madskilz

From the official site LIVERPOOL ANNOUNCE NEW SHIRT SPONSOR Liverpoolfc.tv 14 September 2009 Liverpool FC and Standard Chartered Bank announced today they had agreed a four year deal for the bank to become the club's main sponsor - the largest commercial agreement in Liverpool's history. The agreement, which starts in July 2010 and runs through to the end of the 2013-14 season, will see the bank's name and logo appear on the Liverpool shirt. Liverpool FC is the most successful club in English football, enjoying a global following most recently evidenced in its highly successful pre-season tour of Singapore and Thailand. As official club sponsors, Standard Chartered will enjoy a major rights package which will provide the platform to significantly step up the Bank's brand awareness across its core markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Standard Chartered PLC, listed on both London and Hong Kong stock exchanges, ranks among the top 25 companies in the FTSE-100 by market capitalisation. The Bank has more than doubled its revenue and profits over the last five years and has performed consistently well, delivering record results throughout the recent financial crisis. Christian Purslow, Managing Director of Liverpool Football Club, pictured above signing the contract alongside Standard Chartered chairman John Peace, commented: "This partnership brings together two highly successful organisations with a really strong cultural and strategic fit. The sponsorship opportunity attracted a huge level of interest from a wide array of globally recognised brands and in Standard Chartered we believe we have the ideal partner to move forward and help develop our global ambitions for the club. It is a real sign of the progress we have made at Liverpool that we have been able to secure the largest ever commercial deal in our history." Peter Sands, Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered PLC, said: "This is a great partnership. We are excited to be working with such a famous global brand as Liverpool Football Club for the next four years. This is an outstanding opportunity for Standard Chartered, our customers and shareholders, and for Liverpool, its players and fans "We see many opportunities to continue growing our business, particularly as Asia, Africa and the Middle East are emerging from the global downturn more quickly than the West. This sponsorship will drive a step change in brand recognition in our key markets and will provide an additional catalyst for our business growth."

From The Times September 12, 2009 Liverpool’s £80m shirt deal equals biggest ever Carlsberg will be replaced by Standard Chartered, the London-based international bank, on the front of Liverpool's shirts next year Tony Barrett Liverpool have secured a new shirt sponsorship deal that equals the most lucrative in football history after signing a four-year agreement with Standard Chartered, the London-based international bank, worth £80 million over four years. With their present deal with Carlsberg due to expire in mid-2010, Liverpool’s commercial department, headed by Ian Ayre, has been looking for a money-spinning agreement in keeping with the club’s status as one of the most recognisable brands in world sport. Until July, an exclusivity accord with Carlsberg prevented them from entering into talks with any other interested parties but once that had expired, Liverpool moved swiftly to tie up a new deal. Carlsberg has enjoyed a 17-year relationship with Liverpool, one of the longest-running associations in world sport, but was unwilling to match the £20 million a season offer made by Standard Chartered, which equals the deal struck by Manchester United with Aon Corp, the American financial giant, in June. Liverpool have long been criticised by their supporters for punching below their weight when it comes to commercial opportunities but the sponsorship deal struck by Ayre, the commercial director, is an indication that the club are beginning to make the most of their glittering history and worldwide fan base. The fact that the Merseyside club have secured a sponsorship arrangement on a par with United’s is also hugely symbolic, with Liverpool having trailed some way behind their North West rivals for several years in terms of commercial enterprise. Liverpool’s deal with Carlsberg, for example, is worth just £7.2 million per annum, a figure that fell short of United’s £14 million income from AIG, the American insurance corporation. The deal with Standard Chartered will be confirmed by Liverpool imminently, with George Gillett Jr, the club’s co-owner, having admitted during a radio interview that he expects a formal announcement to be made on Friday. “I think people will be pleased and surprised,” Gillett said. “It will be one of the great, worldwide corporations. And I think it will be a sponsor people will be pleased and surprised to be [associated with].” For the first time since he bought Liverpool along with Tom Hicks in February 2007, Gillett has admitted that he could be willing to sell the club “if someone gets beamed in who’s got bags of money”. But the revelation was tempered by the American’s admission that he would “probably” be at the helm for the long term. “The club is in outstanding shape,” Gillett said. “Economically, it’s never been stronger. We just paid down our debt very substantially. We have less debt per dollar than any club in the league.” Liverpool, meanwhile, have sealed a £250,000 deal with Southend United for the transfer of Michael Ngoo, a 16-year-old centre forward who was also being watched by Manchester United. Ngoo, who is 6ft 4in and has been likened in style to Peter Crouch, impressed during a recent trial with United but Liverpool have beaten their North West rivals to his signature after meeting Southend’s asking price. In a departure from the recent furore surrounding the transfers of a number of teenagers, the deal for Ngoo has not resulted in acrimony between Liverpool and Southend, with the Coca-Cola League One club praising their Barclays Premier League counterparts for the way negotiations were conducted.

Also add Anelka to that, some quality ex-strikers there

Tony Barrett seems to think Real have caved in also - here Xabi Alonso transfer deal almost decided during Liverpool FC hotel meeting Aug 3 2009 by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo XABI ALONSO’S Liverpool career looks set to come to an end after Real Madrid indicated they are willing to pay in the region of £30 million for his services. Reds officials met with Real executive director-general José Ángel Sánchez yesterday afternoon as the Spanish giants stepped up their bid to finally bring an end to their summer long pursuit of Alonso. The talks took place at Liverpool’s team hotel in Barcelona prior to last night’s 3-0 friendly defeat at the hands of Espanyol and though a deal was not struck enough progress was made for Real’s confidence to rise that agreement is not far off. Rafa Benitez has insisted all along that he will not accept a knockdown offer for the Spanish playmaker despite Alonso having indicated that he is ready to leave Anfield and the Liverpool manager’s patience appears to be paying off as Real finally got closer to the kind of bid he is looking for. With Roma star Alberto Aquilani already lined up as Alonso’s successor, Benitez will be keen for Real to put their money where their mouth has been and finally bring an end to the transfer saga. The chances of that happening appear to have been boosted after reports in Spain suggested that the Bernabeu coffers will shortly be swollen to the tune of £18m due to the impending sale of Dutchman Wesley Sneijder to Inter Milan. One of the main sticking points in Real’s pursuit of Alonso in recent weeks has been their insistence that they did not have the ready cash to meet Benitez’s demands following a spending spree that has seen them spend in excess of £165m on Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema alone. Benitez has always remained adamant that this is not his nor Liverpool’s problem, however, and has continually made it clear that unless his value of Alonso is met then the 27-year-old will not be allowed to leave. With the two parties now edging closer to an agreement and with a channel of communication now flowing freely again between Anfield and the Bernabeu it is looking increasingly likely that a deal will be struck in the coming days. Benitez’s reluctance to give Alonso any more than a substitute’s appearance in the dying stages of last nights’s defeat at the hands of Espanyol was a telling sign of how close an agreement is with the Liverpool manager clearly unwilling to put the Spanish international at risk of the kind of injury that could place the proposed deal in jeopardy. Alonso’s presence was sorely missed, particularly in the second half as Liverpool struggled with their passing, allowing Espanyol to take full advantage. Daniel Agger missed the game with a recurring back problem and was today due to undergo treatment at Melwood after Liverpool returned to Merseyside in the early hours of this morning.

Bascombe up to his old tricks From News of the world By CHRIS BASCOMBE, 13/06/2009 JAVIER MASCHERANO'S family anguish is behind his shock threat to quit Liverpool. In the latest shattering transfer blow to manager Rafa Benitez, the Argentina skipper is considering leaving because his pregnant wife Fernanda has been unable to settle on Merseyside. She returned to South America with the couple's daughter Lola before the end of last season. And although the 25-year-old midfielder is professionally happy at Anfield, the personal despair at being apart from his family means he feels he has no option but to consider moving on. He thinks it will be easier for his wife to live in a Spanish-speaking country. Benitez has insisted the midfielder is not for sale at any price, despite an imminent £30million bid from Barcelona. But the Liverpool boss has a fight on his hands to keep Mascherano given his difficult circumstances. A Kop source said: "The truth is Javier loves Liverpool and is especially thankful to Rafa for everything he has done for his career in England. But he's facing a huge dilemma because he feels his family might be more settled in Spain. Nothing is certain, but it's true it's a big problem for the club." With Xabi Alonso also determined to force through a move to La Liga, the spine of the Liverpool team could be ripped apart before the start of next season. Benitez and Alonso remain on collision course, with the Spanish playmaker likely to try to force through a move after the Confederations Cup. The only consolation for Benitez is that he could collect more than £50m in transfer fees for the two players - cash he could reinvest in the side. On the other hand, replacing two world-class central midfielders will not be easy, especially as Liverpool have already missed out on their prime target Gareth Barry. Benitez has still not given up hope of signing Valencia's David Silva. He has revived his interest in the 23-year-old Spaniard since Carlos Tevez declared his preference for Manchester City over Liverpool.

I would'nt be happy if we spent between £15m and £20m (which the bid is supposed to be around) when funds are so tight.

or offered half our reserves in a player(s) exchange plus cash deal

Sky now saying we are involved in the bidding, in fact we are leading the bidding along with Chelsea

Yep, its either City or Chelsea

Breaking News on Sky Sports News is that Portsmouth have confirmed they have received a bid for Glen Johnson, does'nt say who from though

Real also signing Villa today for €40m according to Sky, the circus goes on!

More Negredo transfer talk Sky Sports Reds join Negredo chase Liverpool eye move for highly-rated striker By Francisco Acedo Last updated: 4th May 2009 Football Betting - Aston Villa v Hull Liverpool have joined the race to sign Almeria star Alvero Negredo, who admits he would love the chance to move to Anfield. Skysports.com can reveal that Negredo is on Rafa Benitez's list of targets for the summer. Negredo has been one of the real stars of La Liga this term with 19 goals for unfashionable Almeria. In his two seasons with Almeria he has now bagged 32 goals and his exploits have not gone unnoticed. Fulham made an unsuccessful effort to sign him in January, while Aston Villa are also keeping a watching brief. Liverpool are now ready to make a move for the player, although his situation is somewhat complicated in that Real Madrid have first option on him until the end of June. He was with Real Madrid - albeit mainly their second team - before he joined Almeria, but they inserted a buy-back clause of £4.4million which they are now likely to activate. This will mean they can sell him on, with reports suggesting they would want £9.8million and it seems Liverpool would be willing to pay this sum. Negredo, at just 24, represents real potential and Benitez is keen on taking him to England. Liverpool interest The player himself has revealed that Liverpool have made contact. "To play next to Fernando Torres at Anfield is a dream and any player would accept that," he told skysports.com. "But I prefer to talk about reality and I have not spoken with Rafa Benitez, but I do know that some contact exists between the clubs." Negredo concedes that Real Madrid will ultimately decide where his future lies. "My future depends on Real Madrid, but I believe that this summer I will be out of Almeria," he continued. "I am grateful to Almeria because they have given me my chance to play in the Primera Liga. "But it is logical that I am interested in playing in the Premier League and especially Liverpool. "I believe that playing in England would be a great chance for me as this league is a sensational place for forwards."

Oliver Holts take on the Fat one and the Demented one Sky Sports Managerial mafia Fergie and Big Sam ganging up on poor Rafa, says Holt Last updated: 19th April 2009 Oliver Holt accused Sir Alex Ferguson and Sam Allardyce of ganging up on Rafa Benitez. Both the Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers managers have taken a swipe at the Spaniard for a gesture he made in last weekend's win over the latter. After Fernando Torres headed Liverpool into a 2-0 lead from a long free-kick from Xabi Alonso, Benitez was seen to make a cross-armed motion, as if to signal the end of something. The Reds boss has since revealed he was telling Alonso not to listen to him because he had called for the free-kick to be taken short. Allardyce though, insists the gesture meant the game was over and on Friday blasted the gesture as 'undermining', 'srespectful and quite humiliating'. Ferguson then waded into the row to support his old mate, labelling Benitez's behaviour as 'beyond the pale'. The Sunday Supplement panel agreed that Benitez had done nothing wrong, but Holt believes the fall-out may have far-reaching roots. "The gesture is open to interpretation what he meant," he said. "If we're talking about contempt, even if it was a contemptuous, let's not forget some of the stuff Allardyce and Ferguson have said, for instance, about Arsene Wenger in that way. Contempt "There's plenty of issues of contempt between managers in the Premier League. They're all big boys and they can deal with it. "The idea that Sam Allardyce was hurt and confused by what Rafa did was laughable." "They (Ferguson and Allardyce) have the same enemies, in the past Allardyce has big digs at Wenger and look even if at Phil Brown, who is obviously associated closely with Sam, has had run in with Wenger earlier in the season. There's a lot of bad blood between those guys and Ferguson's enemies." Holt also refused to accept that is damaging to the game to have high-profile managers at each other's throats in public. Ferguson and Benitez have had an unhealthy relationship since the Spaniard went on his infamous rant about United before Christmas - a rant which coincided with his side's Premier League slump. And while he feels he is the victim in the latest round of bickering, Holt believes Benitez might yet win the mind games. Outsider "I think Benitez started it just before Christmas with that quite astonishing outburst about Ferguson and those 'facts'," he said. "I think what Benitez is trying to do a little bit is what Ferguson did at Aberdeen; he's trying to position himself as an outsider, to get a little bit of siege mentality going at Liverpool - everybody else is against us. And it's working. "In a way Ferguson and Sam Allardyce this week will probably play right into his hands because he'll be able to say to his players 'look, there's a whole gang of them ganging up on us'. "Again, I thought it was quite amusing how hurt they were by him. I don't know how Sam Allardyce managed to keep a straight face! "Benitez did start it to be fair to Ferguson. He came out just before Christmas with these facts, it's interesting the way Benitez timed that, that wasn't Fergie coming at him. I thought Ferguson was generally taken aback by the vitriol. "But they're all big boys..."

Mascherano's celebration was supurb, he just went mental - love the guy

Even Charlie Nicholas who never has a good word to say about Benitez thinks the rant is cleaver

Graham Poll agrees with Benitez From Sentanta Sports Rafa finds an ally in Poll Former Premier League referee Graham Poll has echoed Rafa Benitez’s assertion that Sir Alex Ferguson is treated leniently by The Football Association. The Spaniard laid into the Manchester United chief during his Friday press conference, claiming the Scot is treated differently to his managerial rivals by officials. The issue has polarised opinion and the Spaniard has found an ally in former official Poll. "Rafa Benitez has articulated what referees have been thinking for years - that Sir Alex Ferguson can say what he wants about them and The FA will allow him to get away with it," Poll told the Daily Mail. "The authorities could point to Ferguson's two-match ban imposed earlier this season as proof that he is not out of reach of their disciplinary department, but that was for marching onto the field after the 4-3 win over Hull and for comments made directly to the referee, Mike Dean, who in reporting the misconduct forced The FA's hand." Benitez’s comments have come to the attention of The FA and they will assess his press conference in its entirely next week, before making a decision on whether to mete out any kind of punishment.

LOL - he should just take him off the list, as we also got approx £2m from Villa in loan fees, so that's around a £3.5m profit. Add the fact we did'nt have to pay his wages for most of the time we had him as he was on loan for large periods and due to the fact he has gone on to play for England - than for an intial transfer fee of 750K there's no way he should be on that list.

Someone should let the Mirror know that Scott Carson actually cost £750,000 and not £7.5m The Mirror's Top 10 WORST January transfer window signings

That's my biggest concern, i can understand when players need time to get to grips with the pace and physical natureof the premership but Dossena's decision making and position has been really poor everytime i've seen him. I really hope it's just a confidence thing otherwise we'll have an expensive dud on our hands.

Just slightly rusty at the moment and he has'nt exactly had the best service in the last few games. Hopefully against West Ham he'll start on another one of his scoring runs.

If O'Neil is quoting Barry at £18m what makes you think he would sell Young for £15m when he bought him no so long ago for £10m?

Sky Sports News are reporting that Blackburn will make a move for Pennant to replace Bentley who's going to have a medical with Spurs tomorrow

Carson to sign for West Brom Carson agrees Baggies move Keeper agrees four-year deal Last updated: 18th July 2008 Skysports.com can confirm West Brom have won the race to sign Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson. The Baggies have beaten off interest from a host of clubs to sign the England international. Liverpool decided to let Carson leave after bringing in Brazilian Diego Cavaleri as cover for No.1 Jose Reina. Stoke agreed a fee with Liverpool earlier this week and held talks with Carson only to pull out of the move on Thursday. West Brom also negotiated a fee with Liverpool for Carson and the former Leeds custodian has agreed a four-year deal at The Hawthorns. Carson's agent Colin Gordon has confirmed the deal has been done to bring Carson to West Brom. "The deal has been done," Gordon told skysports.com. "Scott has signed a four-year deal with West Brom. "They will pay £3.25million which will rise to £4million for Scott."

Every time we play Chelsea, Reina needs to take his medal out and wave it in Ballacks face during corners