spencer

Our form turned down with the injury to Agger. Our form returned with the arrival of Skrtel. Could be a coincidence but having at least one CB with pace and ball skills makes a big difference to how we can play.

Orignally the qtrs and semis were to be seeded based on performances in the group and first knockout stage but I see on Bert Kassies site that he has spotted that UEFA changed the rules in December and there will be no seeding now. This is good news for us since we would have been one of the bottom seeds because of our poor group performances - Bert still has the seeding table as it would have stood: http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/seedcl2007.html scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Well I'm going to start backing him to score. Our corners will be better now that Alonso is taking them (never understood why Stevie G. kept taking them anyway - about the only thing he's not good at) and Skrtel has shown that he will attack the ball in the area (unlike the rest - bar Sami - who stand around like tailor's dummies hoping the ball will come to them). Skrtel is another one of Rafa's January gems - he and Agger will be a formidable pairing next season.

Normally he's interviewed for the 6 o'clock slot on LFC TV, so it'll be interesting to hear what he says then (if anything).

I assume it was introduced to avoid dead rubbers like our Gala game last year. Personally I think it's an unfair system - it's bad enough qualifying from a tough group but you will almost certainly pick up fewer points and end up with a lower seeding as well.

Don't know how the draw will be made - I'd guess two pots of 4, like you say.

By the way, I noticed someone mentioned fielding a weaker side if we qualified early, like last year. This is unlikely to happen because the quarter-finals and semi-finals are seeded based on performances in the group stage and last 16 phase. Every point is worth competing for. If you go to Bert Kassies site, you can already see the seeding table in play. http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/seedcl2007.html

Can't come up with enough superlatives for Torres tonight - a joy to watch; great to know he can't be kicked out of a game too. Don't know about partnering Torres with any of our other forwards, I think Gerrard would be setting him up all night if he played behind him.

Funnily enough, there's a piece on Skyscapercity about this: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.p...309&page=34 A long-awaited council proposal to bring the historic structures back to their former glory is expected to get the go-ahead within days. It is connected to Liverpool FC’s £300m plan to build a 60,000-seater stadium in part of the park, which is awaiting approval from councillors and the government. Council officials insisted on the refurbishment of the grade II-listed green space’s rundown buildings, so the community would gain something in return for the loss of a section of the park to the stadium. Now the project, which was first proposed several years ago, is due to be backed by councillors next week. It would see the £25m restoration of: The Isla Gladstone conservatory, built in 1899 to house exotic plants but derelict since the 1980s. The bandstand next to the conservatory, including a new roof. The red sandstone east, west and central pavilions, with replacement roofing and repairs to stone walls. The boathouse plinth, once home to a Victorian boathouse but now earmarked for a viewing platform. Five bridges, including the stone structure running between the two existing lakes in the north-west corner of Stanley Park. The work is understood to cost about £25m and will be paid for by a European grant and money from the government’s neighbourhood renewal fund. City planners say the work at Stanley Park, designed by Edward Kemp, the creator of Sefton and Birkenhead parks, should be approved. Communities secretary Hazel Blears will have the final say, if she decides the plan requires further scrutiny. Anfield councillor Andrew Tremarco said: “This is a fantastic scheme and it will turn Stanley Park into the jewel in the crown of north Liverpool again. “Because of funding deadlines, this work must be completed by December next year, so the park will be restored long before the stadium is finished.” The Friends of Stanley Park have raised concerns about parts of the scheme, such as the decision not to rebuild the boathouse and some restoration details. But council officials believe the proposal is appropriate and will improve the park’s character and setting. After submitting redrawn stadium plans, Liverpool FC hope to start work on the stadium by the end of the year, opening in time for the 2010 season. Working glasshouse THE Isla Gladstone conservatory will become north Liverpool’s equivalent of the Sefton Park palm house if restorations plans are approved. The Grade II-listed structure, made of cast iron and glass, was built in 1899, designed by McKenzie and Moncur as a plainer version of the Sefton Park structure. It was created as a working glasshouse to grow exotic plants and was last used as a pub and restaurant in the 1980s.

"Errr ... if all you're concerned about is how well the team is playing in the first month of the season then of course everything is rosy" Thank you for that patronising remark. Of course I'm concerned about the future of the club but I am not prejudiced against the new owners like you and your ilk are. So far they have done everything right for the FUTURE of the club: Kept Rafa Signed all the key players to new long-term contracts Brought in great new signings Replaced the 60k bog-standard new stadium with an iconic 80k design Brought in a commercial director etc How can you say they are not looking after the future of the club? If you want to take a pessimistic view, go ahead but don't claim that optimists like myself are idiots.

Re the 'seven year conspiracy myth' this was what the FT reported back in Jan: "Advisers to the club were adamant that the board did not seek a higher offer from DIC. The board, which has been meeting Mr Gillett in Liverpool and London in the past few days, was said to be surprised by DIC's withdrawal. But board members are thought to have been impressed by the speed of Mr Gillett's due diligence in the past few days, compared to the slow progress of DIC's inspection, and were concerned about reports of a seven-year exit strategy planned by DIC... In contrast, Mr Gillett was said to have emphasised his was a long-term investment and that unlike the decision-making process in DIC he and his family would be able to make decisions for the benefit of the club quickly" Certainly the board believed the leaked memo regarding the 7 year strategy was legit and no-one can argue that the board's belief in how quickly the Americans would operate has not been justified. Gillett and Hicks have moved swiftly in every respect. The doom-and-gloomers have been waiting for an opportunity like this to get the razor blades and start slashing their wrists but I couldn't be happier with the current situation. Great buys, great football, great new stadium to look forward to - and top of the league, How can you not be happy at the moment|

The big difference between us and United, as others have said, is the potential for future profits. How much further can the Glazers go? The stadium is at maximum capacity and there aren't many untapped markets for them - basically upping ticket prices seems to be their main approach. As for us, we are nowhere near reaching our potential, not just in terms of the ground, but also in terms of merchandising, naming rights, sponsorship etc. I don't know if Tim has any figures on our estimated future revenues at the new ground compared to now but I imagine the difference is huge - not just from attendances but also corporate income (those bunkers will be prime locations). All this will be happening at a time when the club is surely destined for more success on the pitch. The future still looks very rosy to me.

Firstly the proof of the pudding etc........so far, everything Gillett and Hicks have done has been spot on, in my opinion. When that changes, then I'll start to worry. Secondly, what are the alternatives. Moores could not carry on - so it could have been DIC, Thaksin Shinawatra, Steve Morgan or who? The status quo was not supportable and we'd already been loking for three years for investment, something had to be done. And maybe a word of praise for Parry's foresight - he turned down Gillett originally because he didn't think he had deep enough pockets - and clearly we are better off having two wealthy families behind us in this current market than just one.

DIC were planning to sell us on after 7 years, remember? And the way they threw the dummy out out of the pram when Parry invited Gillett back shows we were very lucky not to get them in the end. Anyway, whatever our potential borrowing problems, you can at least be happy that it's far worse at OT. http://www.redcafe.net/showthread.php?t=170058 If the credit crunch continues in the States, things could very interesting for the Glazers.

Since January we have added Arbeloa, Mascherano, Voronin, Torres, Babel and Benayoun to the main squad. None of those was guaranteed to be a success but all have turned up trumps straightaway - no wonder we've moved up a level. The pace, movement and technical ability of the squad now is a joy to behold.

Really funny watching Abramovich in the stands; the guys a miserable bugger at the best of times but he was well miffed by that result. If I was Mourinho, I'd be checking my porridge with a geiger counter tomorrow morning.

??? - did you not watch the youtube video, A condensed 7 minute version of the 9 hours it took him to do it and you can see how he builds the detail up as he goes along. Had to laugh when someone asks him if he would do one of Cristiano Ronaldo and by way of answer he tells them to check out his channel background - which is just of Liverpool emblems (not surprisingly)!

Won't that be the view from Goodison once it's pulled down?

Definitely think this is the beginning of the end for the blues. Just fast forward 3 years to when we open our space age new stadium in a revitalised Anfield and Stanley Park and they move to a glorified cowshed in an out-of-town retail park. Can't wait!

SSN are saying it's a yes. So can we have Goodison for a carpark, please? Might as well put it to some good use.

Everton's relative success in recent years has been helped by the lack of pressure on a limited squad: - no domestic cup runs - no European cup runs - few interntional callups so fewer games and longer breaks between league matches has certainly helped them. If that changes, e.g. if they get into the UEFA group stages, or do well in a domestic cup, they could really struggle. Stevie Coppell said last season he didn't want Reading to get into Europe - he realises it's a poisoned chalice for the smaller clubs like them and Everton.

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned another last-gasp winner - Gary Mac's against Everton - just as good as Stevie's in its way.

Surprised no-one has added this yet. Very impressive. LIVERPOOL FC’s new Anfield stadium will have a “skywalk” at the top of the Kop offering views across the city to Wales, the Daily Post can reveal. It also emerged last night that it is likely to be one of the greenest in the Premiership when built as the club aims to make it “carbon neutral” and hopes to instal a wind turbine in future. The new details were revealed after the 23 documents for the new 60,000-seater stadium were made available to the public for viewing at Liverpool city council. The plans also show that the new £300m stadium would be capable of being classed as 5* by UEFA, making it capable of staging international games and club finals. An architects drawing of the seatin arrangement inside the new Anfield Although the application does not discuss where the additional 16,000 seats the club may include in future will be situated, it seems clear from the plans they would go in the north stand as it would currently only have 4,200 seats in 28 rows. The west stand will have 12,000 seats over three tiers with a total of 97 rows. The east stand will have 25,000 seats in two tiers with a total of 108 rows. The Kop will have a 17,800 capacity over 95 rows, and there will be 1,000 seats in suites. According to the plans: “The Skywalk/terrace comprises a dedicated route by stair and lift to the top of the Kop stand where the public may enjoy a restaurant, cafe and bar that is unique in its setting; extending onto a large open terrace with views north and south into the bowl and pitch, across the city north to the counties beyond and south over the Mersey to Wales.” It would be open every day apart from match days, and the south-east and south-west corners of the stadium will remain open during park opening hours, except on match days. Inside new Anfield “This provides the opportunity for the public to wander into these parts of the building, to visit the shop and museum or simply glimpse views down onto the pitch,” states the documents. “Within the southern (Kop) end of the stadium, will be a museum facility charting this club in the context of developments within English and European football.” The ground will also have a rainwater retention system with subterranean tanks “which collect all roof water and rain water from the concourse for re-use”. The system will serve watering of the pitch, vegetation on the building’s perimeter, flushing toilets and urinals, and general cleaning functions. It is the club’s “intention to explore opportunities to supplement the development proposals with a future related application for a wind turbine to serve the development. “That turbine will make both the stadium and park self-sufficient in energy. “The intention is to install a number of ‘living walls’ along the base of the northern facade of the stadium. These walls, a direct substitute for any cladding material, will be irrigated by recycled water from the stadium roof and consist of a number of hardy pre-dominantly native shrubs and perennial plants.” http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverp...64375-19597959/

I'll never forget the second goal against Roma when Litmanen earned the free kick by turning Tommasi inside out and the commentator says 'Don't try this at home folks'. (In Finnish the accent is always on the first syllable, so LIT-man-en is correct)

According to Wiki: At its peak, the stand could hold 30,000 spectators, and was one of the largest single tier stands in the world after the East Stand at The Valley.....Licensed capacity was lowered to just under 22,000 with the Safety of Sports Grounds Act in 1975, and the limit was lowered again due to safety measures brought in following the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. Finally the Kop was completely rebuilt as an all seater stand in 1994, although the new Kop like the old one is a single tier. The current capacity is 12,499.