Current squad and managers of LiverpoolFC

liverpoolfcfans — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:08:39 +0000

First team players
No. Position Player
1 Flag of Brazil GK Diego Cavalieri
2 Flag of Italy DF Andrea Dossena
4 Flag of Finland DF Sami Hyypiä
5 Flag of Denmark DF Daniel Agger
7 Flag of Ireland FW Robbie Keane
8 Flag of England MF Steven Gerrard (captain)
9 Flag of Spain FW Fernando Torres
11 Flag of Spain MF Albert Riera
12 Flag of Brazil DF Fábio Aurélio
14 Flag of Spain MF Xabi Alonso
15 Flag of Israel MF Yossi Benayoun
16 Flag of England MF Jermaine Pennant
17 Flag of Spain DF Álvaro Arbeloa
18 Flag of the Netherlands MF Dirk Kuyt
19 Flag of the Netherlands FW Ryan Babel
20 Flag of Argentina MF Javier Mascherano
21 Flag of Brazil MF Lucas
22 Flag of Argentina DF Emiliano Insúa
23 Flag of England DF Jamie Carragher (vice-captain)
24 Flag of France FW David N’Gog
25 Flag of Spain GK Pepe Reina
26 Flag of England MF Jay Spearing
27 Flag of Switz DF Philipp Degen
28 Flag of France MF Damien Plessis
29 Flag of Hungary FW Krisztián Németh
30 Flag of France GK Charles Itandje
31 Flag of Morocco MF Nabil El Zhar
32 Flag of England DF Stephen Darby
34 Flag of England DF Martin Kelly
36 Flag of England MF Steve Irwin
37 Flag of Slovakia DF Martin Škrtel
39 Flag of England FW Nathan Eccleston
41 Flag of Denmark GK Martin Hansen
42 Flag of Hungary GK Péter Gulácsi

Players out on loan
No. Position Player
38 Flag of England FW Craig Lindfield (at Bournemouth until the end of December 2008)
–– Flag of England MF Adam Hammill (at Blackpool until the end of December 2008)
40 Flag of England GK David Martin (at Leicester City until the end of December 2008)
–– Flag of Ghana DF Godwin Antwi (at Tranmere Rovers until the end of December 2008)
35 Flag of Scotland MF Ryan Flynn (at Wrexham until 3 January 2009)
33 Flag of Argentina MF Sebastián Leto (at Olympiacos until the end of 2008–09 season)
–– Flag of England MF Paul Anderson (at Nottingham Forest until the end of 2008–09 season)
–– Flag of England DF Jack Hobbs (at Leicester City until the end of 2008–09 season)
–– Flag of England DF Robbie Threlfall (at Hereford United until the end of 2008–09 season)
–– Flag of Spain DF Miki Roque (at FC Cartagena until the end of 2008–09 season)
10 Flag of Ukraine FW Andriy Voronin (at Hertha Berlin until the end of 2008–09 season)
–– Flag of Bulgaria GK Nikolay Mihaylov (at FC Twente until the end of 2009–10 season)

Managers

For more details on this topic, see List of Liverpool F.C. managers.

Rafael Benítez, manager of Liverpool since 2004

There have been 17 permanent and one caretaker managers of Liverpool since the appointment of the club’s first professional manager’s, W.E. Barclay and John McKenna in 1892. The longest-running manager in terms of time was Tom Watson, he managed Liverpool from 1896 to 1915, totalling 19 years. The longest-running in terms of games was Bill Shankly, who managed the club in 783 games during his tenure. Kenny Dalglish was the first player-manager in English football, when he was appointed as manager in 1985. Bob Paisley is Liverpool’s most successful, winning a total of 19 trophies during his tenure as manager.[74]

Current coaching staff

Position Name Nationality
Manager Rafael Benítez Spanish
Assistant manager Sammy Lee English
First team coach Mauricio Pellegrino Argentinean
Reserve team coach Gary Ablett English
Goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero Spanish
Fitness Coach Paco de Miguel Spanish
Physiotherapist Rob Price English
Chief Scout Eduardo Macia Spanish

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_fc

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp may target Liverpool FC’s Robbie Keane

liverpoolfcfans — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:01:05 +0000

TOTTENHAM boss Harry Redknapp will target a striker next month – and has not ruled out Liverpool’s Robbie Keane – after illness to Darren Bent exposed a lack of attacking options ahead of the Uefa Cup clash against Spartak Moscow.

Redknapp has Fraizer Campbell as his only fit frontman to face the Russian outfit, with Roman Pavlyuchenko cup-tied and Bent in bed with tonsillitis for a match Spurs could lose and still advance to the knockout phase if other results go their way.

Redknapp is likely to search for loans and bargains when the transfer window opens in a fortnight, although he is unsure whether Keane would be available on a cut-price deal.

After leaving White Hart Lane in the summer, Keane has struggled at Liverpool.

“I like Robbie Keane. He’s a fantastic footballer,” Redknapp said. “There’s no doubt about that. Everyone’s got a value and, at £20m, it was a lot of money.

“I thought it was good business. The chairman did good business getting that type of money for him. But, if they don’t want to sell him, that’s their business.

“He’s a Liverpool player. Until the day when they say he’s for sale, he’s part of their club.”

Our Correspondent, Daily Post
http://www.dailypost.co.uk

Keane: We have no one to fear

liverpoolfcfans — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:39:43 +0000

Only Villarreal are not national champions but Keane is adamant Liverpool will be confident – especially with the second leg being at Anfield.

“There’s certainly no fear as far as we are concerned,” said the 28-year-old.

“You know when you get to the knockout stages of a competition like the Champions League you are going to come up against a quality side. That’s just the way it is.

“But we won’t be worrying about who we get. We have come through as group winners so maybe that means the other teams in the draw would prefer to avoid us.

“The record of this club in this competition is fantastic, so hopefully other teams will be looking at us and thinking they’d rather be drawn against another team, especially with the second leg being at Anfield.

“We’ll just see who we get and move on from there, but we don’t fear anyone.”

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv

Jimmy Rice

Anfield Stadium and The Kop

liverpoolfcfans — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:34:15 +0000

Liverpool have played at their current ground, Anfield, since they were founded in 1892. Anfield was built in 1884 on land adjacent to Stanley Park, and was originally inhabited by Everton. They left the ground in 1892 over a dispute about rent with the owner of Anfield, John Houlding, who decided to form a new club to play at the ground. The capacity of the stadium was 20,000, however only 100 spectators attended Liverpool’s first match at Anfield.

In 1906, the banked stand at one end of the ground was formally renamed the Spion Kop, after a hill in Natal. The hill was the site of the Battle of Spion Kop in the Second Boer War, where over 300 men of the Lancashire Regiment died, many of whom were from Liverpool.At its largest, the stand could hold 28,000 spectators, and was one of the largest single tier stands in the world. The stand was considerably reduced in capacity due to safety measures brought in following the Hillsborough Disaster. It was completely rebuilt as an all seater stand in 1994, with reduced a capacity of 12,390, and remaining a single tier stand.
The Kop, as it stands after redevelopment in 1994.

The Anfield Road stand is positioned at the opposite end to the Kop, and houses the away fans. It is the newest stand at Anfield having been rebuilt in 1998 with a capacity of 9,074. The two stands adjacent to these are the Main Stand, with a capacity of 12,227; and the Centenary Stand, which has a capacity of 11,762. The Main Stand is the oldest part of Anfield, having remained largely untouched since its redevelopment in 1973. It houses the players’ changing rooms and the director’s box, with the dug-outs in front of the stand. The Centenary Stand was previously known as the Kemlyn Road Stand until it was rebuilt for the club’s centenary in 1992. The redevelopment saw the houses in Kemlyn Road demolished and the address become non-existent. The current overall capacity of the stadium is 45,362 and it is rated as a four Star Stadium in the UEFA Stadia List.

On 30 July 2004, Liverpool City Council granted the club planning permission to build a new 60,000 seat stadium just 300 yards (270 m) away from Anfield at Stanley Park,and on 8 September 2006 Liverpool City Council agreed to grant Liverpool F.C. a 999-year lease of land on the proposed site. Following the takeover of the club in February 2007 by George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks there was a re-design of the proposed stadium. In November 2007, the new design was approved by the council with construction due to start in spring 2008.[38] The new stadium is being built by HKS, Inc. and is expected to be completed in 2011. Melwood, in West Derby, Liverpool, is home to Liverpool’s training ground, it is not attached to The Academy, which is in Kirkby. Melwood is based in the West Derby area of Liverpool and has been their home since the 1950s. The ground previously belonged to St Francis Xavier, a local school.

Liverpool have a large and generally loyal fanbase, with virtually all home matches selling out; in 2006–07 Liverpool had the fourth-highest average League attendance for an English club; 43,561, which was 99.7% of available capacity, and the second-highest all-time average attendance. Liverpool fans often refer to themselves as “Kopites”, which is a reference to the fans who once stood, and now sit, on the Kop at Anfield.

The song “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, originally from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel and famously recorded by Liverpool musicians Gerry & The Pacemakers, is the anthem of the club, and has been sung by the Anfield crowd since the early-1960s. The song has since gained popularity among fans of other clubs around the world. Claims that “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was first sung by fans at other clubs have been dismissed as very unlikely.The song’s title adorns the top of the Shankly Gates, which were unveiled on 2 August 1982 in memory of former manager, Bill Shankly. The “You’ll Never Walk Alone” portion of the Shankly Gates is also reproduced in the the club’s crest.

Liverpool’s longest standing rivalry is with fellow Merseyside team Everton, against whom they contest the Merseyside derby. This stems from Liverpool’s formation after a dispute with Everton officials and the owners of Anfield, which was the ground Everton were using at the time. Religious differences have been cited as a division, though both teams stem from a Methodist origin, undermining the notion of a Catholic–Protestant split. The Merseyside derby is usually a sell out fixture and tends to be a scrappy affair; it has had more red cards than any other fixture in Premier League history.[46] Liverpool also have a significant rivalry with north-west neighbours Manchester United. This is mostly due to the success enjoyed by the two clubs and the geographical proximity of the two cities. The rivalry is so intense that the last player to be transferred between the two clubs was Phil Chisnall in 1964, when he moved to Liverpool from United.

Liverpool’s fans are associated with hooliganism, stemming from the Heysel stadium disaster, in which 39 Juventus fans were killed by a wall collapsing. The fans were penned into a corner by Liverpool fans charging in their direction, the sheer numbers of fans cornered caused the wall to collapse. After the final UEFA laid the blame for the incident solely on the fans of Liverpool. English clubs were banned from European competition for five years, with Liverpool serving an extra five years. Liverpool fans have been involved in a human tragedy, during an FA Cup semi-final in 1989 between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. 96 Liverpool fans died due to overcrowding in what became known as the Hillsborough Disaster. The Sun newspaper decided to publish an article entitled “The Truth”, in which it claimed that Liverpool fans had robbed and urinated on the dead and had attacked the police. Subsequent investigations and evidence were to prove these allegations to be false. Many organisations were set up as a result of the disaster, such as the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, which represents bereaved families, survivors and supporters campaigning for justice for the 96 people who died in Sheffield on 15 April 1989.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_fc

Xabi Wants Real Challenge

liverpoolfcfans — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:22:59 +0000

Real are the current Spanish champions but finished second in Group H behind Juventus – and are thus one of five teams Liverpool could be paired with in Friday’s draw.

Ties against Villarreal, Lyon, Inter Milan and Sporting Lisbon are also possibilities – but Alonso is quietly hoping for a trip to the Bernabeu.

The 27-year-old told Liverpoolfc.tv: “Of course, we always want to go to new stadiums. For example, we haven’t played at the Bernabeu with Liverpool and it would be a good venue to play at.

“We have been back to Spain four times since I have been here. We won at Deportivo La Coruna and Real Betis, as well as Barcelona, and drew with Atletico.

“Hopefully if we go to Spain we can do the same again.

“Whoever we get it will be welcome, but if we get Real it will probably be more welcome.”

Liverpool’s training schedule ahead of Sunday’s game against Arsenal means Alonso won’t watch the draw live.

He added: “We will be training at Melwood – someone from the staff will come out and tell us the news when the draw has been made.

“The ones we could face are all good teams.”

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv

Jimmy Rice

Lennon To Liverpool, Pennant To Tottenham

liverpoolfcfans — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:11:57 +0000

According to a report in the British tabloid the Daily Mirror, Liverpool and Tottenham could be set for an exchange of right-sided wingers in the January transfer window.

It is thought that Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is keen to add Jermaine Pennant to his squad and upon making an enquiry as to his availability, was told he can have him in exchange for Aaron Lennon.

Redknapp tried to sign Pennant while manager of Portsmouth during the transfer window over the summer.

The 25-year-old’s contract is set to expire next summer and Liverpool have, as yet, made no effort to extend it.

Furthermore, the former Arsenal midfielder is thought to be after a return to London and, having rejected the chance to join Stoke City or Blackburn Rovers, could be ready for a move to White Hart Lane.

While it is claimed that Redknapp is willing to offer £3 million for the former England under-21 international, Reds’ boss Rafa Benitez has other ideas.

He is believed to be interested in Lennon following his impressive form recently, and could be prepared to offer Pennant plus cash to land the 21-year-old.

http://www.goal.com/en/

Ricky Brooks

A Vintage Year For Martin Skrltel

liverpoolfcfans — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:08:04 +0000

The Slovakia international enjoyed a promising start to life at Anfield following his move from Zenit St Petersburg in January, and although injury has sidelined him in the latter part of the year, he admits he has been more than pleased with his Anfield adventure so far.

The Slovakia international enjoyed a promising start to life at Anfield following his move from Zenit St Petersburg in January, and although injury has sidelined him in the latter part of the year, he admits he has been more than pleased with his Anfield adventure so far.

“This year has been definitely the most successful one in my career,” he said.

“At the end of the previous year we won the league with Zenit (St Petersburg) and a month later I moved to Liverpool, where I have been playing regularly and people have been satisfied with my performances.

“I think that I made the right decision to go to Liverpool.”

The 24-year-old has been making steady progress in his recovery since damaging his right posterior cruciate ligament in the Reds’ 3-2 win over Manchester City.

He admits he has endured a frustrating period in the treatment room but feels he is now closing in on a return to full fitness.

“The knee is alright but I don’t have the fitness I had before I got injured,” said Skrtel.

“My strength has been good but speed and acceleration has been worse after almost three months of rehabilitation. That will return with time.

“So far I have been through only two training sessions. We will see how I am doing after one or two weeks of training, then we can speak about my return.

“There is no date set for my comeback. I would be very glad to make it in this year.

“A three-month break is rather long and I must try hard now to get back to action as soon as possible.”

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv

Paul Hassall 18 December 2008

LiverpoolFC History

liverpoolfcfans — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:02:49 +0000

Liverpool were founded out of a dispute between Everton and John Houlding the leaseholder of Anfield, over rent. Houlding purchased Anfield outright in 1891, proposing an increase in the rent from £100 to £250 per year. Everton who had been playing at Anfield for seven years refused to meet his demands and moved to a new stadium in Goodison Park. Liverpool F.C. were founded by Houlding on 15 March 1892 to play at the vacated Anfield. The original name was to be Everton F.C. and Athletic Grounds, Ltd., or Everton Athletic for short, but it was changed to Liverpool F.C. when The Football Association refused to recognise the team as Everton.

The club won the Lancashire League in their first season, and successfully applied to join the Second Division for the following season. They subsequently won the league to move into the First Division. They won their first title in 1900–01, and were champions again in 1905–06. They reached their first FA Cup final in 1914, losing 1–0 to Burnley. The club won back-to-back championships in 1921–22 and 1922–23, following this the club did not win another trophy until 1946–47 when they won the League for a fifth time. Liverpool struggled following this success, suffering relegation to the Second Division in the 1953–54 season.

Liverpool floundered until the appointment of Bill Shankly as manager in 1959. Upon his appointment he released 24 players and began to reshape the squad. Promotion to the First Division was achieved in 1961–62, winning the title for the first time in 17 years in 1963–64. Another League title followed in 1965–66, after the club had won their first FA Cup the previous season. The League and UEFA Cup were won in 1972–73, and a year later after winning the FA Cup again, Shankly retired to be replaced by his assistant Bob Paisley. Paisley was even more successful than Shankly winning the League and UEFA Cup in 1975–76 his second season in charge. The following season they retained their League title, won the European Cup for the first time, and lost in the FA Cup final narrowly missing out on a “Treble”. Liverpool retained the European Cup the next season, and the season after won the League again setting a domestic record of 68 points, conceding only 16 goals in 42 matches. During the nine seasons Paisley managed the club, Liverpool won a total of 21 trophies, including three European Cups, a UEFA Cup, six league titles and three consecutive League Cups. The only domestic trophy to elude him was the FA Cup.

Paisley retired in 1983 and like Shankly before him, Paisley handed the reins to his assistant, veteran coach Joe Fagan. The succession of coaches came from the Anfield Boot Room where the Liverpool staff discussed strategy and allegedly stored gin. Liverpool won three trophies in Fagan’s first season in charge: the League, League Cup and European Cup, becoming the first English side to win three trophies in a season. Liverpool reached the European Cup final again in 1985. The match was against Juvenus at the Heysel Stadium before kick-off, disaster struck. Liverpool fans breached a fence separating the two groups of supporters and charged the Juventus fans. The resulting weight of people caused a retaining wall to collapse, killing 39 fans, mostly Italians. The match was played regardless and Liverpool lost 1–0 to Juventus. English clubs were consequently banned from participating in European competition for five years, with Liverpool receiving a ban for ten years, which was later reduced to six. Fourteen of their fans received convictions for involuntary manslaughter.

The statue of former manager Bill Shankly, outside Anfield

Fagan resigned following the disaster and Kenny Dalglish was appointed as player-manager. His reign saw the club win another three League Championships and two FA Cups including a League and Cup “Double” in 1985–86. However, Liverpool’s successes were overshadowed by the Hillsborough Disaster. On 15 April 1989, when Liverpool were playing Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final, hundreds of Liverpool fans were crushed against perimeter fencing. 94 fans died that day; the 95th victim died in hospital from his injuries four days later and the 96th nearly four years later having never regained consciousness. After the Hillsborough tragedy there was a governmental review of stadium safety. Known as the Taylor Report, it paved the way for legislation requiring all-seater stadiums in the top-flight. The report ruled that the main reasons for the disaster were overcrowding due to a failure of police control. Dalglish resigned in 1991 citing the fallout from Hillsbrough as the reason, he was replaced by former player Graeme Souness. Apart from winning the FA Cup in 1992, Souness achieved little success and was replaced by a former member of the “Boot Room” Roy Evans. Evans fared little better, a League Cup victory in 1995 was his only trophy. Gérard Houllier was appointed as co-manager in 1998–99, however Evans resigned in November 1998 leaving Houllier in sole charge.

In his second season in charge Houllier won a unique “Treble” of FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup. The following season Liverpool finished second behind Arsenal, with Houllier undergoing major heart surgery part way through. The following season failed to live up to expectations and Houllier was replaced by Rafael Benítez. The club finished fifth in his first season in charge but won the UEFA Champions League beating Milan 3–2 in a penalty shootout after the match finished 3–3.[19] The following season Liverpool finished third with 82 points their highest points total since 1988, they won the FA Cup in similar circumstances to their Champions League victory the previous season, beating West Ham United in another penalty shootout after the match finished at 3–3. In 2006–07, the club’s search for investment came to an end when American businessmen George Gillett and Tom Hicks became the owners of Liverpool in a deal valuing the club and its outstanding debts at £218.9 million. That season, the club reached another Champions League final, but this time lost 2–1 to Milan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_fc

Masch Confident Ahead of Gunners Test

liverpoolfcfans — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:56:21 +0000

Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano is full of confidence ahead of this Sunday’s Premier League clash against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Should the Reds beat Arsene Wenger’s men, they would have completed three victories over the other top four clubs this season.

And with both sides in shaky form at the moment, but Liverpool sitting top of the league table, Argentine international Mascherano says the team will take confidence from the victories over Manchester United and Chelsea going into this game.

He says, “We know it is going to be a very difficult game, but we are going there confident we can show our quality and win.

“We have beaten Chelsea and Manchester United this season, but we have to remember Arsenal have done the same. I think they play much better against the top teams and so we know it will be a hard match. But if we play our football and use our heads then we can win the game.

“Arsenal have some great players and a great squad so if they have injuries then other players can come in and do the job. I think Cesc Fabregas is one of the best in his position in the game and we are going to have to take care with him.

“If we want to beat them then we will need to be 100% concentrated all the way through.”

http://www.thisisanfield.com

Written by Max Munton on December 18th, 2008

LiverpoolFC Background

liverpoolfcfans — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:28:55 +0000

Liverpool Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Liverpool, England. Liverpool play in the Premier League, and are the most successful club in the history of English football, having won more trophies than any other English club. They have won a record 18 First Division titles, and seven League Cups. Liverpool have won five European Cups, which is an English record. They have also won the FA Cup seven times.

The club were founded in 1892, though they had limited success until the appointment of Bill Shankly as manager. Under Shankly, Liverpool won three League Championship titles, two FA Cups and the club’s first European trophy the UEFA Cup. During the past 30 years they have been one of the most successful clubs in English and European football, winning four European Cups from between 1977 and 1984. The club experienced a lean period during the 1990s, but enjoyed a revival following the advent of the millennium winning a cup treble in 2001, and the club’s fifth European Cup in 2005.

The club’s traditional colours were red and white, however this was changed to all red in the 1960s. Likewise the club’s crest has evolved throughout their history, with flames being added to the crest following the Hillsborough Disaster to honour the 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives in the disaster. At the Heysel Stadium Disaster, 39 Juventus fans died when a wall collapsed after crowd trouble in the 1985 European Cup Final.

Liverpool have played at Anfield since their formation, although there are plans to move to a new stadium in Stanley Park, which is due to be completed by 2011. Liverpool have a large and diverse fan base, who hold a string of long-standing rivalries with several other clubs; the most notable of these is their rivalry with Manchester United, due to the success of both clubs, as well as their proximity to each other. They also have a rivalry with city neighbours Everton, with whom they regularly contest the Merseyside derby.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_fc