Liverpool Fc @ Anfield - Reds Supporters Gatherings

[lls8]

Published: 05 December 2007

City preparing £17m move for Mascherano as Liverpool stall By Jason Burt

Manchester City are attempting to take advantage of the continuing uncertainty at Liverpool by lining up a surprise £17m bid for Javier Mascherano. City are expected to be the Premier League's big spenders in what could be an otherwise quiet January with owner Thaksin Shinawatra having already pledging substantial funds as the club pushes for European football. They want to recruit one leading striker, and possibly two, as well as a holding midfielder while discussions have been held about a new goalkeeper.

The favourite for the striking role remains Afonso Alves, the free-scoring Brazilian who plays for the Dutch club Heerenveen, with Peter Crouch and Nicolas Anelka having also been discussed by Shinawatra, his advisers and manager Sven Goran Eriksson. Much of City's transfer strategy is being led by the agent Pini Zahavi and he is believed to be keen to push through a deal involving Mascherano. It is thought that a meeting with City may have already taken place.

A new name on City's list is the Newcastle United striker Obafemi Martins who is understood to be unhappy at St James' Park and has a £13m release clause, although negotiations have taken place to remove that from his contract.

The future of Mascherano has been one of the points of conflict between Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez and the club's owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Benitez has urged the Americans to quickly provide the funds to sign the 23-year-old Argentine, who is only effectively on an 18-month loan, on a permanent transfer.

Mascherano, whose personal terms do not provide a stumbling block, and his advisers want to tie up a deal as quickly as possible with Liverpool also risking the midfielder signing a pre-contract agreement elsewhere if they do not offer him permanent terms by next month. It's thought that he would prefer to stay at Liverpool.

Mascherano is already one of the players at Anfield most valued by Benitez, and has a clause in his contract setting a fee of £17m if he leaves the club – which would cause further strain with the owners. Benitez is believed to have already made clear he would rather sell John Arne Riise, who has only 18 months left on his contract, or Momo Sissoko who attracted interest from Italy last summer.

Mascherano is also believed to be wanted in Italy although he is thought to be more likely to move to Spain, and Barcelona, should he leave this country. Liverpool would not receive a fee for Mascherano who is, it is believed, still effectively owned by the sports media company MSI.

If City fail in a bid for Mascherano they are likely to turn their attention to Marcelo Mattos who, at around £3m, would provide a cut-price alternative. The 23-year-old Brazilian is also a holding midfielder and only joined the Greek club Panathinaikos earlier this year, from Corinthians. Mattos has been in impressive form and Portsmouth are also believed to be interested. Although not an international Mattos would be able to move to England because he has an Italian passport. Despite the impressive form of Dietmar Hamann, he is 34 and City have identified a new holding midfielder as a priority.

City spent heavily last summer, with almost £40m worth of players arriving in a whirlwind spree following Shinawatra's takeover and the appointment of Eriksson. The Swede is believed to have petitioned the owner last month urging him to spend more cash and claiming that beyond his first XI he lacks the strength and depth to sustain a challenge this campaign.

City's impressive performances have helped his cause – as have the resounding success of a number of his signings, particularly Elano and Martin Petrov.

City are also expected to receive further good news soon with the likelihood that Micah Richards will finally sign a new contract before the end of this month. The 19-year-old has stalled partly because he is in the process of changing his advisers but has assured City that he has no intention of not signing. A host of leading clubs are monitoring the situation and it is likely that, despite the new contract, City will face a battle to hold on to him next summer.

Ref:
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article3223641.ece

[lls8]

Liverpool's 8-0 hammering of Besiktas investigated by UEFA as part of match-fixing scandal

4th December 2007


There are reports that the 8-0 Champions League win over Besiktas last month is considered suspicious because of irregular betting patterns. UEFA officials refused to confirm or deny the allegations.

Only last weekend UEFA president Michel Platini said the 'criminal phenomena' in sport had become a 'big problem' after confirming that the European governing body were looking into matches in Eastern Europe that may have been fixed by gangster-run betting syndicates.

UEFA are working with Europol, the pan-European police force. Platini plans to hold a conference with From Back Page European Commission vice-president Franco Frattini to look at moneylaundering, match-fixing and illegal betting in football.

William Gaillard, UEFA's director of communications, said last night that an InterToto Cup game between Makedonija and Cherno More in July was the only game being officially investigated. Others were simply considered suspicious because of irregular betting patterns.

One look at Liverpool's group is enough to raise concern. Besiktas have a goal difference of minus nine — compared to Liverpool's of plus nine — but go into next week's final game against Porto still able to qualify ahead of the 2005 champions.

After losing 8-0 at Anfield on November 6, with Yossi Benayoun scoring a hattrick, players and staff from the Turkish club said how 'ashamed' they were.

Investigators for Sueddeutsche Zeitung, a Munich daily, claim that there was 'frenzied betting on a high-score victory' prior to the game. UEFA have made no contact with Liverpool and last night officials at Anfield said they could not comment because they had no knowledge of any controversy.

But reports in Germany suggest that Besiktas players, on a fraction of the salaries earned by Liverpool stars, could have been targeted by Asian betting syndicates.

"At this stage I can neither confirm nor deny the reports," Gaillard told Sportsmail. "There has to be a certain amount of confidentiality with these things because we could risk a source of information drying up."


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1779

[evilspawnsss]

Score 8 only match fixing -_-" frankly speaking..Singapore-vietnam match i think match fixing 2 own goals

[rahl]

Originally Posted by lls8

Eversince Torres arrived at Liverpool in the summer, the game that Liverpool played seemed to be very entertaining.

Steven Gerrard performance, since beating Besiktas is breathtaking. His passes r very effective, his freekicks is very dangerous and penalty is so assured.

Another player that is a beauty to watch is Ryan Babel. I enjoyed watching his at left or right wings, which he usually switch to suit the opponents.

Torres and Stevie, of course, no quarrel but at the risk of reigniting the argument heheheh, Babel? If he's a winger, I have never seen him beat a wingback.

I prefer to admire the quiet players in the team who go about their work in a subtle, effective way. First there was Carra, then Finnan, and now hopefully Lucas Leiva. They are just as important as the flair players.

[KingEros]

Originally Posted by rahl

Torres and Stevie, of course, no quarrel but at the risk of reigniting the argument heheheh, Babel? If he's a winger, I have never seen him beat a wingback.

Honestly, in the current stable ... I'd only give the nod to Benayoun.
He's a smarter player ... less often caught losing possession & most likely to cover back, fighting for that lost ball.
Babel & Pennant are the same ... nice to watch but not fighters, when chips are down.
As for Kewell, I just keep my fingers crossed that he will stay free of injuries until his impending retirement ... think he has had more than his fair share already. Personally, I also rate him higher than Babel or Pennant ... in terms of effective contributions.
The only solace for Babel is that he's still young & has got time on his side.

Originally Posted by rahl

I prefer to admire the quiet players in the team who go about their work in a subtle, effective way. First there was Carra, then Finnan, and now hopefully Lucas Leiva. They are just as important as the flair players.

Becoz there is Steven Gerrard, both Alonso & Leiva have sacrificed their natural attacking flair to play much deeper in midfield ... yes, we need to constantly recognise such efforts as loyal servants to the club.
In the history of YNWA, there've been plenty of such loyal servants (eg Steve Nicol) ... that's why this is such a great club!!

[rahl]

Originally Posted by KingEros

[B][COLOR="royalblue"]Becoz there is Steven Gerrard, both Alonso & Leiva have sacrificed their natural attacking flair to play much deeper in midfield ... yes, we need to constantly recognise such efforts as loyal servants to the club.
In the history of YNWA, there've been plenty of such loyal servants (eg Steve Nicol) ... that's why this is such a great club!!

You know, the time when Stevie was nearly off to Real Madrid, I believe Rafa was already planning a whole new midfield which would not be built around Stevie. And then of course Stevie made a U-turn. So perhaps the current midfield is not necessarily what Rafa had in mind and he's had to have Alonso and others play more defensively! Of course we will never know unless he writes his autobiography.

[lls8]

Originally Posted by rahl

Torres and Stevie, of course, no quarrel but at the risk of reigniting the argument heheheh, Babel? If he's a winger, I have never seen him beat a wingback.

I prefer to admire the quiet players in the team who go about their work in a subtle, effective way. First there was Carra, then Finnan, and now hopefully Lucas Leiva. They are just as important as the flair players.

hI...RAHL,
I agree with u, sometimes it is those quiet players, who dun gain much publicity yet go about & get the job done effectively. Is true the players u mentioned, like Finnan, Leiva. Another few players in this quiet group will be Arbeloa, Aurellio, Alonso. They r usually publicity shy. They let a few main characters gain all the publicity esp like Gerrard, Crouch, Torres, Carragher.

But from Marketing sense of view, quiet players will not generate publicity. To advertisers that need publicity to generate attention for the players & team. If the players from the team get lots of publicity, esp like ManUtd & Chelsea; the main sponsor will be willing to pay above the board for sponsorship of shirts, boots, A-boards, Corporate boxes etc. This is what Liverpool lacked today compare to the other big 3. Carlsberg pay Liverpool peanuts for Jersey sponsorship compare to wat Chelsea & ManUtd gets. Team need players that generate publicity. Liverpool in the past only have 3 players in this category, in the last 8 years - Gerrard, Owen & Fowler only.
In present team, only Gerrard, Crouch, and mayb Torres will enjoy that superstar status publicity. Liverpool needs more stylish superstar players like Beckham in the past or Rooney, Scholes, Giggs, Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand etc.

Football Teams gain supporters thru:
1) The Team eg Liverpool FC
2) Teams also get supporters by having stylish & good players of superstar status, off course with some good look like Owen (Liverpool/Newcastle), Gerrard...mayb next is Torres. If Liverpool managed to sign Kaka, overnite Liverpool supporters will increased by another million.
3) Teams gains supporters wen the team were televised in match regularly ( esp MU, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea) in every match they play.
4)Teams gain supporters by playing good football (Arsenal), being Champions (ManUtd, Chelsea) or winning in important match like d Istanbul Fighback from 3-0 down in first half. Liverpool wins many new supporters after thatmatch esp among the neutrals.

Supporters is important bcos it generates revenue to the teams & advertiser as well as publicity.

The reasons i supported Liverpool is bcos They always win in the 80's, 90's and Liverpool plays entertaining attacking football in 00's as well. I had spend a lot on Liverpool merchandise ike bags, scarves, towels, jersey (home & away every year), watch, DVD...all bcos of "LOVE" for Liverpool. Another reasons I supported Liverpool is bcos of the classy players that have like Barnes, Fowler, Keegen, Dalgish, Rush, McMahon, Clemence, Heighwey, Hansen, Kennedy (Alan & Ray), Whelan, Molby,,,,,many more, which i can still remember the name. When Liverpool is playing, i would rather watch the game live than have sex!!! That is my opportunity cost... haha. This is the excitement of football.


GOOD NEWS TO SHARE !!!

Finally Arsenal drops 2 points with a draw (1 - 1) against Newcastle, this morning. Too bad, no live telecast, so only managed to follow on bbc online while watching the Everton's UEFA game.

Sometimes, being a Liverpool supporters is never easy!!
We watch Liverpool game with hope to see Liverpool win.
If Liverpool draw.....may feel extra moody at work for at least a day.

Sometimes we watch Arsenal, Manchester Utd & Chelsea game, with hope to see them lose or draw so that they lose points. In other words, their dropping of points will be Liverpool gain, if Liverpool win the game in hand.
So, if Liverpool win on Sat against Reading, then the gap between Liverpool & Arsenal will be 4 points instead of 7 points now; unless Arsenal win again on Sun. When ManUtd beat Fulham 2 days ago, i was damn upset. Was hoping for a draw !!

[lls8]

Originally Posted by rahl

You know, the time when Stevie was nearly off to Real Madrid, I believe Rafa was already planning a whole new midfield which would not be built around Stevie. And then of course Stevie made a U-turn. So perhaps the current midfield is not necessarily what Rafa had in mind and he's had to have Alonso and others play more defensively! Of course we will never know unless he writes his autobiography.

THANK GOD...Gerrard is still around. The truly world class player in Liverpool team. Alonso plays well in his first season in Liverpool shirt (2004/05), but after that his performance had drifted in & out a bit. Sisoko also seems less effective thios year. Yes, I love to see him steals the ball from opponent players ....but in the next minutes he loses the ball easily to another opponent players. I really dun know how to comment about him, but if playing as defensive player, I will anytime rank Mascherano and Lucas Leiva ahead of Momo. Alonso distribution of ball is fantastic, i believe he is an intelligent player, the way he spray his passes.

"When Gerrard plays well, Liverpool teams will play well". I believe I had to agree with that statement, esp like now, Gerrard plays well, scores goals, n dictate the game with his passes. Off curse his team play well too, esp striker like Torres, Benayoun, Kewell, Babel (as substitute) & Crouch. Hope Kuyt & Veronin regain their earlier season form again, in case Torres is injured.

[ANDYSIAO14]

Originally Posted by LIVERPOOLFC.TV.NEWS

Liverpool Football Club today rubbished reports linking Fabio Capello with a move to Anfield.
Newspaper speculation on Wednesday suggested the former Juventus and AC Milan coach had been approached by the club.

But spokesman Ian Cotton said: "This story is complete nonsense."

errrmmm....no wind yet the tree swaying?

THE QUOTE ABOVE FROM
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drill...71205-1227.htm

[KingEros]

Originally Posted by rahl

You know, the time when Stevie was nearly off to Real Madrid, I believe Rafa was already planning a whole new midfield which would not be built around Stevie. And then of course Stevie made a U-turn. So perhaps the current midfield is not necessarily what Rafa had in mind and he's had to have Alonso and others play more defensively! Of course we will never know unless he writes his autobiography.

Yes, yes ... that's why Gerrard was sent to play on the right last 2 seasons.

[SKILLFULL LICK]

Originally Posted by lls8

hI...RAHL,


GOOD NEWS TO SHARE !!!

Finally Arsenal drops 2 points with a draw (1 - 1) against Newcastle, this morning. Too bad, no live telecast, so only managed to follow on bbc online while watching the Everton's UEFA game.

bro,ru in sg??or u wake up middle of the nite stone stone and turn to chn 23 or 24 instead??hehe..

i watched the match in fb chn at 4am leh..

[KingEros]

Originally Posted by lls8

Supporters is important bcos it generates revenue to the teams & advertiser as well as publicity.

I'm not so sure ... if revenue will be so simply increased, as you put it.

1) in terms of ticket sales in Anfield, even the season tickets are over-subscribed ... that's why there is a rush to build the new stadium to accommodate the annual overwhelming demand.

2) in terms of sponsorship, Carlsberg & Adidas are already paying top money ... in the sense that when the long-term (yes, such contracts last for 8-10 years) contract was signed, they were the highest bidder & fully in tune with market currency then.

3) in terms of player endorsement, what they secure through their agents are solely their own - the club only gets to approve if the player gets the necessary time-off for such activities ... if I dun remember wrongly, only Beckham conceded part of his marketing rights to Madrid (& LA Galaxy too) in that multi-million contract.

4) in terms of television rights (both Champions League & Premier League), the club gets their share ... regardless of whether you & I signed on with StarHub or Setanta. I wun even talk about the tips mentioned here previously on how to stream matches for free.

5) in terms of merchandise, I agree fully with you ... though I've been virtually with the Kop long enough to think harder than you before parting with my money nowadays - what you now do is what I used to do in the 80s: jerseys, posters, keychains, casualwear etc.

Yes, players need to be reminded that THEY MUST NOT BITE THE HAND THAT FEED THEM ... ie, respect the existence & contributions of the supporters.
However, for a club like LFC which is well-followed all over the world, the revenue brought in through the supporters is not what is gonna make or break the club. In contrast, for clubs like Derby & Sunderland, fanatical support on the terraces & in the gift shop is critical for survival.

Let's just bring the situation closer to us ...
Like you, I wun miss a single LFC match on my TV (yes, die-hard "supporter" of StarHub) ... but besides contributing the time & energy in supporting LFC, I confess I hardly even bring even 2p to the club's coffer.

Despite all the opinions we throw forth in this thread, in the capacity of life-long die-hard supporters, how many of us really contribute to the club's accounts?

At the end of the day, it's still about performing well on the pitch & not have another bunch of "spice boys" ... to draw the correct investors (like the current pair of Yanks) & their financial support, as well as ensure the big money from consistent good runs in both the Champions League & the Premier League.

[KingEros]

Originally Posted by SKILLFULL LICK

bro, ru in sg?? or u wake up middle of the nite stone stone and turn to chn 23 or 24 instead?? hehe..

i watched the match in fb chn at 4am leh..

Yup, it was televised live on Ch27 ... Arsenal was a bit complacent, which is good.
So, I think the chap is not based in Sillypore lor.

[SKILLFULL LICK]

Originally Posted by KingEros

Yup, it was televised live on Ch27 ... Arsenal was a bit complacent, which is good.
So, I think the chap is not based in Sillypore lor.

know wat bro king,actually this game is none of my facking business..i sacrifice my sleep just wanna to see Arsenal drop points,hehe...

[KingEros]

Originally Posted by SKILLFULL LICK

know wat bro king,actually this game is none of my facking business... i sacrifice my sleep just wanna to see Arsenal drop points, hehe...

Hahaha ... same here.
When Arsenal scored within the first 5 minutes, I fell asleep within the next 5 minutes ... then miraculously, at the 85th minute, I woke up & "lun" until the end of the 95th minute.
All that a LFC die-hard would go through for his club.

Important thing is for LFC to get a result at Anfield against the Scums on 16 Dec, while Chelsea get a draw at the Emirates ... that would mean LFC will only be 5 points behind Arsenal with a game in hand, going into the series of festive fixtures.
Over the last decade or so, we have never managed to stay so close to the league leaders ... & we usually finish the season pretty strongly. So, my money is still on LFC to win the Premier League this season.
Keeping my fingers irreversibly crossed.