LFC : The new beginning

I have just finished reading "Dalglish - My Autobiography", what a 'story'! From his playing days with Celtic to his management days with Blackburn.

The autobiography

I was too young to understand anything then, I only knew Liverpool was coached by someone called Kenny Dalglish and he has top players with him, Barnes, Beardsley, Rush and others. 

Then he left. It was Souness next, then Liverpool had Roy Evans, Evans+Houllier, Houllier, Rafa, Hodgson and now, it's the man - King Kenny again for the second stint as a Liverpool FC manager. Liverpool last won the league, their 18th title in 1990 and it has been 21 years now. Manchester United has finally took over as the most successful English team to win the league with 19 honors last season. It was a bitter fact for the fans to swallow but we just have to accept that United is that good and we were bad in so many ways.

Enough with the emotional babbling. Now with new owners in FSG, led by the charismatic American John W Henry things are looking much better for Liverpool FC. He re-called Kenny when the gaffer was away on holidays, without any hesitation the King reacted instantly to the S.O.S call. They brought in 2 exciting players, Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll and managed to finished 6th in the league. It was considered as a fair result looking at how badly they started earlier last season.

The actual re-building starts during this summer. Until now, Kenny with the support he gets from the new owner has bought Downing, Charlie Adam, Henderson, Doni and the latest inclusion Enrique from Newcastle.

I am actually getting a sense of deja-vu. Maybe its because I just finished reading the autobiography. Kenny is doing what he did at Blackburn. It was never the same during his time as a Liverpool manager. The time he took over from Joe Fagan, he inherited a magnificent squad, including himself because he was then the player-manager for LFC. So not much work to be done except continue the excellent work that has been laid in by previous managers, especially Bill Shankly.

At Blackburn it was different. They were a team from a Championship side that got promoted to the Premier League. He had good people working with him, the staffs and the players. But he needed to strengthen the squad with new players that's able to cope with the Premier League-like pressure. They finished 4th in their first season, 2nd in the second season and finally became the Premier League Champions in their 3rd season. What a success! Of course it was not duly to his own work but inclusive with the support he got from everyone at Blackburn. Even Sir Alex couldn't make United a champion less than 5 seasons in charge.

The same thing he is doing now at Liverpool. Only I don't thing it will take Kenny and Liverpool 3 seasons to become the Champions. Reasoning?

Liverpool FC is a club with its own tradition and stories. Most of it was about the success they had achieved, domestically and abroad. 18 times champions of England and 5 times champions of Europe, not including FA Cups, League Cups and UEFA Cups. Liverpool FC has their own style marked for so long. Kenny just needs to put everything back in place. Unlike the time in Blackburn, he had to build everything from scratch. They didn't even have a proper youth setup back then.

Kenny is Liverpool and Liverpool is Kenny. It may sound corny but its just the way it is. Even taking over the job half-way from Hogdson last season didn't took Kenny that long to get the team to play as how Liverpool FC should play.

Finally with the financial backing that he's got, Liverpool FC will be a force again, in England and in Europe.

YNWA

LFC : High earners and what to do with them

Liverpool have been busy in this summer's transfer market and Jordan Henderson is the 1st player they sign during this off-season for a reported fee of £16 million. When everybody is eager following Liverpool's activity in the transfer market, wanting to know the next new player that they will bring in lets have a thought on the 'un-wanted' or under-performed high-earning players that they have as well.

Joe Cole, Poulsen, Konchesky, Aqualani and Jovanovic. What will happen to these 5 players if Liverpool are not able to sell them? Rumors, news, you name it, have been circulating and making speculations that the club are trying to off-load them. We wouldn't know anything for sure until the club officially announce it. Before it happens or the worst case scenario whereby no club wants them Kenny Dalglish will have to come up with a plan.

One option is to send them out on-loan with the idea that any club that will take them will have to bear at least 40% of their wage or might as well use them. Out of 5 players mentioned earlier, maybe Konchesky will be the candidate for Liverpool to really off-load.

Joe Cole, troubled by injuries might be able to prove himself for at least another season. Everyone knows his capabilities in the past and maybe with a proper training program under King Kenny he might get back to his best.

Jovanovic, in his 1st season can't also prove himself much with things going in and off the field. Some can argue it was not the case with Torres or Suarez but bare in mind that the two players came when the atmosphere was much stable. Torres came when Rafa was still in and Suarez is 1 of the Kenny revolution. Even Andy Carroll hasn't been performing to his maximum abilities. Another 1 season won't harm the team if we use him 'correctly'.

Aquilani came with an injured ankle and nothing can be done by the team except to 'fix' him so he could perform. But he managed only 2 appearances for the club before being loaned out to Juve last season. He didn't do that bad either. So with a more improved fitness level he might come in handy.

Finally Poulsen. He was a disappointment under Hodgson. But under Kenny he had more steady performances. He might be loaned out if they can't sell him.

I'm sure Kenny knows what is best for the team. And I'm pretty sure that Kenny has plans A,B,C and so on. This will be his challenges. But the club will have to spend €34m in the next few years in terms of salary. This could not be healthy for the club as their are rebuilding. Spending that much on wages alone does not make sense. Unless if these players really perform and they can help the club to win trophies.


Buying Suarez and Andy Carroll at a total cost of £61.5 million and selling Torres for £50 million is not bad business.

But FSG can't be always doing this. They need to keep the balance right. If these players can't be released might as well use them to the team's advantage. I just hope they can be load-off and get better, younger and more promising players for the future.

LFC : Jordan Henderson, the first catch

Jordan Henderson, Liverpool's first catch during the close season. However the fee and details of the contract were disclosed by the club.

Still 20, Henderson signed a long term contract after completing a medical at the club before joining England U-21 for the European Championship.

This is Kenny's first signing since the end of last season. Reports from newspapers were saying Henderson costs Liverpool around £20 million and are among the best prospects in England for the future. He will now compete with Steven Gerrard, Lucas, Meireles, Spearing, Shelvey and Poulsen in Liverpool's midfield.

Having showing a consistent performances in midfield for Sunderland last season it was no surprise when Hendo is being eyed by Dalglish and Comolli.

Some might argue that Liverpool have too many midfield players right now and we should get players from other position. Having 6 midfield is not 'many' where the team might play at least 3 of them at 1 time. Without European football next season, Liverpool needs a 'big' squad with good players to challenge for everything. It's also good where everyone can be fresh and fit.

Liverpool FC are on a 'rebuilding' project. Getting the best youngsters will only bring good stuffs back to the club in the near future. I am expecting Kenny and Comolli to sign another player withing  these few weeks.

It's also good to see the owner's intent and their involvement during this summer.

YNWA

LFC : Transfer gossips and FSG

It has been nearly two weeks since BPL ended. And last weekend we saw how Barcelona clinched the European title for the 4th time in their club's history after beating Manchester United 3-1.

Now it's the time for fans and pundits to double guessed the big club's activity in the transfer market. Liverpool FC in recent years have been pretty quiet in the transfer market but with FSG in the picture together with Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli, we are expecting some movement for the club.

Liverpool have been busy since before the season ended. Names like Charlie Adam, Adam Johnson, Stewart Downing, Eden Hazard, Ashley Young and recently Jordan Henderson have been linked to the club from Merseyside.

None of the names above have been confirmed but this shows how serious are the new owners to prepare Liverpool for the new season.

Liverpool FC will have no European football next season but this will not be a reason for the new owners, Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli not to strengthen the squad with some new quality players. Their main target for next season should be to qualify for Champions League and to get into the top 4.

I don't see any reason why any good footballers don't want to come to Liverpool. Firstly we have King Kenny at the helm. That would be a strong reason for any player to come to Liverpool. With only domestic football for them, it'll be easier to focus. They might be in Europe and challenging for the league title in no time.

I'm pretty sure Kenny will at least get 1 winger. A genuine wide player that can deliver the 'killer' pass from the wide areas. This will definitely benefit our strikers, Suarez and Carroll.

We already have good young players in the squad and they may have to improve their game if they want to be more involved with the first team. This will be healthy for Liverpool FC because everyone will have to be on their toes in order to keep their place in the team.

To get the balance right, we might also see some players leaving. I'd say David Ngog, Kyrgiakos, Poulsen, Joe Cole and Konchesky to leave the club. Insua and Aquilani who was loaned out might not return too.

It's still early to be certain but I'm sure we will see a clearer picture on who's coming and who's going in a couple of weeks time. It will be interesting though and I genuinely believe that 1 or 2 'big name' players will sign with Liverpool Football Club.

YNWA

LFC : Lucas 'General' Leiva

" Why oh why .. Lucas is playing !"
" I don't understand why Rafa is so in love with Lucas .. "
" Oh no ! Lucas starts !! We're gonna lose again ! ... "
Those were the unhappy chants from friends of mine and also Liverpool fans two years ago. I keep on telling them Lucas is a good player. He is still young and he was still learning.

I don't know why I never agreed with my mates regarding Lucas. I guess I must have seen something 'special' in him. It is not because he's Brazilian. And he's not like any other Brazilian with their silky skills on the ball, mazy dribbles and fancy footwork. I see a young hard-working lad who continues to work hard and play honestly even though things were not going smooth for him.

I knew if chances and patience were mixed together we would somehow see something good. Yes, chances were given to Lucas. And the managers were patient with him. They also had faith. Benitez, Hodgson and Kenny. All of them somehow had a hand developing Lucas into a player that he is today.

Even after Lucas had been recognized there are some people who will come up with their argument. Lucas may be the best player for Liverpool FC this season because there was no Gerrard, there's certainly no other players like the departed Macherano or Xabi Alonso. Lucas is playing in a mediocre team. The list will go on.

I still believe Lucas has more to give. If he can improve further in two years time I can see Lucas as one of the best players of his generation. Better still, he might be voted as the best player in the planet. Well if that were to happen, all LFC fans should still hope that Lucas is still with us.

There's nothing much to say about him because he is just brilliant! I'd predict he'll become more prominent under the tutelage of King Kenny. In the meantime, congratulations to Lucas Leiva for becoming Liverpool Football Club's player of the season. YNWA

LFC : Final game ... it wasn't to be our day

Liverpool lost 1-0 courtesy of a goal from Villa's Steward Downing on the 33rd minute.
Luck seems to desert the team as early as the 12th minute as Spearing had to be replaced
by Jonjo Shelvey due to an ankle injury suffered from a tackle made by Nigel Reo-Coker.

Joe Cole were given a rare start by manager Kenny Dalglish, a 'sale-in-mind' opportunity
is believed to have been made by the gaffer. No disrespect to Cole but the lack of football
and too many injuries this season had prevented him to shine in his assumed final game for the reds.
Cole will be among the candidates that will leave Anfield next season.

A few absentees, among them Glenn Johnson and Andy Carroll. Both were reported to suffer from injuries.
All of this adds up to the reasons on why Liverpool can't win against Villa.

Even a win couldn't help Liverpool's position when Pavlyuchenko scored Spurs's second goal to confirm
them into Europa League next season.

With Liverpool finishing 6th in the table, this means they won't have any continental football next
season. The last time Liverpool were in a similar position it was 12 years ago.

Dalglish were sorry for the players as they worked hard to get to where they are on the final day. From 12th
position in December and finishing as high as 6th was enough for the King to pay some tribute to them. They even
flirted to be in contention for the Europa qualifying slot at some point only to be denied by Spurs who beat them
at Anfield.

Nevertheless, the King was happy with the players commitments, attitude and spirit since he took over the
helm back in January. They failed to get into Europe not because they lost to Villa but when they started the
season as bad as they did finishing 6th should be good enough.

Even the pundits were saying, going back to the day when the world was shooked by the news that King Kenny is back
as Liverpool's manager, finishing 6th in the league would be the 'logical' target for everyone who is associated
to the club. Be it the owner, staffs, players and fans alike and King Kenny had just done that. Liverpool football
club finished 6th.

As a fan, yes I am devastated that we didn't manage to finish as high as we can, or we are not in Europe
next season or when Manchester United has finally topple us from our place by becoming the champion for the 19th
time this season.

But I will not dwell on that anymore. As many as bad memories I had this season, I believe that we as the fans
had and will have better memories to come. Kenny Dalglish is back as our manager. The owners seems to be very
serious with their 'project' to turn Liverpool back as England's best football team. We have promising youngsters
in Flanagan,Lucas, Shelvey and Robinson. We've also captured Luis Suarez, new sensation for Liverpool FC. We are
yet to know who will be signed next season but I'm sure it's going to be a pretty busy and interesting summer
for us as fans.

Can't wait for next season to come. YNWA !!

LFC : Work In Progress

A 0-2 lost to Tottenham at home was not an ideal result especially when it was the last game of the season (at home) and both team are eyeing for the europa spot next season.

After so many great things happened prior to the match the fans was expecting the team to continue their buzzing form. Kenny Dalglish made one change from the line-up against Fulham last Monday. Andy Carroll started replacing the injured Raul Meireles.

Tottenham was kinda lucky and fortunate that on the 8th minute of the game a Rafael van der Vaart's volley went into the back of the net. It took a slight deflection from Johnson's foot that obviously had Pepe beaten. It was a good volley and nothing can be done by any of the Liverpool players.

van der Vaart's volley

Liverpool tried to pick themselves up after the first goal but Spurs played a very disciplined pressing game. Their players were all over us every time they lost the ball and when we have possession we can't somehow keep it very well.

Van der Vaart

Liverpool went further behind in the 2nd half when Luka Modric converted a penalty. A debatable decision made by not a very friendly referee on the eyes of the Reds faithful - Howard Webb. A shoulder-to-shoulder challenge between Pienaar and the young Flanagan just outside the box somehow was seen as a foul by Mr Webb. Unlucky for the young full-back.

Taking away the dubious penalty decision from Mr Webb, Liverpool will still be trailing from the brilliant van der Vaart's goal. Spurs defenders played well and I have to say Dawson was the man-of-the-match. We have ourselves to blame for the defeat.

Reality check ! We lost and it might cost us the place for next season's Europa League. Yes King Kenny is back and yes the team is playing good football. But Liverpool FC is still in a 'rebuilding' process. We as the fans have to keep our feet firmly on the ground.

It'll be great if we can win the league next season. But Liverpool needs to be consistent. Results like this will definitely costs us next season if we were to win the league. We definitely need players with quality that can sustain their form till the end of the season.

We are one point less than Spurs. We just need to continue giving support to Liverpool FC and hope for a better performance, better result next week against Villa while hoping Spurs to falter against Birmingham.

YNWA !!

LFC : How we'd lost it - they never really managed to 'get' it

Manchester United yesterday claimed the 19th English Premiership Championship and officially they have beaten Liverpool's record of 18 League titles. Credit to them because they have managed to be consistent in the league.

As a Liverpool fan I have to admit it was quite difficult for me to swallow the fact that Manchester United is the best team in England now but facts are facts. Nothing can change that. But lets us look at it from a different angle.

Liverpool last won the league in 1990. And it took Man Utd 21 years to finally beat us. What have we done for 21 years? I believe everyone that is associated to Liverpool FC kinda took things for granted. 18 was the number and everyone thought no one can ever beat that record and it was all right when Liverpool did not manage to become champions. Obviously Man Utd has managed to topple us now - all because of consistency. Liverpool FC has consistently being inconsistent for 21 years.

We thought we are so great that we let people with no insight about Liverpool let alone about football to become the owners. They even have debts when they were around. This hindered the development of the team. And we had the wrong people to do the business from the top level.

We used to have young players coming in - Jamie Redknapp, Fowler, McManaman, Owen, Gerrard and Carragher. Well for almost 5 seasons Liverpool was a 2 man team. Always being to dependent on Gerrard/Torres, Gerrard/Carrager.

It was never like that before. Yes we have the likes of Dalglish, Toshak, Souness, Beardsley, Barnes but at that time it was always about the team. The "Liverpool Team". Few individuals will always get the limelight but will always be supported by the whole team. And for 21 years it has always been a few individuals that supports the team. When these individuals got injured or suspended, the team suffered.

It's high time we get a knock on our heads. With the new regime in place - John W Henry, Tom Werner, Comolli, Dalglish, Clarke and the rest of the coaching team now it is the time for us to fight back! Now is the time for us to reclaim what is ours!

It's going to be an interesting time for us. With everybody supporting each other I don't see any reason why we can't get back to be No. 1 as soon as possible. To all fans stop worrying about the record that Man Utd have. Lets start to concentrate on us making more records and history !!

YNWA !!

LFC : Maxi's second hattrick and great future

Second hat-trick in 2 weeks and Maxi Rodriguez is on a high. Liverpool were already leading 3-0 inside the first 20 minutes with Maxi, after just 32 seconds scored the opener.

Hattrick Hero - Maxi

Dalglish's men instantly ran riot over Sparky's boys. Fulham were never given time to settled down into the match. Lucas Leiva, growing into stature was the architect for Liverpool's first 2 goals. He was the one who fed Luis Suarez which ran into the box before squaring it. The ball ricochets a Fulham defender before Maxi slammed it into the back of the net. Lucas again had the vision to chipped the ball towards Johnson. The fullback later floated the ball to the far post where Maxi was there waiting. 2-0.

It was a joy to watch how the Liverpool players passed the ball around. I could say the first 45 minutes Liverpool practically played with 10-men. Pepe Reina was the only player who hardly got involved.

No disrespect to Fulham, they are a good side. They did turn-up during the second half and managed to unsettled Liverpool. Luckily Maxi got his third goal, a beauty that killed of the game before Suarez sealed the fifth goal after receiving a pass from Jonjo.The other scorer in this game was Dirk Kuyt. 9 goals in 8 game proves the Dutchman is rich in form.

Suarez's magic

5-2 and it was the best away result for Liverpool this season. Again we will talk about Dalglish's impact towards the team. Maxi Rodriguez was merely a squad player under Hodgson and now he scored two hattricks.

Everyone seems to be enjoying their football more now. Even youngsters like Flanno and Robinson looked like seasoned player. Lucas and Jay Spearing have somehow manage to create an understanding between both of them and have been running the engine room magnificently.

We are gaining more points in the league. With 2 more games remaining we are hoping that the team can keep their momentum running. Champions League seems reachable, hoping Manchester City to drop points along the way.

Future looks promising for Liverpool. We might fall behind to Man United next weekend, finally. To all fans out there, I assure you, it will not be long before we get back what is ours. The champions of England that is.

YNWA

LFC : New rising star in Jay Spearing

Jay Francis Spearing - born in November 25, 1988. A Liverpool Youth development product, was spotted playing for Wallasey side Greenleas. He was the captain of the Liverpool under 18s that won the FA Youth Cup in 2007. 

Spearing made his competitive first team debut on December 9, 2008, coming in as a substitute in a 3-1 UEFA Champions League win against PSV Eindhoven. On March 31, 2009, former manager Rafa Benitez offered Spearing a new contract and he later signed a new three year contract with Liverpool on July 6, 2009.

Although he signed a contract, he never really made his mark in the first team. It was tough for young Spearing when he had to compete with the likes of Steven Gerrard, Javier Macherano and Lucas Leiva in midfield. On March 22, 2010 he was loaned to Leicester City.

Jay Spearing

Like any other young players that is playing for their boyhood club, Spearing had a dream to make it big. It never came under the previous managers. But every time he was called upon he will definitely perform to his best ability. He received the Man Of The Match award when he made his Primer League debut against Sunderland from the journalist on the Red's official website. 

I loved his attitude towards the game. With his small physique (5 ft 6 in), he made everything up with his strong determination. He never looked lost or overawed in any occasion. Yes he made mistakes. Even Gerrard made a few (famously with his back-pass that was intercepted by Henry - twice!), but young Spearing is still learning and will only get better if given the chance.

Young Gun

His real chance came under manager Kenny Dalglish and of course under the fact that Stevie G is out until the rest of this season. Young Spearing seized the moment and he has formed a formidable partnership with Lucas in the heart of Liverpool's midfield.

With 6 starts on his belt Jay never put any food wrong. Well, it was almost perfect. After all it was his clumsy challenge that led to the penalty in the game with Arsenal. Still, beside from that foul he did great.

Jay's staying

The manager and of course this includes the other management team thinks that Jay has been performing pretty well covering for Stevie G. Even King Kenny insists that Spearing is up there on merit. Following his fellow club mate, Dirk Kuyt and Lucas Leiva, Liverpool FC today offered Jay Spearing an extension on his current contract. Good news indeed and well done Jay Spearing !

Stevie mate ! Looks like you have to start from scratch to earn a place in the Liverpool starting line up now!

YNWA !!

LFC : Reds goes rampant with 5 goals

All week the fans are wondering whether Andy Carroll will get fit for the game against Birmingham. I have been monitoring the news from LFCTV but nothing official was released. It was later when they released the line-up that I noticed Carroll was missing and replaced by Maxi Rodriguez.

Maxi tapping in his 1st

And what a way for him to thank manager Kenny Dalglish by scoring a hat-trick. Dirk Kuyt and Joe Cole was also on target as Liverpool completed a 5-0 win against the visitors, Birmingham.

The flood gates started to open as early as the 7th minute. Ben Foster couldn't palm the ball from the danger zone after young Jay Spearing sent in a ferocious shot. There was Maxi to pounce from close range and the ball rolled just underneath the keeper.

Luis Suarez has been the busiest player today and it was due to his run Kuyt, together with his persistence got Liverpool's second of the day. The third came after a good movement between Lucas and Maxi. Suarez who beat the offside trap just ran the ball towards the by-line. Lucas ran to the near post while Maxi waited at the far post. Suarez coolly picks Maxi with a floated pass which he needed no second invitation to tap it in.

Maxi scored his hat-trick and Liverpool's fourth with a low drive after another quick Liverpool attack. Joe Cole finished it off with Liverpool's 5th of the evening after a mazy run down the right.

Hat-trick hero - Maxi

5 goals and a clean sheet. Another tremendous result for Liverpool which are still hoping to sneak-in into 4th place.

Another solid performances by the two young full-backs, Flanagan and Robinson. I am more impressed with Robinson after today's game. He hardly made any astray passes and even received a yellow card. The boss must have given them more encouragement where we can see both of them went further up more often.

The midfield has been perfect. Lucas, Spearing and Meireles. Running tirelessly assisting the attacks and tracking back the runs made by Birm's players. Meireles and Lucas was again faultless. And it's very interesting when I see Lucas helping Robinson every time Liverpool's lefthand-side was attacked.

Man-of-the-man for this match should go to Luis Suarez. He is very unlucky not to have his name on the score sheet as well. Suarez at least deserved a goal for his effort and trickery runs.

5-0 result was achieved and we are without Steven Gerrard, Agger, Johnson, Aurelio and Carroll. The future looks very bright for us. With the likes of Gerrerd, Agger, Johnson and the other names I don't see any reason why we can't win more. 

Hopes to qualify for Europe is still there after Spurs drew with West Brom. I'm sure Kenny will ask the lads to just keep on fighting. If they can keep up the momentum, I won't be surprised that we will be in the Champions League. YNWA

LFC: Bravehearts !!

months ago, under roy hodgson i never imagined liverpool could win a game even if they are leading 2-0. the game could just ended up with liverpool losing 2-3 or 2-4.

last night against arsenal, a team that is fighting for this season's championship title and on their turf, trailing a goal at the very end, the lads showed true spirit and determination not to lose it. minutes after robin van persie got arsenal ahead through a penalty, dirk kuyt replied in the same manner. 

same line-up as the game against man city was thrown onto the field by the gaffer only the fans was left wondering why the team can't perform like they did. a few reasons for that, arsenal is always strong when playing at home and they have a very good team. the most entertaining team by far. liverpool's form has never been great playing away from home this season, regardless who is playing they seemed to have "Dr jeckyll & Hyde" character. without the captain steven gerrard, two key defenders in agger and johnson somehow made it more difficult for them to perform consistently.

again kenny had to quickly re-shuffled his back-line due to injuries suffered by aurelio and carragher. came in soto and the new boy, 17 years old jack robinson. it's a nerve wrecking game for the lad, replacing aurelio and facing theo walcott on the left hand side. such a big task thrown by the manager to the young boy. like flanagan against city, robinson did superb in his debut.

flanagan, at the right hand side again had a solid game. same goes to jay spearing. winning the motm award, which he deserved he basically attacked every arsenal's player in possession of the ball. and he had support from lucas. liverpool's midfield were out-classed by arsenal but they just stuck to their task and keep on working hard for the team.

it's true, liverpool never really looked like scoring, but the thought of them losing never came in sight either. everybody played their role. i must say carroll might get some stick thrown by his critics, but i'd believe that he really got arsenal defenders worried.

with his big physique, he had at least 2 arsenal defenders glued to him all the time. with the possession they had, arsenal could easily win the game. they just can't throw every player in liverpool's half because of carroll's presence. i'm sure this is what kenny wants. and with suarez's trickery liverpool might somehow steal a goal.

the moment of truth clearly came after arsenal took the lead. they just keep on going and eventually lucas was fouled to earn a penalty for liverpool. earlier i just thought, well there goes again, losing an away game to arsenal. images of istanbul and fa cup final slowly creeps back into my mind.

up steps kuyt to score from 12 yards. and we are level ! that was just fantastic ! it was not a win but the players just keep on fighting until the final whistle. it has been a while, too long where the team has always to rely on gerrard or torres to carry them up. now we can see that the whole team is fighting. from pepe reina to carroll , none of them showed the manager and the fans that they want to lose. even if they do lose at the end, they want everyone to know that they fought hard.

bringing kenny back is the best decision anyone could have made. he has installed belief , togetherness to the players, the staffs, the club, the owners and mostly the fans.

we may be out of contention for the league title. we may not be competing in europe next season but i do have strong feeling that liverpool fc will come back stronger next season. stronger than the time rafa manage to finish second in the league. stronger than the time we won the 5th european cup !!

man utd finally will be able to claim that they are the best team in england. but it wouldn't be long. they had to work hard for years to get to where they are right now. credit to sir alex ferguson and manchester united for doing so. they do deserve it.

but trust me, liverpool football club with king kenny will just be right back up there in no time. with the emergence of flanagan and robinson liverpool really have a bright future. lets us , the fans let go of the 18 titles that we had won. it won't go missing. it's the past and we should not dwell on it anymore. let's us together with king kenny carry the team for the future where that's the most appropriate time for us to celebrate another 18 titles !! YNWA !

LFC : city or united ... we just love to hit three !!!

another massive result for liverpool to finish as high as they can in the league. this time it was the manchester in blue, united's neighbour who had to swallow hard .. 3 goals scored by liverpool at anfield.

a few days prior to the match against city, liverpool fans had to accept that they wont be seeing captain steven gerrard in action for the rest of the season. it's a blow for the club, already without agger, johnson, kelly and shelvey. and hours before the game, kyrgiakos was confirmed missing through illness.

fans, pundits and the neutrals has been second guessing king kenny's move. the worst position was their defense department. i thought that the king would play with three center-backs, carragher, kyrgiakos and skrtel. hoping that wilson or aurelio will come in at left wing-back and maybe spearing will be asked to play at right wing-back.

it wasn't to be as the boss played with a 4-4-2 formation and naming john flanagan, a 17-year old debutant at right back. not only did flanagan played brilliantly, liverpool won 3-0 against the high riding city team.

it was definitely a different performance from the man in reds as they were in scintillating form from the very beginning. suarez, kuyt and carroll attacked city's goal like there was no tomorrow. andy broke his duck with a powerful shot from just outside the penalty box.

he just let loose a cannon ball that was originally an attempt block from meireles's shot earlier. then came the second and it was a van basten-like goal. city defenders never managed to clear the ball and somehow the ball went right in front of kuyt's path. he coolly 'passed' the ball to the right hand side of hart's goal post through several players legs. 

the third goal and andy's second came from a cross sent in by meireles. carroll managed to beat a defender and just flicked the ball with his head into the back of the net. city never managed to recover and liverpool carried on to dominate until the final whistle.

injuries suffered to kelly and agger was surely a blessing in disguise for the 17 year old john flanagan. 2 hours before the match he was informed by the boss that he is in the starting line-up. in such a big occasion and against one of the best teams in the league flanagan looked like he has been playing for quite a while. a very good and composed performance by the young lad. it was his first game and the performance was very promising.

overall the team played brilliantly. another player worth mentioning is jay spearing. his tireless running and tackling was a joy to watch. he made up his small physics with his energetic display. along side lucas, liverpool's midfield was in safe hands. this left meireles with an easier task to orchestrate liverpool's attack.

suarez had a good game himself and was unlucky not to have his name on the score sheet. his shot hit the post in the first half and he was caught off-side in a couple of occasion.


liverpool will be away against arsenal in 6 days time. it is surely a test for king kenny as whether can he keep the team's momentum going. after the great 'show' against city, the gunners will have a tough time keeping liverpool's new strike force - suarez and carroll.YNWA !!

LFC: Injuries, Man City and other news

a lost was never good. furthermore we also lost 2 defenders, glen johnson and daniel agger. captain steven gerrard was also reported to have sustained an injury prior to the match against west brom.

our next game is going to be against man city and its a massive fixture. at anfield next monday and it surely be an explosive game. city will come with high spirits after thumping sunderland 5-0 last weekend.

defensively we are very fragile. agger will be missing for the rest of the season, no news about johnson but i'm sure he's out for the game against city. the only promising news that aurelio might be available.

the boss seems to be happy as liverpool have a full week of preparation before the crunching game. besides spending more time with the players on the training ground this will also give some players with slight injuries to shrugged them off. news about jonjo shelvey is good too. he might come in fitter after a game with the reserves.

after the performances beating man utd and chelsea we will be hoping the players can perform spectacularly in front of the home fans beating city.

cautious to the fans! not to put your hopes too high. the players will definitely play to their best ability to beat every team. just forget about europe for a while. lets us focus to help and push the boys to finish as high as they can.

with 7 games to go comolli and the owners are already busy planning for next season. it seems liverpool and rennes have agreed to sign a pre-contract to get french midfielder/winger to come to anfield next summer. sylvain marveaux is a long term target for liverpool and words are saying he's coming for free since he will be out of contract by then.

as promised by comolli, LFC will be busy during this summer's transfer market. besides marveaux i really hope we can get quality players. it's going to be a very interesting to see liverpool's progress from now on. YNWA.

LFC: Hodgson and habit of making LFC lose

different team but it's always the same person who managed to make liverpool  lose points. the man in reds lost to wba 1-2 at the hawthorns after taking a lead from martin skrtel. can't blame roy 100% when liverpool can't win a game though.

liverpool started the game with a positive note. kuyt had a chance early in the game but former reds keeper carson managed to keep the ball in his grasp.

everything seemed to fall apart for the reds as glen johnson had to be replaced after suffering from what to be a hamstring injury. a couple of minutes later agger had to retire early and was replaced by the young danny wilson.

two early forced substitutes somehow unsettled liverpool. west brom started to play better and were dictating the game. thanks to pepe reina who was superb by denying west brom time and time again, liverpool fc finished the first half with a 0-0 score.

and early in the second half, resulting from a corner kick taken by meireles, skrtel powers a header into the net and the reds went 1-0 up. i thought that could have settled the players nerves and start to play better football. it never happened.

west brom took that chance and started to bombard liverpool's goal. clearly pepe reina should get the motm award as he made some brilliant stops to deny west brom.

it wasn't to be soto's best game as he was out-classed by west brom's most dangerous player of the day, peter odemwingie. it resulted in two penalties rewarded to west brom which they took it gladly.

overall liverpool had a bad day. the lost of johnson and agger early in the game didn't really help either. andy
carroll was yellow carded in the first half and this affected his game as well. kuyt looked tired and spearing didn't play like he did during the game with sunderland. the only players were to perform up to expectations was pepe reina and suarez.

liverpool might blew their chance to finish top 4 but may still finish as high as 5th placing as spurs dropped 2 points.

next game will be against man city. the boys just need to go back to melwood and regroup. kenny will have to assist the injuries suffered by agger and johnson. johnson's injury may look bad and he might be away for quite a while. hope we can have gerrard back against man city. YNWA.

LFC: Lucas signs new contract ... stability

liverpool fans was fed with a news that midfielder, lucas leiva signed a new long-term contract that will keep him at anfield. indeed this is great.

a couple of seasons ago this will not be the case as lucas has been a target by his critics. what ever goes wrong to liverpool fc in terms of result on the field it will surely be associated to lucas leiva. he never got the instant recognition from the fans like fernando torres or luis suarez.

from the very first time i saw him play against everton (where he came in replacing captain steven gerrard) i knew lucas will be a 'big' player for liverpool fc one day. he was still young then, but already a sought after player in europe and captain for brazil's u-21 team.

it wasn't easy though with the likes of steven gerrard, xabi alonso, macherano on the ranks which he has to compete with. and when alonso left liverpool everyone expects him to produce the magic that alonso usually does week in week out.

lucas is a different player if compared to xabi alonso. alonso is already a finished material while lucas is still learning.

he has proven that he could be an asset to liverpool fc with his hard work and determination on every game. even the fans are appreciating him more now. the fans can see his heart is for liverpool football club. and the club is repaying his hard work and loyalty by giving him a new contract.

wishing lucas leiva all the best and hope he'll grow with liverpool football club by winning medals and trophies.

YNWA

LFC: Away at the Hawthorns

dirk kuyt scored 2 goals as holland beat hungary 5-3 and andy carroll got his 1st goal for england when they drew with ghana last night. it's a good tonic for liverpool as they will go to the hawthorns this saturday for a league game after a 1 week break.

the only doubt that liverpool may have is on glen johnson after he was substituted during last night's friendly. he was reported to pick up some kind of an injury but nothing official thus far.

west brom is just 7 points above relegation zone will sure want to win at home to avoid themselves being drop to bottom three while liverpool have their own quest to secure a european place for next season.

west ham drew 2 weeks ago against 2nd place arsenal and liverpool won against sunderland. both teams will sure want to carry on their good form.

a lot have been spoken during the international break. long term contract for kenny, a few names pop-up for this summer's transfer window and who will be leaving liverpool fc. so far everything has been rumors. let us
focus on the remaining 8 league games.

the form of suarez, carroll and kuyt is promising and also the news that captain steven gerrard might return to the line-up is indeed a big boost. liverpool will need their best players to win as many matches as they can. an interview recently gerrard has expressed his opinion that having suarez and carroll is better than having only torres in their ranks. this only means that liverpool may win all their 8 remaining games. hoping city and spurs falters, there's a chance liverpool football club may return to champions league sooner than expected. well lets hope the first 3 from 24 this weekend. YNWA !!

LFC: Race to the finishing line

it is obvious that liverpool fc could not finish first, second or third this season. but a possible fourth or fifth placing is within reach. earlier in the season no one would imagine that liverpool will be in this current position, 6th in the table with 8 games remaining on the season.

after the latest failure to progress in the europa league, liverpool now turn their focus on the barclays premier league. it wasn't a great performance but a 2-0 result against sunderland was much wanted. 3 points, another clean sheet, closing on spurs at 5th place was a perfect boost for the players and the fans.

without gerrard, aurelio and kelly missing through injury, king kenny had to shuffle his line-up. jay spearing starts and this was also the first time carroll and suarez combined together to lead liverpool's attacking department. on defence, it was good to see agger back. hopefully he can last until the final game without anymore injuries.

liverpool didn't really start brilliantly. they were a little bit sloppy and can't seem to keep possession. sunderland was all over the man in reds as they closed them down quickly and chased every lose ball. it wasn't until the 18th minute when liverpool got the break, courtesy of a 'wrong' call from the linesman. it was a run made by jay spearing into the box - notably was one of the better players for this game. he was brought down outside the box. referee kevin friend gave a freekick and later changed his mind after consulting with his assistant. bad call but liverpool was awarded with a penalty which dirk kuyt coolly converted it.

even after taking the lead liverpool didn't really settled. luckily sunderland could not take advantage of the situation. if liverpool were to collect as many points as they wanted they have to be more consistent for the rest of the 8 remaining games. they can perform better as they did against chelsea or man utd. this is where king kenny has to work on with the boys.

with carroll around they tend to use long ball straight to him. carroll and suarez still needs time to really gel as a terrorising partnership. the second ball from carroll never really reached suarez and it resulted with sunderland players get hold of possession. during the game against braga too many long balls were used and it was managed by braga's defenders easily. liverpool are more dangerous when they keep possession and play the ball on the grown.

a moment of magic from another best player of the night, luiz suarez where he scored from a ridiculous angle. on the 77th minute he picked up a pass from the ever hardworking kuyt and beat a defender on the byline. he leaned his body to the left and just blast the ball into the net beating sunderland's keeper on his near post.

suarez surely deserved his goal as he was the most creative player that liverpool had throughout the game. 2nd goal since he joined the reds but he has been showing what a world class player he is in every game he has played. he left the game limping as though he suffered from a groin injury. hopefully it is nothing serious as liverpool needs his creativity and magic to gain as many points.

as the king spoke earlier, they just need to focus 1 game at a time and try to collect as many points and at the end of the day just see where they will finish. yes its true fans are already wishing for a miracle hoping they could finish fourth and grab the last spot for champions league for next season. with kenny and suarez around, you'll never know ... YNWA !!

LFC: 'King' Kenny and 'Prince' Suarez

19th september 2010, old trafford. manchester united 3 liverpool 2. it was the 'berbatov' show as he scored hattrick on that day. liverpool nearly snatch a point but berba turn up with a superb winning goal to seal 3 points.

6 months later, 6 march 2011 ... 2 days after the king's 60th birthday, kuyt replicates berba's show. a hattrick and liverpool came out winners 3 - 1 at anfield.

liverpool, after kenny's comeback have been doing reasonably well despite a lost to west ham last weekend. after losing 3-2 on the first round and 1-0 during the fa cup tie (both at old trafford), they wanted to win this one,  at home in front of their own fans at anfield.

both liverpool and man utd have their own problems prior to the game. united are without ferdinand and vidic to looks vulnerable. liverpool are still without agger and martin kelly. there were news prior to the game that gerrard might be out due to a groin injury.

since kenny's return to anfield the team has been different. the players are more confident now. so there was no big worry who's going to play since the fans believed that kenny knows what to do.

dirk kuyt scored hattrick but it was the 'new' boy suarez who actually took 'center stage'. he destroyed man utd single handed with his industrious display.

our new number 7 ... suarez dazzled the united defenders inside the box and he crossed the ball before kuyt touched home from close range. kuyt's second came in moments later when nani, surprisingly assisted by heading the ball to him. it was resulted from a cross sent in by suarez. kuyt completed his hattrick after following up from a suarez free kick after van der sar failed to clear the ball properly. 

it was liverpool all the way. they were off the bricks from the first minute. the commitment, passion and attitude of the players made it more easier for them. united didn't looked as though they can really threat liverpool that day. sure it was a sweet birthday gift for the 'king'. 

for many seasons now liverpool is always about individuals. mainly around gerrard and torres. questions were frequently asked, if gerrard or torres is not playing who will 'lead' the team. it's not the case now since kenny took over. torres has been sold and with or without gerrard the team seemed to play with more confidence. on a brighter note, this is good because it will lift a huge sense of responsibility off stevie g's shoulder. he has not had a good season so far. and now he can concentrate to get back to his very best towards the end of the season. 

as kenny always stressed out, no player is bigger than the club. it seems to work because everyone in the team feels they are important. they work hard for each other. there's always gonna be 1 or more players with special abilities but they will have to keep their feet firmly on the ground. 

another talking point for this game was carragher's tackle towards nani. from the replays yes carragher should have been given a red card from the referee. but knowing carragher for who he is, honest, hard working player the referee didn't think he had any intention to hurt nani. it happened so fas and maybe the ref just missed carragher's high feet caught nani's shin. 

finnaly the 35m pound signing was unleashed by the manager. andy carroll made his debut and he got a very warm reception from the fans. hope he will make a good partnership with luis suarez. a very bright future for the reds. YNWA ! 

LFC: Happy Birthday to the King !!

A tribute to Kenny Dalglish on his 60th birthday !

a true hero, legend, father figure to all associated within or outside liverpool football club. as a fan, i see kenny as liverpool fc itself ! i was born on 1977 the year where liverpool won its 1st trophy in europe. i grew up watching rush, barnes, steve nicol, aldridge, fowler, mcmanaman, mcmahon and many more donning liverpool colors. but my memories are much fonder during kenny's era as the manager. although i was very young and didn't really understand football but i was always amazed on how beautiful liverpool played.

the ball will always be moved around from the back to the middle of the park and to the wide players. they will then cross the ball and there he is .. ian rush to finish the move. that has always been a liverpool trade mark to me!

things didn't really go well for liverpool fc after dalglish left but my heart is still with them. i always hoped that one day the king will return and i will be able to see, understand and appreciate his work at lfc. the moment finally came when NESV and co-owner john henry decided to appoint kenny dalglish as the caretaker replacing roy hodgson.

as the years gone by and i grew older i understand more about football. kenny's appointment as the caretaker manager is also my second chance to see and observe closely on how the king works. his man management, his knowledge about football, his way answering all the questions from the press is all fantastic moments for me. the king is liverpool football club and liverpool football club represents the king.

i do hope his biggest birthday present on his 60th year is to be handed a full-time manager of liverpool football club. i wish him all the best and hope to beat manchester united this weekend. they might win the 19th title this year, but i'm pretty sure they wont be winning anymore league titles as long as kenny dalglish is the manager of liverpool fc. happy birthday kenny dalglish !! YNWA !!!