Fagan

Abbey Travel 2 Day package FLIGHTS Depart Tue 22nd May early morning flight Return Wed 23rd May after the match ACCOMMODATION 5 * Sofitel Hotel The hotel is located just 20minutes from the stadium and beach and only 15 minutes from Athens city centre. "Karavi" gourmet restaurant and Mediterranean style cuisine at "Mesoghaia" restaurant. Panoramic bar and library bar. Fitness centre with swimming pool. PRICE Flights, accommodation, MATCH TICKET and transfers *Liverpool v AC Milan ?1999 per person + ?65 tax based on twin sharing *Liverpool v Man U ?3249 per person + ?65 tax based on twin sharing PLEASE NOTE NO SINGLE ROOMS LEFT, SINGLES MUST NOW SHARE

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exactly, we all knew that so why would anyone expect him to perform otherwise last night?

hes played hardly any football all season, can hardly expect him to come on and be as sharp as the others he did ok, he didnt do anything terrible give the lad a break

it wasnt a goal! hes a still a c*** though

French legend Jean-Pierre Papin has urged Djibril Cisse's critics to be more patient, as speculation continues to grow that Marseille will decide against signing the striker in the summer. The French international has struggled with his form since joining on loan from Liverpool, scoring four goals in 14 games, but appears to still be feeling the effects of a career-threatening leg break sustained just before the World Cup finals. Cisse has been booed by l'OM fans in recent weeks and could only make Albert Emon's bench for the 4-1 victory over Lille at the weekend, with various reports stating that the French club will not pay the ?12million (£8.2million) fee needed to make his stay permanent. However, former Marseille striker Papin has defended the contribution of Cisse, stating the on-loan Liverpool man is still struggling to hit peak form after his serious injury. "Don't forget that this boy has suffered a six-month break twice over," Papin told L'Equipe. "Normally, when you suffer such injuries you need one year to come back to peak form, but nobody says it. "He lacks a little confidence - the last second, the last gesture, everything that makes a goalscorer - but he hasn't lost it. "It is simple, he doesn't play with 100 per cent of his talent, maybe 70 per cent. "People try to demolish him, that is unfair." Marseille coach Emon has explained that his decision to leave Cisse on the bench against Lille was merely a tactical choice given his expectations of the game that l'OM won 4-1. "It was an emergency to win, even with half a goal," said Emon. "It was not topical to talk about personal cases, I made a decision for the game. "We play very high with few gaps and Mickael Pagis is at ease in the centre to give good balls, but Djibril makes a lot of efforts with a very good state of mind." Sly Sports

This is from an arsenal website previewing tonights game. very good i think. particularly the references to momo and macherano Why PSV can't beat the new Liverpool By Myles Palmer ALFRED Hitchcock said actors are cattle. But, as far as I know, Rafa Benitez has never said that footballers are cattle. All he's said was : I didn't come here to win the Carling Cup. He also said : I'll play Gerrard where I want. PSV Eindhoven v Liverpool is on ITV1 at 7.30 tonight. Crouch is on form and Farfan is on form but Kone hasn't played since he was injured by Fabregas at the Emirates. As we saw in the Round of 16, these games are very tight. Arsenal lost on an away goal scored by Alex in 83. Milan beat Celtic with a fantastic slalom-into-the-box goal by Kaka in 91. Manchester United beat Lille 2-0 on aggregate but Henrik Larsson's goal at Old Trafford didn't come till 73 minutes. PSV boss Ronald Koeman, like Benitez, is a tactical manager who can deploy limited resources very cleverly. He is without Alex, his best player, at the back, and in the absence of Kone he may use Patrick Kluivert, who is well over the hill. Ajax beat them 5-1 about ten days ago. Kluivert used to wear leather trousers and own a nightclub in Barcelona. He grew up at Ajax and from the age of nine was part of an elite group.That can give you a certain mindset and a certain complacency. Ball-winner Sissoko is suspended but Rafa accepts that. If a player makes as many tackles as Sissoko, he is bound to miss a few balls and kick a few people and collect yellow cards. It goes with the territory. It's an occupational hazard and there's no way round it : Sissoko, a valuable warrior, will always miss games. Up till now, Rafa has always had big men in central midfield : Gerrard, Hamann, Alonso and Sissoko. But hiring a small man has already made a big difference to their balance, their passing rhythm : Javier Mascherano is a gem. I remember trying to write about him during the World Cup, trying to describe what he does. Since Argentina play with a back three, his zonal discipline is absolutely crucial - he is a kingpin in their system because the other midfielders are creative and like to interchange and attack. That is fun to watch but it can be very dodgy when you lose the ball. So if Mascherano is five yards out of position, or a yard late on an interception, Argentina can get killed. He plays the Makelele role, but in a different way. He's not a judo assassin whose fouls are all tiny movements, invisible to the naked eye of the referee. Like Makelele, Mascherano is cerebral, compact, able to sustain concentration. He is a specialist. If you were hiring seven samurai to protect your village, those two would be the first on your list. Where Mascherano is different is the way he picks his moments to zip forward for a key tackle or interception. The way he reads the game, and chooses his monents, and times his interventions, is absolutely brilliant. That is what I will be looking for tonight. ON SUNDAY NIGHT I was impressed by Dave Needham's interview with new Liverpool owner George Gillett Jnr. He started by asking him his feelings and the Yank's replies were so perfect that that they made me laugh out loud. Gillett sounds OK to me. What were your emotions when you took your seat in the director?s box as co-chairman of Liverpool Football Club for the first time on Saturday? "It was like an out-of-body experience. It was surreal, amazing ? a moment you can?t even dream about. It was everything I expected and a lot more. " And what did you make of the match itself? "It was outstanding, absolutely wonderful. The team played very well and Peter Crouch was superb, wasn?t he? It was very exciting. The whole day was just beautiful. The sun was shining and the atmosphere was great." How much are you looking forward to meeting again with Rafa Benitez? "I?m very much looking forward to meeting with Rafa. He?s a very special man. He?s obviously a great coach and a brilliant manager. A lot of people have been asking what are we going to tell him but that?s not what we?re here to do. We are anxious to hear from him and hear what he?d like to do, what his thoughts and ideas are, what his plans would be to build this wonderful, wonderful club up even more than it already is." Gillett went on to say the he was here with his son and they were going on the PSV trip and really looking forward to it. He also said, "We met with the fans as soon as we landed. We were going through customs at the airport and some of the staff were joking that they wouldn?t let us through unless we promised not to ground share ! " So new owners do not have to be scary. As I said, Gillett sounds OK. He sounds enthusiastic, balanced and open. He admits it's all new to him. He wants to tweak the design of their new stadium so that the Kop will remain as the heart of Liverpool FC. He's saying : I love this, it's fun, we don't know as much about the game as you guys, we're here to listen. TODAY'S PAPERS say Rafa Benitez will get £40 million to spend in the summer, although The Independent says it will be £30 million. I think Rafa will go for Carlos Tevez.. With a Spanish-speaking coach, Mascherano and Tevez can take Liverpool to another level. Next season could be tough for Arsenal. Even if Chelsea sack Jose and implode. PS : When I was about sixteen my dad took me to see a black-and-white Hitchcock film called Dial M For Murder, starring Grace Kelly, one of those luminous blondes that Hitchcock liked so much. When an assailant was strangling her, she picked up a pair of scissors and stabbed him in the back. arsenal news review

Mathieu Flamini has hinted a lack of first-team opportunities could force him to leave Arsenal. The defensive midfielder was recruited by Gunners boss Arsene Wenger from Marseille in the summer of 2004, but has failed to secure a regular place in the club's starting XI. The 23-year-old is now in the slipstream of a clutch of young midfield talent being introduced to the first team by Wenger, such as Cesc Fabregas, Abou Diaby and Denilson. And Flamini claims he could be approaching the end of his time at the Gunners. "The next three years will be important for me," he is quoted as saying in L'Equipe. "I want to play, to go to the next level. "The Arsenal team is young, it has quality, but I am not playing as much at the moment. "It isn't easy to live like this, and I am in a situation where all players ask themselves questions. "I am coming to the end of the cycle. I have just spent three years at Arsenal and my lawyer has told me that I could leave in June. "For that, I must pay the final year's salary to the club." Flamini's stock rose earlier this season when he was drafted into the France squad by coach Raymond Domenech for the friendly against Argentina in February. But he has hardly been selected by Arsenal since, and over the course of the season, he has usually only been named on the bench by Wenger. His versatility came to Arsenal's rescue last season when he played at left-back in the absence of the injured Ashley Cole and Gael Clichy. He proved to be a key player for Wenger in the Champions League knockout stages, as the Gunners made it to the final. However, he lost his place to Cole for the showpiece against Barcelona, who ended up winning 2-1. Flamini has now set his sights on European glory, at Arsenal or another team. "I want to continue to work, to progress," he added. "I want to score more goals, make more passes and win the Champions League." link

just saw it on SSn, the t*** presenter said that the move was being welcomed by liverpool fans and that he thought the extra capacity would finally allow liverpool to compete with the likes of arsenal and united in the champions league..... Grrrrrr....

thats the league wrapped for them. and you have to hand it to them, they dont give up and are bloody clinical.

A D. Agger to the heart?

Uefa.com

The last sting of a dying wasp

You're right you know.... "I'm not saying we won't spend for transfers, that may be what we do. But it's got to be in the context of a plan that makes alves Liverpool competitive every year for a long time. "We have budgeted a big number, I'm not going to tell you what it is because it's part of Rafa's plan, but the new stadium is very simao and eto'o important to that because with the higher revenues Liverpool have we will be able to compete with anybody."

well if all they have to do is rest then thats a different matter of course

just reads this from the latest interview with rafa on the offal: sounds to me like Garcia is not getting his treatment in melwood and hasnt seen rafa in quite a while. maybe hes getting it back in spain we know harry went to oz for a while when he was getting treatment is this the norm with injured players. to they just go off for a while and entrusted to stick to a strict regime? i thought they would have to be coming in to melwood to have their treatment administered and to hit the gym

whats being said?

Benitez intervenes in Northern Ireland assembly deadlock

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Hyppia limbers up for the anfield charity limbo