Magic8Ball

Hope Stevie get's bailed and this doesn't affect our quest for the league and other honours

(plan A) please please please let us win the treble this year please pretty please ( as a plan B I'll take just the league )

Good to have him back, but why did he fail at Bolton ?

Torres set for surprise Boxing Day return against Bolton http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/de...-premier-league

D'oh !!!

Real mess - Greedy Pennant blows dream Madrid move...now he's set for Wigan By SIMON JONES Last updated at 11:42 PM on 23rd December 2008 Jermaine Pennant has priced himself out of an incredible move to Real Madrid as his wage demands forced a £3.5million transfer to collapse last night. Madrid were expecting to announce the unlikely signing today after agreeing a fee with Liverpool for their reserve right winger, who has started only two Barclays Premier League matches this season. No gain in Spain: Pennant's wage demands wrecked the chance of reviving his career with a £3.5m move to Real Madrid Instead Pennant, who asked for £60,000 a week — almost double what was being offered by the Spanish giants — will now have to decide whether to accept a loan offer from Wigan or Stoke. At the JJB Stadium he would be able to play for Steve Bruce again. He will then be a free agent in the summer when he believes he can command a better salary. Although the salary demand is not remarkable in the modern game, Madrid — who have just spent £20million on Lassana Diarra from Portsmouth — set a ceiling on their pay offer. At 6pm last night, Sportsmail believed the deal was close to conclusion, only for it to break down two hours later when Pennant’s demands emerged. Madrid will not negotiate on their basic salary offer of £1.5m-a-year. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...n.html?ITO=1490 :ohmy: WTF !!!!

not heard of this guy, but then I hadn't heard of Reira before we were in for him. Does anyone know what type of player he is and whether he's actually any good ? thanks

If we're leading with 10 games to go we'll win - this team always plays best when there's real pressure on.

Man we could do with a Ginger haired super sub right now

sometimes we just need someone there who's threatening enough to get double teamed - that way there's space for Gerrard and Alonso to exploit. Obviously it would be better if the "winger" could actually do something, beat a man, score, cross, dribble past players (not always cutting in). But mostly we need to stretch teams that are defending against us.

Rafael Benitez's team lack belief in title race Matt Dickinson, Chief Sports Correspondent The case for Liverpool winning their first league title since 1990 may have been given credibility by a satisfying result in North London, but it worsened the more you studied the detail. Top of the table is never a bad place to sit, but you do wonder how Rafael Benítez’s side are still there after drawing four of their past five Barclays Premier League matches. And you pondered how they expect to remain there unless they resolve the attacking side of their game; an issue that is not purely a question of getting Fernando Torres fit but one of attitude. The league leaders had the opportunity to push for victory in the second half at the Emirates Stadium yesterday. Arsenal had lost Cesc Fàbregas to a knee injury at half-time and then Emmanuel Adebayor, inset, to a second booking (both cautions easily justifiable despite the boos) with almost half an hour to go. Here was the chance for Liverpool to apply pressure to a team with obvious defensive vulnerabilities, even with 11 men and, significantly, to record a result that would have been noted as far away as Japan, where Manchester United were involved in the Club World Cup. Such pressure failed to materialise and if it was understandable that Robbie Keane should start alone up front, it seemed odd that no one should be shoved up alongside him in a bold push for victory. The obvious switch would have been to move Dirk Kuyt alongside the isolated Keane but the Dutchman came inside with only nine minutes to go and ended up playing off the teenage David Ngog. None of these changes amounted to an attempt by Liverpool’s bench to swing the momentum of the game away from an Arsenal team fired up by what they perceived to be the unjust dismissal of Adebayor. We must assume that Liverpool would have been no more adventurous had Benítez been sat on the sidelines rather than recuperating at home from surgery to remove kidney stones. Television on, phone clasped to his ear, the Spaniard yabbered away to Xavi Valero, the goalkeeping coach, for the entire afternoon, directing operations from his armchair. If he wanted two centre forwards, he need only have said so. Perhaps, from a couple of hundred miles away, he did not sense that this was a chance for Liverpool to make a statement, but Wenger appeared as mystified as the rest of us by Liverpool’s lack of adventure. “Were they tired or scared to push on?” the Arsenal manager asked, pointing out that a couple of Liverpool players were suffering from fatigue. “I am convinced that Liverpool will drop many points. Why? Because they already have. They have four draws at home so they dropped eight points there. Why won’t they drop those again in the second half of the season?” The expected return of Torres, perhaps as soon as Boxing Day, is one riposte. The Spaniard not only brings goals but also a more expansive way of playing. Yesterday Liverpool relied largely, and successfully in the case of Keane’s spectacular equaliser, on balls over the top. With only one league defeat, fewer than any of their rivals, Benítez might consider that his team remain on course for the trophy that players such as Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard covet above all others. But after the frustration of draws against Fulham, West Ham United and Hull City, this was another game when you were left to wonder if Liverpool are capable of closing the deal — not only in these matches but in the championship race itself. Do they have the belief that victory can be theirs? Are they, to borrow a phrase from Sir Alex Ferguson, “ready to win”? In the specifics of one afternoon, and in the broader sweep of things, you would have to conclude that they are probably not. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle5380694.ece

Interesting, I've often wondered what the Babel buy was about ... mind you I'm still wondering what the Keane buy is about.

So does that mean Arsenal are out of the title race ? - hopefully Arsenal can take points off our Rivals

oops yes, I'm thinking of him pouncing on the defensive error, the poor pass back

This is not a slag of Owen comment, but Torres is what people wanted Owen to be!! Sure Owen was a match winner, his cool finishing vs Barca in that 2-0, who would forget Bergers pass for the FA cup win ... but he never was a striker to create for himself or set up someone else. Torres does all that - looks almost as deadly as Owen and CAN PLAY SOLE STRIKER - which Owen just cannot do. Love Owen but Torres is an upgrade even on Owen at his peak. Owen's problem now ( assuming he'd accept a bit part and can stay fit) is he would require a 2 striker system - He's a bit like Keane in that regard - so we would have to play 442 with Owen.

That's all I'm saying. Something must be missing in training, because I could cross with either foot running or dead ball - true not every cross was the greatest ( depending in pressure etc) but I could get the ball into the area roughly where I wanted it most of the time. I just cant understand how Lennon can beat a man ( which is far harder than crossing ) and not get the ball into the box. Re Pennant, he normally gets so much time to cross I often wonder why is every ball lofted ? - why not some at Shin height ( for a volley ) in the area between keeper and last defender or some whipped in at just above shoulder height for a glancing header ( pace provided from the cross), hell even the occasional pull back I'll never understand the modern game, I'm someone who expects EVERY footballer to be able to pass accurately up to 5 yards away -with either foot. It's not like I expect everyone to pass like Gerrard or Alonso Hmm, little point in carrying the ball 20 metres if your final release, - be it pass, shot is inaccurate. To me a cross is just a lofted pass ( often with a little curl), but a pass nonetheless. So I guess passing it out in the modern game

for a guy that can do what lennon does, how come crossing is so hard? hell even Cisse could cross the ball well so why can't lennon? or for that matter Pennant ? - its pretty easy crossing once you've beaten your man

aww, let's assume that it does, where would he fit? He doesn't play RW, LW or lone striker - so we'd have to play 442 again (our weakest formation) and just like Keane it's not clear he'd work with Torres

link PENNANT IN SWAP DEAL WITH SPURS WINGER? Rafael Benitez is reportedly becoming increasingly frustrated with Jermaine Pennent who refused to leave the club, and is lining-up a swap-deal involving Tottenham Hotspur winger Aaron Lennon. Reports in The Mirror are saying that Liverpool are willing to offer out-of-favour Pennant plus cash in a swap deal for the pacy winger. It’s reported that Rafa has had enough with the winger who has struggled to make an impact since his summer move. Pennant snubbed moves to Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers in the summer.

Interestingly I was thinking of Plessis going on loan to Portsmouth as they are selling Diarra to Madrid

That's a team based primarily on optimism - and the hope Babel has the nerve to use his talent - Rafa would never to that, though I would like to see it tried at some point Babel on the Right and Kuyt up front is the most optimistic I am of seeing Babel vs Arsenal

I'm not sure I quite understand but theoretically it seems to me that Rafa was trying to spread the goal scoring burden. By playing Gerrard in the middle it was hoped he could still link up with Torres and by playing Keane up with Torres it was hoped there'd be a man to break down packed defenses and link up with Torres - I think Rafa was thinking Gerrard will lose 5 goals but Keane will bring 15 goals (possibly crucial ones) so a gain of 10 goals. Right now I don't think that's working as Keane is not good enough (right now) and he's getting in Gerrard's way, so this is the worst outcome possible. You comment about D Villa is interesting as people say he and Torres cannot play together. They've been poor together so far just as Keane and Torres have, but with Villa you have someone who could lead the line if Torres is injured, something Keane cannot do. Personally I wish we'd had the money to try this experiment with D Villa rather than R Keane as that versatility would have been better for us.

well I said Keane can only play with a striker partner that holds the ball up - that was certainly true of Berbatov and is not so true of Torres, so I don't see how what you're saying disagrees with what I said previously. It would be madness to change Torres's game too much right now, you should not try to redesign a 30 goal a season strikers style, Keane needs to change and his history say's that wont happen.

I remember Houllier saying he didn't go in for Keane when he was at Coventry as Keane's style was too similar to that of Owen ... (ok neither can play up front alone, other than that ) TOSH !! Keane has shown himself to be limited, just as Owen has and that's where the similarity ends IMO. Keane cannot play other than with a striker that holds the ball up for him, neither Babel or Torres will do that. So if Keane plays it has to be with N'gog or Kuyt and the main striker. For the record I think Keane and Owen are in some ways opposites, Keane can have reasonable build up play but woeful finishing and Owen no build up play to speak of and good/great finishing - now if we could only splice them together we'd have a good partner for Torres. Sadly that's the case with several of our players, they're too limited.

Currently true, but both have more goals scoring power than we do and eventually against a team that plays for a draw that extra goals scoring power will show through just as our lack of goal scoring power has resulted in 2 draws that really should have been wins.