There didnt take their chances well. So we are expecting a Liverpool and Chelsea Final? But look at Chelsea's 2nd team! :s31: All the stars We will be white wash if RB gonna place the rookies

[gerrard17]

damm, missed the match.

no replay of the match i suppose, they're showing manu vs arsenal instead.

[melankholy]

There didnt take their chances well. So we are expecting a Liverpool and Chelsea Final? But look at Chelsea's 2nd team! :s31: All the stars We will be white wash if RB gonna place the rookies

liverpool will probably play their 1st team if we do get into the finals. Hey, theres silverware for benitez to win. imagine that, reaching the finals with rookies.

[___jeff]

damm, missed the match.

no replay of the match i suppose, they're showing manu vs arsenal instead.

what time what channel ?

[__CcW__]

spurs dominated but couldnt score


tt sounds alot like us earlier in the season, particulary in the match against depor at Anfield

[spinelli]

Liverpool mull Kraft-backed takeover?


Liverpool are reported to be in talks with the 'L4' group, a consortium put together by two US-based entertainment executives, which could lead to a takeover.
The consortium is thought to have the backing of the Kraft family, owners of Superbowl champions New England Patriots and the New England Revolution soccer franchise, currently coached by formerly Liverpool player Steve Nicol.


Mike Jefferies, one of the men behind L4, told the Financial Times: 'We are working with Keith Harris of Seymour Pierce.

'He is conducting discussions with Liverpool through Hawkpoint. I can confirm L4 exists with the purpose being to conduct ongoing discussions with the owners of Liverpool football club.

'There are a number of different constituent elements, both individuals and entities, that we believe have a direct connection with the culture and heritage of the club, as well as the experience, resource and appetite to get the club back to where we believe it deserves to be.'

Chairman David Moores currently has a 51% control of the club but local businessman Steve Morgan and a Thai consortium have been linked with possible takeovers in the past year.

The rising cost of the club's proposed new 61,000-capacity stadium in Stanley Park is likely to dominate their annual general meeting, which is being held tonight.

[thesettingsun]

I'm still quite surprised Spurs' first team can't beat our reserve team. But we did ride on our luck for this match. I think Henchoz is still quite steady. Will be sad to see him go.

[keltan]

I'm still quite surprised Spurs' first team can't beat our reserve team. But we did ride on our luck for this match. I think Henchoz is still quite steady. Will be sad to see him go.
ya henchoz is still quite steady..
but dun so are carragher and hypia...

and i dun tink henchoz would wanna spend so much time in the reserves...esp when he is already 30+ liaoz...so no choice bah..

[bwaysiansibo]

liverfool.

u will never lose alone.

[hwaa]

liverfool.

u will never lose alone.

fook off! :s27:

[hwaa]

jan window opening soon!!

any players linked with us ... other than morientes? :D

[hueman]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=318131&cc=4716

Parry also revealed that the club decided to sell Michael Owen to Real Madrid for eight million pounds when the England striker refused to sign a new contract.

'It is telling that there were no other bidders for Michael Owen,' said Parry. 'We did test the water and there was no interest.'

[gerrard17]

how ironic, i remember reading Owen said he wouldn;t do a bossman on us.......

[windcloud03]

who needs owen? we must move on and get him out of our mind... rafa shd get a striker between 23-26 at his peak and scoring goals...we must not forget that we need to create goals...previously onli gerrard and smicer are creating goals for owen, tat is not enough...we need more creative players as well as making full use of our wingers...

[keltan]

how ironic, i remember reading Owen said he wouldn;t do a bossman on us.......
well..in truth..he did not do a bosman on us...

we sold him for 8 million pounds and antonio nunez..

[keltan]

who needs owen? we must move on and get him out of our mind... rafa shd get a striker between 23-26 at his peak and scoring goals...we must not forget that we need to create goals...previously onli gerrard and smicer are creating goals for owen, tat is not enough...we need more creative players as well as making full use of our wingers...
yup..we shld move on...

we need a clinical finisher... we cant keep being a team who has lots of shots at goals but no goals to count for...

we need to finish off our opponents...
i dun think we are short in supply, with a strong midfield and overlapping fullbacks..
so who would fit the bill of a 30 goals per season poacher?

[keltan]

MEDIA WATCH
LIVERPOOL KEEN ON CAMPO
KOP Talk 02 December 2004

Newspaper reports today claim that Liverpool want Bolton to sell them Ivan Campo in some kind of deal that would see El-Hadji Diouf sign for Sam Allardyce on a permanent basis.

The 30-year-old Spanish defender was signed from Real Madrid on a free transfer back in 2003 following a loan spell and is contracted to Bolton until 2006.

Bolton are really trying it on at the moment and are said to be offering around £500,000 for Diouf, a player that cost the Reds more than £10million.

[keltan]

ALONSO RECEIVES AWARD
Liverpoolfc.tv 03 December 2004

Xabi Alonso was voted the Reds' best player during the 2-1 victory over Arsenal and can be seen below receiving his award from Liverpool fans Elias Kousiappes and Mr Lai Chun Hung.

The Carlsberg man of the match award brought to you by Orange is up for grabs at every game as fans are given the chance to select the best player on the day.

Alonso came out on top in the voting for the Arsenal game following his stunning first half strike which gave the Reds a well deserved lead before the break.

[keltan]

ALONSO RECEIVES AWARD
Liverpoolfc.tv 03 December 2004

Xabi Alonso was voted the Reds' best player during the 2-1 victory over Arsenal and can be seen below receiving his award from Liverpool fans Elias Kousiappes and Mr Lai Chun Hung.

The Carlsberg man of the match award brought to you by Orange is up for grabs at every game as fans are given the chance to select the best player on the day.

Alonso came out on top in the voting for the Arsenal game following his stunning first half strike which gave the Reds a well deserved lead before the break.
hmmm i personally thought gerrard was the mom..

anyway the whole team did well in this match..

[keltan]

MEDIA WATCH
LIVERPOOL KEEN ON CAMPO
KOP Talk 02 December 2004

Newspaper reports today claim that Liverpool want Bolton to sell them Ivan Campo in some kind of deal that would see El-Hadji Diouf sign for Sam Allardyce on a permanent basis.

The 30-year-old Spanish defender was signed from Real Madrid on a free transfer back in 2003 following a loan spell and is contracted to Bolton until 2006.

Bolton are really trying it on at the moment and are said to be offering around £500,000 for Diouf, a player that cost the Reds more than £10million.
are we serious about bringing him to anfield?
hopefully not, cos if so i will prefer henchoz to him anytime..

:D

[stansays]

are we serious about bringing him to anfield?
hopefully not, cos if so i will prefer henchoz to him anytime..

:D

Reminds me of Campos Soup :s22: All let steam and speed to catch up with those speedy strikers of EPL

[spinelli]

yup..we shld move on...

we need a clinical finisher... we cant keep being a team who has lots of shots at goals but no goals to count for...

we need to finish off our opponents...
i dun think we are short in supply, with a strong midfield and overlapping fullbacks..
so who would fit the bill of a 30 goals per season poacher?


eh seriously what happened to smicer?injured right??lost my memory abit...i find smicer to us is like pires to arsenal

[melankholy]

go anelka!

123123123

[thesettingsun]

An interesting letter from Football365:

Why Local Steve Morgan May Not Be The Right Man For Liverpool

It seems odd that, while an argument rages over the pros and cons of a Russian oil magnate’s establishment of a personal fiefdom at Chelsea, and in the aftermath of an attempted takeover of the World’s Biggest Club by a neo-Conservative, money-hungry American, the potential purchase of the club I support by a local businessman should concern me so much.

Steve Morgan loves Liverpool. He has stronger ties with the area than most fans and has the money – probably – to realise his dreams of financing Liverpool to some sort of success on both the national and European stage. Unlike many of the club’s suitors, he does not seem to be motivated by the idea of profiting from his investment in the club. He would be a breath of fresh air after the stagnancy and financial impotence of the last couple of years.

But, from his comments in the media over the last year or so, he also seems to be the worst sort of little Englander. When Danny Murphy made his thinly-veiled xenophobic attack on Rafa Benitez’s Spanish signings, Morgan backed him. He has spoken of the need to re-instil the English – or maybe British – heart of the club. He described many of Gerard Houllier’s signings as ‘unknowns’. Should a man whose footballing knowledge is clearly so limited be encouraged to take over one of the biggest clubs in the country?

He was known to support Alan Curbishley’s appointment over that of Benitez. This is where my concern lies. In Benitez, Liverpool are fortunate enough to have one of Europe’s most promising managers. He’s not in the same league as Gerard Houllier, who had only ever won one national title (in 1986, a decade or so before he arrived at Anfield). Benitez has won two Spanish titles in three attempts. In the last three years. He is a manager of the now, not the then.

And I don’t think Morgan would support him. There are other concerns, yes: how much money does he have? Would his takeover create an irredeemable schism within the board, disrupting the club? But it is the premonition that Morgan would try to undermine the manager he didn’t want that worries me most. At least Mike Jefferies, of the L4 consortium who are also believed to be attempting to purchase the club, has come out and backed Benitez. Morgan hasn’t, because he won’t.

The Anglocentrism of Morgan and his ilk has no place in a global game. Whilst I, like many fans of many clubs, enjoy the concept of the local hero made good, and like many Liverpool fans, was delighted to see no fewer than seven academy graduates play against Spurs on Wednesday, I am of the belief that it does not matter where a player comes from, just that they are good enough. It is my fear and my belief that Morgan’s desire to see Liverpool return to his false period of nostalgia – why are the Irish less foreign than Australians? – would condemn the most successful British club of all time to the mediocrity that was only staved off by Moores’ appointment of Rafa Benitez. He may have the money, but his vision of Liverpool is one that does not belong in the modern game.

Rory Smith

[stalky79]

1-0 up...harry kewell

[Mohawks]

what a waste.... Liverpool attacking very well....

and Kewell was surprisingly VERY well today.... his link up with Gerrard was excellent many times...

2nd half could tell that Liverpool was reserving stamina for the coming CL match...

[hueman]

i would say it's 2 point lost. but a good performance neverthe;ess, just toothless up front.
kirkland should've kept the freekick out. it's quite center but he somehow let it dipped beyond him. think he stepped too out and reacted too slow.

[X18]

I am really dissapointed with kirkland. The freekick was quite centre and he couldn't keep it out...sigh. I remember that time I read something in the official Liverpool website forum, there was someone saying kirkland is a keeper who will keep out those shots u expect that will not goin in, n can do nothing to those shots that u will expect to go in..I totally agreed with him..though he is consistent.

But today he let in a goal that is expected to be kept out le...sigh sigh sigh.

[United_Treble]

many peo here said kewell no gd last wk end, now he saved liv, tell u all already he needs time

[melankholy]

ive always preferred dudek. Thought he's brilliant when he came to liverpool. I really dont see where "kirkland's england next top keeper" is coming from. So far, only his consistency is keeping him there. Other than that, hes never really produced any thing that warrants him that sort of honour though he was never given a chance to. The real test will be this season as obviously dudek is not the favoured dude.

and also, if we had djibs infront instead of mellor, hed have murdered villa looking at the amount of run ins we had. Cisse is, lightning fast.

[keltan]

eh seriously what happened to smicer?injured right??lost my memory abit...i find smicer to us is like pires to arsenal
yup..smicer is injured...

[keltan]

I am really dissapointed with kirkland. The freekick was quite centre and he couldn't keep it out...sigh. I remember that time I read something in the official Liverpool website forum, there was someone saying kirkland is a keeper who will keep out those shots u expect that will not goin in, n can do nothing to those shots that u will expect to go in..I totally agreed with him..though he is consistent.

But today he let in a goal that is expected to be kept out le...sigh sigh sigh.
give him a break...
everyone has his own flaws...
keepers always get the "blame" when they concede goals... so its tought enuff being one. I remember when dudek conceded some stupid goals, some pple were calling for his head too...
whether its kirkland or dudek in goal... what matters is they they have done their best in the red shirt...

there are a lot of factors to consider when keepers face freekicks. View being blocked by players. Deflections (even slight ones) etc.. And the angles of TV replays will sometime not be able to reflect the situation then well...

[keltan]

what a waste.... Liverpool attacking very well....

and Kewell was surprisingly VERY well today.... his link up with Gerrard was excellent many times...

2nd half could tell that Liverpool was reserving stamina for the coming CL match...
I believe kewell is getting to his best... which is great news for liverpool.

[keltan]

From the looks of things, liverpool shld be a force to be reckoned with from next season..

1. when we have more depth in squad
2. the players purchased this season understand their team-mates more
3. A quality finisher is added to the squad
4. when the whole team understands RB's tactics

I sincerely think a fourth place or better finish in the premiership this season is a good result for us, with the occasional win against teams like Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea etc..
But i will expect more from RB and co. next season...

:D

[X18]

some comments after yesterday match..

the link up play between gerrard, alonso and kewell is getting better and better. Gerrard really suits the free roaming role man!! :D

PLEASE PLEASE keep finnan at right back..yesterday i was so worried after josemi came out to play..he still looks clumsy to me..and was like playing without thinking..just purely whack all the balls away..sigh. Finnan is way better than him.

Nunez still looks too "soft" at the moment..need to toughen up. but the impression he gave me is just an ordinary player, nothing special..hopefully he can prove me wrong.

so now we have a dilemma now..when baros is back..how should we fill our left flank if we want to keep gerrard in that role?

1. LM - Kewell (getting better and probably will boosted by the goal he scored yesterday)
LB - Riise

2. LM - Riise
LB - Traore

3. LM - Kewell
LB - Traore

personally i will go for option 1 or we can shift kewell to the right flank. wat u guys think? :D

[spinelli]

some comments after yesterday match..

the link up play between gerrard, alonso and kewell is getting better and better. Gerrard really suits the free roaming role man!! :D

PLEASE PLEASE keep finnan at right back..yesterday i was so worried after josemi came out to play..he still looks clumsy to me..and was like playing without thinking..just purely whack all the balls away..sigh. Finnan is way better than him.

Nunez still looks too "soft" at the moment..need to toughen up. but the impression he gave me is just an ordinary player, nothing special..hopefully he can prove me wrong.

so now we have a dilemma now..when baros is back..how should we fill our left flank if we want to keep gerrard in that role?

1. LM - Kewell (getting better and probably will boosted by the goal he scored yesterday)
LB - Riise

2. LM - Riise
LB - Traore

3. LM - Kewell
LB - Traore

personally i will go for option 1 or we can shift kewell to the right flank. wat u guys think? :D


Personally i feel we can let kewell try playing on the right.Anyone noticed chelsea is now using our beloved G.H's tactic when he play duff and rubben who both are left footed on the flanks,but always switching sides so that they can cut in and shoot?

[United_Treble]

hope liverpool can beat everton

[SongLongZi]

we should taken the 3pts..as the for the aston goal..i think kirkland really should have save it...nevertheless still a good team performance..

[thesettingsun]

Why did Benitez play Traore on the left wing yesterday, with Risse as left back? A very eccentric move.

[Jinyu]

Why did Benitez play Traore on the left wing yesterday, with Risse as left back? A very eccentric move.
maybe he want to try traore as winger?

[stansays]

we should taken the 3pts..as the for the aston goal..i think kirkland really should have save it...nevertheless still a good team performance..

Thats the reason of keeping Dudek. Sigh... Kirkland should have save that GOAL. He was a bit off line and reaction is slow.

[spinelli]

Parry: 'Gerrard will stay, despite unrest'


Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry says he is confident Steven Gerrard will stay at the club whatever the outcome of Anfield's latest bout of boardroom politics.

Steven Gerrard: Staying put? (JohnWalton/Empics)

Chairman David Moores vowed to consider his future this week during a stormy annual general meeting in which it was revealed that at least two other interested parties were preparing bids for the club.


Gerrard, who was the subject of serious interest from a number of clubs including Chelsea in the summer, stated that Moores had been one of the biggest influences behind his decision to stay.

Parry intimated that despite announcing record £21.9million debts this week and coping with the rising costs of a projected new stadium, Liverpool are under no obligation to sell.

Parry added: 'We can't guarantee that any player is going to stay in this day and age and we were absolutely delighted that Steven recommitted himself to the club in the summer.

'But we are certainly not complacent about the future. What Steven craves is success on the pitch, it's not about boardroom politics.

'If we win silverware we will keep our best players. They can keep knocking on the door but it will not be opening, that is for sure,' Parry told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme.

Meanwhile Parry confirmed the club were courting two interested parties, one of which is the local multi-millionaire Steve Morgan, who has tabled a £70million bid.

It is Morgan's fourth bid to take over the club and Parry rejected claims that he was being prevented from launching a takeover.

'Steve would like to make an investment as would a number of other interested parties,' said Parry.

'We are evaluating our options in a fairly measured way and we look forward to reaching the right conclusion.

'It is about reaching the right conclusion for the next 100 years, not for the next few months because you only sell the family silver once.

'There is a proposal from Steve Morgan which is still on the table and has not been rejected by us, and is absolutely receiving consideration.'

Parry added that with new ground plans slowly progressing it was imperative any boardroom reshuffles were sorted out by the middle of next year.

'I hope that it will be resolved by the end of the season because it does create a climate of uncertainty,' he said.

'We are taking a measured view within the club but the continuing speculation just causes frustration for our supporters and I think we could do without that.'


Actually im very confused.I think we really need to get a new stadium before we can actually start to compete with the likes of chelsea,man utd,and now arsenal.unless of cos,R.B is able to get very good,cheap players,plus with his managing skills.But then again,with the take-over wars and financial needs,im afraid we will soon be another man utd,or should i say money utd.Liverpool now is still very much a family club.but then again if we were to remian like now,we might never regain former glory.and as a winning team,many "fans" will soon join us,we,being hard core fans for so many years will be labelled as one.sigh... :o

[alvinoyw]

and as a winning team,many "fans" will soon join us,we,being hard core fans for so many years will be labelled as one.sigh... :o

So you mean when you started supporting Liverpool back in the 70s or 80s, they weren't a winning team?

Many Liverpool fans back then were also labelled as glory hunters you know :)

Not a flame reply

[spinelli]

So you mean when you started supporting Liverpool back in the 70s or 80s, they weren't a winning team?

Many Liverpool fans back then were also labelled as glory hunters you know :)

Not a flame reply


oh fyi,when i started supporting them,i was just a kid who dunno anything about winning.heck i din even know what were they playing for!there's just a special kind of feeling when i see them.its like love at first sight.heck,i din even know there's team call man utd :s27: .when i fully realised whats the league is all about,they were no longer the "winning team".so?

[AhnNakata7]

So you mean when you started supporting Liverpool back in the 70s or 80s, they weren't a winning team?

Many Liverpool fans back then were also labelled as glory hunters you know :)

Not a flame reply
when i support liverpool it was manu winning the tittles-_-

[alvinoyw]

oh fyi,when i started supporting them,i was just a kid who dunno anything about winning.heck i din even know what were they playing for!there's just a special kind of feeling when i see them.its like love at first sight.heck,i din even know there's team call man utd :s27: .when i fully realised whats the league is all about,they were no longer the "winning team".so?

Good for u then :s8:

Btw no need to get so agigated, it's not like I hit the nail on the head or somethin

[X18]

when i support liverpool it was manu winning the tittles-_-
sigh..me too. i think is ard 1996..when i was 16? i remember is the year cantona scored in the FA cup final!! :(

[hwaa]

Thats the reason of keeping Dudek. Sigh... Kirkland should have save that GOAL. He was a bit off line and reaction is slow.

i hate that stupid kirkland, he just irks ME!

GET HIM OFF!!! :s27:

[hwaa]

hope liverpool can beat everton

i'll be hoping they win this coming CL match.

[gerrard17]

aiya, give Kirkland a chance lah.

dun forget he made so many saves for us in the past, some really impt ones. dun turn on him for that single error lah.

[hueman]

kirkland is brave and agile good shot stopper. what he lack are positioning and anticipation. that will come with experence. dudek made some grave mistakes as well and that changed his form drastically. i hope kirky is string mentally to take strength from criticism. keepers like d.james are critised for their entire career. but they always get up and keep playing. keeper is a lousy role to play. u do good, it's ur job. u make a single stupid mistake and ur head is hung.

we should be happy that we have 2 top keepers. one is young, big and gifted. the other is experienced and leaps like a leopard.

[spinelli]

Good for u then :s8:

Btw no need to get so agigated, it's not like I hit the nail on the head or somethin


nah,not at all,cos im bother by the likes of you at all :s8:

[Didjerama]

Why did Benitez play Traore on the left wing yesterday, with Risse as left back? A very eccentric move.


he wanted to add an attacking option...traore is by far a full left back while riise was more of an attacking player by switching position,he gave traore playing upfront plus riise playing up as well...anyway,they needed desperate measures..cos villa had a bad game

[xllms]

i wonder how true this is....hmmmm...





http://www.tribalfootball.com/december/austnews2071204.html

[samshio]

there is a strange link on the official liverpool website

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N146992041205-2054.htm


Rumours are abound on several websites that a takeover is imminent. The l4 group which consists of liverpool fan and hollywood producer mike jeffries , a unknown liverpool 'legend' suspected to be kenny dalgish and the kraft family.

apparently, the kraft family are sporting fans that previous invested heavily in the american football (not soccer) team the new england patriots, turning them from jokes to superbowl winners.



If this is true, we have reason to be optimistic. Hopefully, it will give rafa some additional money this jan.

[samshio]

interesting article on soccernet about rafa's influence


http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=318545&cc=5739

[SongLongZi]

die die must win tonight..

[hueman]

die die must win tonight..
die liow how to play next game?

but seriously speaking, i hope the return of baros gives us the firepower upfront. the midfield engine has been delivering good balls into dangerous position, but converting rate was really poor.

[CanIsayNo]

looks like liverpool are goin to the uefa cup

[CanIsayNo]

okay 1-1 pongolle scored and RB's reaction to the equaliser is to look at his watch

[spinelli]

what is gerrard doing!! :s27:

[CanIsayNo]

unnecessary yellow card

[CanIsayNo]

yet another disallowed goal for liverpool

[CanIsayNo]

olympiakos should have a player sent off... what is the ref doing..

[spinelli]

R.B is really amazing!!2 players that he sent on,scored within mins!!is it enuff... :o

[CanIsayNo]

is the ref biased? that was a clear penalty and that player should be sent off for trying to get mellor carded for supposed diving

[CanIsayNo]

OMG LIVERPOOL HAVE DONE IT... THE COMMENTATOR'S REACTION POWER LOL

sorry... a bit excited atm

[CanIsayNo]

oh yah it was gerrard who scored

[cracker]

Congrats to Liverpool !!!!

stunnin goal by Gerrad !!!

[CanIsayNo]

not over yet

[__CcW__]

are we safe 4 the time being ?

[__CcW__]

and i tot bringing on josemi was a mistake.. now he have the energy to defend..

HAIL BENITEZ !

[CanIsayNo]

yes... even the ref cant stop us from winning it

[spinelli]

I'm waking up tmr for champs league!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :s12:

[spinelli]

my dream came true!!!!!!!!!!!i dreamt last nite we won 3-1!!!!!!!!!!no kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CanIsayNo]

its over!!!!!!!!! i cant believe the commentator actually screamed when gerrard scored

[hueman]

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What A Goal!!!!!!!!!!!

[cracker]

Game over....

all the 4 representatives from England had continued their march into CL Rd 2 !!!

[spinelli]

I love R.B~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :D

[CanIsayNo]

oh well... winning it is all that matters... i forgive the ref for all his wrongdoings in this match :)

[gerrard17]

well done liverpool, truely a great european nite.

within 2mins of 3 subs respectively, we score 3 times. how remarkable is that. and how abt that winner!

[CanIsayNo]

was it pongolle's and mellor's first touch of the ball?

[Zef]

Liverpool forever !

[spinelli]

NEWS STORY
RAFA: WE'RE SURE WE WILL WIN
Paul Eaton 08 December 2004
Rafael Benitez has revealed the huge confidence in the Liverpool camp ahead of tonight's Champions League clash with Olympiacos by insisting: "We're sure we will win."
The Reds need a 1-0 or two goal winning margin to guarantee themselves a place in the last 16 of the competition.

Another memorable European night lies ahead and Benitez is confident his players will deliver the goods in front of a packed Anfield.

"We are sure we will win," said the boss. "Sometime before a game you can go into it thinking 'we don't know what will happen'.

"In football, you never know. But for this game, we are going into it sure we will win. That's the only attitude we can have.

"I don't think about not winning. I like these kind of games. This is why I came to Liverpool, so I could be a part of the atmosphere.

"We will play with a high tempo, keep the crowd with us and do our best to take control of the game.

"Our intention is to score more than one goal so we can be certain of qualification. Then it won't matter what happens in the other game.

"Of course, our mind must be focused on our own game. We know how important is for the club and for the future to win.

"The supporters live for these kind of games and we are sure they will be with us.

"The fans are very important to us and I don't think I need to say anything to them about the atmosphere because I know they'll be with us."

"We will give everything we have and show the mentality a game like this demands."

[__CcW__]

this reminds me of the 3-3 against Basel, where we attacked like mad after being down 0-3 at HT..

[spinelli]

bring on real madrid!!!:s22:

[pokka_]

From BBC Sports; http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/4068163.stm


Liverpool 3-1 Olympiakos

Steven Gerrard scored a stunning late goal to send Liverpool into the next stage of the Champions League after coming from behind to beat Olympiakos.

The Reds went behind when Rivaldo won a free-kick after a mazy run and curled the resulting free-kick into the net.

It left Liverpool needing three to go through and Florent Sinama Pongolle converted Harry Kewell's cross before Neil Mellor stabbed in from six yards.

Mellor teed up Gerrard to lash in from 25 yards to win it in brilliant style.


Liverpool came flying out of the blocks and had three corners in the first two minutes, one of which resulted in a disallowed goal from Baros for pushing on Giorgos Anatolakis.

Soon after, yet another Gerrard corner landed on Hyypia's head and the Finn will have been disappointed to direct his effort wide from six yards.

But their early momentum did not last long and the Greeks eventually began to keep the ball to frustrate the Anfield crowd, Rivaldo and Predrag Djordjevic the two most influential figures.

Rivaldo's free-kick flicked off Gerrard's head and flew over Kirkland's crossbar before Liverpool replied as Baros got the slightest flick on a left-wing cross to divert the ball onto Nikopolidis' post.

Rivaldo was beginning to stretch the Reds' defence and he manufactured a goal out of sheer brilliance to knock the stuffing out of Rafael Benitez's side.

The Brazilian skipped past four players before Hyypia brought him down 20 yards out, and Rivaldo stepped up to curl the free-kick home, though in truth the Liverpool wall parting like the Red Sea did Kirkland no favours.

Another Rivaldo run ended with a foul from Jamie Carragher that the referee deemed worthy of a yellow card, Djordjevic lashing the set-piece into the arms of Kirkland.

Benitez brought on Pongolle for Djimi Traore at the interval and it paid immediate dividends, the young French striker arriving at the near post to convert Kewell's cross to give the hosts renewed hope.

The Greeks refused to buckle and the game became heated with several off-the-ball clashes, Gerrard being booked for a wild kick that could have seen him dismissed.

But the captain was everywhere, desperately trying to haul his side back into it, and he was unlucky to see a 25-yard volley ruled out for a Baros' foul on Gabriel Schurrer.

Sadly for Gerrard, his team-mates were not up to the same standard, Kewell heading straight at Nikopolidis from five yards when it looked easier to score.

Having seen Pongolle make an immediate impact, Benitez tried his luck with Mellor and the young striker stepped off the bench to lash in a rebound to set up a grandstand finish with 10 minutes left.

Both Mellor and Pongolle had penalty appeals turned down as Liverpool drove on for that crucial third, but it was left to Gerrard, with the script written, to put them into the knockout stages.

Mellor set the 24-year-old up outside the area and he fired in a thrilling drive past Nikopolidis' despairing dive to sent the crowd into raptures.

Perhaps Liverpool could count themselves fortunate on the night, but for Gerrard it was nothing less than he deserved.


A captain's performance. Can Liverpool do without him?

[__CcW__]

we can.. if we sell him, the $ we received would be wisely spent by RB.. and we could easily replace him...
no player is bigger than the club

but at present, he's still the man !!

[CanIsayNo]

liverpool deserved the win... they totally owned olympiacos...

[charvet]

i'm so proud to be a red! proud of the lads too! :o

[Elver]

magical game...great team, master tactician

What worries me is that Gerrard will be out for the next game after collecting a yellow here..

But for now, celebrations!

[Elver]

Possible opponents of Liverpool

-Milan
-Inter
-Juve
-Lyon
-Bayer

[hueman]

kewell played well. can see that he is much sharper n his 1st touches were much better. he created the cross for the 1st goal and could've score 2 more. way to go!

[hwaa]

what's the half time score .. ?

[hwaa]

Liverpool forever !
yeah! :D :D

[Elver]

what's the half time score .. ?

Liverpool 0-1 Olympiakos

[hwaa]

Liverpool 0-1 Olympiakos

haiiiiiiiiiii!! wanted to buy A-H, odds $21 !!

but nvm lahs, liverpool won! very sad din't get to watch the match yesterday .. was trying to tahan all the way but fell aslp during the first few mins of the game. :(

[AhnNakata7]

PUT the chequebook away, Mr Abramovich — Steven Gerrard will not be coming.

:D:D:D

[origin05]

post video clips links here pls...

wana see all those goals ... :)

[xllms]

benitez is THE man !!!

wat a way to wake up today...:)

i have nothing but praises for this manager...absolutely top notch coach in football

having said tat, the only way he can keep Gerrard is to win this champions league and qualify for next year's champions' league, since LFC is too far off the pace to win EPL

keep it up...ur sleepless nights have not gone to waste and all liverpool fans truly appreciate all that you have done

xllms

[ah_leetw]

was it pongolle's and mellor's first touch of the ball?


i think so ....

[Mohawks]

Super Gerrard!

http://media.goal.com/200412/4391_big.jpg

[Keo_86]

Super Gerrard!

http://media.goal.com/200412/4391_big.jpg


more of these celebrations pics plz.... :D

oh...by the way...if any of you here got the link of the liverpool goals.....plz post here.... :D

[Mohawks]

more of these celebrations pics plz.... :D

oh...by the way...if any of you here got the link of the liverpool goals.....plz post here.... :D
waiting for soccerclip to avail them :look:

[crazynut06]

PUT the chequebook away, Mr Abramovich — Steven Gerrard will not be coming.

:D:D:D



u will never walk alone! :D

[Keo_86]

is Liverpool's form back??? from recent matches.....it's seems that liverpool are better and better.......

[thesettingsun]

Some of the Olympiakos players were very well-trained... if you get what I mean.

[SongLongZi]

superb gerrad!!! you nv walk alone !!!!

[Keo_86]

I simply LOVE the way gerrand celebrate the goal.....just like a bull charging non-stop....... :s13:

[__CcW__]

hi.. if u dont want to c the goals, pls dun click the links below.. =D

p.s the clips abit dark. pls tahan tt




pongolle (http://66.194.40.189/~boardint/Goal1.rm) mellor (http://66.194.40.189/~boardint/Goal2.rm) gerrard (http://66.194.40.189/~boardint/Goal3.rm)

[SongLongZi]

hohoho!!!..if Gerard Houllier still still the manager of pool...i dont think we can make a comeback win!! ..usually when pool were down...the most they can is only a draw..

[SongLongZi]

Possible opponents of Liverpool

-Milan
-Inter
-Juve
-Lyon
-Bayer



i tot is man utd possible opponents? correct me if i am wrong.

[CanIsayNo]

i think 2nd round u cant meet teams from ur country

[Virus]

i tot is man utd possible opponents? correct me if i am wrong.
Yes, both Liverpool and Man U got the same possible opponents, since both are runners-up in their grp.

[Vecta]

hi.. if u dont want to c the goals, pls dun click the links below.. =D

p.s the clips abit dark. pls tahan tt




pongolle (http://66.194.40.189/~boardint/Goal1.rm) mellor (http://66.194.40.189/~boardint/Goal2.rm) gerrard (http://66.194.40.189/~boardint/Goal3.rm)


thank you for the clips.
the passion of the night brought tears to my eyes.

[spinelli]

this reminds me of the 3-3 against Basel, where we attacked like mad after being down 0-3 at HT..


but iit was not enuff that time for us to go thru,perhaps thats the diff btw G.H and R.B? :s22:

[spinelli]

i think 2nd round u cant meet teams from ur country


not too sure about that cos i remember i read from the papers they change the format such that its possible now..maybe from 1/4 finals onward but not second round?anyone care to comfirm?

[spinelli]

both subs-mellor and pongolle both scored one and assist one,incredible! :eek:

[hwaa]

saw the clips liao, wow super goal for gerard and mellor goal was well taken also!
lol, later watching the replay, kinda excited!

NOW, EVERTON HERE WE COME!!!

[spinelli]

hi.. if u dont want to c the goals, pls dun click the links below.. =D

p.s the clips abit dark. pls tahan tt




pongolle (http://66.194.40.189/~boardint/Goal1.rm) mellor (http://66.194.40.189/~boardint/Goal2.rm) gerrard (http://66.194.40.189/~boardint/Goal3.rm)


bro ccw,how come cant view the clips?? :s11: