Super stuff Gerry,

I`m a bit like you pal,lost me appitite for footy will all of the shite going on with the borrowers.Had me focus on doing me bit in the fight against them.
Tonight reports everywhere are saying that Broughton and a perspective buyer have imformed the premier league that a takeover could be immanent.

Give`s us some hope that we could be near the end of this nightmare.If so we can look forward to a good season and get back to enjoying the footy and arguing about the match etc etc.

So until then we`ll keep doing our bit.A petition against the loan from RBS to the borrowers is to be submitted soon.So anyone who hasn`t signed it,do so,were not over the line yet,so do this little bit it only takes a minute or so.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/100/petition-against-the-rbs-loan-to-lfc

Cheers lads,and pray for good news soon.

Excellent stuff, Gerry.

Totally agree that Masch needs to go, The last thing that we want now is someone sulking all the way….

Is that true that Insua’s deal to Fiorentina is off? Can anyone confirm? If it is real, it could be a blessing in disguise…we now have 2 reliable left backs….

Signed my petition TT. Added my personal note as always. Can only wait and hope…

Interesting that Insua AND Aurelio are both on board for the upcomming season.

I’m glad Aurelio is going to be around for the next two years. Sure, he’s probably going to be competing with Torres for minutes on the Physio’s table, but none the less, he could possibly have a season or (dare I say it!) two injury free. That alone is worth a (free transfer) gamble! He’s good enough to cover the LM position (at a pinch) as well…

Shame that we couldn’t afford a quality LM (along the lines of Ashley Young?) and a legit striker (Carlton Cole?).

I’d love to demand that Roy plays Joe Cole as a supporting striker, but I’m thinking that Joe Cole will have to play out there with very little other options…

I’m certainly in your camp about letting go of Masherano Gerry. However, I don’t know if theres any club in the world (at the moment) that would fork out 20mill for a DM, let alone 25mill!- If Rafa wanted him so badly he would’ve included him in his contract negotiations. I believe Masherano will still be playing for Liverpool FC this season.

One small “silver Lining” for me is that we no longer have to worry about the annoying fixture nightmare that the Champions League has placed on us in recent years. Perhaps we’ll stand a better chance for silverware as a result…

Figured I’d throw a little bit of football talk in before we revert back to the stark reality of our club falling to American Capitalism in full swing…

I for one am looking forward to the new (sucessful) season, but alas until we have a new owner we’ll only be existing for a bank account safely in the Cayman Islands….

4-4-1-1

Torres(Ngog)
Aquaman
Joe Cole, StevieG, Mascerano(Lucas), Kyut
Aurelio, Agger,Carra,Johnson
Reina

I wonder if Roy has the balls to play with 3 CB? ie. DAgger, Kyriakos/Skrtyl, Carra… Would be bloody interesting in the cup games…

I think you’re right to concentrate on the football Gerry. We all know you aren’t turning a blind eye or sticking your head in the sand. And I think we all need a place to just argue/discuss on pitch matters, while not loosing sight of what’s happening in the background.

At the moment, I don’t think anyone knows what’s happening. I hear one thing from people I respect, and then the complete opposite from other people I respect.

It seems to be down to 3 offers – This Syrian fella, Kiri, The Rhone Group and Kenny Huang. A lot of people seem to think the first two are at best, the worst we could do, at worst, just more smoke and mirrors from H&G. And Huang is the only real alternative.

But then other people who I respect, are just as suspicious of Huang.

I really don’t know. What I do know is, there’s a 3 and a half year nightmare about to end. I suppose we should just be happy about that for now and hope the money men get it right this time.

Great blog Gerry. It is not only your blog is drifting but our emotions have also gone on a roller-coaster ride. It is such a sickening feeling when we don’t know what is going to happen to the team. Before the world cup the talk about the players leaving really made a mess on our heads. When all hope were lost, it is a pleasure seeing FS taking the fight to the Yanks. As a fan I think the sanity was kept up by people like FS and others in this blog. Kop power has also played a part in keeping Gerrard and Torres here. Hopefully the KOP power is enough to send the Yanks back home. Now the players have stayed, hopefully we will find a decent owner. I think we deserve it after the shit the yanks gave us. And this is my wish, hopefully Roy will be our Bob Paisley. Bob took us to the dizzying heights of six League Titles,three European Cups, one UEFA Cup, three League Cups, five Community Shields and a UEFA Super Cup A good backbone built by Rafa and wish Roy will give the finishing touches to take the team to a greater height.

Thanks Timmy for reminding me that I had not signed the petition and putting the link It is great to read Gerry’s blog again and with the Hodge as manager and some very good players,actual and potential, signed up,I feel that all is much better than the gloomy picture painted,I look forward to the next season,and YNWA everyone.

God, all this waiting around for some solid, definitive news is a killer. We’ve been told and fed so much bullshit over the last few years that I can help but reserve any excitement until the Yanks are gone, done, dusted, never to be seen again.

Anyway welcome back Gerry – you were missed – the children became unruly at times

nice one gerry.

agree about defour. in my opinion, he’s the most exciting potential replacement for masch that we’ve been linked with. if we can bring him in and a couple of quality left-sided players, i’ll be genuinely optimistic about our chances of making the top 4

Good read as always Gerry!
On a more light-hearted matter: There are only 8 teams entered on the Kopblog Fantasy League. C’mon guys, pull your fingers out.
For any of you interested…I have received (via email) 2 really good documents/spreadsheets on the EPL. One is an Outlook calendar, which lists all LFC’s games for the season. Opponents, date, time. It updates automatically, and comes up on your Outlook (email) as a reminder. I also have an Exel spreadseet with all the EPL games, dates etc.
Not sure how I could share it with everyone (I’m a bit IT challenged), so any suggestions? Wouldn’t want a bunch of email addy’s appearing on Gerry’s blog mind!
Sorry to post something other than the impending takeover & the state of the club…

Rafa – I’ll be doing all my fantasy football business next week so I’ll join then

Rafalution,

You can get Liverpool’s Calendar from Google Calendar if you have a Google Account. The calendar can be saved into open formats that can be exported to other calendaring software.

If you need help at it, just tell me how to email the instructions to do so.

Thanks Ax, that’s where my mate must have got it from. I have it installed, so no worries. I was just wondering how I could share my ‘fantastic find’ with all the other Kopbloggers.

Rafa, what is the link for the fantasy footie? Would love to get my hands on that excel spreadsheet. The only way I can think of is if you could email it to me?
Thanks… Welcome back Gerry. Hope this time next week, we all are smiling as there has been precious little to smile about lately.

Idhawan,

Here you go…

http://fantasy.premierleague.com/

Go in and sign up same as last year and then click `join private league` and enter this code.

353783-134603

Idhawan, maybe you can email me & I will reply with the spreadsheet attached – it really is pretty good.
Gerry, hope you don’t mind me ‘publishing’ my email address on here? Anyone who wants it can just drop me a mail.
[email protected]

I made the fatal mistake of checking out the first 5 minutes of the early morning SkySportsCast last night before I wne to bed… only for them to be reporting this Syrian fellas bid was in an advanced stage and the only real bid being considered.

A spokesman for Kirdi’s investment group told the Daily Telegraph, “Yahya Kirdi, who represents a select group of investors from the Middle East and Canada, confirmed today that his group is in advanced negotiations with Thomas Hicks and George Gillett, co-owners of Liverpool Football Club, to purchase 100 per cent of the club.

“Agreement has been reached on all major terms including the purchase price, repayment of the existing bank debt from RBS and Wells Fargo and financing of a new stadium in Liverpool’s Stanley Park. A formal purchase agreement between the parties is in the final stage of negotiation.”

…errr…. Am I the only one truly concerned with that?

One of the things that immediately leapt out at me in this report is the loan from Wells Fargo?
Wells Fargo holds a loan against the club?
I don’t suppose that’s where the 100 mill they paid the 350 down to 270 came from??
Hmmm?

This deal stinks to me.
Kirdi is a friend of the G&H families. Hicks Jnr runs the Hicks Saudi Business interests.
The money behind this deal is from “Saudi and Candian” businessmen and, well we ,know GG is Canadian.
What are the odds, more shell companies have been set up with better loans to buy out the RBS loan, and we’ll end up still in G&H’s hands???

…oh…
and lads… PLEASE… stop saying things like “Now the players have stayed”
Yes I know they’ve intimated that.
Yes I know it is highly likely.
But DO NOT RELAX for a second!
There are 27 days on the clock for G&H to fuck things up and force players out.

There goes poor Aitch again with Gerrard and Torres on their way out the door..

anyway: all doesn’t seem straight forward with the Kenny Huang deal:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/7926533/Liverpool-takeover-Kenny-Huang-has-not-made-formal-offer.html

Deja vu? I’m tired of this bullshit. I wont be doing any cartwheels until the club is SOLD. In the meantime emails and letters to Hester are in full effect!!

Arthru, no club have made bids for Gerrard and Torres so its easy for them to ‘commit’.

Aitch i think the Syrian fella is a bluff from Gillette to up th price.How convienient Alan Myers from SSN got an email at 2 o clock in the morning right on time for the morning headlines.

Whatever about the Harris fella,who claims to have a bid on the table from a consortium.He started the red knights who want to buy the Mancs and is an avid fan of them.
The man even did the interview in his office with a manc shirt up in the wall behind him.That was sky anyway with their shitstirring ways.

Don`t know what to believe any more.I`ll just have to wait and see what happens with Kenny Heung.He might have said he didn`t make a bid,but it dosen`t mean he`s not in the running.Maybe its a tactic from him,i don`t know how the business world works.

Don’t be fooled by that Arthur…
I just can’t be arsed going through all this right now. I’ll just say, from all the sources I trust, it comes down to this…
Huang is the only game in town. The rest is all delaying tactics by H&G as they hope to ride this out and cling on.

Sounds like more bollocks to me, that only Kiri’s spokesman saying that to the press, nothing confirmed or anything, and he’s a close friend of hicks junior, you can always judge a person by the company they keep or so the saying goes

It’s not a bid Timmy. It’s a “proposal.”

Legal shenanigans mate.

As far as I can tell Kenny Huang hasn’t made a formal bid to H&G because he went straight to RBS.

I remember Aitch going through the shell-within-a-shell process whereby Hicks’ companies bought themselves out only to continue trading the next day.

Make no mistake, this is the greatest danger we face at the moment.

A week ago there were no bids received. Since then (prince) Kenny has flushed out another 5?!
Bollocks.

Smoke & mirrors…

But H&G are threatened with making little or no profit when they had been rubbing their sweaty, grubby little palms together expecting to be rolling in it. They’ve turned away £50million each profit a few times. They will not give up whatever profit is left easily And I can imagine them fucking the club over just for the hell of it.

We’re not out of it yet, my friends…but, Fowler, I feel optimistic!

Now for some football talk…

Must say I’ve missed your writings Gerry.

Captain Invisible, huh?

A departure from conventional wisdom. I feel all this talk of players like FT9, the Captain and Pacheco’s comings and goings has done a lot of harm among the fans. All such stories do, even when untrue is to create unnecessary anxiety. Like Mascherano’s case, sometimes it’s just better letting them leave if they’re so inclined.

Related to the above para, it’s good to remember that John Houlding’s club began with one leftover Scottish player (don’t know his name), and a ground (Anfield). This is from where the legend that’s LFC was born. Whoever wants to stay will stay, regardless of finances or lack of PL titles. Carra as always is way ahead of most players at LFC.

Hodgson is some parts Rafa (organization and singular focus on his club) and in some ways a throwback to the Boot Room tradition. We can already see glimpses of Shankly’s pass-and-move philosophy, and Rodge’s own blooding of youngsters His calmness, level-headedness and experienced maturity will guide this club well through the Dark Ages that are G & H related.

My realizations are that Rafa WAS ahead of most of English soccer. Not only did he deploy a 4-2-3-1 long before it became the norm, but he also used zonal defense and rotation long before it became the English norm in lengthy seasons. Even seasoned pundits and ex-players (Ian St. John, Lawro, Grobelaar and Hansen) didn’t get it.

Look at the youth foundation he left behind. N’gog, Lucas, Insua, Kelly, Pacheco, Amoo, Ngoo, Mavinga, Suso, Spearing, Dalla Valle, ad infinitum, which Hodgson looks set to take to the next level. Our first XI isn’t half bad either, the lack of depth notwithstanding.

Hodgson will join our pantheon of legends to me if he can: 1) Make this squad overperform ala Fulham (which Mohammed Al-Fayed is economical with in his “truths”), and, 2) Managing expectations of fans with actual results in squad development and making the Reds competitive.

Right now each fan is apprehensive about the club’s future, and with good reason, yet there are signs that the future isn’t as bleak as previously thought. The stay of Torres – regardless of media conspiracies and explanations; addition of quality like Joe Cole and Jovanovic; plus the first XI’s continuity (GJ, Reina, Gerrard, Carra, Agger, Skrtel, Kuyt, Lucas), will push us much further than casual observers are willing to acknowledge and see.

If only the “owners” would leave. That would be like new signings altogether. It would be the final gift that totally lifts Kopite hopes and aspirations.

As always a mature, subtly humorous and very good read.

YN(Ever)WA(Ever)!

We have 5 CBs at the club, but we’re still to replace Big Sami. Read StevieG’s book and even he says that before Big Sami was signed up we we’re lousy at set peices.

Last season we were lousy defending set peices, sure we got a little better once Cara’s form picked up. BUT the problem will still exist that zonal marking with out a big, dominant CB will mean we’re still going to be weak at set peices…

Do we need to sign a 6th CB?

Defensive organisation needs to improve this year. My hope is that Roy can do better than Rafa could in this regard.

Who says we’re going to play zonal marking? Where will Gerrard play? Where will Cole play? Will we revert back to 4-4-2 or maybe 4-4-1-1?
These are just some of the interesting questions that we won’t really get an answer to until the real stuff starts in a couple of weeks time, so let’s just wait and see.

Haha, come to think of it, I think the biggest question is how do we shut Arse-shaving down next weekend to be honest…

Aye … not to mention that Rafa actually had some of the best defensive stats in the Prem for almost his entire tenure at LFC.
So if Roy can “improve our defensive organization”, we’ll barely concede a fuckin goal all seaosn… especially with the best Keeper in the Prem!

And Arthur, behave yourself lad, “poor Aitch” never said anything about Torres and SG leaving. I suggest you read it again, lad and stop putting words in my mouth.
I in fact said it was most likely they’d be staying…
…but the so-far-released details of this Kirdi bid stink to high heaven, and G&H still have plenty of time to fuck up all our hopes and dreams!

Is no one else concerned by the mention of a loan to Wells Fargo that needs to be repaid???
I can’t believe no one has commented on that!

Supposedly, G&H only owed RBS 270mill… right?

And if this is all bullshit and Huang is the only real deal on the table and he has done an end-around G&H to steal the club for 270million from RBS…. then surely that is extremely dangerous since G&H wil look to get their pound of flesh elsewhere… like firesaling players?

Speculation? Sure.
Unlikely? Doubtful.
Wild, unfounded paranoia? I think not! This is G&H we’re talking about.

There is an interesting article over on live4liverpool.com that claims to have compared Kirdi’s statements from today with those made by a “similar” consortium that was rumored to be buying the club back in April.

Apparently today’s statements are near word for word with those April statements(and this might explain where the “Wells Fargo loan” thing came from?)

… and they are speculating that G&H simply lifted those statements from April and PR blitzed them to Sky and the papers today.
Sounds reasonable?

Yeah we did have a great record defnsively while rafa was at LFC,lol, like I said Big Sami was there for most of that time, was a massive rock in our defence, not to mention chipping in with some great goals!

I’m saying that Sami has yet to be replaced and till that happens then yeah, maybe zonal marking may not be the best system for us. I don’t really know, but us having five CBs with only Kyriakos being the only one that’s dominant in the air doesn’t quite sit well with me.

Yeah, the whole thing stinks Aitch. I suppose we’ll only know for sure in due course. God knows how Roy could get our squad in order for the new season with so much going down…

Doom and Glom is rife, I wouldn’t even want to know how many thousands that G&H are syphoning off each and every day…

I see where you are coming from lancy, in re Sami.
Not entirely sure I agree though.
Skrtel isn’t bad in the air, and even Agger isn’t that bad… there has just been too much inconsistency from injuries to get them playing together I think.
But hopefully they’ll all stay fit this season and we’ll see the real deal.

When you get past all the ownership bollocks and if we can get to Sept 1 without too much damage being done in that regard… this team is a whole lot better than a 7th place finish had some folks thinking it was.

As for G&H’s thieving practises…
It was supposed to be somehting like 14,000 per day, they are skimming. That’s just from the interest they charged us on the 100k loan that Kop Holdings made to Kop Cayman, that went to pay down the RBS loan held against LFC.

Custodians my Arse!
Its like one of those fuckin shell games, it really is.

just wondering if this is in the news over there or if anyones aware of
ynwa,great blog
http://www.benzinga.com/10/08/411824/tom-hicks-and-the-texas-rangers-bankruptcy

Yeah John, that’s been well covered in here many times over the years… No matter how many times and different ways you read it, you still feel sick wondering how morons like Hick sleep at night…

Hicks won’t be sleeping very comfortably now that’s for sure, mate. He’s shitting it.

I came into tell you lads, that Tony Evans or Tony Barrett will be doing a live podcast on all this for the Times today. I should imagine it will be Barrett, unless Evans can do it from Spain.

There’ll be plenty of actual information in there. Sadly, I’m out all day and will probably miss it, but I’ll find out what gets said and report it in here if no one else is able to listen and put it up.

As for meself, here’s the bits and bobs, I’ve been getting told by people I trust….
Again – it’s all smoke and mirrors. The one proper “proposal” is Kenny Huang.

That’s the “proposal” that has been taken to the Premier League. Of the other 6 “bids” I only know a bit about 3 of them…
Rhone Group… aka Hicks.
Khirdi Group… aka Gillette.
Keith Harris Group… no one is quite sure on this one, but tend to think it’s more likely to be Hicks due to one or two things in the past.

Harris is the fella Aitch mentioned, who done the interview on Sly in front of a Mank shirt. He’s also been fronting the consortium that tried to buy them The Red(Barron) Knights (Anyone gets that gag I know they’re old).

I could show what dirty work they are by putting up the Khirdi statement. It’s quite hilarious actually. You should read it, but this nutshells it…
Harris actually turned around and said, £350 million is to low a price for LFC.

Ever hear of a potential buyer telling the seller the price is too low?

No, me neither.

And I suppose it could be mere coincidence that £350 million is how much Huang has laid on the table.

As for Huang, well, I was told a few days back to watch out for a rocket that he was about to launch on H&G. It’s been launched…
It’s being denied but Huang is being backed by CIC, that’s the overseas investment wing of the Chinese Government.

That doesn’t sit too easy with me. But if it’s genuine – and from everything I’ve been told it is – we will have more money behind us than there is in the whole of football.

Whether that’s what you want or not, and I honestly don’t, it’s the end of our money woes.

So anyway, in a nutshell…
It’s going to get very dirty over the next few days. H&G are desperately trying to hang on. They have even turned against each other (Nothing new there then), as they try to keep their own nose’s in the trough.

As for the money Aitch, it’s all very murky, indeed. Nevermind Wells Fargo, there is money owed to Mid-Ocean Partners… Christian Purslow’s leveraged buy out merchant company. And there’s more shadey dealings going on, and went on, behind closed doors, that we’re probably never going to get to the bottom of.

It’s dirty in that world. But it should all unravel over the next few days or week or so.

As for the footy we’ll play under Woy…
Well, he’s 86, he’s played the game one way for all of them years, I can’t see him changing now.
So, pretty much what you seen at Fulham….
442, with 2 solid/static banks of 4, with 2 upfront at all times, and good old English “they don’t like it up Captain Manwarring” man to man marking.

Doesn’t go much for that fancy foriegn melarkey our Roy… “Rotation, bloody rotation! Nay lad, nay. I’ll tell you when you’re tired.”

Might seem a bit harsh on Mr. Hodgeson that, but it’s the truth. It’s the way he’s always played the game. It’s served him well during his career and got him to where he was before this gig got thrust upon him. So, I’d say, unless he has somehow magically changed in the few weeks he’s been here, that’s what we’re going to get.

Unless someone knows better, I think the question is… is he going to change it now?

I shouldn’t imagine so, anyway.

seems a fairly negative assessment of Roy FS – I say we see how the first few weeks of the season pan out before we start judging him as a one dimensional fuddy duddy

This one from Rory Smith – Huang backed by CIC
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/7927305/Liverpool-set-to-be-bought-out-by-Chinese-government.html

Reports suggest we are on the verge of signing Christian Poulsen. Roy certainly likes his Scandinavians. 30 year old defensive midfield player who has been warming the Juventus bench. Oh the joy.

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is pleased Fernando Torres has pledged his future to the club after admitting the club would not be able to turn down a massive bid for the Spain striker.
Both Chelsea and Manchester City were rumoured to be considering a British transfer record bid for Torres, but he returned to pre-season training this week and insisted his commitment had not wavered. Liverpool clearly did not want to sell the 26-year-old but it was felt had they received a bid in excess of £50million they would have had to seriously consider it.
“The important thing for Fernando and for us is that we have a good season – he as a player, us as a club and me as a manager,” said the 62-year-old. “Who knows what next season will bring? We could have a fantastic season and the players will not want to go anywhere or we could have a worse one and there will be more speculation.”
He added: “It could be he does so fantastically well and an offer comes in like the offer came in for Kaka or Cristiano Ronaldo (£56million and £80million respectively – both from Real Madrid) which is impossible to turn down.”
I hope that is not an invite for Man City or Barca to table an offer we can’t refuse….

Arthur what do you reckon?

With respect to our Chinese fans/bloggers, the fact that the Chinese Govt is behind Huang also doesn’t sit too well with me. I’d rather it be a pvt individual or entity. However, reading Rory Smith’s articles (plus others), they (CIC/Huang) seem to be the only ‘real’ bidders i.e. the other offers are all bullshit.
I must say, Roy (and he does have my full support) has made a couple of strange forays into the transfer market. I mean Luke Young (thank f%$k) it didn’t go through) & now Poulsen? The guy is average at best?

Chinese government, eh? There’s a whole load of moral issues to be considered if it turns out Huang succeeds in his attempt to buy the club and LFC will build its future on money from the Chinese government. Wouldn’t even know where to start on that one. Don’t think many of our so called supporters would be bothered though, except for the ones who have fought the hardest to get rid of the Americans. Most of the fans of today couldn’t care less as long as they get some entertainment from their favorite team.

Perhaps it would make some kind of traditional sense for Liverpool to be owned by a socialist state. Red strength and all that. I’m not sure if I would consider the values of the Chinese government any more worrying that those of any other potential buyer (if there actually are any of those). But as FS says, there will also be a question of money involved. Us becoming the new Man City buying players left, right and center just so no one else can have them just doesn’t appeal to me one bit.

What I would like to see is LFC with good solid financial ability, strengthening the team enough every transfer window to challenge for the big titles and no more than that. I would also like to see us having young players coming through the academy and making their way to the first team, which will be unavoidable in the future with the home-grown regulations. We will just have to wait and see what happens I suppose.

Concerning Poulsen I think we’ll just have to trust Roy on that one. He knows the player well and if Roy says he’ll do a job for us I will trust in that assessment. I never liked what I saw of him myself, and I just can’t imagine he’s anywhere near the quality of Mascherano, but at least he deserves a chance to prove me wrong.

Momo Sissoko keeps Poulsen out of the Juve team more often than not. Selling Masch and replacing him with Masch is an almighty step backwards in my opinion. I actually rate Lucas more highly.

The Chinese government thing doesn’t sit that well with me either – what with the human rights issues with Tibet etc. I dont know enough about these issues to claim the moral high ground outright but my comfort levels are not at optimum levels.

Selling Masch and replacing him with Masch? Wow. I meant replacing him with Poulsen.

(I’m typing while handling a plate of chicken and rice).

Poulsen ain’t great – he couldn’t even get into a very average Juve team – was Sissoko keeping him out?

But to honest LB, Roy currently doesn’t have the cash and although some in here might say “Why is Roy buying a 30 year old when we’ll probably be taken over and have loads of cash next week”

Well as we all know, this Huang-led deal may still fall apart and there is no guarantee that even if it did, Roy would have time to bring in players before the close of the transfer window. Basically Poulsen is on his way because:

a) we don’t have much money at the moment

b) Mascherano is probably leaving – but it could go right down to the transfer deadline, leaving little time to buy a replacement

c) I don’t think Roy want to only have Lucas as only DMF in first team squad if thw whinging Argie leaves

d) Roy knows Poulsen – perhaps he can get something out of him

I know Carl Cort but if I was manager of Liverpool I wouldn’t sign him as back up for Torres

Yeah, Momo and Felipe Melo were keeping him out.

Melo is decent enough.

Momo – is a no no for me

LB,you should be eating a plateful of “bangers and Masch”.
Can’t wait for the season to start.

Considering Felipe Melo had a terrible season at Juve last year and was still keeping Poulsen out of the team, it doesn’t make sense Roy still rate the Dane. From what I’ve seen of him at Juventus, he’s a had a really hard time getting his positioning right, which I think is supposed to be his main attribute.

Considering the ball tempo is quite a lot slower in the Serie A than the Premiership, one does have reason to worry if Roy intends to use Poulsen as our main holding midfielder this season. I’m not optimistic about this, but I don’t doubt Roy knows a lot of things I don’t.

LB,i`m afraid as things stand Poulson is the level we`re at when it comes to signing players.Like it or not our market(or players we`re linked with) is Poulson,Luke young,Koncheskey etc.

Until the ownership situation changes,we`ll have to bare with it.If the takeover is on the cards,i`m sure Tom and George won`t be parting ith too much money for Roy.

Apparently,Poulson fell out with the manager at Juve and by all accounts did well at Seville.So we`ll just have to wait and see

All things considered Lucas will be playing most matches in a holding role. However I really wouldn’t be surprised if Mascherano is still with us. Not sure Inter will want to part with £30

I’d rather Lucas start and Poulsen wear the tracksuit. I doubt Masch will leave now simply because I doubt any club will make Liverpool an offer they will consider. It was made public that Masch wanted to leave yet not one club has made even a cheeky bid.

Arthur mate, I’ve gave my honest assesment on Mr Hodgson a good few times. I stand by what I said, and, in all truth, I think I’ve been respectful and supportive over all.

But someone mentioned what type of footy we’d see and I gave my honest assesment of that, and I also stand by it.

Roy is 64. He’s played old traditional 442 all his life. It’s served him well, especially at Inter when he was brought in to steady a rocky ship…
Seems logical to me that he will stick by the tried and tested. And in all truth, I’m behind him on that.

Let’s face it, Roy hasn’t been brought in as the future and to start a new era at the club.

He’s been brought in for several reasons, all we’ve touched on before. And that I’ve backed him on…
I’m quite happy that he has refused to just keep schtumm and has alerted us to what’s happening on a few occasions.

But under normal circumstances, would he be my choice of LFC manager?

No.

And in these circumstances, I think there’s no real point to discussing any players, coming or going, right now. Of course, that’s what we will do. It’s what all footy fans should be doing at this time of the year… Charity Sheild in two days, kick off next weekend.

But while all this is up in the air, there’s honestly not much point.

If H&G manage to hang on, we’ll get nothing from them. They’ll use this as another smokescreen… We couldn’t invest in the squad under these circumstances.

If they somehow manage to con the banks again and put in a puppet regime like the Syrian, same thing… We’ll get nothing.

If the China bid wins and ousts them, who knows?

But even if they do manage to force their way in, I think it will be too late for re-inforcements to be bought.

And I honestly can’t see them getting control in time. H&G will have to be dragged out kicking and screaming. There is a new television deal coming. They will be after getting their snouts in that trough. They are both in trouble financially and the only real hope they have of getting out is us.

So get ready for some really bad infighting.

One good thing I will say about Huang and the Chinesse bid…
I like the style in which it’s been done. I love how they are trying to force that pair out with fuck all. I like how they have kept everything under wraps and not played it out in the media. I also like the way they are denying everything and not giving anything away.

That, at least, is the way things should be done. As for all the other worries, well, I suppose we’ll just have to face up to that when we come to it.

And yeah…
I think you’re right on Masch, LB.
I was going to include that in me post, but forget and then seen your comment when I’d posted.

And I think you’re right. The only real interest in Masch was from Inter/Rafa. And they haven’t said anything yet, and no one else seems to have the dosh.

Only Man City have spent a significant amount of money so far. Things might get more hectic as we approach the end of August but up to now the transfer window has been rather quiet across the board all over Europe.

I read on Tomkins website that Liverpool’s net spending this transfer window is 20th out of the 20 PL clubs. Lets hope this is not a direct correlation to our league position next May.

This is a right laugh

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/7928215/Liverpool-takeover-10-transfer-targets-for-Roy-Hodgson.html

That is rather funny to be honest. But they forgot Uncle Tom Cobbly an All.

Just got the update on the podcast…
Tony Barrett did it. Just like everyone else I trust as a reliable source, he’s adamant that the Huang bid is the only genuine offer and that it’s backed by the CIC, the investment wing of the Chinese government.

He practically called all other sources, Liars. He was damning of Sly Sports, practically accused them of helping H&G fuck it all up. And from what I heard…
get strapped in it’s going to be a rocky few days with all sorts of dirty tricks being played, but it could go through in days…
Yep. It could all be over in a matter of a few days.

But then, I’m not holding me breath. Been bit a few times too often by all this.

I read on a reputed Indian website that 2 Indians Subrata and Ambani are also in the fray. Any thoughts?

Right lads here`s the Barrett Q&A well most of it,the lad that posted it,his laptop went on blink for a bit…

Tony Barrett:
Afternoon, we may as well get straight into it because everyone will be desperate for information abut what is happening at Liverpool at the moment. I know I am!

Thursday August 5, 2010 14:29

To make life easier for the mods and everyone else, I’ll just keep updating this post.

Comment From Mike
Tom Cannon(SSN) suggests The Times may well have got it wrong with their big story. Got anything to say back?
Thursday August 5, 2010 14:35

Tony Barrett:
Mr Cannon is perfectly entitled to his opinion and he can point to his own record of calling the big issues rightly or wrongly.

Comment From Barrie
Is this a lot of fuss about nothing? DIC were financed from the government coffers and everybody was lauding them at the time.
Thursday August 5, 2010 14:37

Tony Barrett:
Good question Barrie. There is a lot of fuss but I’m not sure it’s about nothing. There is a battle on to own one of the world’s most renowed sporting institutions and that is always going to create massive interest. Add into the equation that Liverpool could be bought by the investment arm of the Chinese government and you’ve got a massive talking point on so many levels. I take your point about DIC though, there is nothing yet apart from indications to indicate that Liverpool will be put on sound financial footing if they are eventually bought by Kenny Huang.

Comment From Phil
Tony, is there any danger in your eyes that Broughton could opt for a deal that favours the Americans over the club’s long term health given that he was brought in by them to sort out the deal?
Thursday August 5, 2010 14:40

Tony Barrett:
You would certainly hope not Phil. When you look at it Martin Broughton appears to have two options. 1. Do the right deal for the Americans, watch Liverpool’s problems multiply and see his own reputation go up in flames or 2. Find the right owners, secure the club’s future and take his place in history as the man who helped save Liverpool FC. Surely that would be an easy enough decision to make for a man of Mr Broughton’s renowned business acumen.
Thursday August 5, 2010 14:42
Comment From Guest
Tony, If the Chinese do take over is there any indication that they will speak to the SOS union to get our view on how the club could be better run for the fans ?
Thursday August 5, 2010 14:43

Tony Barrett:
Afternoon Burnsie, I would expect any new owners, whoever they may be, to speak to supporters groups. Obviously, the new owners would have the right to speak to no-one if they so desire but in the best interest of the club you would hope that they would embrace fans in a way that Hicks and Gillett totally failed to do. The more open they can be with supporters the more they will be trusted and that would obviously be better for everyone than the situation we have had for the past two or three years.

Comment From Ashley Escobar
Tony, how comes the club can’t do anything to stop people like this Kirdi joke publicly stating he is negotiating a buyout when we know he is infact not? Surely there is an element of criminality in stating false facts to inflate the price of a company?
Thursday August 5, 2010 14:46

Tony Barrett:
To be fair to Mr Kirdi, there is no evidence that he is artificially trying to lift the price, although there are obviously people who feel this is the case. The problem with the sale of a club like Liverpool is it is such a high profile institution that it is always going to attract massive media interest and one of the by-products of this is you will always get people trying to take advantage of it and make a name for themselves. It is up to Barcap and Martin Broughton to sort out the genuine investors from the impostors and until an unless Kirdi is categorically ruled out of the process the media has to treat him with a degree of seriousness even if we feel his actions will not ultimately match his words.
Thursday August 5, 2010 14:50

Sorry lads, laptop was acting up….

Comment From Mike
Your mate Tony Evans made a fool out of himself this summer, with im saying Gerrard and Torres where deffo leaving and it was all doom and gloom,
Thursday August 5, 2010 14:51

Tony Barrett:
Alright Mike, the nature of journalism is you will sometimes call stories right and sometimes you will get them badly wrong. I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my time and I know for an absolute fact that I’ll make many more in the time to come. Without wishing to defend my boss (I’m quite happy for him to get it in the neck from time to time), the situation with Liverpool has been so fluid and changeable this summer that it has been hard to call anything right one way or another. At the end of May I was convinced that Liverpool would lose Gerrard or Torres or both. By the end of June I didn’t think that would be the case but there were still plenty of people, including some at the club, who feared Liverpoool would lose at least one of their star players. That hasn’t happened but anyone who thinks it was never a possibility is misguided.
Thursday August 5, 2010 14:55

Comment From Dave
How confident are you that CIC are behind the bid, another boradsheet is reporting that Kenny Huang PR agency has released a statemnt that CIC are not behind the bid.
Thursday August 5, 2010 14:55

Tony Barrett:
Hello Dave, to be fair the line about CIC wasn’t mine so I can’t be 100% sure of anything. The story was written by Helen Power, our business reporter who has unbelievable contacts in the financial world, and Tony Evans, who broke the original story about the interest from Mr Huang. I wouldn’t hesitate in backing their judgement on this because they are about as close to the issue as it is possible to be. But there may be some smoke and mirrors to come simply because this is such a complex situation and maybe we won’t have conclusive confirmation about who is and isn’t involved in the bid until it is or isn’t accepted.
Thursday August 5, 2010 14:58

Comment From Tony
Do you think James Milner is a possibilty?
Thursday August 5, 2010 15:03

Tony Barrett:
You would certainly hope not at the price Aston Villa are quoting. If Liverpool went down the Manchester City route of buying mediocre players at vastly inflated prices it would be almost as depressing as having no transfer funds at all.

Comment From Peter
Hi Tony, when do you think we will see a completed take over announced?
Thursday August 5, 2010 15:04

Tony Barrett:
Hello Peter, I keep hearing different things. Someone said to me earlier on today that Huang’s bid is now “unstoppable” and could be complete within a week. Someone else said I should stand by my phone – whatever that means – because it could happen any day. The only thing that is clear is that Huang’s bid has momentum.
Thursday August 5, 2010 15:05

Comment From HAtem
Hi Tony, Forgive me for being negative but we seem to get a whole waft of takeover rumours just before the deadline for refinancing with RBS – What makes you think this is genuine?
Thursday August 5, 2010 15:06

Tony Barrett:
I appreciate your cynicism, it’s fully justified given everything that’s happened over the last few years. This situation is different, though. Huang’s interest is bona fide, as confirmed by the banks involved and Huang himself, and talks are currently taking place at a very high level. We have never been at this stage before.

Comment From James
Is this transfer budget of £150m anything like reality? If so where is that information coming from and who are realistic targets?
Thursday August 5, 2010 15:09

Tony Barrett:
Hello James, again that wasn’t my line. That piece of information came from Tony Evans who is as close to this situation as anyone. All the indications are that Huang will invest heavily in the playing squad if and when a takeover is complete. But as ever the proof will be in the pudding. Just as long as he doesn’t promise to sign Snoogy Doogy I think he’ll be on the right lines.
Thursday August 5, 2010 15:11

Comment From Steve
From the information you have from you’re sources, what does you’e gut feeling say when it comes to the next name over the door at Anfield?
Thursday August 5, 2010 15:11

Tony Barrett:
I’d say Huang is clear favourite.
Thursday August 5, 2010 15:11

Comment From Pete F
Tony, Its been denied this afternoon that Kenny Huang is being backed by the Chinese state, via a statement.
Thursday August 5, 2010 15:12

Tony Barrett:
Hello Pete, that’s not the situation as I understand it having communicated with Huang’s representatives in the last hour. I stand to be corrected if there is other information available though.
Thursday August 5, 2010 15:13

My favourite was: “Just as long as he doesn’t promise to sign Snoogy Doogy I think he’ll be on the right lines.”

£150m investment in the playing squad? A very broad smile stretched across my boat race when I read that bit.

Come on, you cant blame me.

Okay…
would EVERYONE…. PLEASE…. STOP…. typing …
speculation regarding who “Roy is buying” or who “Roy is selling”

The man has stated several times that he is NOT involved in player sales or purchases….
…it is PURSLOW that is doing the buying or selling…
…and therefore these decisions are NOT being made on the merits of a players ability, but on their current acquisition price (or mores to the point lack thereof) and sale price!

If we are going after Poulsen… it is solely to sell a player for 20-30 million and replace him with one for 5…
…netting G&H a tidy 15+ million to run with before they get arse-fucked by this chinese deal!

…ball… bouncing… “oooh, look at the pretty Magician’s Assistant. I’d give her one”

Ahh Timmy, I was wondering if someone would do it. I didn’t want to block the blog up.

#57: All I can tell you is what people I respect have told me…
There’s only one serious bid.

I could end up making an arse of meself and have it entirely wrong, but I trust the people who’ve been telling me these things.

But as I said, from what I’ve been told, it’s going to get very dirty over the next few days. So, expect loads of conflicting information and shit slinging… I was actually told that last week.

It was weird, everyone was feeling a little low and it felt like we’d reached the end of the line. All I could do was hint at there being something going on. Well, that hint meant this.

The papers reported it Sunday. I was told it on Saturday, and I was told the bid, excuse me, Proposal had been lodged last Friday.

I was also told that H&G would squeal when it was announced and would do everything they could to block it. And I was told Huang had a “rocket” to put up them when they started…
Seems that Rocket is CIC and it has been launched but being denied.

That’s the way it’s going to be, but hopefully it will be all done and dusted in a matter of days like the in the know lads seem to think.

Anyway, off to watch the Robotnick game…
Big up to old Woy. He’s playing 4231, with 2 sitting midfielders. Wonder if the press will leather him for that….

And he’s got Pacheco on. Watch this kid. The secret’s out the bag I know, but fuck it, I’m claiming it…
I told you seasons back. This kid is going to be the proper McCoy.

One flaw Aitch…
The players have been the cheapest ones Rafa lined up. If there was any sort of ambition it would have been Arda Turan. But hopefully old Woy has found Rafa’s notes and will swoop when our Kenny gives him a few bob.

Aitch, Poulsen looks like a Roy Hodgson type player to me. I cant see Purslow knowing who the fuck Poulsen is. Unless he hacked into the Rafa database.

HA!
Fuckin English media…
Roy’s just done his pre-match press do. It cuts to the talking heads…
“Roy’s had a great start. I know Rafa did, but Roy’s done great hasn’t he?”

Well, yeah. He’s got a hundred percent record, he’s played one game. He’s won.

Gimps.

And that Ray Houghton, I hate him. You know when we leather some of the pundits/experts and that, well, his name never comes up.

But I tell you what, he’s one horrible spiteful little bastard. I clocked it on Talk Shite awhile back, and since then I’ve listened to him…
Why the fuck has he got an agenda with our club and Rafa?

He’s standing pitch side now, giving out plenty. Prick. He should be down on his knees kissing that turf…
Average bloody footballer who got lucky. Fitted our system, got into the Republic team, became imortal with that goal against Italy in the USA, and so he’s made a good living ever since….

I hate footballers at times.

What bloody channel is this game on??

No flaw FS… what you say is simply an addendum to what I said.
And I’ve said that before too.
Our incoming have been no different to those we’d have if Rafa had stayed.
And as you also know, yes…Arda Turan was a Rafa target twice, so there you go…. like I said… not a flaw… an addendum to what I said.

…and ditto on Razor.
Loved him as a part of that immortal 80′s set-up.
He looked good with the likes of Beardsley, MacMahon, Barnes, Rush, and Aldridge around him… but then again, who wouldn’t???
But a cunt since!

I have no doubt Roy told Purslow who he’d like LB… but all this bollocks about who Roy is “after” is nonsense.

Roy has about as much input into who LFC buys and sells as you or I!
Well okay, maybe a bit more, but not much.

Everytime he’s asked in a press conference he defers the question.
Its fuckin embarrassing for the man, and I’ll bet he can’t wait for Sept 1, whether we’re sold or not, just so as to put that shit to bed, and just “concentrate on coaching my team”!

ITV4 LB.

Lighten up Aitch, I was backing you up. You div. It was a dig at Purslow.

But in all trutht, I’m made up he’s grabbed them. In fact, if Poulsen’s Roy’s idea, I hope wee Christian keeps buying the players.

Half time now, just come into say, some of us are going to have buy ear plugs…
The stage is set, get ready for a season of how Roy has let Rafa’s team off the reins, removed the leg irons and took the shackles off.

It would knock you sick, but the agenda is alive and well, indeed.

PS… and watch out for JonJo Shelvey. He’s going to be the bizzo that boy.

Can’t do it FS.
Even if the Chinese deal is signed, sealed and delivered tomorrow, and G&H were burned at the stake 2 hours later…
…Sept 1 … is when I’ll lighten up!

On the other hand, we’ve just torn the arse out of a 2nd rate Macedonian team and appear to be on the brink of wining the league… so there’s that!

If you say so FS,but for crying out loud get rid of Eggnog somebody. I know he has scored some goals but so he should with all the chances given to him. He just isn’t LFC material-send him back to France!!

Joe Cole looked really good. Jovanovic looks very quick! Surprised me. Left footed Kuyt with pace is my description of him.

Didn’t really learn anything else new.

Aitch in all honesty, it was very enjoyable. I know it was no more than a training excercise but it was good to watch.

Roy’s got problems….
for such a shite squad that was left behind, he’ll have to do some pruning. We’re spoilt for choice mate.

Kelly had a great game. The new Janovic fella looks a player. Cole slotted in. Pacheco looked off the pace. No big deal. He’s probably a bit knackered from his recent exploits, but he’s an obvious talent. Aquilani impresses me more every time I see him. NGog, the lad’s raw but he’s got it….
Then you have to start on the real 11. And the lad’s who didn’t even feature, Reina, Dirk, Babel and that other Spanish fella.

Yeah some shite Rafa left behind there, eh.

But anyway, looking forward now. And even felt the buzz tonight.

Someone was on about us having no header in the back 4, but I swear you know why the best Liverpool team ever was…
it was because of Hansen and Lawrenson more than it was about Rush and Dalglish.

In other words, I think all the ingredients are there. Arsenal, the acid test in 10 days. But I’m happy and confident.

We’re all just going to have to block our ears. The commentary was, and is no doubt going to be, fuckin woeful.

But anyway, with a bit of luck, it looks like it’s…
onward and upward.

Jack I agree Ngog can be very frustrated but he’s a kid with little senior experience. He’ll squander his fair share and make some poor decisions in the final third as a result.

Lads, I don’t think anyone in here doubted Rafa left a decent squad. It was the fact that he seemed unable to get these bunch of players to play anything resembling decent football last season, that was the problem

anyway, this was a glorified friendly tonight so no one should read much into it.

can we get this straight? last season it was the AWAY form that really let us down, despite all the shite going on…

Agree with the match comments – Ngog was good but should’ve had a hat-trick. Cole was excellent first half as was Gerrard. Jovanovic was excellent second half. Kelly and Johnson did well throughout. We weren’t weakened by the subs coming on.

A good result against a potential banana skin…

…but none of it means diddly squat until the two carcinomas have gone.

Just caught up with the comments.I was working all night and didn`t see the game.I`ll try and catch it later but by all accounts it was a walk in the park.

Fats your right #61..Sorry Gerry for copy and pasting the Tony Barret Q&A,it has clogged up the blog a bit.I posted it because the Times are charging anyone who wants to look on their site and i thought a few might not have seen it.It didn`t look that long when i was copying it from another page.So incase there might be trouble from copyright shite you can remove it now if needs be.

Jack: I reckon Ngog will prove a lot of people wrong this season – as will Lucas. He is still a youngster, and 3 goals in 2 games. I know, mediocre opposition & I didn’t see the game last night. But he still managed to stick it in the back of the net.
When Rafa signed Shelvey (is Rafa getting ANY recognition for his & Wilson’s recruitment?), I posted on here with a link to Youtube, saying that he looked a cracking prospect. He is 10 times better than Spearing IMO, and he has been likened to Gerrard.
FS you are right (again). Liverpool played their best foorball (ever?) when we had Lawro & Hansen at the back. Dagger reminds me of Hansen i.e. comfortable on the ball, skill, class & Wilson – what little I saw of him in the freindly – also looked composed, with skill & a brain. Keeping possession, playing from the back is the key. We have one of the greatest exponents in that, in Pepe. But too many times last season, we panicked a the back. Carra or Skrtl would just give it welly, and then we would be defending again. Would love to see us knocking it around again, starting with Dagger playing a one-two with Stevie & then making a surge forward. Rambling on a bit here, but them were the days. And let’s hope they return.
Timmy, thanks for posting that Tony Barrett thingy. Interesting read .

“It was the fact that he seemed unable to get these bunch of players to play anything resembling decent football last season, that was the problem”

Very poor opposition but not one hoof from the back. It’ll be interesting to see if we get anymore of that whole “get that round thing away from me” attitude over the coming season.

BTW, who were the 2 holding midfielders last night?

Cole and Jovan will create lots of chances, with Torres injured, who will score the goals?.Still need to sign a striker.

#80 I was taking the piss, the fact is we’ve never played with 2 holding midfielders. That’s paper/pundit bollacks when they wanted a stick to whack Rafa with.

And Arthur, if that was the case and the players refused to play for Rafa last season, does that sit well with you?

Because if it was, which I don’t think it was, isn’t that a disgrace?

It was 45 quid to get in there last night. I’m not going until the yanks have gone, but I would have been there last night otherwise. They done loads of interviews before the game with supporters last night. Then there was a piece on the BBC news about the take over, and, again, the cameras went around the ground showing the fans before kick off… I seen 2 lads that I knew.

That was it… 2.

I’ve been on the phone with me mate this morning. He said it was salute a Scouser night, meaning no one was there.

And this is modern day football at Anfield…. Players who can’t be arsed to play, and not a local in sight… It sometimes makes me think why I bother. It’s not what I signed up for.

Some guy with a ton of money has invited a few of us who have been fighting the yanks to a cracking day out…
Tickets for the Kop for Carra’s testimonial and then a free be to the dinner do that night. It should be a good night. I’ve knocked it back.

I’m a Kopite. A working class, aul scally Kopite. I’d prefer a pint in The Albert after the match with the lads than a black tie dinner do, sat at a table with the new Conservative MP for Liverpool….
Yes. A fuckin tory MP has got in in Liverpool. I’ve never in my life known of such a thing. And I admit it, I’m a dinosaur, a relic that doesn’t belong anymore really. And more and more of us are feeling the same way.

I’ll stop there before really going on a depressing rant and putting everyone on a downer. But I don’t care who that pisses off. It’s the truth. Liverpool FC was never just a football club to the likes of me. For fellas like me who grew up through the Thatcher years, the club was our pride. The heart of our community. The one thing they couldn’t take away from us or spoil. And no matter what the rest of the country thought of us, no matter how badly they treated us, we had LFC… something they could never have or steal away from us.

HA! They’ve took the fucking lot. And not only have they took the lot, they’ve done it purposely and systematically. Soon there’ll be nothing left. Karaoke on the Kop for the middle classes.

I don’t know what’s going to be worse for me this season… watching it on the telly and listening to that constant pre-scripted Rafa bashing and Woy Fest, or actually going and feeling like an interloper in me own back yard.

A big part of LFC died last season. I’m not daft. I know football has been going like this for years. I’m not some anti-out of country or out of town keep the Kop Scouse facist. And you lads know that, even though what I’ve said has no doubt pissed some of you off.

But put yourself in my shoes. Think of something you consider precious in your own back yard being taken away from you and your kids, family and friends like this. It’s not nice.

To me Rafa Benitez was more than a manager. He was in a way, the last link to what I loved. He got it. He refused to be part of the system. He fought our enemies. He wouldn’t back down and play their game. He loved us. He knew what was happening, and they done away with him because of it. And as far as I’m concerned, any players who helped in that process – even just by not doing their best for us, the people that pay their wages – are a fucking disgrace.

I honestly tried to concentrate on the good last night. I even got excited watching it and started to get the old buzz back. But Yankee carpet baggers, mystery money men backed by the Chinese government, un-loyal players who don’t give a fuck, and a Scouse-less Soul-less Kop…
Nah, not for me thank you.

Well fuck me dead, the game didn’t make onto the screen over here. Souds like it was good watching, alas though it wasn’t on, fucking Setanta had the Man City friendly one day late.
.
Well done YOUNG Ngog another goal.

A Tory MLA in Liverpool, what is this world coming too. Maybe the last one is still on holidays in the Caymans.
.
Times have certainly changed in the sity of culture.

Aah, FS, it’s not all doom & gloom. Surely not. The 2 bastards should be gone soon, and I know the fact that it looks like the (inhumane) Chinese Govt is behind the bid by Huang doesn’t sit well with a lot of folk, but…
At least their intentions are good – well, seem to be. Read this piece in the Guardian, I’ve also seen it on another site. The fact that they do NOT want H&G to walk away with a red cent (scuse the pun) is bloody marvellous! It tells me that they, too, know what lying, treacherous scumbags these 2 are. It also tells me that they have a finger on the pulse of LFC – they know the craic, that we (the fans) have been sufefringt under this regime. I mean, all they (Huang) want to do is pay off the debt, build the stadium, and provide an annual transfer kitty that will rival all the other clubs.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/aug/06/kenny-huang-liverpool-takeover?
I am taking it for granted that their intentions are honest, but they do seem to get it, don’t they (re not letting G&H walk away with a profit)???

FS, I wasn’t being condascending in the previous post. I totally understand what you are saying re Karioke Kop etc. I still sit & watch the old movies (black & white) of the Kop bouncing along to the Beatles, the fans singing YNWA with absolute passion etched on their faces. Maybe you were there, in that footage from the 70′s?
So how do you fix that? Unfortunately, due to Sly etc, footy has become commercialised. There is no stopping that, and there is no stopping OOT & indeed, OOC fans pitching up on match day, taking photos, recording the ‘atmosphere’ on the Kop. What can you do? As long as we get a full Anfield (well, once G&H are gone anyway), still sing the good aul anthems, still applaud Kuyt or whoever when they make a 30-yard run to tackle Gary Nipple. You cannot change the momentum of commercialism. At least we don’t (yet?) have the atmosphere of Old Twatford, the Bridge, Emirates etc. At least Fields Of Anfield Road still gives me goosebumps when I’m watching on telly.

I know mate. It just gets so depressing at times. I was okay last night. I opened a nice chilled can of lager, poured meself a nice port and lemo – big pint glass loads of ice, lovely – and settled in to watch the match.

My post last night was honest. I did enjoy it, actually watching the football like, but the rest of it did my head in.

I know it is what it is, and it’s not going to change back to suit me. But us aul arses are entitled to a little moan every now and again. You poor lot probably feel like I felt when arl arses would say to me…. Back in my day.

But it’s true mate. It was better. It might be much more comfy now, and some things are better. There’s no point in lying just to make meself right. Some parts of going the match now are a million times better. I certainly don’t miss getting legged by hoardes of lunatics everytime we got off a train in some hell hole.

But it’s the systematic destruction that’s doing my head in. I’ve never had a problem with people from other places coming to Anfield. And without them today, we wouldn’t be able to compete at the top end of the game. I know lads from all over from back in the 70′s that still go the games. Funny thing is, ask most people who support Liverpool and aren’t from there what attracted them to LFC. Ask them what it was that made LFC the club they preferred over Man U or Arsenal, and a majority of them will say, The Kop.

I understand that. It was something in it’s day, and even know we all know it can still raise it’s self above any other crowd/stadium. But it’s going mate. It’s going to end up like loads of other working class ways of life… a museum piece.

And why…
the simple persuit of money. Plain as that, nothing more nothing less. And I can’t help but be saddened by that from time to time.

Some good posts here lads:

anyway seems things are getting closer:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/aug/06/kenny-huang-liverpool-takeover

Can I just mention one thing, possibly two, Sky sports and commercialism are not the reason people, video or photograph, Anfield and the game. Our club is the type where to these people (me included) its a dream come true, not just to watch the team, just to see the fucking ground.
.
If all our team ever amounted to was one locally supported team, then bitter, blue and Everton would all we would ever of been.
.
We are football royalty because someone seen the need to make people love Liverpool. They made the team exist for all, not just some. Sadly that seems to be our Achilles heal, so to speak, we’re more valuable away from Mersyside than on it.

FS didn’t see your comment, look the Sydney Cricket ground is famous world wide, it has a special place called Yabba’s Hill, long since turned into an outdoor stand rather than grass. Mate people still come from all over just to see the fucking concrete hill, just so they have been to Yabba’s Hill.
.
The Kop is famous and that why people go, can’t begrudge them that. Its as much the reason players sign as tourists attend.

Sorry folks but Ngog may be young and he may score some goals, I repeat, he is just not LFC material.Perhaps I have been spoilt by the likes of Liddel Kenny Rush Owen Callaghan and many others I could mention.Hell,if I was given all the chances he gets, then I could stick it in the back of the net (and argue later- in the words of the immortal Shankley).
Everton have a lot of young players,they play well,not in the syle of the Reds of course.
Anyway,if I don’t fall of my perch,I am coming over to stay with my younger sister in Southport for almost the whole of October so I should be able to get to a few games-even away ones like Blackpool,Bolton Wigan,Blackburn -if the price and things go right!
In a way Eggnog reminds me of Voronin-he couldn’t score either and he got far fewer chances.
Anyway toodle-pip friends and give ‘Hodge’ all the support he needs.

Ahh you see, that’s why I said I knew it would piss some people off. But you know what, I make no appologies for that. And if you don’t get my point, so be it. I don’t particualy care.

No one can accuse me off being parocial in here. There’s not one of you I haven’t offered to help with tickets and so on. All my mates are the same. It used to be a point of pride when people started turning up an Anfield from all over the place. Many of us aul arses still have the original Supporters All Over The World scarves from the 70′s.

Outside support was always welcomed at Anfield, unlike some other grounds. And why you seem to think Everton is just suuported by locals is beyond me… that’s a Bluenose myth that they like to weild against us. They have their own section of support from far and wide. So, they should. They are a great club with a brilliant history, and speaking for myself, I’d love to see them great again.

IT would probably be unbearable listening to them crow now. But I never grew up in them times. I’m from the Merseyside days when we didn’t identify our love for one team by our hatred of the other.

But that’s a different story. My point is the working class Scouser at Anfield is becoming an endangered species. Like the Rhino and Tigers, the tourists are coming in so many numbers now that they are starting to threaten the life of the very thing a lot of them have came to see.

Anyone over 30 who doesn’t see these changes in football as things that are threatening the game/sport we love as we know it, then you probably aren’t worth talking to about the subject because you’ll probably never want to understand anyway.

Jack, just let me know when you are coming over. I’ll do me best to sort you some tickets. But I must warn you, it’s not as easy as it was. So, I can’t promise you anything. But, if the tumors are removed by then, I’ll do me best to even be at one of the games you are over for and I’ll share a wee gill or two with you and introduce you to some of the last of the local species that are left.

And I’m honestly not saying it to be nasty, but I don’t particularly care if I upset anyone either. It’s the truth. It needs to be said. Something needs to be done about it. Hopefully when we get took over we can get the new owners to protect one of the main reasons why they want to own the club.

FS, when I went to Liverpool vs Boro a couple of years ago the atmosphere was shite. First home game of the 2008-09 season and we were losing 1-0. One thing did make me laugh though. Boro fans kept singing “We support our local team! WE suppoooort our local team!”. A local sat next to me said “So do I”. Well it did make me laugh.

Interesting article Arthur. As I said though – the cartwheels wont start until H&G have completely fucked off. Oh and I want Purslow sacked within the year.

Thanks very much FS for the offer of getting a ticket and a gill when I come over. Don’t worry about it for there are plenty of away games near to Southport(Crossens) and I know you are busy.
The last couple of times I had only managed to get the Anfield Road end ticket and it just isn’t the same as standing in the Kop.

why don’t they just allow locals season tickets on the kop surly it wouldn’t be that hard to do. and make sure the vast majority of tickets are sold local and not to sports companys and the like then whatever s left they could allow supporters clubs from outside the city to apply for?

Its changed,its changed big time.The atmosphere is been washed out of Anfield.
The cost of going the match now Fatty has deprived the young local lads from going to the match.Gone are the days when a group of lads hopped on the bus to the match and went(bunked!) in the boys pen.
Once Sky got there grubby hands on the game it was the beginning of the end of the working class supporter filling Anfield and in perticular the KOP.

Its something that we cannot get away from now Fatty.Its sad,so sad the like of you has to go through this transition.From the good oul days to the farce we have today.We do have the odd good belting atmosphere at Anfield in big games but most saturdays,(actually,even the 3pm saturday kick off seems to be on the way out too) the place is flat because there are so many people who don`t get it.

I`ll be honest,when i go in th KOP i love it.Most recent agianst Athletico Madrid,it was on song.I love being able to stand up and blast out all the LFC songs.Poor scouser tommy,Liverbird on me chest etc etc.
If i sit in the lower centenary,jesus i`m afraid to even shout something incase the men in the white coats come and take me away.If you try a sing song in there,you end up feeling like a twat because nobody else is arsed to join in.

Sad days indeed.

And as for the bluenoses,yes that is a myth.If the shoe had been on the other foot,lets be honest the red half would probably use that too.

FS, they always say if your not part of the solution, your part of the problem, so what is the solution to this problem.
.
However I will say one thing, I watched the Fulham home game last season, and thankfully there was countless tourists on the KOP, people from Norway, Denmark, South Africa, two sets of Australians, and of course the unmistakable scousers, you just can’t hide that voice.
.
Well with 10 minutes to go in a dour game, countless scousers were walking down the aisles going home, some yelling out Rafa, some yelling giz our money bak.
.
All the tourist around us stayed until the end and the gave a standing ovation to the players and Rafa. Yes it was a shit game but they came for the team and experience.
.
One couple from Adelaide, who were just behind us, flew into England that morning, as their plane was delayed, they couldn’t get a plane from London to Liverpool, so they took the Virgin Train, which only went to Preston, then they took a taxi from Preston to Anfield, getting there with 5 minutes to spare.
.
Now that is a fucking supporter, they still had their luggage, because they didn’t get time to get to their hotel. They clapped and cheered the whole way through.
.
At the end, as you know its difficult to get a taxi, or bus etc, so they both walked with myself and my daughter back to Lime Street Station. We all shared the bags, in the end great day, and a great experience.
.
What can we do limit the amount of tickets to out of region people, stop season ticket holders selling the seat to the highest bidder, stop hospitality packages, allow kids in free, get a bigger ground, whats the answer.

Thanks for settin up the fantasy league Timmy been deep off road in Cambodia for the last month
great comments lads there was about 8 blogs in the last comment section alone
will b back commenting when I get back in a week or so
great blog as usual Gerry
over and out lads

Nobody denies that our overseas support is great. I know lad’s from Norway, who talk English in a sort of fucked up Scouse accent – they’ve been going to Anfield that long. I know some personally that have came over week in week out since the 70′s. Great lads. Who the fuck am I to deny them a place on the Kop. No. You don’t get me point.

You ask what the club can do about it…
The club are too blame. Over the last few season’s they’ve purposely dismantled the local support.

While everyone was getting a chubby over Joe Cole signing they slipped through a near 12% rise in ticket prices.

First thing Joe said when signing…
I remember the CL semi final atmosphere. I’d never seen anything like it. I can’t wait to play in front of that week in week out.

Good luck with that Joe. You might be in for a bit of a shock there.

There is also a thing called All Red that’s been introduced. To be on the ticket list you have to be a member of that, and it costs a tenner a season.

To the likes of us lads, me included, an extra seven quid a week and a tenner a season doesn’t make much difference. I know it won’t stop me going to the 5 or 6 home games I get to in a season. But you try being a working Dad with 2 lads you take the match week in week out…
It’s a lot of dough for the average working man/family.

These are the people that are being phased out…
The next generation.

When I was a kid, it was like what Timmy said…
it took me 5 minutes to walk to Anfield. I could get in for a few spare coppers out of me Ninny’s purse. God love her. She was an Evertonian, went the games, home and away. I think she loved Dixie Dean like young girls with Beckham nowadays. She was great me Nin. Always mugged me to the match on Saturdays.

I wouldn’t even pay in half the time. We’d all just wait until the aul fella took he’s eyes off the turny on the Pen and gazzelle over it or scurry under it. IT was a great laugh. Go to Anfield now…. there is no local kids.

The club should be dragging them in, providing an area for them at reduced rates. Not fuckin locking them out. I know our supporters from all over the word are good people who love the club just as much as the locals. But they aren’t there week in week out. They don’t make up the new songs. They don’t keep the old traditions. If we aren’t going to go the same way as Chelsea, Arsenal and the Mancs, we have to do something about this.

Hopefully new owners will meet with the likes of SOS and work something out. Reclaim The Kop is now dead. Some people thought it was an anti-out of town thing. It wasn’t. It was pro-local… a big difference.

They met with the club and got two blocks of the Kop dedicated to locals who wanted to sit together and make a bit of atmosphere…
Well, that atmosphere turned into the anti-H&G protesters. So, of course, it was broken up asap.

There’s no nowhere for the locals to sit together and that’s why the Kop is bollacksed.

I remember we used to invite the visiting fans to sing and then we’d all go silent and wait for them to sing. As soon as they could be heard we’d drown it out with a huge chourus of, It’s Nice To Know You’re Here.

Sounds silly now, but it was dead funny at the time and then the Kop would kick off in full voice. It was something to behold. It’s gone. It’s sad. Something needs to be done. Or it’s Karaoke time soon.

Put an h on the front and play spot the difference….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rfihh4xrjU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqGwoTVqzO0

Yep. Both from the same game. Do you fancy the tables being turned?

Just read this…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/aug/06/kenny-huang-liverpool-takeover

I thought you lads would find it interesting, and here’s the nearest thing I’ve seen to an official statement…

Liverpool club secretary Ian Silvester believes the sale of the Reds will go through within “the next four to six weeks.”

American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have put the club up for sale, with consortiums from China as well as the Middle East and Canada linked with the Merseysiders.

Club secretary Silvester has believes a sale will go through soon, although not before the new domestic season gets underway.

He told Sky Sports News: “Well from what I understand, and that’s all I can say, that the urgency is there due to the pressure from the banks so I would anticipate that something will be happening within the next four to six weeks or so.”

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6298131,00.html

It’s only from Sly Sports, which seems desperate for the Chinesse bid to fail. But it’s from the Club Secretary so I thought it was worth mentioning.

Yeah, with you there fatty,
the popularity of liverpool (city & football club) with tourists has always been there.

but hicks&gillett (may they rest in discomfort) realised that in allowing the RTK they were creating a medium for militancy against themselves – the last thing they wanted was large numbers of passsionate, in-the-know supporters exchanging ideas together…

rtk had to go and they started breaking up seatin patterns that had been in existence for generations.

when i’ve been recently it’s only the european nights and the high profile matches that haven’t been like the emirates’ library or shhhhhh-old toilet.

what to do? engage rtk & sos once the carcinogens have gone…

…but i ain’t buying a ticket ’til they’ve gone

well over here for big G.A.A. matches tickets go out to the local clubs first whatever is left goes on general sale, maybe thats something that could be done with local clubs and schools in the city, give them priority and whatever is left over send out to supporter clubs.

Well maybe its something that could be looked into if the sale goes through.

It’s easily solved but it costs money. So that’s that. No one will do fuck all. The price hikes won’t get undone. The new ticket schemes won’t be unraveled and the high cost package deals will probably get bigger if anything.

Do any of you lads know they now have a corporate section on the Kop?

Yep… a place where the suits can safely slum it with the great unwashed.

They even commandered the Sandon. The bloody birth place of the club.

I think that was done as a fuck you to the supporters by Tom Hicks after his son got a pint thrown on him in there.

Who knows, maybe new owners will be more fan friendly. They should think long and hard about it anyway, because I don’t think whoever comes in will be greeted with the same amount of enthusiasm as the last lot. People are understandbly wary. Let’s face it, we have right to be.

Anyway, I only came in to say this…
While searching through all the shite about the take over, I came across this…

Liverpool club secretary Ian Silvester believes the sale of the Reds will go through within “the next four to six weeks.”

American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have put the club up for sale, with consortiums from China as well as the Middle East and Canada linked with the Merseysiders.

Club secretary Silvester has believes a sale will go through soon, although not before the new domestic season gets underway.

He told Sky Sports News: “Well from what I understand, and that’s all I can say, that the urgency is there due to the pressure from the banks so I would anticipate that something will be happening within the next four to six weeks or so.”

It’s only from Sly Sports, so I suppose that should disqualify it. But it’s from the club secretary, so I thought you should see it.

I suppose it’s just a matter of time now, but I’m still wary. There’s just so much crap floating around. Obviously the journo’s know fuck all, and they are making things up as usual. But the few people I trust on these things are still adamant that the Huang bid is the only one we should be interested in.

We’ll see. And right now, I’m more concerened about the start of the season. Let’s face it, preparations haven’t been right. I haven’t looked at what Arsenal have done, but I’m sure they’ll be more ready than us. We haven’t even got a left back really.

It seems Insua is still going to be unloaded and Aurelio will never get a full season in. What the fuck is that gobshite Purslow doing giving him a 2 year contract.

I like Fabio. And on his game, when fit, he’s a cracking little player. But how often is that likely to happen.

And in modern day football, I’d say full back is one of the most important positions on the pitch.

I suppose the next few days will show us what to expect for the season. H&G will definetely not allow another penny to be spent on the club. And we still have some problems with the team/squad, even more if Masch does go.

Funny enough though, I’m quitely confidant for the season. Obviously Roy doesn’t have Rafa’s tactical nouse, but I think his more direct, old English, 442 style will help us in games like Wolves and Wigan. Where, it could be argued, Rafa’s tactics were too clever. Sometimes, you need to just roll your sleeves up, get stuck in and try to batter lesser teams.

Oh well, we’ll see. And as I said, I only came in to post that statement by the club secretary, as I suppose it’s the nearest thing we’ve had to an official announcement.

4 to 6 weeks…
just can’t come fast enough for me.

I actually saw that interview FS. Sky cornered him as he was entering the club, and Silvester was goaded into saying it.
In fact he didn’t actually say it.

What happened was the interviewer kept asking him about the sale.
He kept saying he didn’t know any more than anyone else.
The interviewer persisted, specifically asking him if it was likely the sale would go through in the next 3 to 4 weeks.
Silvester said, and I quote “maybe you know more than me.”
Again, the interviewer persisted with the 3 to 4 weeks question.
And finally Silvester said, “yeah maybe 3 to 4 weeks, we can expect to hear about a deal, I don’t know.”

He just sorta agreed with what the interviewer had said, to shut the fucker up, after being asked the same question, in a slightly different way 5 or 6 times.
Then the papers quoted him as saying, as you quoted above.

And for the record, while there may very well be xenophobic fans on Merseyside, the vast ,ajority not only welcome OOTs, but encourage them.

Guys like FS and myself have converted faithful to the one true Red Religion, the world over.

OOTs are needed. Foreigners are needed.
Its about following LFC the right way.
What do you think the Liverpool Way was all about?

It was about doing things “the right way”.

And that is what FS is talking about when he talks about reclaiming the Kop and snapshot taking tourists.
An OOT… a REAL OOT FAN… is NOT a tourist.

The same goes for this marketing. It is a necessary evil. It is required to compete in the big money modern football world.

But just as there is a right way to follow the club…
…and a wrong way to follow the club…
… and a right way to OWN the club…
…and a wrong way to own the club…
… there is a right way to market something…
… and a wrong way to market something.

All we can do is hope that Huang and his backers, have really looked at everything G&H have done wrong…
… and get all 3 right.

And speaking of the Kop…
We are all pissed off about the lies the Yanks told over the “spade in the ground in 60 days”…
… but really…
we are very fortunate, they never started a new stadium…
…coz their plan was to foresake Anfield…
… for a mere 15,000 increase in capacity!

In my mind that’s the wrong move.

For any other club, that might seem a good move… but for us, you are leaving truly Hallowed turf and for a mediocre gain.

What’s needed is a truly magnificent stadium.
One that warrants leaving the old one.
The Kop is legendary by virtue of not only the people who stood on it, but by the “happy accident” of its design.
A design that acoustically amplified the noise made on it, and sent it fieldwards!

A new stadium needs a specifically acoustically designed NewKop that will allow for a recreation, or perhaps even amplificatiuon of the Great, Legendary Kop sound.
It should have a New Boys Pen… a Boys Pen for a new Generation… and a specific Dads-n-Lads section…
…and these two should flank the New Kop.

That should be the first idea on the sheet…
…and everything else should be architecturally designed around those 3 requirements…
…and it should have a capacity of 75,000 at a minuimum… otherwise we’re wasting our time and money…
…and then you can put in your corporate boxes and hospitality suites…

G&H did none of that, when they spent 50 million on designs for the glass house.

The pitter-patter of tiny feet resounds around the Kopblog recently (and a hearty congratulations to all you guys and your missus’s).

Me, I’m a bit of a veteran campaigner with five kids but I’ll tell you this…waiting for the news that we’ve got the all clear and the cancer has gone equates with the most terrifying moments in all those births – and some of them were far from straightforward!!

Waiting for the delivery of a child, you can’t see ahead. There’s a wall in front of you and, for good or ill, life changes beyond that wall. That’s where we are at the moment. We can’t see what’s coming but we’re hoping there’s a joyous occasion and a big fat cigar waiting.

4-6 weeks?
Aarrrrrrgggghhhh!!!

Come on Kenny, use the forceps…

I just finished watching the Damned United. Good film.

Yeh, but McrRed, what if we end up with Seed of Chucky?
Not a good film.

I saw it the other week. I really enjoyed it. Shame how Clough ended up. He used to be alright. I used to love watching him on the telly. He was a brilliant pundit. He’d never get a job today, far too knowledgable.

Thanks for the heads up on that interview. I only read the story. And to be honest, I really don’t have a clue. As I said, the few people I trust to know anything about this seem to think it’s Huang or nothing. But there’s other fellas who know a bit who are dead wary.

One thing I do know for sure, Hester/RBS have had it with the yanks and their shenanigans. If they smell a hint of H or G trying to hang in anyway, say through the Khiri bid or the Rhone bid, they’ll have no part of it. I’ve been told that by a very reliable source. So, it really does look like the end of the yanks just as long as some proper fit buyers are amongst the bidders.

Not that that means it’s all over, but I’d like to think it’s the beginning of the end.

That’s gonna make for a messy divorce though innit?
Its gotta be done, though, and if that’s the way, then its time to break eggs, in the process of making the ommelette… err… or whatever the saying is.

I’m a bit wary of the “we’ll buy the club and make sure G&H don’t see a dime of profit” statement that Huang has supposedly made…
…coz it Smacks a bit too much of “exactly what we want to hear” …
I’m hoping its completely made-up bullshit to sell papers… coz an RBS mandated take-over is gonna be hostile enough, the last thing we need is G&H digging their heels in even more coz they’ve been purposely antagonized.

How nice would it be to start the season under new ownership though?
Its almost too much to hope for… coz like I said, this squad is capable of far more than we saw last season.

Let’s merge the film threads, what about The Damned 2: Seed of Cloughy…

…wait a minute, didn’t he play for us already?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/aug/08/liverpool-rbs-takeover

decent article about how things might play out.

Yeah, Scouser (this is a new respectful, polite me), it’s hard to know what the ITKs know, if you know what I mean…

I trust the likes of Bamba & DVC (over on RAWK) but there are cautionary voices too. So who out of the ITKs knows more?

The beginnning of the middle of the end of the beginning of the end…?

i don’t do twitter really, i don’t get it, i guess i’m (getting) too old.

But notlucasleiva21 is back giving an insider’s view into what’s not happening at the club:

“Soto doing the thing with the knife & his hand from Aliens. But hes deliberately hitting his fingers. Hes roaring with laughter. Frightening”

Respectful and polite…
There goes the blog an all then.

As for the bids, put the h on the front and read this…
ttp://www.anfieldroad.com/news/201008073868/yahya-kirdi-fantasy-island-without-the-planes.html/

It’s by the lad who Broughton told he’d sacked Rafa because of the media. He mentions the mystery of Wells Fargo in there. And it’s so funny, it’s scary.

There’s also a decent piece by Dion Fanning in the Irish Independent. But in all truth, it’s all speculation and guesstimation.

Still seems like most people think it’s Huang or nothing though. But then, if Huang get’s the nod off RBS, it seems H&G are going to challenge it in the courts and try to hang on. What a mess, eh.

excellent ‘investigative’ piece on Kirdi who it looks like has run nothing in business bigger than a pizza bar and an off-licence, having played for syria u-16s…

http://www.anfieldroad.com/news/201008073868/yahya-kirdi-fantasy-island-without-the-planes.html/

Fuckin hell guys am i the only one not doing anything useful this Sunday? You can’t be watching the community shield cup final?!

Anyway, interesting blog I’d not come across before:

http://poorscousertommy.blogspot.com/

(posted in the anticipation that Gerry knows that Kopblog blog is the best and there are no REAL competitors out there!)

And finally….

for those of you with access to Facebook or is it Google, a chance to say what you think of Tom Hicks:

http://bit.ly/d95Hc4

Click on reviews.

Felt like a young lad again (with a blank wall and can of spraypaint!)

Nice one McrRed.

Now where`s me atom bomb?

116, that piece is by Jim Boardman. He’s the fella who Broughton told he sacked Rafa because the media didn’t like him.

I know that’s just another lie from the boardroom. The fact is, they knew quite well that if new owners came in Rafa would have the lot of them out the door asap.

But look how Boughtman and Purslow have consilidated power for themselves now and have turned on H&G.

Nothing but a gang of snakes every man jack of them. And hopefully they’ll all be up the road as soon as the club is sold.

Yeah, the thing about the sale process is that any formal bid for the club must be…
a) voted on by…
…and…
b) approved by “the board”

And I remind you once again that the board is G &H, Broughton, Purslow, Nash and … ah shit, the last fella’s name escapes me…
… but needless to say, aside from sounding like a fuckin 70s prog-rock band…
…that lot basically hold the future of our club intheir grubby little mits.

What scares me about that, is that as FS mentioned above, with G&H essentially being absentee landlords, the inmates have been running the assylum and Broughton and Purslow particularly, have seized a fair bit of power.

They are the ones supposedly charged with “searching for investment” and “overseeing the sale” …yet they get to vote on whoever gets their bid accepted.

In essence, they can stand in a new bidders way… or smooth that way!

One scenario could be…
Sure we’ll back your bid Mr. Huang. You have 2 guaranteed votes and We can see to it that you get Nash & Young’s vote too… meaning G&H are outvoted 2-4 in favor of a sale…
… and in return… we get X-million pounds, or keep our jobs on a substantially improved salary.
Meaning new owners… but Purslow still running things!

I hope Matt Scott did his homework (the fella that wrote the Guardian article that Sambo posted above) coz that scenario sounds like perhaps the best of the bunch.

No sale takes place before the transfer window closes.
RBS sieze the club on October 6…
… and then sell it to whoever they like (G&H are out of the picture at that point, as are Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) for £325 million to a new owner.

(Sort of makes you wonder why DIC haven’t had Amanda Stavely straight into a meeting with Hester?)

From reports that Im, reading…it looks like the Huang deal is now NOT backed by CIC! Argh!!!! Hopefully all this mess will be sorted sooner rather than later but I think we can forget about any deals being completed before the closure of the transfer window methinks…

Aitch, to be honest, would it really matter all that much if Purslow was still there once H and G are kicked out?

Arthur,

I think the main thing is that for the long term good of LFC,we get the correct and proper owners in.

A lot of people are getting hung up on this deal been done before the transfer window.

If it is,yes it would be a bonus of course if we could add one or two quality players but if not,it won`t be the end of the world if we have rid of H&G soon.

As far as the backing Heung has,nobody knows but i haven`t seen any official statement from CIC denying any involvement with Heung in this.

Apparently its the norm for CIC to correct any errors in the English speaking press so with no official statement a week on,the silence from them is quite defening.

Make of it what you will.

The next couple of weeks is going to be a non-stop daily smorgasboard of claims and denials by all those involved.
The last thing any of these fuckers want is any real aspects of tany deal, being played out in public.

And Yes Arthur… it would and DOES matter.
In a word… INTEGRITY is at stake.
The man’s.. but far, far more importantly the Club’s…

..Purslow has blatantly lied to fans and media reagarding things he’s said and done.
A New Dawn and New Era simply cannot occur if the old fibbing guard are present.
(Ayre and Nash can stay, at this point, as I’ve seen nothing to level such a charge against them… unless something surfaces.)

Puslow has been between a rock and a hard place… but some of his words/actions go well beyond that…
He’d have to really truly come clean with what he said and why he said it, and it would need to be seriously believable for it to count!

…but I would suspect Huang would want to install his own people anyway… unless he has done a deal with them all to help facilitate his bid, with their board votes?

Would anyone be in favour of Crouch comming back?

Well if Purslow staying meant the following:

1) the removal of H&G for good

2) removal of all our debt

3) Proper investment in squad (i.e. to be able to compete with Man U, Chelsea etc)

4)New stadium

….then yeah, I think I could live with Purslow!

YNWY: – I’d take Crouch back – but I doubt we’d be able to currently afford him

Yeah, I think Crouch would come back if he was offered very good money… He’d be bloody handy for this weekend’s game, that’s for sure!

Oh dear god no. Not Crouch… fuck that. We are starting to look a bit too like England United for my liking as it is. And now we’re linked to more English failures, Crouch and Swan Wright Phillips.

Aren’t we enough of a joke without them 2 standing in our line up next to each other?

No. Not for me.

I’ve had some good news from me RBS man. I’m in a rush so I’ll have to comment on that later. But don’t be getting excited. I’m not teasing. It’s nothing earth shattering.

As for Purslow…
He’s got to go. One cunt of the highest order that. An absolute snake in the grass that has to go practically as quick as H&G. I’ll explain why later when I have a bit more time but believe me… the little Napoleon complexed bastard has to go and go asap.

Funny thing is, as much of a prick as the Boughtman fella is, he’s our best hope at the moment. Me little bit of inside knowledge has told me that he’s determined to settle this and settle it properly. It’s all about reputation in his world. He sees us/all this mess, as a great way to enhance his and so move onwards and upwards in that shadey world they live in.

Not the ideal reason for looking after us, but after 3 and a half years of this cack, I suppose we have to be happy with anything going our way.

Oh, and Timmy is right…
Standard practice for CIC to deny any involvement. Doesn’t mean they definetely are involved either like, but respected opinion still thinks they’re the only option in the current situation.

Well you go off on vacation with the family and you come back to this amazing news – Dublin have made it to the All-Ireland Gaelic semi-final

I haven’t had time to go thru’ all the blog comments or who this Kenny lad is but anything must be an improvement on what we have at the moment.

Lastly, when new owners eventually take over, a clean sweep of the ship must be made so we can start from afresh, and this does not only include the four fuckers but obviously they are the major players.

Anyway must get back to holidays.

BTW TT, I see your hurling guys took a bit of a hammering. No disgrace I suppose, considering who you were up against.

Arthur’s in da Fantasy Football house – Balding Athletic FC – quite a few of us in there now

Ya Lurgan they were blown away in the first half,Killkenny,my god what a team,probably the greatest team of all time.

Crouch? Well at the moment i wouldn`t say no.Being and Ingerlund international i don`t see how we could afford him though.

His time’s gone mate. And it looks like he’s caught up in some sort of teenage girl sex scandal at the moment. Haven’t really seen what it is yet, and it doesn’t mean the lads guilty just because it’s in the media. But I just think we don’t need to take that step backwards. We’ve moved on from when he could do a job for us, and was brought in when we was on the road to upgrading.

If I was to bring back anyone available, it would be Bellamy. Bonkers little nutcase, but I reckon he’s grown out of that. And there’s loads of good reasons to have him…
In fact, I’d have preferred him to Joe Cole. His pace would be great behind Torres and cutting in from the flanks. Of all the badge kissers, he’s proper… he truly loves LFC. So, he would see it as his Swan Song, last chance and play his bollocks off. He can score and create them. He works his knackers off and never gives less then full effort.

I’d take him in a heartbeat. But Crouch… nah. For me, his ship has long sailed.

Haha, fair call about Bellamy there FS. He shouldn’t cause anymore incidents with Riise long gone…

I love Bellamy.Love his attitude.He tells it like it is.He`s not an ass licker and as FS said,he gives 100 percent on the field and most impotrantly,he can play.

If he`s on the market then i`d be well pleased if he re-signed for the reds.

it goes without saying i’d take crouchy back (i’ve bleated on about him enough in here). i can’t believe he’s still so unrated. i see a player with good feet, a good brain and obviously a physical presence in the box. i mean yeah, he’s not exactly the most exciting prospect when you think of pacy, silky attackers, but i reckon torres would enjoy playing off crouch and if ‘rodge’ is determined to play 442, i can see that being a decent option for him. just my opinion.

i’d also take wrighty-phillipsy an’ all. in fact, after last season’s pathetically blunt attacking performances, i’d take anyone who has a proven premier league record of troubling defenses (and that includes bellamy). it all depends on the prices of course, but why the fuck not? better ‘im than babel surely?

hleb would be another

we’ve seen a few wingers come, fail, and go, over the last few years. in this absolutely vital season for us, i’d like to see proven performers…. if the price is right. we can always upgrade if things look better by the end of the season, but right now, we need results from day 1 or we’re in the shit again.

Peter Crouch? Hell no! How many backward steps are we gonna take? Will be signing Igor Biscan next.

I’d prefer Bellamy myself – not sure that’ll happen though

all quiet today on LFC news front but I suppose we have to expect that after all that nonsense last week

Arthur, I’d prefer Igor.

therepublikofmancunia.com/view-from-the-enemy-liverpool-fan-on-the-end-of-the-rafalution-hernandez-and-carras-dad/

Who is this ‘Jamie Kanwar’ clown?

139… He’s a prick.

Just put this up on another site about the RBS, but I might aswell just post it in here as is…
Alright folks, I’ve just been onto our friend at the RBS. Here’s what I’ve been told…
Do not expect any response. It’s probably not going to happen at this stage of the game. Radio silence, he called it. But don’t be disapointed by that. He assured me these questions and cover letters have had the desired effect….
RBS have had enough of it all. And if you have a read through all the news on this, you can see what we’ve been told all along is true – RBS’ patience has completely worn out and they are ready to pull the plug. And we all know that has been confirmed as true.

I was also tod, where we go from here is very much down to Broughton to a large extent. So we can only hope he does his job. But far as I’m concerned, first things first… Borrowers out, and then we can worry about crossing the other bridges as we come to them.

And I’ve said it before, but I haven’t changed my mind… if it means pulling the loans and the bank running us until a fit and proper owner can be found, so be it.

I just want to see the back of that pair and not add another penny to their dirty money.

So you think there is no threat of administration ( if this isn’t all sorted out by October) FS?? cos that’s a 9 point deduction! and that is very worrying

In all truth Arthur, if getting shut of them meant administration and a points deduction, I’d take it.

Don’t get me wrong, like everyone else, I hope this can end with us finding decent owners and H&G gone, with a minimal profit hopefully. But if it was a straight choice – staying with them or admin – I’d take the administration every day of the week.

Obviously none of us are privvy to all the inner details, but as I understand it, Administration is highly unlikely.

This October 6 loan deadline date that RBS can execise, means the owners essentially defaulting on their loans…
…but with at least 1 bidder willing to cover those loans…
…it should be a simple matter of sale, on Oct 7, which would pre-empt an administration situation. (there are additional requirements for administration to go into effect.)

That’s how I understand our “worst case” scenario.

Though I actually think it might very well be our best case scenario…
… because if, as it is being reported, the Huang deal is legit and a hostile take-over…
… G&H could do a fair bit to fuck that up…

…whereas… short of plonking 325 million on Hester’s desk in a suitcase…
…if the status-quo holds until October 6…
…RBS can toss the pair of them out on their collective ears…
…and there’d be fuck-all they can do about it.

I’m totally speculating here…

… but I just wonder if the reason Huang hasn’t walked in and plonked an offer on the table…
… is because he’s sort of “tapping up” the board?

From what I’m reading… and I’m reading beteween the lines here…

I just wonder if he’s walked in with the outline of a proposed deal… asked Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to insure that no players are sold… (by voting 4-2 against G&H) by Spet 1… then vote against accepting any other bids for the club up to Oct 6…
… then Huang cuts the deal with RBS…
… the Four Horsemen get Parry-style bonuses…
… the Yanks get prison raped… publicly…
…and we all learn to sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” in Chinese…

Either way… we’ll have actual footy to start talking about in 6 days… and it looks like Van Persie and Fiberglass could be missing for the opener, so maybe, just maybe, our luck is turning?

Oh and no suprise here, but I’m with FS on the Crouch deal.
Always liked him, but his time was then and not now.
Bellend would be the far better deal if we were to go back.

but surely 10 mill (though I doubt we have it) would be better spent in a bid for someone like Gabby Agbonlahor, even if it was just a down payment?

I hear that many things Aitch, and most of them conflicting the other, that me head is spinning half the time. Made me laugh this morning. Talk Shite had some chump on who they called the leading analysist of footballing finance and business.

And what did the all knowing one say…
“I don’t know. But I expect October could be an important month.”

So, that’s that sorted then, eh.

In all truth, I don’t know what’s going on or what’s going to happen. I report the little bit of useful knowledge I get given to you lads, and that’s all I can do.

If I was to put in everything I hear, nevermind a guest blogger, we’d need about 20 blogs to just put one side of the argument… it’s a bit bonkers out there to say the least.

I suppose all you can do is, read a bit, talk about it, and make your own guess. And knowing what I know about H&G, I can’t see them just laying down and letting the RBS sell the club over their heads.

Ultimately, they mightn’t be able to stop it. But let’s face it, if they get humilated and left with nothing, they won’t just say Oh okay Guv. Rightio. We’re off then.

They’ll go kicking and screaming through every court in the land, and try to implement a scorched earth policy on the way out, being the spiteful pair of bastards that they are. And that’s not just my personal hatred of them both. It’s a guesstimate based on their histories.

That’s one of the most horrible things about this mess, one minute me hope’s are raised and I’m really optimistic, the next I’m convinced we’re in deeper shit than ever and I can’t see anyway out. It really is that bad of a mess.

I just hold on to the bit of hope I get from the few people who I believe know any truth about the situation.

It’ll be nice to just get kicked off and have some footy to concentrate on for at least a couple of hours a week.

Can’t see the club being sold before Christmas.Bellamy is too injury prone and doesn’t score enough.Bent scored 24 league goals last season-£12 mill seems a fair price for proven quality.No new striker, no top 4 finish.

The only problem with Bent BM is that he needed about 200 chances to get them 24 goals! Give me Bellers anyday.

Although I am still officially on holidays, I have doing a bit of hunting around the place – don’t tell the wife.

So, sorry if this has been posted by any of you before, but I don’t see how RBS can force G&H directly to sell the club. They can ask them to repay their loan but if this Kenny lad is talking with them and sticking his oar in, I am sure that G&H will drag this through the courts for as look as they can to maximise their profits. As FS says I wouldn’t put a scorched earth policy beyond them either. Their reputations (LOL) in the business world would be damaged if they got screwed over!

So all-in-all, another white-knuckle ride of a season only with a thinner squad and a different manager.

Here we go. Plenty of effing and jeffing to come, of that I am sure.

LK…its not the only problem with Bent…

BM…he scored the 24 goals being the focal point of the attack. But his all round play isn’t that great because if u look at the sunderland team stats (its a team game) there weren’t that many other scorers. This is largely due to Bent not creating that many chances for his team mates. Sunderland scored a total of 48 goals in the last campaign and thats not going to win you the league.

Ah well, at least we’re back to the Comedy that is… people actually discussing anything BM has to say as though it has any merit.

Missing in Action throughout the summer, and back with a Twitter… you gotta love it!

Lurg you are right in saying that RBS cannot force G&H directly to sell the club. RBS don’t own us, G&H do.
BUT…
…and this is the crux…
… RBS hold the lein… the paper on the club….
…and in that paper, that contract to repay the loan, there are clauses and deadlines to be met.
… a direect deposit payment of £100,000 in interest arriving every day, being one.

We hear so many conflicting things.
The loan was extended for 6 months, giving us a July repayment deadline.
Then the loan had actually been extended 12 montsh providing for a December repayment deadline.
And now… this October 6th repayment deadline.

All we can do is HOPE that the Oct 6 deadline is the real deal, and that G&H cannot repay the loans prior to, by, or on, that date…
…That RBS seize the club as a defaulted property…
…And that Kenny Huang (or someone else who passes the fit and proper) is standing by with a couple of gold bricks!

I hope RBS dont lose their bottle and grant yet another fucking extension. That would be bloody typical. Would make me want to go and burn down their headquarters. V for Vendetta style.

LB I can’t guarantee they won’t, but I can say this…
From everything I’ve been told it’s the end of the road for H&G and RBS. So, let’s say for some reason the sale doesn’t go through now, RBS will call in the loans on October 6.

It’s weird. I honestly do have a spy inside RBS and he’s not some clerk. He’s not a head honcho either, but he’s up at the top of the tree.

I said this before, but…
I was doing a bit of rabble rousing. I wasn’t even sure what I was doing but I knew if enough of us got onto RBS we could put some pressure on them. Me RBS fella read it and contacted me. I was a bit baffled at first, but could tell he was genuine.

He hasn’t let me down yet. And when other people seen what we was doing, they started to contact me to. I can’t say too much, but we ended up with spies inside the club and at The Department of Sports and Culture, and some top bods in the media, aswell as the RBS fella.

Obviously these people need to stay anonymous and only tell me what they want me to know. Which is just aswell, because in all honesty, I’ve been privy to some really heavy conversations/info, but most of it goes over my head.

I’m good at rallying the troops, but that’s it. I know fuck all about the dealings in that world of high finance. But that’s alright with me and apparently them too.

And I’ll tell you something I firmly believe…
None of them know what the fuck they are doing anyway. They’re all flying by the seat of their pants…
RBS, H&G, P&B, the bidders, the onlookers, us, the lot.

The bigwigs can all speak the legalesse. They can try to baffle the likes of me, and you. But the fact is, it’s not like buying a car, a house, a business, a company. It’s one of a handfull of a few top football clubs in the world. There is no template. And if there was, it wouldn’t be any use because it’s all too fucked up.

Their all going nuts in the boardroom. (From what I’ve been told, there’s a big meeting in 2 days by all the top jolly players). They’re all just trying to hold on and claw their own bit of the carcass as they carve it up. The bidders are even worse. Fakes, fraudsters and mystery men. And everyone looking in is getting paranoid for one reason or another…
It’s driving the fans mental. And except for a certain few, the media spinning it one way and another, and just straight out making shite up because they know nothing.

Sky announced today that the Khiri bid had more or less gone through. I know for fact, that that is absolute nonsense and could have only been invented. In fact, since the beginning of this, they’ve been doing their absolute best to make out that the Khirdi deal is the one and that Huang is not much more than some Chineese crook.

Then I got the nod why…
they/Murdoch want to get the Chineese television rights.

So, in a nutshell…
It’s a mess. An absolute bloody mess. It’s all being conducted by people flying by the seat of their pants. There’s contrick after contrick being pulled. And it’s going to get worse before it gets any better.

But one thing I do know for sure…
unless there’s some sort of mamoth sysmic shift, RBS will be pulling the plug on H&G one way or another.

Whether they can somehow wriggle out of it remains to be seen. And I wouldn’t put that past them, but, no matter what happens, I can promise you that.

i don’t really see signing crouch as a step back. he was under-utilised during his last spell at anfield. rafa didn’t want to sell him. he banged in a few important goals for us. it’s not like he came, tried, failed, and was sold. he did alright, and chose to move on himself. i reckon he almost always plays well. he suffers shocking prejudice because of his hieght. he’s never ‘crouch’, always ‘beanpole stiker crouch’ or something to that effect.

bellamy, on the other hand did fail pretty miserably during his spell with us. he was constantly off-side, constantly bitching at the ref, and constantly getting into trouble. yeah, he’s looked amazing since he left but don’t forget what he was like when he was here.

i suppose given the choice i’d prefer bellamy because of what he’s achieved since leaving, compared to crouch, but i don’t really see why the prospect of re-signing the lanky-lad has been universally greeted with ‘hell no!’s. i’d rather have him than some unknown with no premier league experience and no proven record at the highest level.

Does anyone know if Torres is going to be fit for this weekend?
I was thinking that Crouch would’ve been handy this weekend as I seem to remember him have a very good record scoring for us against the Arse…

So Bents not good enough because he scored 24 goals and that was because he was the focal point of his team, well we seem to have a focal point (Torres).
.
So he needed 200 chances to score 24, wow this Sunderland team must have some amazing midfielders to set all that up, lets ditch our bunch and buy theirs.
.
How many games last year did we even manage 5 shots. How many players actually scored once Nando was crocked, no one even got above 12 other than Nando and he spent most of the season injured.
.
Before we dismiss this bloke outright lets use a bit of sense, he got 24 goals, so like him or not, let gree thats a decent return. For christ sake at one stage we were in for Kenwynne fucking Jones, no he’s shit.
.
Onto the takeover both parasites are not going quietly and should be hitting the dock with their meddling. RBS needs to show some ball right now as the Yanks are moving the goalposts as we speak.

I always liked Crouch, always played with a smile on his face.
Was very sorry to see him go, but I understood why.

Gonna agree with Sambo here and say that he has always been underated because of his freakish size.

If I had to have one it would be Crouch certainly over Bellamy who I consider to be a thug and a bad influence in the dressing room, but I also agree that going back is rarely a good idea.

The plot thickens …

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/david-conn-inside-sport-blog/2010/aug/11/liverpool-limbo-takeover

My 2 cents worth…Bellamy over Crouchy. Judging by last seasons performances of the 2, it’s a no-brainer. I know we need a certain allotment of English players, but I hope Woy knows what he is doing. I mean, Luke Young? FFS!! At least Crouch & SWP are Ingerlund internationals, but I would rather have Turan the Turkish lad any time…& the lad has hinted enough times that his dream move would be to LFC. SWP? Na, you can keep him, and Young. For that matter, you could keep Milner as well. Bugger the bulldog, fighting spirit and all, let’s look for a bit of class Roy – if & when you are allowed a teeny transfer kitty.

No mention by anyone of Moanin O’Neill resigning from Villa? For once (only once, mind you) I agree with Andy Gray, who says he resigned with NO consideration for the fans.
And some of our fans were saying we should get him to replace Rafa as manager? Would you/could you see Rafa doing this?
I know that this is not a rfelection on Moanin’s managerial capabilities, but would you want a mercenary who is prepared to jump ship at the drop of a hat – just because his board want to sell an asset or 2 – as manager of Liverpool Football Club?

Crouch is caught up in a teenage prostitution scandal. So there’s a no no right away.

But let’s forget that and just list footballing reasons why he shouldn’t come back to Anfield…
1: He’s not that good.
2: We treated him with absolute loyalty. We needed someone and didn’t have much dough. Rafa went bargain hunting. No one wanted him. Everyone laughed when we bought him. He couldn’t hit the proverbial cow’s arse with a banjo for months. He got skitted and slatted everywhere he went. We – the fans and Rafa – defended him to the hilt. Rafa kept playing him, even changed our style of play to suit him. He came so-so good because of this. He scored a couple of wonder goals. He started getting England games. He scored a few goals against really shite international opposition. He done a silly little dance. He became a media and Ingurlund fans favourite.
He got the model bird. He became a big time Charlie on the London celebrity, nightclub circuit. We bought Torres. He bitched and moaned about not getting enough games. He asked for a transfer. Rafa tried to keep him. He got plenty of games. He fucked off to Our ‘Arry, who’d sold him as a kid and slatted him. He hardly got a game. He didn’t make a peep because he earned more money on the Tottingham bench than he did playing for us. He failed at Spuds.
3: He slatted us in the media.
4: From what we’ve seen so far, it looks like Roy is going to play Rafa’s formation … not slagging the man. It makes perfect sense to play players in roles they are used to.
5: That means changing our formation/tactics to accomodate him.
6: That means him sitting on the bench a lot.
7: That is a backwards step if ever I’ve seen one.
8: Tottenham want at least 12 million quid for him.
9: We have about 12 bob.
10: We don’t even have the personal to change our game to accomodate him.

And I could go on and on, but I can’t be arsed. I’ll just say, I’d play with a smile on my face an all if I got away with all that and got hugely paid for it.

Bellamy…
When did he fail for us?
He was nuts. We all know that. But fail on the pitch…
I beg to differ.

The lad done a great job for us, playing anywhere he was needed, very rarely in his own position, because our squad was upgrading at the time. In fact, he would have never left if it wasn’t for the fact that we had to sell to get Torres.

He caused no trouble at Anfield. He got drunk once and kicked of on JAR. Men do that sometimes. He got punished. He didn’t moan. He scored in his next game against Barca in their backyard. He laid the second on for JAR as we won that match. Everyone kissed and made up. He got sold to raise the money for Torres.

He went to West Ham. He carried a cack team. He terrorised us when they came back to Anfield. He went to Man City, played with good players, played in position and showed his worth.

He’s not a mad young lad anymore. He’s done all the mad things some of us do as kids. He’s matured into a very decent and likeable human being…
When some footballers are out shagging young kids. He’s spending fortunes on giving poverty striken kids a chance.

But we are concentrating on footballing reasons…
1: His pace and ability to beat a man on the left is just what we need.
2: Behind Torres in the hole, he’d be brilliant.
£: Hes available for next to nothing

i@d go on but me keyboard:s gone all weird>

That’s it there, in a nutshell (so to speak). Total effing sense once again FS.

Well we’ll find out if Bellamy is included in Mancini’s 25 – if not – it could be a real smart move..

anyway as someone posted earlier – our potential buyout still looks as muddy and murky as fuck!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/aug/11/liverpool-takeover-sharjah

The Kirdi bid appears now to be backed by the Sheiks…oh please let this all come to an end!

Bellamy is ready to give up football anyway. He’s sick and tired of the circus.

I’ll admit a bit of bias… I like the fella. I couldn’t. In fact, I couldn’t stand him when he was carrying on like a mong. But I admire him now. He’s came out of all that a really decent and likeable fella, as far as I’m concerned.

Crouch on the otherhand….

But anyway, I’d bet if Bellamy was offered a pay as you play, he’d crawl over broken glass to get back to LFC. The lad is a proper red. And purely on footballing reasons… he’s just what we need.

Shame Purslow didn’t see him for free…
We might have just got him on a pay as you play, instead of Cole on a ridiculous 4 year contract.

But there again…
We might have just dodged a bullet in that regard.

I was going to mention O’Neil yesterday, Rafa mate. But I had other things to say. But thank fuck he never walked weeks ago.

Had Purslow seen that, he would have probably brought the kunt here on a huge everlasting contract.

Weird how it works in this country…
Rafa fights his bollacks off for us, on very little money (11.6 mill a season) returns us to the top of European football, makes us contenders in the league again – he’s a twat who needs to go before he ruins the club.

O’Neil takes over a decent Villa team, they weren’t the shite the media make out, he spends a shed full of money, plays woeful football, gets them to just a little below where a team of that stature and wealth should be, walks out, throwing a wobbler, saying the club isn’t good enough for him – he’s hailed as a man of principle and honour who hasn’t been given a chance.

I fuckin hate the media in this country…
Sky still bumping up the Khirdi bid. It’s shite. They know it’s shite. It’s backed by H&G. Sky know that. It hasn’t been agreed by the board. They are pretending it could all be done and dusted by Friday. It’s lies. The board aren’t even meeting until then.

Why are they doing all this?

Murdoch, Chineese telly rights, etc. But it’s got the added little bonus of further fucking LFC.

It’s enough to make a pig sick.

Can’t see Kuyt, Crouch or Bellamy scoring 24 prem goals in a season.Owen has never hit the 20 mark.Could do a lot worse than having Bent up front.Any ideas AITCH?

These comments from Kirdi (saw it on the main site):
Potential new Liverpool owner Yahya Kirdi has done little to endear himself to Liverpool supporters by claiming former manager Rafael Benitez “did nothing for Liverpool” and was a dictator.
Well, he can fuck right off. Wouldn’t want him as the new owner? It doesn’t matter if you were in the pro or anti-Rafa camp. Just show some respect will you? The man loved/loves LFC more than you ever will, and had a sense of the clubs history. You will never, Mr. Kirdi, with comments like that.

I’m treating the Kirdi speculation the same as I would if Scooby Doo was linked with buying the club.

anyone hear anything about NGog being sold to West Brom?????

I’m excited about the Kirdi bid, that means Snoogy Doogy is finally going to put pen to paper on his protracted transfer, also heard Spade in the Ground is having a medical as week speak. Looking good lads.

Arthur speculation about Ngog to West Brom having been ongoing for a month or so. I doubt it will happen but if it does then we have no fit striker.

It will be a shame if NGog is let go. The kid is alright. He’ll get better. We’d have to pay at least 12 million quid for shite like Bent to replace him.

Lads…
Khirdi is now asking for a few months to look at the books and do due dillegence.

Well, here’s a bit of due diligence for you…
He’s H&G stooge. It’s them trying to derail the Chineese bid. A couple of months handily takes us up to October.

Funny old game football.

BM, no offense lad, but when, and only when, you contribute more than a 40 character Twitter to this blog,…
…elaborating on exactly why you “Can’t see Kuyt, Crouch or Bellamy scoring 24 prem goals in a season”…. in detail…
… and the myriad reasons and circumstances that might explain why “Owen has never hit the 20 mark”…
… and why exactly we Could do a lot worse than having Bent up front….
…will I even consider wasting my time providing you with “Any ideas”…

… because unlike you, I provide ideas all the time. Often in detailed paragraph form, let alone complete sentences.

He’s not my cup of tea, but there is probably good reason to discuss the merits of Darren Bent as a striker, and whether he is someone that would fit the Liverpool set-up… but you have never ever contributed any such discussion… beyond a simple 2 line hit-n-run comment.

You expect to be taken seriously by those in here who actually take the time to type out explanations for their opinions, regardless of which side of any particular argument they might be on, and sadly some do take you seriously and comment.

But here’s an idea for you… your comments are never more worthy than a Sky or Sun headline.
Go play some competitive football, Learn something about the game and get back to us in 2014

Aitch mate, you shouldn’t even bother with BM. Either he comes in here to see the reactions to his posts and have a laugh, or he’s just so far off the trail he’s not actually capable of formulating arguments. Either way I feel sorry for the lad and either way I can’t be bothered replying to his posts anymore.

I agree with FS and would also go with Bellamy ahead of Crouch any day of the week. The reasons have already been laid out. I also wonder why on earth Crouch would be willing to return to us when the reason he left is still in place. If he would join us for the money (which we don’t have) then we surely don’t need him. No more greedy whinging bastards than necessary please. If it’s because Roy tells him he’ll change the system to allow Crouch more minutes on the pitch, then that’s no good either. The players are used to the current system and we shouldn’t change it just to fit Peter Crouch in.

Concerning the ownership struggle currently taking place I think it’s time for Martin Broughton to show he’s more than just a puppet hired by the Americans and prove to everybody his reputation as a professional business is well-earned. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit however if this is all dragged out for months thanks to the yanks, causing yet another potentially decent owner to pull out. I don’t have anything to back that up with, I just feel it might happen.

I read a quote from Gerrard saying Joe Cole was better than Messi and he tips him to be player of the year this season.

I’m gonna watch Ireland in their posh new stadium play the Argies.

FS, pundits seem well satisfied that Mr Capello will be playing a 4-2-3-1 tonight. Finally playing Gerrard behind Rooney they say.

Funny that… Chris Coleman kept telling us the other night that Gerrard will really enjoy playing in his ‘favourite’ position under Roy.

I normally don’t sachem, but considering I regularly provide my ideas in substantial War & Peace size missives, wheras he provides 40 character Twitters, which he lobs like hand grenades then fucks off… I felt it had to be said.

and LB, that statement should I think, warrant Merseyside Police to instigate an investigation into just where Gerrard has been buying his CRACK from!
…and if nothing else, is proof positive that player’s opinions should be largely ignored by their managers!
Provided for a good chuckle though dinit?

LB, I knew you’d pick up on that. Don’t blame you for not watching, but I know exactly what you would have picked up on if you did…
Pre-match discussion…
All agree Cappello has to play like the better teams in the World Cup – 4231.
All agree Cappello’s lack of English is to blame for the WC debacle. Andy Townsend harped on and on about his inability to communicate the most simple of things. Funny enough, they’ve been on about that all week in his other job on Talk Shite.

Saw no problem in the post match interview meself, but their experts so they must be right.

Then they went on about playing players in their proper positions and roles they were used to at their clubs…
such as Gerrard behind the main striker.

Of course Barry and Lampard weren’t playing as holding midfielders. They’re were just playing deeper to give Gerrard the platform.

There was loads more. I can’t be arsed listing them, but the funniest thing…
The camera goes onto some fella in the crowd. He was mouthing 442 and making a 442 hand gesture.

The commentator and Andy Townsend start laughing at the fella, call him Stone Age or Dinosaur or some such shite, and start harping on about the glories of 4231.

And then the biggest moan of the night…
Cappello sitting on the bench, watching and studying, instead of jumping around on the touch line showing some passion.

I’d laugh but then I think of the damage these bastards done to us.

Had to laugh at this jabba
http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=261718.0

Did anyone read in the Guardian the other day where Auntie Gray predicted 7 teams to finish in the top 6 places in the premiership. Punditry at it’s best NOT lol.

Scooby scooby doooooo
sorry for the one liners I’m still in cambodia
over and out

178…
Now that is funny.

I think we should make a pact…
Take no notice of these silly bastards.

In me more understanding moments, I used to think…
Oh well, they can’t get it all right. If someone asked me questions about say Wolves or Blackburn, I’d know fuck all about them.

But then I’m not paid big bucks to talk about them, or anyone else.

Bah…
If it wasn’t for them pesky kids!

PS: Talk Shite’s new stick to batter Cappello with…
He announced he won’t be picking Golden Balls, Becks, The National Treasure, on the telly last night without telling Becks.

What a bastard. And seeing Steven Gerrard has kept him in the job, I hope they have the bloody disgraceful Wop writing out personal Thank You’s for all your efforts, but we are now persuing a youth policy, in his own blood, to Becks, Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Nobby Styles, Sir Bobby Moore, Sir Gordon Banks, Sir Geoff, he scored 3 in a final don’tchayaknow, Sir Martin, Sir Mooreo, (he deserves two for that tackle on Pele) Sir Banksy (he deserves two for that save from Pele) Sir Roger…

Oh frig it. I want one an all.

Another good manager, and a thoroughly decent man (dito Rafa) get slated by the British media. And he just happens to be foreign as well. After spending 8 years in the UK, my friends ask me ‘what did you not like about England?’. No, not the weather, my asnwer was always ‘the press’. Bunch of gobshite tonsils.
Anyway, thought Gerrard had a cracking game last night, besides the goals. Has a spring in his step again? Not sure what the problem was last season (injuries notwithstanding).
It looks like the Poulsen deal is done & dusted. And rumours abound re Monster to Barca with Hleb coming our way. Not sure what you guys think of him, but when he was at the Arse he was pretty creative. But, it would be another 29+ signing…we will have a higher average age than the Chavs soon.

I know all I need to know about Blackburn FS…They’re managed by Fat Sam, he’s got a big fat head, he’s got a big fat head, Steve and Sam have got big fat heads. My fave song apart from YNWA and Fields of Anfield Road, and We’re gonna bounce in a minute.

Poulsen and some shite reserve goalie in today.
30 year old Poulsen, at a cost of 2.5 million on a 3 year contract.
Brad Jones, Boro reserve goalie, for 2.5 million.

Mascherano on his way.

Oh well, we were warned.

And I don’t care how this goes down…
Well done Rafa bashers. Another feather for your cap there.

Fuck it I’m off out just in case I find out Roy and Christian have signed them fellas from me last post.

Happy days, eh.

PS… It gets worse. The fee goes up to 5 million depending on clauses.

Oh well, thank god for small mercies.
When I saw Christian Poulsen playing for Liverpool, I thought it was Christian Purslow for a second.

Mind you, give him time.

FS – what are ya on about?

Rafa gone or still here, Mascherano was off – and you know this!! As you would say “Behave!”

don’t know much about Poulsen – but time will tell I guess

Kuyt has never scored more than 15 prem goals in a season during his time @ Anfield, similar scoring rate as Bellamy and Crouch.I don’t need to write a paragraph, the stats explain everything.The Reds need a new striker who can chip in with 20 prem goals, either as a lone striker or playing off FT.Steve Ireland may have been a better bet than Poulsen.
Don’t see why Babel and El Zahr are hanging around, they did sfa last season.

Arthur, Poulsen makes Sissoko look like Falcao.

Wouldn’t mind Hleb though.

Must say I am worried about the players that Roy has admitting to wanting… Crouch, Luke Young, Beattie, Poulsen already signed. Oh dear. My fear is he only has knowledge of the British and Scandinavian market. This is not where the best players in the world are.

Beckham is 35 years old, he’ll be 37 by the time the next tournament comes round. So why the fuck is it such a big deal for the manager to say he’s too old now?

Ah LB – I’m pretty sure these are the players Roy has targeted because they are essentially the only ones he can afford right now

Stephen Ireland is a great little player but there are serious question marks over his mental stability!

Well his biggest money signings have been Kevin Davis and Andy Johnson (combined price of £30m in today’s money). Then there is the likes of Anders Anderson, Martin Dahlin and Nathan Blake (combined price of £20m in today’s money).

The common theme here is shite British or Scandinavian players. Doesn’t inspire me with confidence whether we have plenty of money to spend or not.

I’d quite like to have Stephen Ireland. Cracking player.

Shite UK and Scandinavian players is a repeat of the Evans/Souey era.If the takeover happenand Jose wins CL @ Madrid, he could be @ Anfield in 11 months.

I agree LB. We should be targeting Ireland AND Bellamy. Both want out of Citeh, as they have been left out of the CL qualifier & it looks like Mancini doesn’t want them. Apparently Celtic want to sign Bellamy on loan. Would love to see him at Anfield again – especially seeing that a lot of fans gave Rafa stick for selling him (even though the sale was to fund the purchase of Torres).
I mean, Beattie, Young? FFS Roy?
The jury is out on Poulsen, let’s see what he can do. But I have my doubts on a 30-year old fresh from the bench in an Italian league that moves at a lot slower pace than the EPL.

Oh dear says it all for me LB. I’d rather keep the cash. Is Jay Spearing worse than Poulsen? If he is then we need to get shut of him immediately cos Poulsen is CRAP!!!

Sure Poulsen deserves a chance to prove himself, but I can assure everyone that 99% of Juventus fans are absolutely delighted to get rid of him. He’s just been dreadful since arriving in Turin. Besides, he has proven on numerous occasions to be something of a swine on the pitch. Maybe there could be something positive about that if Roy can make him perform, but if he’ll continue playing on the same level as he did for Juventus, then I fear this can turn out to be a really bad signing.

Lads, I dont think its a situation where Roy actually wants these players, there just the ones he can afford. Poulsen is a thug buts so is Mash, Mash is lousy in the passing and heading area, Poulsen is better in the heading even in the passing, both are thugs. However both give 100% week in week out, under the present circumstances thats all we can hope for.
.
Personally with Mash gone I still think we’re stronger than last season.

Masch was better for us than Momo and Momo was better for Juve than Poulsen. A lot of people forget that although Masch was poor at the beginning of last season, on many occasions he was our man of the match last season. We will miss him especially against the better sides.

Of course Roy wants these players. Obviously he’s been told there is only so much he can spend on a midfield player and so he’s come up with Poulsen. I do not think Christian Purslow is scouting players.

I reckon Poulson is the only signing roy as had any involvement in.As for Mach he’s the best in the world at what he does,Poulsen won’t even be the best at the club.
Total waste of 4.5mill
( my god i sound like BM ]

Arthur do you think Masch would have stayed if Rafa stayed and gave him a pay rise? (pitbulls are usually faithfull to one master)
I know its silly to ask as you apparantly know he was leaving regardless.

Well LB we sort of know where you stand with regards to Roy anyway – but I would suggest we (as Liverpool fans) need to see how this all plays out

In fact I’d rather see Lucas playing instead of Poulsen – not them both together – that kind of midfield would bring us back to the dark, immobile days of last season…

LB
I reckon the captaincy of Argentina weighed heavily at the start of last season leading to the poor start,as opposed to “sulking over Barca” which a lot of pundits cited as the reason.

Arthur, Trust me if Rafa was after Luke Young and Poulsen I’d be just as concerned. Thing is I reckon Roy would have spent £20m on Bent rather than Torres in 2007. A lot of managers only buy players from markets they have knowledge of. E.g. Rafa bought mostly from La Liga. Wenger buys a lot of French players. Martin O’Neil only buys British. Roy buys British and Scandinavian.

Arthur, for one, I never said anything about Mascher staying if Rafa was here.

But while we’re on the subject…
Think back… He was actually in contract talks with Rafa and chances are he was staying. Soon as Rafa left, that was that.

It was probably a bit disrespectful, refusing to have any dealings with Mr Hodgson. But when he refused to return calls or texts, he did make a statement…
Rafa is a great person. I think it’s disgraceful how he’s been treated in England. He’s a lovely man, very knowledgable and witty. He’s my type of manager. He plays my type of football. I’d be proud to play for him again…

Behave, indeed.

Poulsen should be working on the door at an alehouse… yard dog of a player.

So, we have Gerrard, Lucas, Aquilani and Poulsen as our senior midfield players.

Where does Poulsen fit in?
Who drops out?
When does the likes of Shelvey get to play?

Crap, crap signing. Money we could ill afford to waste. Money we needed to buy a left back with. Money we could have used towards a second striker.

Just can’t see any sense in at all.

Oh and I forgot to say, I was really looking forward to Shelvey getting some games in the Cups. I shouldn’t say this, because I haven’t seen enough of him yet but…
Looks to me like he’s going to be the business that lad. And that’s the sort of player we should be trying to capture.

This is not slatting Roy, I know what he’s working against but the names we’ve been associated with…
Nah. Sorry, not for me.

[...] Events & Announcements As Gerry Ormonde’s award-winning Liverpool FC blog puts it – A New Season, A New Hope. MyRAWK Match Viewing: Liverpool vs [...]

A well respected member, and somebody regarded as in the know, with maybe someone on the inside leaking information to him has posted this over on RAWK:

(Possibly my last bulletin on this ‘ere takeover – I certainly hope so. The Huang bid has been presented to Barcap. There’ll be a little to-ing and fro-ing as Barcap inevitably try to persuade them to increase their offer. Over the next 24 hours Huang & co will get to a point where they say “this is it – this is as high as we’re prepared to go”. Offer will go to LFC board – possibly even tomorrow. Therefore, logically, there’s not much more your Uncle Bamba can tell you. The next we’ll hear from now on in will come when an Official source announces that the bid has been accepted – or not. Here’s hoping.)

Hopefully this is the end-game and we get rid of those 2 carpet bagging bastards. Hope its not out of the frying pan and into the fire though. Surely nobody can be as bad as the cancers.

I don’t know Bamba personally, but I can say this…
He’s well respected by people I respect. And the people I know who know a bit themselves, all tell me that he does know what he’s talking about.

As for our last little round of letters…
The first reply, that I know of, arrived today. Again, it came from the Roger Lowry, head of public relations, fella.

It was the usual pacifying melarkey, but I see it as a result because, when I last spoke to our man at the RBS, he was pretty sure we’d get no replies at all at this stage.

Oh well, we’ll see.

Poulsen is by no means a star but he certainly provides good cover. He can play as a defender or as a defensive midfielder. He will be on the bench which is better than he seemed to do at Juve which by the sounds of things had a lot to do with his arguements with management. Roy knows him and therefore will avoid arguements. For 4.5 mil its not bad business IMO. Against someone like Chelsea you put Poulsen on Lampard and he’ll do a pretty good job of taking him out of the game. He will be a role player in that way rather than a regular.

I’m disappointed with Masch if he goes and I know we won’t realise how much we miss him till he’s no longer there breaking down play in big games (mancs,chavs,arse) but I think he is less important against the lower prem league teams – who we’ve been poor against – as he really lacks the ability to pass forward (as opposed to Alonso, and even Lucas to a degree). Masch can only pass sideways and I think his temperament was a definite negative (although I did like it).

I think Defour is better and Ozil is miles better than Poulsen but while we have Aquilani as that young attacking midfielder, unless we turn into Citeh, we need to bring Aquaman along not just buy new stars.

We definitely need another striker and a LB if insua goes but otherwise we are not in terrible shape (apologies for the early season optimism), especially if Gerrard regains the form of 08/09 and torres can stay fit.

I too hope Shelvey et al get all the cup/europa league time possible, I don’t think Poulsen will eat into that time.

Who do we think we’ll start on sunday against the arse?

Reina
Glenda Carra Agger Insua/aurelio?
Lucas
Kuyt Cole MJ
Gerrard Torres(if healthy/Ngog if not)

with gerrard playing up front in behind the striker and occasionally swapping with cole in midfield.

(first blog in a long time which I think shows that the possibility of getting those filthy scumbags out is giving me hope again!)

LB I think we need to give RH some breathing space, its a difficult job he’s in now, lets face it names like Krongkamp, Josemi, Palletta, Gonzalez, Nunez were all Luke Young type buys, and thats when we apparently had some money.
.
Give the lad a chance, Poulsen might be a disaster but lets not forget, Mash couldn’t even get in the West Ham team, so its horses for courses.

Well, I’m off to bed, but popped in to say I’ve been speaking to some people tonight. Well no, I’ve been listening to some people with some inside knowledge tonight. They disagree on the outcome and the in’s and outs of it all, but all of them are agreed on one thing…
H&G are finished, finito, fucked.

Funny enough, when I did put me two cents in, I was the naysayer. I just couldn’t see how they’d suddenly became so toothless. But I was assured by a few really knowledgable lads, and our RBS friend, that they really are done for.

Sorry, I’ve got no news on a possible outcome. But I’m happy with that for now.

As for Roy, Poulsen and everything else…
Well, I’m hoping and holding on. Who knows. The backbone is still there. And far as I’m concerned our first 11 is a match for anyone’s. So, keep them fit and on the pitch, and who knows.

And surely, we can’t suffer the same sort of shite two seasons on the bounce.

But Gaz, that’s where I think you really can’t question LB, or anyone else with a similar point of view.

The first team isn’t weakened that much from what we had last season.
In fact, with the addition of Cole, it could be argued that it’s in better shape, especially with a fit and committed Gerrard and Nando.

The light is starting to appear in the tunnel of the boardroom. And unlike all the other times when we got our hopes up, this time it doesn’t seem to be the oncoming train.

Then there’s Roy…
I can’t see the argument there. People screamed for Rafa’s head. They got it. They mightn’t have got Maureen. But they never was going to get him or the likes anyway. And they have gotten what they wanted…
A fella who knows the Prem. A good old fashioned arm round the shoulder man manager. As you say yourself… a horse for the course.

So, therefore, I don’t see why people like LB should be pulled for doing exactly what the people doing the pulling done themselves last season without a moment’s understanding or considering of the circumstances…
Injuries, beach balls, world cup qualifications and all that entails, boardroom upheavel, manager constantly belittled by a hostile media and a large section of the support, nothing mattered…
They held the team, squad and the manager to the highest possible standard and wouldn’t give them any leeway whatsoever.

So, crying foul and reversing the tables on people with LB’s views doesn’t wash with me.

Even though, personally myself, I don’t expect much this term and I’ll back whatever I’m given anyway.
That’s my way. That’s the old way I was taught and the only way I’ve ever known or feel comfortable with.

But I don’t see why Naysayers this season should be pulled up for doing what last season’s naysayers done – especially when last season’s naysayers got their way.

Why should they be expected to accept “ship steadying” as some sort of success?

No. Sorry. People can’t have it and eat it. They got what they wanted. They have no right to expect people like LB to lower the standards they set for Rafa and the squad.

And the funny thing is…
If we get off to a bad start, I’ll bet it’s only a matter of time before the same people who defended Rafa are defending Roy against the very same people that called for Rafa’s head.

Gaz, I can’t speak for LB. But I for one, am still sore at the way Rafa was treated by the British media, the ‘pundits’, & eventually (some of) the fans. Maybe that is why some fans have their reservations about Roy. It has been said before, but the best analogy is ‘trading in a Rolls Royce for a Ford Escort’. Maybe that is being a bit harsh on Roy. I must admit, I haven’t followed his career too closely but it seems to be has has not won anything, or achieved too much in his managerial career? The way that the media and some of the fans are now portraying him – the saviour of Liverpool – is downright disrespectful to Rafa, and is also counterproductive. Heaps of pressure on his shoulders. You only have to read comments by some ‘fans’ on the internet. ‘Roy is da man’, ‘great signing by Roy’, ‘Roy will get rid of Rafa’s crap buys’, blah blah blah. Tossers. You only have to look at some of the grammar to understand their mentality. Anyway, I digress. What I’m saying is that it hurts, fans & media still dissing Rafa when the nucleus of his side were at the WC. Shit buys indeed? So maybe it’s a subconcious thing, not fully backing or believing in Roy. I certainly hope he allaays my fears, and proves to be a top manager for Liverpool – gets the team winning, pass & move and all that. But the bitterness won’t go away just yet, the way Rafa was treated. You know what I mean?
Saying all that, can’t wait for Sunday. Let’s hope we are not dissapointed this season, because (as FS says) it will be fans like us that will be defending Roy, and the tonsils on the internet calling for his head.
Hope it doesn’t happen.

Don’t want to be a bloghogger, but…
It looks like Bartotelli (or whatever) is on his way to Shiteh. This could pave the way for Monster heading to Inter?
I really don’t like the way Shiteh are doing things, screwing up the market, paying crazy money for players & stupid wages. I mean, Adebayor was on the biggest wages last season? And alienating players like Ireland & Bellamy? No class, Mancini or the owners. I hope – when we eventually get bought – we don’t go the same route as them. Crassless, souless Citeh.
Is there any news on Fernando’s fitness?

Rafalution makes a good point. I may come across as harsh against Roy and maybe it is because of the way he has been portrayed as our saviour and the man to steady the ship. I have heard people (fans, journalists and pundits) say Roy will do a good job and then predict we’ll finish 6th. I just can’t stomach the hypocrisy. Anything other than a title challenge under Rafa was considered a failure yet a 6th place finish under Roy is considered steady progress? A good job?? Goodness me.

Everyone in here knows I am not a Rafatollah, in fact it was me who coined the phrase ‘Gagonrafascock brigade’. Rafa made some decisions I did not agree with and signed some players that turned out to be shite. But looking at the bigger picture his reign was a success and under his tenure we’ve had our best squad since 1988.

I can’t make a judgement on Roy because he has just begun his journey with us but what I can do is express my concerns with who he considers good players. I read the Tomkins article where he breaks down Roy’s career and there aren’t too many good inspirational signings on his CV. Then there are the Luke Young’s and Poulsen’s. The left back situation concerns me. And we are short in the striker department. Subsequently we have been linked with Wayne Bridge, James Beattie and Peter Crouch. That to me shows no imagination at all. 30 year old English has beens. Even Joe Cole although a very good player was a no brainer signing.

Don’t get me wrong though if Joe Cole and Poulsen go on to have great seasons I’ll give Roy the credit. If we finish 6th I won’t slag him off but I won’t be showering him with praise for steadying our ship either.

I came in to say something else, bear with me lads…
It’s good news.

But I just read LB’s new post and re-read mine from last night. The Port and Lemo’s where at work, but hopefully the gyst of it came across clearly…
I think LB, and everyone with similair views, has every right to question all this.

Why should ship steadying suddenly be perfectly acceptable?

I know plenty of people will see that as some sort of snipe at Roy – bollacks.

I know people with far harsher views of Roy than LB has expressed. And, even though I understand their anger, I remind them they are supposed to support the club and so that means getting behind Roy.

As you all know, I’m far from happy with what happened. But at the end of the day, even though I really want to be supporting Rafa, Arda Turan and Mascherano, I will get behind Roy, Joe Cole and Poulsen…
I’ve got no choice. It’s what we’ve got.

But that doesn’t mean I, or anyone else, just have to fall in line with this media driven shit that Rafa left behind some woeful team/squad that Roy has to steady and will be lucky to finish in the Europa places.

That’s not on. It’s more media driven myth. It’s the same people spouting it who called for Rafa’s head for not challenging.

So why all of a sudden is it perfectly legitimate for nothing much to be expected?

No. No. Roy, the team and the squad have to be held to the same standards. In fact, more should be expected. Roy is not being hamstrung in the same way as Rafa. He is not involved in the struggles. Now Purslow has ran out of Rafa targets. Roy is being left alone to do his job.

So LB and people like him have every right to question the caliber of players he’s targeting and to ask why anything above mid table is suddenly success.

So, last word…
I hold Roy and the team/squad to the same standards as I’ve held any other manager, team and squad to all me life. And that’s the way it should be.

On to the good news. I was told not to spread this throughout the other forums but fuck it. I want to let you lads know…
I have just been told a meeting took place last evening, between some fella called Ian Abraham from BarCap, Hester from RBS and some other head honchos. I was told that this Abraham fella is the MD of some melarkey called Risk, Liquidity, Private Equity.

Or friend who gives us this info said, he doesn’t know the ins and outs of went on behind closed doors, but it is being called “Pest control.”

I like that one, made me laugh. But all he could say was that his own source told him…
“Your owners are getting shafted in the morning”.

He admitted he doesn’t know exactly what that means or could be. But I like the sound of it and I hope it means the end is neigh for that pair of bastards.

Who remembers that film Trading Places?

I keep getting a vision of H&G on the streets, without a pot to piss in. Wouldn’t that be poetic justice.

Trading Places is one of my favourite comedies. Ha ha. Randolph and Mortimer Duke.

Getting shafted in the morning…does that mean Saturday morning?
I will be glued to the internet, TV, BBC News etc etc.

Your gonna love this one lads. I just got an email…. Check it out:

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in terms of roy’s shite ‘targets’, i don’t really see what some of you are on about. poulsen was a bargain-basement defensive midfielder to replace masch. obviously he’s not going to set the league alight, but if anyone can recommend a 4.5mill midfielder to break up attacks with a better pedigree than him, i’d like to see it. criticising roy for signing him is like criticising rafa for playing ngog and lucas. the poor cunt had no money and no choice.

anyone else roy is linked with is pure speculation and means nothing. so what if he’s being linked with players like bent or young? if he was being linked with messi and lahm would that make him a great manager?? we all know the gossip page of footy websites isn’t worth the cheapy shitty moniter it appears on (maybe that’s just mine), so accusing him of anything based on that is ludicrous.

aitch goes on about how roy has no input over signings (which i seriously doubt – despite his purslow snipe), and then others go on about the shit players he’s being linked with. leave the poor bastard alone! he hasn’t done anything wrong yet and already he’s being lampooned for unsubstantiated gossip, hearsay, and idle comments.

of course he’s got a say in transfers and is constantly scouring the market and recommending players to the board. to claim he has no input is incredibly belittling. but to blame him for players he’s ‘linked with’ isn’t fair either.

i agree roy should be judged on the way the team performs, and our expectations of his side should be no different to when rafa sent a side out. i just disagree with anyone who criticises roy’s ‘targets’. it’s absurd.

jeezus! when you walk through a storm, throw your new manager in a puddle and splash mud all over his new pumas.

Sorry boys, not been in for a while to comment but I’ve read all your comments. I’ve been working me nuts off.

I have to agree with LB/FS etc over the pundits/fans/media/Roy Hodgson.

I will back him because he’s our manager but LB is bang on with his hypocrisy comment.

You have to ask why Rafa was hated so much. He has been treated disgracefully.

One thing I will say about Rodge is he has acted and spoken with dignity but the alarm bells are ringing as loud as can be over his targets/signings.

Gaz behave yourself mate – Kronkamp/Josemi etc bought with what he had and upgraded not Rafa’s preferred targets. I think we can safely say the squad is in the position to buy decent players not make do’s now.

Why buy Poulsen a very limited player when we already have limited players at the club who can do the same job. Jay Spearing can do his job, Plessis can do his job do we need anymore? As FS says save the little money we do have and buy an Agger/Skyrtle/lucas type player ie a decent player for a reasonable ammount of money.

If Rafa was still manager would he be looking at make do’s? Remember when we needed desperately a centre back and he wanted Agger…he didn’t buy a centre back he stuck with Carra and Sami till he could get Agger. That’s what I’d rather Rodge do.

I am worried. I think he’ll do ok this season while we have the majority of the squad still in tact, it’s when we have to rely on Rodge to replace players that I start to worry.

Oh I would be more than happy to eat my words if Roy wins us the league.

because spearing and plessis have got no experience. poulsen’s got loads. hopefully he can teach them a thing or two.

Sambo, I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick mate. I really don’t want to go on about it as I have far better news, but I have to say this…

No matter which way you look at it, the fact is when we traded in Rafa for Roy it wasn’t exactly the smartest move an ambitious club could make.

Roy as you say, has done no wrong. He can’t be blamed for any of this, and the few noises he has made on the subject have been the right ones.

But he’s also said, he isn’t involved in any of that. He’s being left alone to get on with the job. So, on his own words, I will judge by the job he does. But I don’t think it’s fair to lower the standards. If anything, because he is being left alone to get on with the job, they should be highered.

Anyway, onto the other news…
It really is starting to look like the end is neigh for H&G. I got that bit of news I told earlier at 2am in the morning. I was about to hit the flock and got an email from our friend at the RBS.

It told me of a secret meeting held last night between all the leading players from the banks. This has now been confirmed. And a meeting is taking place right now between the board and the banks.

I have no idea what the outcome will be. It could be nothing. It could be siesmic. But the one thing I do know for sure…
H&G are fucked. Proper done for.

LB, from what I’m hearing…
Randolph and Mortimer is not going to be too far wide of the mark.

Happy days boys… the beginning of the end, defo.

Just to confirm what you said FS…

Hodgson: “I haven’t spoken to (managing director) Christian Purslow today because he is in London with the rest of the board” …

Oh and btw….

Javier Mascherano has been registered by #lfc with UEFA to play in the Europa League against Trabzonspor.

He may well not be leaving anytime sooon …

I wrote out a 4 paragraph reply to Sambo’s comment but decided to delete as I thought it came out a bit too hard on Roy and at the end of the day he is manager now so whats the point hammering him 2 days before his first PL match at Anfield. But I do remain concerned about his player recruitment (money or not) and like FS says, nobody can give me a good argument as to why standards should be lower than when Rafa was at the helm.

Anyway the Randolph and Mortimer news sounds almost too good to be true.

Dizzy Gillespie…. I think it depends on Man City. When they buy Balotelli from Inter, Inter will have the funds for Mascherano and then make us an offer. I doubt Barca have the money but I did read that they were willing to offer us Hleb + Maxwell + £12m. This could be bullshit however.

Well, it doesn’t look like Masch is leaving after all. What the hell is going on? The implications of these developments are really quite hard to grasp for me. If Mascherano will at least stay until the next transfer window (Roy says the day somebody signs him does not seem imminent) then I wonder if Poulsen was partly signed to put some pressure on Mascherano. After all, it would be bad in every sense of the word to be sitting on the bench, and if Poulsen can manage to provide some competition for Masch’s role in the team, then Roy might actually have made a great signing.

And finally the time for Tom & George as owners of Liverpool Football Club seem to be running out. No matter who takes us over I will celebrate when it is confirmed they are out.

Still holding breath…

It seems neither Barca nor Inter have the cash to afford him. strange. Thing is though, is he gonna pout and sulk or put his head down and show us he is still a professional?

Nice twitter from Arbeloa:

Premier League starts this weekend. All the best for #LFC!! Come on reds!!! YNWA!!
@aarbeloa17

Still thinking of us…

Can we just clear a few things up.

Yes I have said on a few occasions that Roy has fuck all to do with transfers, in or out. But when I say that, I am not pulling that out of my arse.
In fact, I’m not saying it at all… ROY IS!

Those are his words… out of his mouth… more than once…
…Not from some dodgy press report in a newspaper not fit to line a Budgies cage!

… but from Roy’s own mouth, during several videotaped press conferences.

“I don’t know, you’d have to ask Christian Purslow.”
“Christian Purslow is handling all transfers, you’d have to ask him.”

NOT my words… ROY’S!

I’m willing to bet he was told how much money would be available.
I’m willing to bet he was shown the list of Rafa targets we were after, and may well have given the nod or not, on whether he felt they were worth pursuing.
But I’ll also bet that was down to what we could afford…
…And based on that, he gave CP a few additional names.

But if someone like Roy Hodgson was actually running the ins-n-outs, he’d have been on the first train to wherever, this week, talking Steven Ireland and Craig Bellamy into coming to Liverpool, instead of fucking around with the likes of Luke Youngs.
Coz I actually do think Roy knows football, and knows talent… and his record speaks for where he was and what his resources were.

Secondly…
The criticism of our targeting such players IS NOT a criticism of Roy.
It is criticism of those people who are suggesting these are great signings, without having seen them kick a football in a red shirt.

Interestingly enough, far from being a criticism of Roy, LB and FS’s comments are in actual fact in support of Roy.
The man hasn’t even overseen a Premier League match yet, let alone get a dodgy result, and already its down to the stalwarts to protect the man.

Roy has never managed a club like Liverpool before…the closest he got was Inter… and while they are a big club, in time and space, it’s not a fair comparison.

It is going to be very interesting to see what he can do with LFC. He has a talented group of players to work with. If he can get the best out of them, and have a bit of luck along the way, we’ll challenge.

But let’s not compare Roy’s CV to Rafa’s… it is simply unfair on the man…
…it would be like comparing Ned Beatty to Al Pacino for fucks sake!

Thirdly…
Let’s be clear that this “steady the ship” idea…
… does NOT mean that the team was in disarray and needed a steady hand…
…but that the club is in disarray and needs a steady hand…
… and… that Rafa has been steadying the fuckin ship for 3 years!!!

But no thanks to him for it, just don’t forget your hat as the door hits you in the Arse on the way out, you fat Spanish Bastard.

I read a few of the comments after articles on the Echo site this morning…. loads of people suggesting their line-ups for Arsenal.
They were essentially the same line-ups that Rafa sent out… you know, the ones they slated him for on a daily basis.

People who never ever had a kind word to say about Lucas, all had Lucas as a first choice holding mid.
People who constantly and repeatedly pontificate on how limited a player Kuyt is, all had him starting on the right-mid slot, despite having other options for that position.

…And in-spite of having other options at right mid, hardly anyone put a fit Kuyt upfront, or Jovanovic as our striker… no… no… most of them had Ngog up front as a loan striker (assuming Torres is not fit) … and these are all people who have repeatedly slated the selection of Ngog as a lone striker when we didn’t have other options!

If it wasn’t SAD it’d be fuckin hilarious.

Arthur, I can’t see Masch sulking.
I reckon if a deal can’t be done, he’ll do what Alonso did, and put in his best season, hoping he can seal a deal in January.

I don’t know if you caught the interview he did on Sky after the Argie/Ireland game.

He essentially said, he has no problem with LFC, no problem with the fans. He has always loved playing for them. He just wants to live in another country.

Masch appears to have had trouble learning English (some people just aren’t good with languages) …his wife hasn’t settled their… they have a child to think about now…

I know we all like to think of Liverpool as one of the best cities in the world… but lets be honest here…
If everyone in Liverpool won the lottery tomorrow, the place would be a fuckin ghost town.

And before I get slated for that last comment.
I know there are people who wouldn’t leave.
My nephew, who has traveled a bit, has told me on more than a few occasions “I was born here, I’ll die here. It’s the best city in the world”

I know there are people, living abroad, who would go back in a second if the chance arose… hell, to some extent I’m one of them… but I know quite a few that laugh when I say that.

Haven`t been i for a few days me tinternet was on the blink so i was using the phone to keep up the comments.

Looks like the end is nigh for G&H but the champagne will remain on ice until its done.The whole debacle has driven me mad,as i`m sure everyone else i just hope it all ends well.

Regarding Mascherano,i feel its better off he find a move if possible.I loved him in a red shirt,the lad would die for the jersey when he wore it,but now he`s made it clear he`s seeking a move then i don`t think Roy should stand in his way.

That said,i wouldn`t expect Roy,if a decent offer came for Mash,to block the deal(not sure he could anyway).

He wants out,let him go.Sad to see the back of him but we must move on.Carra was right,anyone who dosen`t want to play for Liverpool,there`s the door.

On the signing of Poulson.I adittedly haven`t seen much of him,or even noticed him if i did.We`ll have to wait and see.Saying that,i was hardly jumping up and down.

I also wonder had Rafa signed him,what would the reaction be,from both camps?? (pro/anti Rafa)

from Bamba on Rawk…

“Stand by. Club statement due. Could be anything like, but….strap yerselves in.”

Timmy, I think all of us expect Masch to leave IF an offer comes in. Roy has made it clear he won’t stand in his way. The situation though is that we have not received an offer for Masch yet so as long as this remains the case he aint going anywhere.

I cant wait for this G&H chapter to be behind us!

Inter have off loaded Balotelli so now they might come with the suitcase full of money for Masch….

Still waiting Timmy & RAWK has crashed….something’s coming this way and I hope it’s good…

#234

LB your right its an “as we stand” kind of statement.

Maybe they`ll come back through Liverpool with the suitcase.

I can`t wait for the announcment.I hope its good news,i`m like a child on Xmas day!!

Looks like I picked a good time to get back from hols.

Here’s hoping everything pans out as we all have hoped for many a year now and if Masch goes, it’s after G&H are removed.

Finger crossed and all that stuff.

Liverpool FC statement regarding the proposed sale of the club.

The Liverpool FC Board has reviewed a number of proposed bids for the club at a meeting held today.

The Board will continue to act in the best interests of Liverpool Football Club and its supporters, doing all that it can to ensure that the club is ultimately sold to a buyer who has the resources and real commitment to give it a long-term, stable and secure funding position for its plans.

The sale process is continuing. However, its timing and outcome remain uncertain. In the meantime, we will not comment on rumour and speculation.

Ahh well…

Statements that don’t say anything. Nothing new there then.

It’s good to see you positive about RBS, FS, although I’d rather put my faith in RH now, Rafa several weeks ago, than the bunch over at shaft the taxpayer city. Afterall what a brilliant idea to penalise owners who can’t pay in the first place, good luck on getting that back. They should be penalising themselves for their own stupidity.
.
Hopefully dumb and dumber will be gone soon but there will be no cash going RBS’ way from them, it will all come out of LFC’ budget. You never know our marquee signing could be to the RBS fee’s account.
.
Roll on lads onwards and upwards, lets give it our best shot this year. LFC.

Up at 6am here (5am GMT) & checking all the news channels (BBC, Sly, Supersport)
Aitch 229: Well said sir!
Anf for the record, I have Ngog as my 3rd striker in the Fantasy League! Put that in your pipe & smoke it. Watch him & Lucas this season.
Ps. JackHill, you must think I’m nuts

Well that staement was a big feckin letdown if i ever seen one.

Could have been worse though,they could have told us Tom and George were decidind to stay!

Alright lads, here’s what our friend at RBS told me this morning…
It’s just the bank and the board closing the shop shutters in an attempt to do things quietly behind closed doors.

Sometimes he goes on about banking things to me. I’ll admit – it’s over me head. Well, he told me a load of that stuff too. I wish I could repeat it for the people who are more savvy on all this, but I don’t even try to take it in. Sorry. I know that’s annoying but I’m just a foot soldier. I just take heed of things like this…
“Expect a week of nothing and maybe an announcement towards the end of the week.”

And that’s all I know. I have no idea of what the announcement will be. I know nothing else. But I am convinced it’s the end for the other two…
Apparently there’s some sort of penalty clause that they can’t possibly meet and didn’t ever expect the bank to acctivate. But they have.

Meaning they are completely fucked as the penalty clause adds up to multi-mega-millions that they have no chance of meeting.

So, that’s that.. that’s all I know and have been informed. I know nothing about the bids. I have no idea what the outcome will be. But as soon as I hear anything, I will let you lads know.

Thanks FS, it helps having the little updates even if you can’t say that much…

I know it feels like the end for the two bastards but I’m not celebrating until they’ve actually gone. They can still turn their teeth on us yet. If they get hit by this penalty clause then they can take the Masch money and pay with that. (Was that the £20M we’ve been hearing about?)

Likewise for any penalty there can be a sale…I hope i’m wrong but I’m not smiling til they’re gone.

Anyway, foot soldier? You’ll hate me saying it but fucking general more like! I even hear they’re talking of making you a Lord! Or was that Lard?

Gerry, great to read your new blog. Been very busy with Overseas visitors, Seminar and meetings and haven’t been in here for a while.
Have just caught up with the comments on this blog. Can’t make myself to go through the last one: too intimidating- it resembles War and Peace in volume and depth. Great to read your comments, FS> I hope the Chinese take over from the yanks and gets rid of Martin Bought-man and our Mr Purse-low.
Anyway, looks like even though I would still prefer Rafa at the helm Hedgehog has shown himself to be quite a gaffer for retaining the services of SG, Torres and got Cole as well.
Looking forward to the game tomorrow. Cheers, mates. YNWA.

TT, just signed the petition. Cheers!

Hello Knight me old friend. I was wondering where you was but didn’t say anything. Nice to see you back.

As I said in me last comment, I’m not sure what’s going on. I don’t think anyone outside the inner circle does. So in all truth, what the outcome will be, well, anyone’s guess is as good as mine. But I have been assured this…
H&G are finished. And excuse me language, but not only are they finished, they are fucked.

McrRed… the Mascherano money, if he is sold, will not go anywhere near covering the penalty clauses.

The simplest way I can put it is this…
Say you buy something that you can’t really afford, a house, car, couch, whatever, but manage to keep up the payments, you’ll be allowed to keep it.

But once them payments can’t be made that’s it…
The Baliffs come in, lock up your house, drive your car away, take your couch – well, that’s where H&G are.

I should be happy with that. But to be honest, after putting us through all this, I want to see them in the street like Mortimer and Randolph.

Petty?
No. Not in my book. Feck em. They made millions suffer. It’s payback time.

God that ould be too good to be true altogether FS.Thanks for the little bit of info mate,every little bit helps keep me sane if nothing else.

I decided to take a step back from all the takeover forums as its doing me head in.I`ll take on board what your man said FS and i`ll take my mind off the issue if possible until the end of next week.Wait for the announcement,even if its isn`t saying the club is sold,hopefully they`ll have decided they`re preferred bid by then.

One hell of a result today from Blackpool at Wigan.Nice to see the small club,who have traditition from by gone days do something like that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8H2FIf1oH4&feature=related

please please please

@FS

“I want to see them in the street like Mortimer and Randolph”.

Love it!

They will have still creamed of millions to the Caymans and wasted over 45 million in interest payments.

These Bastards deserve to rot in hell … sooner the better!