Walrus

Wo ist Elisha?

f***ing hell! By f***ing the DIC deal up, the two clowns leave me with no other option than change my username in the fantasy league from Sheikh bin Rashid al Maktoum to something else. Really pissed off with this.

You could have just laid Liverpool to make it simple!

HT Awful fro us so far.

We need to wake up soon or this will become a bad night...

That's the spirit

That picture must have done the rounds about 2-3 years ago plus I fail to see the connection between Frank Lumplard and Ronaldo. Otherwise, a great thread

Only messing Although the Daily Mail article has been posted quite a few times already Let's hope for an official confirmation sometime today rather than the late hours of tomorrow...

Should I post the same article once more just to end the speculation?

Am I missing something here?

The offal are running a "Carra week" and I thought I'd post this one on here, as some of you might have missed it. Well worth reading CHRIS BASCOMBE ON JAMIE CARRAGHER You don't half write some crap you," Jamie Carragher said the first time he saw me at Melwood. "Any chance of getting the man of the match right one day?" Actually, he didn't use the word crap. It was much scouser. It was also said in that typical Carragher way. Sharp enough to sound funny, but blunt enough to make a point. You'll have heard this tone many times since. It's the one that confronted Geoff Shreeves of Sky, who was asked 'who's bigger than Liverpool?' after quizzing Carragher if Steven Gerrard could leave for a 'superior' club. And the one that cut off the poor Paxman imitator in his prime who urged Carragher to describe the ethos of Liverpool. "What are yer goin on about mate?" was the appropriate response. Reporters, especially the most pompous, regularly come a cropper and provoke the same humorously contemptible comeback whenever they try to trip him up. Fortunately, those of us with more experience have learned the hard way never to ask him questions which are dumb, patronising or both. And pity the individuals who dare attempt to catch Carragher with the use of statistics. He'll pounce as swiftly as he does when making last ditch tackles, with his encyclopaedic knowledge of Liverpool's history ensuring even the match day programme writers need to be on their guard when compiling career details. Carragher's style of play echoes how he comes across to the media off the park. Honest, dedicated, obsessive about football and always ready to go in where it hurts when he senses his club, team mates, city or family is getting a kicking. How often do you hear him talking up players he feels are being unfairly treated? Probably because he?s been there himself. After all, it took him the best part of five years to stop those letters to the ECHO saying Liverpool would never win the big prizes with players like him in defence. The Kop sings about a team of Carraghers now, but it wasn't so long ago the one they've got wasn't appreciated. If Liverpool take a beating, you won't see him quickening his step or accepting imaginary mobile phone calls to swerve reporters. If Liverpool win, he?s most likely to slip away unseen while others take the credit. Such modesty isn't a calculated act. Supporters regular call the ECHO with tales of Carragher's charitable donations, a contribution recently recognised when he was given the freedom of Sefton. In 2002 he agreed to write a World Cup column on the condition the payments were sent to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, but didn't want that publicised (a few years later I decided it was information which deserved to be shared). Proceeds from his forthcoming testimonial will go to charity. Most players go mad if they're getting battered in a newspaper. Carragher gets more annoyed if he's made to sound like he's a world beater. To this day, touch wood, the only time he's been angry with the ECHO was in 1999 when he was needed to play in the 'unfamiliar' role of centre-half because of an injury to Sami Hyypia. "I'll fill Sami's boots," read the headline. Carragher thought it made him sound big-headed, as if he was putting himself in the same class as Hyypia. Eight years on, it may seem astounding to supporters a world class centre-half like Carragher would take exception to anyone putting him in a bracket he so clearly is. The notion he'd have to fill anyone's shoes is ridiculous. But it was all about the context. Creating an image of him bigging up himself, and more seriously demeaning one of his team mates, was unacceptable to him, and he made it known. Fortunately, grudges don't last and he's got most reporters sussed. That's not surprising as he and Steven Gerrard are the most requested for interview. It's a running gag in the reporting industry how when anyone starts on a newspaper, their first call will be to the Melwood Press Office to set up a meeting with Carragher, who has an inability to fail to be interesting and forthright in his opinions. Need a double page spread for your Saturday or Sunday supplement? Get hold of Carra and fill it with those condescending images about Bootle and scally kids made good (check the archives, it's compulsory all 'serious journalists' have to refer to this when writing about Carragher. If it's Gerrard, just replace Bootle with Huyton). And do you think the race for the title is hotting up? It's nothing compared to the fight to write Carragher's autobiography when he decides to do it. All the Jimmy Hill Sunday Supplement crew are desperate for the nod, and have been known to end interviews with an appeal to write it for him. He'll keep them all guessing, but his delay putting pen to paper is further evidence of his disinterest in the footballing cult of celebrity. He's got a Premiership medal to win before he divides his career into chapters. Let's not forget, this is the fella who when asked if he'd sell his wedding photographs to Hello replied: ?I'd rather sell them to The Kop Magazine for £1." Legendary status - and let's not hear anyone say that's going too far - wasn't achieved overnight. Across 10 years, Carragher has developed as the ultimate player of the people. The Kop loves him because they know he's one of them. He thinks like them, gives his all as if it was is only appearance for the club, and shows the twin ecstasies of joy and grief as and when appropriate. If he wasn't playing, he'd be watching and travelling with the family entourage which never misses a game. How do we know? Because he did it in 2003 when he was recovering from a broken leg, joining his dad and cousin on the Happy Al's coach to Middlesbrough and shouting at the incompetence of El-Hadji Diouf with everyone else in the away end. Steven Gerrard has been the heart of the Liverpool at the start of this Millennium. Jamie Carragher is its soul. Oh, and I nearly forgot. He's also one of the greatest defenders Liverpool has ever had, and has many more years in red still to serve. But you knew that bit already.

Gary Neville

Maybe not bad feeling as such, but I find it pathetic to see a Liverpool player crying about a lost girlfriend as well as talking about his wild partying in the national papers. A bit Becham-esque if you like.

The less I know about his antics off the field, the easier it is for me to like him. That interview certainly didn't help in that sense.

Sami Hyypiä knows when it?s time to leave Recently Sami Hyypiä reached the all time top 25 in appearances made for Liverpool. ?It took me by surprise when I heard about it. It does feel like a significant thing to me. There?s only been eleven players who have made more than 500 appearances for the club? says Hyypiä while having dinner in a restaurant in Liverpool city centre. It?s Saturday night and it?s only a few hours since Liverpool defeated Chelsea 2-0 in a match where manager Rafael Benitez decided to keep Hyypiä on the bench. Hyypiä is six games off 400 appearances for Liverpool. If he can?t reach that milestone this spring Sami must consider his options. At the moment, however, there is no need to worry. ?Throughout the autumn people were asking me how do I feel not to be playing regularly, ?Should I move elsewhere to be able to play more??? ?I said then that I?ll have to wait and see until the end of the season in May. If I then feel I haven?t had enough matches, Í?ll have to do something about it. I?ll go into Benitez?s office and tell him that I feel I have played too few games this season. What can we do about it?? Hyypiä will not walk into the manager?s office demanding more games, but simply to find out about his options: is a loan move or a permanent transfer more suitable? ?In May I will face the situation where, if I feel I haven?t played enough, it might be better for me to move away from Liverpool. Sami?s contract runs out in the summer of 2008. ?If I could get one more year after that I would complete a full decade here. That fact is playing on my mind a little bit, but obviously these things are not down to me only? he says. If his role diminishes further Hyypiä must start looking around. ?It?s hugely important for me also because Finland?s Euro 2008 qualification campaign is in full flow and I want to be fully fit to play a part in that. If I don?t play at all at club level it will obviously have an effect on my performances in the qualifiers as well.? Original article here I think we'd do well to persuade him to stay for next season, but I feel he like Didi last summer will be allowed to leave.

Carra has been a monster.

Was thinking the same

Sounds like a cracking atmosphere

WHAT A GOAL PENNANT!!!

He's not 'more than a decent finisher' if you include his heading in it.

Strange as Rosenior has played considerably more minutes for Fulham this season than any other player (let alone defender) at the club.

For the record, Rosenior has been Fulham's best defender this season.

Sign Owen as he's a boyhood Red!!!

Didn't he use to sort of stalk Ayline here? I remember seeing a few threads where he was offering a date or something... which was amusing.

Exactly.