December 2008 Archives

LIVERPOOL legend Alan Hansen is starting to believe his former club are serious title contenders.

Ex-Anfield skipper Hansen said: "I have been tipping Chelsea for the championship all along, but the longer the season goes on the better chance I think Liverpool have got."

Liverpool looked in championship form as they beat Newcastle 5-1, while Chelseaa 2-2 drew Fulham.

MEMBERSHIP of Liverpool's newest football club has grown to more than 1,000 just four months into its fledgling season.

Newly-formed non-league outfit AFC Liverpool today reported impressive early figures after starting up in the autumn.

With fans paying £10 annual membership fee, which gives them the chance to vote on how the club is run, it has already netted around £10,000.

DIRK KUYT admits the hard work is only just beginning for Liverpool as they aim to end their lengthy championship drought.

The Anfield outfit go into the new year three points clear at the top of the Premier League after their resounding 5-1 triumph at Newcastle United on Sunday.

It completed an excellent Christmas period for Rafael Benitez's side, whose 45 points from their first 20 games is their best tally at this stage of the season in 18 years.

DANIEL AGGER has reiterated his desire to stay at Liverpool - but admits there remains a possibility he may move away from Anfield.

Talks are still continuing over a new contract for the Denmark international, whose present deal has 18 months remaining.

Agger was sidelined for almost 12 months with a metatarsal problem and, after returning to full fitness in the summer, struggled to regain his place in the starting line-up before Martin Skrtel suffered a knee injury in October.

LIVERPOOL'S destruction of Newcastle on Sunday will not have gone unnoticed in the manager's offices of their Premier League title rivals.

The manner in which Rafael Benitez's side swept aside an admittedly inept home side will have sent out the clearest signal yet that the Anfield championship campaign has real steel to it.

Manager Benitez indicated that if his team were still top of the table coming out of Christmas he would feel they were 80% towards being crowned champions.

And few would argue with that assessment.