Results tagged “liverpool” from Liverpool Banter - Join the debate with LFC fans, staff writers and club legends

A quick look back at some of our home results emphasises why a title challenge failed to materialise last season. Birmingham City, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Wigan all came away from Anfield with a draw - that's eight points dropped in what many would consider "home bankers" in a season that saw us finish 11 points off the top. Therefore, it was absolutely vital we got our home campaign off to a winning start against a Boro side who will surprise a few people this season, and what a way to clinch it!

RAFAEL BENITEZ and chief executive Rick Parry have vowed to "move forward together" after holding clear-the-air talks at Liverpool.

But it remains highly unlikely that Gareth Barry will move to Anfield before the transfer window closes in 10 days' time.

The working relationship between the pair had become strained by Liverpool's prolonged pursuit of Aston Villa midfielder Barry.

Benitez is frustrated over the failure to sign one of his leading summer targets, and once again questioned the speed with which the club deals in the transfer market.

That was taken as a slight against Parry, but Benitez now accepts that the chief executive was not solely responsible for the Anfield hierarchy's decision not to meet Villa's £18million asking price for Barry.

Liverpool's American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are concerned there would be little sell-on value for a player who is already 28 years old.

ALL bar one of Ian Rush's most productive top flight seasons were spent at Anfield.

That solitary season in exile was spent in Italy at Juventus - and both player and Reds fans alike were relieved when it was over.

But the Liverpool legend may well have endured other Italian jobs, as he reveals in his new autobiography "Rush," published this week by Ebury Press.

Rush was offered a breathtaking deal by Napoli in the summer of 1984, when he had just celebrated an unforgettable 40-goal haul.

Liverpool predictably and stubbornly blocked the move.

RAFA BENITEZ and Rick Parry have held clear the air talks in a bid to draw a line under the fallout from the Gareth Barry saga.

The Liverpool manager met his chief executive at Anfield in a meeting which was described as "positive" by both parties.

Their working relationship has come under intense strain over the last week as the chances of the Reds doing a deal with Aston Villa for Barry have receded considerably.

Benitez remains deeply frustrated over the club's inability to secure one of his main targets for the summer and over the weekend his exasperation saw him question the speed at which Liverpool do deals, a jibe which many believed was aimed at Parry.

RYAN BABEL believes he is ready to take his game "to the next level" - with Rafael Benitez confident Liverpool will see the best of the Dutch forward this season.

Babel returned to Melwood this week after missing the start of the Premier League campaign while appearing for Holland in the Olympic Games.

The 21-year-old scored in the group stages and helped his country to the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by Javier Mascherano's Argentina last Saturday.

Babel experienced a testing debut campaign at Anfield after arriving from Ajax for £11.5million last summer, rarely playing a full 90 minutes and limited to just 15 league starts.

LIVERPOOL are ready to walk away from Espanyol winger Albert Riera, rather than get drawn into another bidding war this summer.

The Spanish side reacted to renewed Reds interest in the 26-year-old by invoking a £16m release clause.

But if Espanyol refuse to lower their demands to something around the £9m mark, Liverpool will instantly switch their attentions to Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing.

The summer-long pursuit of Gareth Barry has caused internal strife at Anfield and the Reds cannot afford another prolonged saga.

England international Downing would be a more affordable option at £12m and would fulfil the preferred criteria of adding another English player to the squad.

Riera's agent, Magico Diaz, confirmed: "Liverpool want Riera but are reluctant to meet Espanyol's demands."

IN the week building up to the Matthew Street festival, the Beatles track 'We Can Work it Out' would seem very applicable at Anfield.

From Americans, to Barry, to lack of width there are so many things which need putting right before we can consider putting up any form of challenge for any silverware.

IT'S an old football saying - back him or sack him - and it's one Liverpool should be adopting with Rafa Benitez right now.

I share Rafa's belief that Gareth Barry would be an excellent addition to Liverpool's present squad. Equally I accept that he's not worth £18m.

But if the money is available in the club coffers and the manager wants to spend it, he should be given those resources.

That's how successful football clubs work.

Except it doesn't seem to be working that way at Anfield right now.

If the manager is allowed to buy the players he wants, you can then judge the manager on how those signings perform.

If Rafa signs Gareth Barry, and Liverpool don't progress into at least the top two, then the manager wouldn't have any excuses for a lack of progress. At the moment the Reds boss would be justified in saying he is not being allowed to do the job to the best of his ability.

LIVERPOOL are ready to turn their attentions to Albert Riera as hopes of bringing the Gareth Barry saga to a successful conclusion fade.

The Espanyol winger has been on Rafa Benitez's radar for some time and is under consideration to fill the Reds' troublesome left wing spot along with Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing.

Liverpool scouts watched Riera on several occasions last season and the 26-year-old is thought to have improved a great deal since he spent a year on loan at Man City two seasons ago.

Riera has already made it clear that he would relish a move to Anfield if Liverpool were to make a concrete offer for his services and a bid could now be imminent with the Reds' move for Barry all but dead.

The Liverpool board refuse to meet Aston Villa's £18m asking price for the England man, believing it to be far in excess of what the player is worth.

Benitez is now coming to terms with the fact that, unless Villa decide to reduce the fee for Barry, he is unlikely to be able to land one of his top targets for his ongoing team rebuilding programme and is ready to consider alternatives.

Tonight's trip to Standard Liege emphasises how drastically football has changed in the past few decades. Thirty years ago Bob Paisley's Liverpool - the previous season's English and European champions - met the champions of Belgium in the European Cup Final at Wembley, the pinnacle of the season between Europe's two top sides. Tonight, the Reds - England's fourth best team last season - meet the Belgian title winners with mere qualification for the competition proper the prize on offer, with a ball yet to be kicked in domestic football. Reaching the group stages would be a gargantuan feat for the club Ronny Rosenthal departed to sign for the Reds.

So it's that time of year again, the time of year when you start wondering where all that money you saved on not going the match over the summer actually went.

Well it probably went in Switzerland, or Berlin or even Oslo.

There is no getting away from the buzz a supporter gets during the close season, especially when there is an international competition which eats up most of June, then before you know it your back pencilling in holidays for work around midweek trips to West Ham and the like.

IT took just 22 minutes for the Fernando Torres-Robbie Keane partnership to click into gear on Saturday.
But now Spain's Euro 2008 hero wants as many minutes on the pitch as he can manage with his new strike-partner so they can hone a double act which can terrorise the Premier League this season.

Torres scored after just 22 minutes of Saturday's impressive 4-0 romp at Ibrox, before making way at half-time for livewire youngster David Ngog.

Keane didn't manage to open his own goals account for the summer, but there were clear signs of the two strikers linking up effectively - and they will hope to build on that in Norway tonight.

PEPE REINA today welcomed heightened competition for Liverpool's goalkeeping spot from the "almost perfect" Diego Cavalieri.

The Brazilian keeper again impressed in the Reds 4-0 win at Rangers on Saturday and Reina was quick to praise his new team-mate for the positive impact he has made on everyone at Liverpool since joining the club from Palmeiras earlier this summer.

FOLLOW all the action from this evening's friendly against crack Spanish side Villarreal on our Live Blog, starting from 8.15 (KO 8.30).

Hungarian hotshot Krisztian Nemeth is being tipped to make his long-awaited Liverpool debut after superb form for the Reds youth and reserve sides' last season and new £20m signing Robbie Keane and new French striker David Ngog could also both be in line for a first run-out.

The match was organised as part of the deal that brought goalkeeper Pepe Reina to Anfield three years ago although ironically he may not be playing any part in the game as he left the squad to be with his wife for the birth of his second child.

Story by David Bartlett

EVERTON FC have pulled out of a surprise scheme to allow their city rivals Liverpool to use part of Everton's Goodison Park stadium for corporate hospitality on match days.

The plan - which could have provoked reactions from both fan bases - was to use the corporate hospitality area known as The Marquee, at the Park End of Goodison, which would have been decked out in Liverpool branding when the Anfield club were using their rival's ground.

Liverpool said that, due to extraordinary demand for corporate hospitality at Anfield, it had been forced to look elsewhere for additional high- quality entertainment space.

Story by Luke Traynor

THE IRONY couldn't be more clear. At a time when the leadership of Liverpool is currently mired in doubt and mistrust, Anfield is remembering one of the most thoroughly decent Reds of them all.

Monday marks the 50th anniversary of former manager Joe Fagan joining the club back in 1958.

Throughout his career, his laconic and friendly style, always counterpointed by a firmness and a wealth of football know-how, won him constant admirers.

And in 40 glittering glory years at Liverpool, he remains the only Reds boss to achieve the coveted treble.

LIVERPOOL have suffered another blow in their attempts to raise transfer funds with the sale of Peter Crouch.

Arsenal had emerged as one of the forward's suitors earlier in the week but the possibility of Emmanuel Adebayor staying at the club has put that interest in jeopardy.

The Togo forward sent out mixed messages yesterday, first declaring he was staying at the Emirates only to later say that he had yet to decide on his future, with AC Milan leading the race for his signature.

SO FAR in Euro 2008, Anfield interest in the Spanish team's fortunes have been centred around Fernando Torres.

Liverpool's top scorer has made a goal, scored a goal, been substituted prematurely, denied falling out with his coach and denied that he's about to join Chelsea for a world record fee.

However, with Luis Aragones's side having already won Group D, 'El Nino' and most of his fellow regulars in the side were given the night off ahead of their quarter-finals showdown with world champions Italy.

EXCLUSIVE by DAVID BARTLETT

THE chief executive of the North West Development Agency has called for a "fundamental economic appraisal" of a shared stadium between Everton and Liverpool football clubs.

Steve Broomhead told the Liverpool Daily Post the idea needed to be looked at, given the current economic climate.

He is due to meet with Kop Holdings, Tom Hicks's and George Gillett's company, which owns Liverpool FC, next week. "More and more, it looks like if we are to upgrade the sporting stadiums for Merseyside, the ground sharing option has to go back on the table," Mr Broomhead said

Xabi Alonso appears to be on the verge of a move to Juventus meaning that his Liverpool career looks all but over and I for one will be sorry to see the Spaniard go.

SIR ALEX FERGUSON says he isn't bothered about the challenge of surpassing Liverpool's honours list - so convinced is he that Manchester United will eclipse their North West neighbours.

United won only their third European Cup this week after capitalising on a spot-kick slip from John Terry to defeat fellow Premier League team Chelsea in a penalty shoot-out.

When first arriving at Old Trafford more than two decades ago, Ferguson declared it his intention to "knock Liverpool off their f-----g perch".

Just a quick one to say Well Done to the Blues on their epic victory in the Champions League final in Moscow last night.

Great for the city, especially in Culture year, to see one of our sides performing so well on the Continental stage, makes you proud to be a Scou... what, you mean it was actually that lot from the wrong end of the M62 that lifted the trophy?

My mistake, easy to misinterpret the Cheshire-cat grins sported by so many Evertonians this morning for those of fans who actually know what a European Cup win feels like.

Ah well, at least one of their favourite teams is good at penalty shoot-outs...

ON May 17 1979, Liverpool ended the most astonishing league season in even Anfield's celebrated history - by shattering records galore.

On a one-sided Thursday night at Elland Road the Reds, long since crowned champions, demolished Leeds United 3-0 to reach a number of landmarks.

Yet another clean sheet gave Ray Clemence the goals against record; Liverpool conceded just 16 goals in a 42-match campaign, shattering Tommy Lawrence's top flight record by eight goals. Only four of those goals came at Anfield, again the lowest home tally since League football began 90 years before.

REVIEW OF THE SEASON 2007-08

THEY say the league table never lies. But what the standings for 2007-08 can never show is the traumatic developments during Liverpool's most recent campaign.

The bottom line is that, for a club that craves success and silverware, a second successive year without a trophy represents failure.

Rafael Benitez admitted as much over the weekend while also assessing his team's season to be "not bad, but could do better."

A fourth-place finish, down from third the previous year, and not reaching a major final for the first time under the Spaniard would suggest the campaign to be the worst of his tenure.

BY James Pearce

THE history books will show that Liverpool failed to get their hands on any silverware this season.

It was a campaign which promised so much but ultimately delivered nothing.

No cup finals, no open-top bus tour and no fairytale finale.

But there is one good reason why 2007/08 will live long in the memory of the club's supporters.

It was the season when an Anfield star was born