Flight

Kev just PM'ed me. YES YES YES YES YES Please let this be true.

Now he's just said : 'I haven't spoken to him about it (Stevie on playing right) but I know it aggravates him' KNOB

Jamie Redknapp, what a prize t**t. In the build up to the England game he's said : 'Rafa Benitez has brainwashed Steve Gerrard and the English nation into thinking Stevie can't play in the centre of midefield.' Well wheres he been playing for most of this season you k****ead ?

The story is on Granada Reports at the moment. Graeme Sharp being interviewed about this Barcelona game; interviewer asked him why Barcelona. He replied : ' We have an affinity with Barcelona, we played them in 1924.' Nearly snorted coffee out of my nose all over my monitor laughing.

For all the grief I've given MO in the past, you have to take one thing into account : He is a machine; he has no personality, no emotions and aims - except scoring goals and winning. Honestly, he makes the Terminator look like Robin Williams. That makes me believe he will be back and a big asset to whoever he plays for. The question is whether Rafa would go in for him, having being screwed over twice by him already.

Thats Champions League winner Traore, to you sonny.

I've been as critical as anyone of MO, but I think it is the perfect time for him to come home, for him and for us. Is he at the stage of his contract where he can buy himself out (two years left or whatever) ? That would dictate a big decrease in his price.

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He's too harsh, including Collymore with the likes of Heskey and Cisse. Sensational partnership with Fowler. Massive shame his head went. Whatever happens in the summer, we are going to see transafer threads that triple the sale of Kleenex.

I've felt Alves has always been Rafas #1 target and that he was gutted we couldnt fork out the extra couple of mill to get him last term. I'll be well surprised if we don't pull out all the stops to sign him this summer. For a start the pirce we have been paying per player compared to the Mancs underlines Rafa having to continually shop for next best players and not be able to afford the players he would really like. There are two reasons the mancs have had such a good term : i) a swansong of a season from a number of their players coming to the end of their careers, players like Giggs, Scholes and Van Der Sar have been exceptional; ii) they have been incredibly lucky with injuries; ie they haven't had any. Half of their squad (which they haven't had to use) are still not good enough for them

Noticed he didn't make any comments about the Chav players who put the boot in on the Spurs fan once he was wrestled to the ground. Bet Cole and Drogba get away scot free, for something they would be arrested and charged for in public elsewhere.

Whereas exactly the opposite is true this season. Our early season terrible form stopped exactly when Momo got injured. Now he is back and again we look off the boil in the Prem. He is destroying opponents but losing possession and not linking up well. Rafa knows best. We used to have similar conversations about whether Xabi and Stevie could play together in midfield; this season they've proved they can.

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I blame the father.

Poor Rashid must be up to 3 boxes of Kleenex a day. The exact words they used in their Press Conference was that they were going to build the best stadium in the sport. Exciting times indeed and its my belief we will get something far more impressive than any of us are expecting. Some people seem to be arguing that we cant get as big a crowd as the Mancs ?

Please let this be true.

I remember when they did their press conference, thinking it was significant that they stated they were going to build the 'best stadium in the sport' and that a 60k stadium didn't stand much chance of being that. As an aside, the area has long lacked a venue capable of hosting major concerts etc - maybe they are thinking of much more than has been previously concidered ?

Not sure either of them have the attitude or professionalism Rafa demands. I rekon Alves has been Rafas #1 target since he came here and still is.

He's normally on the ball but I wet myself laughing when I got to the bit where he was talking about Riise's natural defending ability. You mean that wasn't Lenny Henry stood in front of the Kop, doing his old Jamaican bloke impression ?

Ibrahimovic put someones eye out apparently. Mind you it was an accident; he turned around, someone was within three foot of him and caught his nose straight in the kisser.

Thats absolutely ***ing great that, thanks mate. Claimed

Another performance or two like last nights and Stevie will be up for European Footballer of the Year for this term and, I'll tell you what, so will Carra. Can you imagine the pair of them in the top three ? They can't be far away from it. What a blessed time to be a scouser. The best pair of local lads we have ever had in the team. Its like having Macca and Robbie in their pomp, with the work attitude, local pride and professionalism of someone like Shearer.

I picked the Times up today. Its actually the headline, which he may not have written which says : "Shrewd tactician gets lucky yet again as Barcelona fail to punish his caution'. The article itself isn't nearly as bad and was largely complmentary about the team and Rafa. Absolutely terrific piece on the opposite page, by Oliver Kay, about Hicks and Gillette at last nigths game too. The two old men in the directors? box stood open-mouthed, their eyes glazing over. The Kop in all its glory has the ability to leave even the most hardened visitor spellbound and, just as Roman Abramovich gawped in admiration when his first match as owner of Chelsea took him to Anfield in August 2003, so were George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks gobsmacked by their first taste of the passion they have had the good fortune to buy into. Two hours later, as the dust settled on a match of high drama and the noise followed the 42,579 crowd on to the streets, Gillett stood alone in the same spot in the directors? box, watching Liverpool?s players go through their post-match warm-down exercises. Steven Gerrard spotted him and offered a thumbs-up. Gillett smiled down and clasped his hands together almost reverently. ?Thank you so much,? he called to the Liverpool captain before telling a handful of reporters near by that the evening had been ?like nothing I?ve ever heard or felt before?.