GWistooshort

England hero Walcott to land bumper Arsenal deal but Wenger can't guarantee a starting place By MATT LAWTON and NEIL ASHTON Last updated at 10:48 PM on 11th September 2008 Theo Walcott's reward for his sensational hat-trick for England could be a place on the Arsenal bench. The offer of a new contract - and a considerable pay rise - should also follow in December. The 19-year-old is currently on about £15,000 a week and with his current deal running out at the end of next season, Arsenal will need to offer him considerably more to be certain of keeping him. Liverpool are among those known to be interested in Walcott, while Manchester City are sure to consider an offer with their new Arab money. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...ting-place.html

Rafa's still saying there's a chance in the Echo today......... "Benitez is giving star duo Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard every chance of featuring and their chances of being involved were boosted yesterday when they took part in full training. “Both have trained a little more and they are progressing,” said the Reds boss. “We have one more day so we will see.” http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-f...252-21805142/2/

& another one from yesterday.......... Carragher denounces Anfield's 'ruthless' owners before attacking Rafa Benitez for 'undermining' Yanks By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 10:11 PM on 10th September 2008 Liverpool stalwart Jamie Carragher has denounced the club's "ruthless" owners over broken promises and profiteering in the most scathing verdict on Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jnr from within Anfield. In his autobiography, which will be published on Thursday, Carragher expresses sympathy with the Americans, saying manager Rafa Benitez publicly undermined them over transfers, but gives a largely critical assessment of a year of turmoil. The 30-year-old defender hesitantly embraced the Americans when their March 2007 takeover came with a pledge to invest in the team and replace the crumbling Anfield stadium without burdening the Reds with debt. But Carragher said he was quickly riled by the owners apparently reneging on that pledge, becoming further disgruntled over infighting that triggered "the demise of those values which come under the definition 'The Liverpool Way."' "For richer or poorer, we'd sold Liverpool to two ruthless businessmen who saw us as a moneymaking opportunity," Carragher writes in "Carra: My Autobiography," published by Bantam Press. "They didn't buy Liverpool as an act of charity; they weren't intent on throwing away all the millions they'd earned over 50 years ... They wanted to buy us because the planned stadium offered a chance to generate tons of cash and increase the value of the club." Carragher, who made his Liverpool debut in 1997, said the owners' worst mistake was claiming no debt would be put on the club's balance sheet when in fact the loans used to buy the five-time European champion created annual interest payments of around £30million. "Breaking this vow set the first alarm bells ringing, the embarrassing continual changing of the stadium plans was irritating too," he wrote. Millions of pounds were written off when existing plans to replace the 115-year-old Anfield were ditched after the buyout so architects from Hicks' native Texas could design a more spectacular stadium in the adjacent Stanley Park. The subsequent global economic turmoil forced the new vision to be scaled down and the club announced last month that the 73,000-seat stadium, which Liverpool hopes will open in 2011, will be delayed "in the short term." Carragher said the internal strife swelled in the aftermath of the May 2007 Champions League final defeat to AC Milan when Benitez demanded that Hicks and Gillett quickly invest more money in the squad. "These words sparked a chain reaction that brought problems into the open, almost cost (Benitez) his job a couple of months later, riled Liverpool's owners into an ill-fated meeting with Juergen Klinsmann, and ended Hicks' and Gillett's honeymoon relationship with The Kop (fan base)," Carragher wrote. Hicks acknowledged talking to former Klinsmann about replacing Benitez last November during their public spat over player transfers. Klinsmann, the former Germany coach, is now with Bayern Munich. Carragher said he was surprised that Benitez defied standard workplace practice by going public to "slag off your boss." "I understood why the owners were unhappy with him too," he wrote. "They'd been undermined by Rafa and now they were undermining him. "It was a political rather than football battle, and although the fans wanted to see it in black and white terms, with the owners the bad guys and Rafa their hero, I saw far more shades of grey." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...ning-Yanks.html

From the Daily Mail.............. Carragher bombshell - autobiography opens old wounds over Anfield split By JOHN EDWARDS Last updated at 12:20 AM on 12th September 2008 He would prefer any questions about a united front to relate to Saturday's Anfield opponents, but Rafa Benitez once more finds team matters taking a back seat to his relationship with Liverpool’s American owners. The Liverpool manager might have hoped he had heard the last of his fall-out with Tom Hicks and George Gillett after spending the first half of this year repairing the damage. Instead, he has been forced to accept that the most remarkable chapter in recent Anfield history is back on the agenda following the publication this week of Jamie Carragher’s outspoken autobiography. Carragher, the most influential dressing room voice at Anfield after skipper Steven Gerrard, pulls no punches as he accuses Benitez of misjudging the extent of his power when he took on Hicks and Gillett over transfer funds in the wake of Liverpool’s Champions League Final defeat by AC Milan in 2007. Reflecting on the outburst, Carragher, who also claims Benitez was partly to blame for the animosity after ‘undermining’ the owners, says: ‘In most walks of life, there is a basic rule that you don’t go into work and slag off your boss. 'Such was Rafa’s popularity, he must have felt it was a risk worth taking and that if Hicks and Gillett fired him, after a second European Cup Final in three years, they’d have faced a serious fans’ revolt. ‘Rafa thought he was arguing from a position of strength, but while I put his critical comments down to the disappointment of losing the final, I guessed the owners would not be so sympathetic.’ Carragher relates how they bided their time and waited for a more opportune moment to punish Benitez, who had had sought assurances about January transfer plans and wanted to sign centre half Kakha Kaladze from AC Milan but was told to focus on coaching until a planned meeting in December. Carragher says: ‘I believe he suspected a plan was already in place to sack him and the owners were holding back funds for his replacement. 'The criticisms of the hierarchy were given another airing at Newcastle two days later, and he was effectively daring the owners to arrange his funeral, especially when Hicks ended the boardroom silence by telling him to shut up on the front page of the local paper. ‘It was more than rumour by this stage, and Rafa must have known how close he was to the sack. To my mind, everyone was trying to be too clever, playing politics with little regard for how much damage it was doing. Never mind about not washing your dirty linen in public, Anfield was beginning to resemble a launderette.’ Carragher, who has a reputation of being one of the game’s straight talkers, also describes how Gerard Houllier underlined his authority by tearing a strip off Paul Ince but ended his reign a broken man after being struck down by a life-threatening heart condition. ‘Ince was the unwitting victim of the most brutal exhibition of management I have seen at Anfield,’ he says. Liverpool were leading an FA Cup fourth-round tie at Old Trafford 1-0 but, after Ince limped off, United fought back to win 2-1. ‘There was a team meeting a week later, and Ince decided, as club captain, it was time to take Houllier on. He questioned training methods and the response was furiously impressive. ‘Fixing Ince with a stare, Houllier asked: “Since the day I arrived, how many five-a-sides have you won? I’ll tell you — four in six months.” ‘Ince was bewildered, as we all were, by Houllier’s memory and grasp of detail, and it didn’t end there. “Now perhaps you can explain to the lads what happened to you against United. When my team are 1-0 up at Old Trafford in a cup tie, I don’t expect my captain to limp off with an injury. If he has to come off, I expect it to be on a stretcher.” ‘A few years later, the Houllier I saw was a pale imitation of the man who had taken on the most powerful player in the club. The illness had taken its toll, and he started asking Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen who he should pick. ‘I had a hollow feeling inside. I knew he had to go. The man needed a break and when his time was finally ended it came as a relief.’ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...ield-split.html

From yesterday's Telegraph......... "Spain international Xabi Alonso, however, was mentioned with a switch to north London but a mooted £16 million deal failed to transpire. Yet it could happen in four months time after the Liverpool player's representative Inaki Ibanez refused to rule out the possibility of a move. "January is a long time away," he said. "At the moment Xabi is concentrating on playing well for Liverpool. No agreement was reached to sell him, so mentally he is a Liverpool player. "But we will see what happens in January." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/...--Football.html

Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim, who fronted the buyout of Manchester City by Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), picked a “Dream Team” for the Arabian Business website that includes Fernando Torres, saying “I tried to buy him once. I hope we will succeed next time.” http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle4692365.ece

From today's Sunday People................ Pennant's set for Kop battle Winger Jermaine Pennant is heading for a contract row with Liverpool - but hopes to quit on a free transfer at the end of the season. Out-of-favour Pennant was cleared to join Stoke and Blackburn before the transfer deadline. But the former England cap turned down the advances because he thinks he will be a free agent in the summer. http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/tm_...-name_page.html

Who is none other than Chris Bascombe apparently!

According to Tony Barrett in the Liverpool Echo today a possible deal with Blackburn for Pennant collapsed around 10.15pm on deadline day when he failed to agree personal terms with them. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-f...00252-21683835/

Yesterday's Telegraph said the same............. "On a dramatic final day of the transfer window news leaked that Manchester City had made a £45 million bid for Liverpool's Fernando Torres, a suggestion the Liverpool manager insisted he had no knowledge of." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/...-title-bid.html

Jamie Carragher: 'I was crazy about Everton' Sep 5 2008 by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo JAMIE CARRAGHER is known the world over for his undying commitment to the Liver Bird he wears so proudly upon his chest. But there was a time when Carragher was “Everton mad,” with his affection towards Liverpool’s great rivals even landing him in hot water with legendary Reds coach Ronnie Moran on one occasion. Here, in exclusive extracts from Carra: My Autobiography – written with former Echo writer Chris Bascombe – Carragher lifts the lid on his relationship with Everton. CARRA ON . . . GROWING UP A BLUE I WAS Everton-mad growing up. I was a regular at all the away games as well as at home. Evertonians talk fondly about the legendary European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final against Bayern Munich in April 1985. Never mind the Goodison second leg; I was in Germany with my dad for the first game, too, getting my bobble hat swiped by some Munich fans outside the ground. I'd be in a bad mood for days when we lost. Worse than that, I'd be inconsolable when our rivals won. Nothing meant as much to me as my Everton top, which I even wore while training at the Liverpool School of Excellence. Liverpool and Everton fans had to take it as much as dish it out to each other back then, but it wasn't underhand and was always based on what was happening on the pitch. We could share the bragging rights because in the mid-eighties we were undoubtedly the two best teams in Europe. My loyalties were exclusively to my heroes in blue, and I wasn't shy of showing Liverpool fans, players and staff how I felt about my team, even while I was training alongside Anfield legends. In fact, signing for Liverpool made me want to show my true colours even more, even if it sometimes got me into trouble. I remember returning with the Liverpool reserve squad from a mid-afternoon game early in 1996 while Everton were playing an FA Cup third round replay at Stockport. The radio match commentary was on as the coach made its way back to Melwood and naturally I was listening to every word and urging Everton to win. Stockport scored, and Ronnie Moran and Sammy Lee, who were in charge of the Reserves at the time, couldn't hide their delight. “One–nil!” shouted Ronnie, the sense of joy inescapable. Sitting at the back of the coach, I simmered away inside, praying we'd get back into the game. Then my moment came. Everton equalised. I couldn't resist. “Get in!” I screamed. “Who the f**k was that?” shouted Ronnie who, as the first team coach, was still in the dark about my youthful loyalties. I wouldn't say it was the cue for a witch hunt, but Ronnie might as well have been holding a pitchfork as he swooped to find the culprit. The next day I was hauled before our youth coaches, Hugh McAuley and Dave Shannon, for one of those 'quiet chats' footballers have to get used to during the course of a career. “Listen, Jamie, you've got to sort this out,” Hughie said to me. “The senior staff have high hopes you'll play for the first team. It's time for you to start behaving like a Liverpool player.” I walked out of that meeting having heard the warning, but it was going to take more than a gentle pep talk to stop me loving Everton. CARRA ON . . . BECOMING A MEMBER OF THE EVERTON "ELITE" The first League game I ever watched at Goodison was at the start of the inspiring 1984–85 season, at home to Tottenham. I was six years old. We were comprehensively beaten, 4–1, and I don't remember anything about the game other than seeing Harry Cross, a famous character from the now-departed Scouse soap opera Brookside, leaving the ground early. Judging by the faces of everyone around him, it was the only decent cross anyone saw at Goodison that day. He'd seen enough, but even though we lost, I was yearning for much more. My dad started taking me to away games that season. On the train to Ipswich – which must be the ground furthest away from Bootle in the country – he introduced me to all the most famous Evertonians, like Eddie Cavanagh. Eddie ran on to the Wembley pitch when Everton won the cup in 1966 and had earned himself iconic status ever since. Meeting him was like a coming-of-age ceremony. The nod of approval from Eddie was an acknowledgement you were now a true Blue. I wasn't just a home-game regular but part of an away-day elite. CARRA ON . . . WEMBLEY DAYS Wembley trips seemed a normal annual event then. We could plan our year around May for a cup final, or August for the Charity Shield, or March for the, er, Zenith Data Systems Cup. Remember that one? I suspect many have tried to forget it. The 4–1 defeat to Crystal Palace in 1991 was memorable for at least 30 Bootle kids who headed for Wembley with my dad. He led them all to the stadium and told the stewards it was all arranged for the youngsters to go in for nothing. “They're all from care homes in Liverpool,” he explained. “I've heard they're all allowed in for nothing on a Sunday. It's a free gate on Sunday, isn't it?” The stewards looked bemused and found a room for the youngsters to stay while they found some officials. My dad then explained he had his own ticket and would be going to his seat in five minutes, so if the 30 lads weren't allowed in the stewards would need to stay and look after them. Unsurprisingly, 30 seats were found, taking the attendance that day to a whopping 41,030. CARRA ON . . . THE 1985 FA CUP FINAL Some London performances were more remarkable than others, and not solely because of the result. I was hysterical in 1985, but that had nothing to do with Norman Whiteside's winning goal. An hour before kick-off I was with my dad and Paul when we saw a cockney tout, a spiv straight out of a classic Only Fools and Horses script, offering tickets down Wembley Way. He took out a bundle of about 20 to sell, so my dad grabbed them to dish out to the genuine fans who didn't fancy paying a fortune. Unfortunately, he turned straight into a policeman who arrested him and the tout. I was seven and Paul was even younger, but we had to watch as my dad was pounced on and pushed into the back of a police van. We were taken on board the vacated Everton team coach to calm down, then my dad's mates took us in to the match, but all we were thinking about was what had happened to our dad. Then, 20 minutes before the end of the game, I felt a pat on the shoulder. God knows how my dad found us, because it was still terracing then. I was so relieved to see him, and finally I could enjoy the match. Then Whiteside scored and made the day even worse. CARRA ON . . . THE 1989 FA CUP FINAL The 1989 FA Cup final against Liverpool was the last major occasion for most of that great Howard Kendall side, and the best chance for Harvey to win a trophy, but for obvious reasons that was a fixture unlike any before. As in 1986, I travelled to the semi-final and to Wembley as a Blue, although my feelings after both matches were vastly different. We'd been at Villa Park on the afternoon of April 15, aware of events unfolding in Sheffield during Liverpool's semi-final with Nottingham Forest, but only hearing the full horrific details when we arrived home. We knew the match at Hillsborough had been abandoned, and as we travelled back to Bootle there was none of the celebrations you might expect having reached the FA Cup final. We sensed all wasn't well. Once the depressing news of the 96 deaths of those innocent Liverpool fans had sunk in, winning the FA Cup meant nothing to us. The final was an irrelevance compared to what the Liverpool fans had suffered, and there was a real feeling of solidarity inside Wembley. It was an exciting game, which Liverpool won 3–2, but none of it compared to 1986. The defeat never hurt. As an Evertonian, quite correctly, I felt like a guest at Wembley that day. It would be the last time I'd travel to see the Blues for a major final under the Twin Towers. CARRA ON . . . THE PEOPLE'S CLUB The person I've respected most at Everton during my time as a player is David Moyes. Without doubt he's Everton's best manager in 20 years. And the quip he made on the day he joined about Everton being the People's Club on Merseyside was genius. It immediately got the Evertonians on his side and wound up the Liverpudlians, so fair play to him. Brilliant stuff, I say. That's what it's all about in this city. Make your own fans proud of you, and if it gets your rivals' backs up it's a classic double-whammy. There's no harm in that at all. In 2007, Rafa Benitez tried to hit back when he talked after a game about Everton being a small club that came to Anfield to play for a draw. How did they react? They put a statement on the official Everton website having a go at Rafa. How embarrassing is that? http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-f...00252-21682174/

Just weaning myself off slowly

I like this quote from Albert yesterday “When I was at Manchester City, I found out what the Premier League was like and I’m now prepared for it. I’m prepared to do the tackling and not just be the one being tackled!” http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverp...64375-21679278/

The Mirror this morning says "it is thought Liverpool will make a new bid [for Gareth Barry] in January". http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/200...15875-20724544/

In an article in the Daily Mail this morning about the Riera press conference yesterday it says Rafa "denied knowledge of a deadline day offer of £50million for Torres" http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...-injection.html

Spartak Moscow were apparently in for Yossi............... Benayoun turned down Moscow riches to stay with Liverpool By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 10:40 PM on 04th September 2008 Yossi Benayoun rejected an astonishing £3.5million signing-on fee and double your money offer from Spartak Moscow to stay with Liverpool. The Israel captain, currently on around £50,000 a week at Anfield, was the subject of a lucrative offer from the wealthy Russian side believed to be worth around £100,000 a week but Benayoun made it clear he wanted to further his career with Liverpool. Manchester City had tabled a £6m bid for Benayoun with further interest from Tottenham and West Ham during the transfer window but manager Rafael Benitez was reluctant to sell — despite the need to raise cash for new signings. Benitez has been a fan of the 28-year-old since his days in Spain with Racing Santander and sees him as a vital member of his squad. And sources in Israel say Benayoun wanted to repay Benitez's faith with an upturn in his form this season. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...-Liverpool.html

When Jamie Carragher's dad squared up to Kenny Dalglish By Jamie Carragher 4/09/2008 When I first joined Liverpool as a kid, it wasn't long before Kenny Dalglish knew who I was thanks to my dad Philly. Kenny's son Paul was playing for Crosby and he was on the touchline. It was 1-0 to Crosby when we were gifted a penalty. Kenny wasn't impressed and had a pop at the ref. "Keep your f***** mouth shut, Dalglish," my dad said. "You should know all about dodgy penalties after the amount you get at Anfield." Scout Tom Saunders had to keep them apart. My position at Liverpool could have been precarious if Kenny had been insulted but he and my dad have laughed about it since. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/200...15875-20723403/

Jamie Carragher: Winning the Premier League is now an obsession 4/09/2008 I stare at my medal collection and there's a gaping, lingering hole. It's a void I fear will never be filled before that dreaded moment when I wear the red shirt for the last time. Since I turned 30, the pain of having no title medal seems to have intensified. I can't even really argue we've come close to ending our Premier League drought. It hurts more as you begin to appreciate time is as much a rival as the other top clubs. I may only have the three years left on my current Liverpool contract to win the league and it will sicken me not to achieve it. I'm fixated by this goal, consumed by my determination to bring the title back to Anfield. I don't just think about winning the title once a day, but sometimes as many as half a dozen times in an afternoon. Winning the title has become Liverpool's obsession, but whereas the supporters have their lifetimes to realise the ambition, as a player I'm running out of opportunities. Without wishing to sound negative, I've no choice but to prepare myself for the possibility it might not happen. If I never win a title, knowing the standards I've set myself, I suspect I'll consider my career a partial failure. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/200...15875-20723402/

Lucas Neill's lucky escape after breaking Jamie Carragher's leg By Jamie Carragher 4/09/2008 When my leg was broken in an horrific tackle by Lucas Neill in September 2003, my mates were ready to hunt him down if I gave the go-ahead. A few weeks later I received a phone call. "You won't believe this, Jay. We're in the Trafford Centre and Lucas Neill is walking straight towards us. What do you reckon?" Did I really want Neill to take a crack? "There's only one problem," added the voice. "Little Davey Thommo is with him." That was that. I could hardly let one of my best mates, David Thompson, now a Blackburn player, become a witness to an assault. Besides he'd have recognised the attackers. The impromptu mission was aborted and I sent a text to Thommo telling him Neill should give him a hug of thanks. As word got back to Blackburn about the near miss, or should that be hit, their coach Terry Darracott, a Scouser, appealed to one of my friends to call the boys off. I agreed. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/200...15875-20723400/

Didi Hamann's lack of pace saw him come unstuck with the Tokyo police By Jamie Carragher 4/09/2008 After a week away and deflated by our 1-0 final defeat in the World Club Championship, we were determined to see more of Tokyo than our hotel rooms. But although we found a bar and were drunkenly singing with fans, most of the lads returned to the hotel, which was the cue for the supporters to jump on the taxis to stop them driving the players home. The police arrived and arrested anyone in jumping distance of a cab, including me, Didi Hamann and my friend Mick Laffey. We'd be in bother if we were flung into a cell overnight because our flight home was first thing next morning so we had to do a runner. Mick got some fans to start bother and when the police pounced on them, I sprinted away as fast as possible, screaming at Didi to do the same. I finally got a cab back to the hotel but he spent the night in the cell after failing to get away. Poor Didi, his pace was never his finest asset. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/200...15875-20723397/

Jamie Carragher autobiography: How Rafa Benitez told me to fight with players who didn't try Exclusive 4/09/2008 Part Two of his great new book Carra, My Autobiography Rafa Benitez introduced himself, apologised for his English, shook hands and invited the observations of the three most senior players at Anfield. If he was hoping for the first vote of confidence of his reign, he was disappointed. "I'm not sure you appreciate how bad we are," was the blunt response. Welcome to Liverpool, Rafa. I'd like to say it was me who fearlessly looked the new Liverpool manager in the eye and delivered this frank warning during our opening exchanges. It was Steven Gerrard who hit him with the home truth as if he was launching into one of his most ferocious ball-winning tackles. I felt I got closer than most of the players to Benitez when he first joined. I was able to get on with him instantly because he shared a distinctive feature with Gerard Houllier - his devotion to the game. Houllier had always been keen on using videos to make me watch and learn from mistakes. Benitez took this further. He handed me DVDs of Arrigo Sacchi's legendary AC Milan side of the 1980s and was especially eager for me to analyse Franco Baresi's movements and organisation of the defence. He made it instantly obvious how much he liked my aggressive style on the pitch, although he misinterpreted how far I was prepared to extend my fighting spirit off it. Rafa told me early on to inject some of my toughness into my team-mates. After a defeat at Birmingham, the manager pulled me in after training and told me a story from his Valencia days. "When members of the squad didn't show the right attitude in the match, the Argentinian players would start a fight in the showers with the team-mates who weren't doing their job," he said. I looked at the manager to make sure it wasn't a joke and could see a glint in his eye. 'He's dropping me a hint here' I thought. "I don't think that's me," I said politely, informing Rafa that verbal rather than physical tormenting of underperforming colleagues was more my scene. But it was comforting to know he trusted me enough to give me his blessing to take a swing at some of the players he didn't like. Benitez's defensive wisdom impressed me most. It was a step up from what I'd enjoyed before. Houllier guided me towards becoming a top-class Premier League player, but Benitez has been the greatest overall influence on Jamie Carragher the defender. He's brought the best out of me, transformed me into a centre-half of European pedigree. I've played the finest football of my career under Rafa. Every training session has included advice on how I can improve my game. Despite his reputation for being cold towards his squad, I was also reading plenty of praise about my performances. It's never bothered me whether a manager publicly applauds me. A pat on the back is secondary to the name on the teamsheet. Unlike Houllier, Benitez quickly developed a reputation for rarely handing out congratulations in the Press. So when he did speak glowingly about you, it tended to mean more. I picked up the Echo one night and saw a headline in which Benitez compared me to Roberto Ayala, the great Argentine defender he'd managed at Valencia. I knew I wasn't in Ayala's class. More to the point, I knew Benitez didn't think I was as good as Ayala. But to know he'd said it certainly boosted my confidence. Benitez repeated the trick in a press conference before a league game with Chelsea, but this time there was a sting in the tail. "I've just told the media you're a better player than John Terry," Rafa told me. Then he started laughing as he madea tell-tale sign, putting his hand to his nose and pulling it out to imitate Pinocchio. Before our Champions League semi-final with Chelsea I got him back when I was handed the press conference duties. "What did they ask you?" Rafa quizzed me. "I told them you're a better manager than Mourinho," I said, and then repeated his Pinocchio mime. The question of rotation has been a recurring issue as Benitez would happily change five or six players from one game to the next. The question that will remain unanswered until we win the league is this - how much do the early-season changes impact on our chances of winning the title? What I will say is I've never liked it and I don't believe there's a footballer, English or foreign, who ever will. The key problem is it undermines the team ethic. Selfishness creeps into the ranks because you become aware of how vulnerable you are to being left out no matter how well you play. I can imagine there are players who come off after a defeat pleased with their own performance because it might be enough to keep them in. You don't get that with a steady line-up, where the result comes before any individual. You need a structure within the squad so the best 11 earn their places on merit and know they've got to keep their standards high. Such are the demands at a club like ours, where you can play over 50 games a season. I'd say you need a spine of at least eight players who start week-in week-out, with the rest fighting for a shirt. That's how Manchester United and Chelsea have operated. If anyone dips, they're out http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/200...15875-20723395/

Here's the latest bits............ Jamie Carragher's dad became Victoria Beckham's World Cup bodyguard By Jamie Carragher 3/09/2008 The WAGs at the World Cup were hilarious. Their unofficial queen, Posh Spice, adopted my dad as her bodyguard. What a pair they made. My dad first met Victoria Beckham in Portugal in 2004. He admitted being struck by a blind panic as she walked towards him in the hotel lobby. He was on his way to the hotel laundry room and got so flustered as Posh approached, he dropped his dirty washing. He found himself on all fours desperately trying to retrieve his smelly underpants as Posh strutted past in her designer outfit and high heels. By the time of the 2006 World Cup, Posh had enlisted his help to protect her from journalists. When she needed someone to give the paparazzi a threatening scowl, she'd find him in the bar. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/200...15875-20722243/

Both the Liverpool Daily Post & Oliver Kay in the Times this morning are reporting that Liverpool are likely to exercise their option of extending Jermaine Pennant's contract for an extra year to prevent him leaving on a free transfer at the end of the season as he has now entered the final year of his current deal. According to the Daily Post Rafa has "assured Pennant he won’t freeze him out" & "believes Pennant could still prove a useful squad member and has pencilled the 25-year-old in for an appearance in the Carling Cup clash against Crewe". http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverp...64375-21671031/ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle4670446.ece

The Times this morning says that "claims that City bid £50 million for Torres on Monday are inaccurate". http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle4670561.ece

The Times this morning says that "claims that City bid £50 million for Torres on Monday are inaccurate". http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle4670561.ece