[The Roll]

Saturday, May 16 2009


LIVERPOOL RETAIN FA CUP

Liverpool signed off Kenny Dalglish's second season in charge with a narrow one goal to nil win over Chelsea in the FA Cup Final at Wembley.

Ryan Babel scored the winner in extra time after nothing could separate Dalglish and Ancelotti's men in the normal ninety minutes.

Liverpool, who by winning today secure a domestic double after finally capturing the elusive Premier League title ten days ago in the back yard of rivals Arsenal, out-classed their West London opposition from beginning to end and were unlucky to not be able to put the game to bed earlier on; and with Franco di Santo coming off injured in extra time with no remaining substitutions available, it became only a matter of time for the Reds.

Dalglish after the game stated that he was proud of his young squad and next year he will take aim on the Champion's League, as well as attempted to complete Liverpool's first back-to-back title wins since the 1982/83-1983/84 seasons.

Teams
Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Ashley Cole, Terry ©, Carvalho (Alex 63); Moutinho (di Santo 68), Deco, Essien; Lampard (Ballack 68), Joe Cole, Drogba.
Unused Subs: Hilario, Kalou.

Liverpool: Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Agger; Gerrard ©, Downing (Hernanes 81), Alonso (Babel 61), Mascherano; Kuyt (Negredo 61), Torres.
Unused Subs: Enyeama, Huth.

Man of the Match: Liverpool's Pepe Reina
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Attendance: 89900

---

Quote

Been wanting to publish my Liverpool story for a while now, and now that my exams are over I can find the time. This is being played on FM08 as FM09 doesn't work on my computer; expect a summary of the game so far in an upcoming post. The game will start in summer 2009. Enjoy!

This post has been edited by The Roll: 31 July 2009 - 12:34 PM

[The Roll]

A Brief History

2007/08 said:

Following the furore over Rafa Benitez's departure from Anfield due to a fallout with owners George Gillet and Tom Hicks over transfer funds; the American owners moved quickly to appoint Kenny Dalglish as the new manager of Liverpool. Dalglish, who managed the Reds for six years nearly two decades ago as well as making over five-hundred appearances in the famous shirt, stated that he wanted to bring harmony and stability to the club. These sentiments were echoed in his pre-season transfer movement. He raided recently-relegated Middlesbrough for centre-half Robert Huth and left-winger Stewart Downing for a combined fee of over eleven-and-a-half million pounds, before adding young English centre-half Matthew Mills (courtesy of an undisclosed fee to Doncaster Rovers), although he spent the year out on loan at Aberdeen. Leaving the club was Nabil El Zhar (Aston Villa), Paul Anderson (Reading), Lucas (on a season-long loan to Portsmouth), and various youth players.

Liverpool made a storming start to the league, perhaps helps inadvertently by a five-goal thrashing from Man Utd in the Carling Cup Third Round. However, like so many times in recent years, Liverpool dropped many points over the winter due to giving away soft goals; and despite form picking up towards the end of the season, it was not quite enough to stop a relentless Arsenal side from winning the league. In the FA Cup, Dalglish tasted the first silverware in his current Liverpool stint with a 3-2 win over Chelsea at Wembley, a repeat of this years final just gone. They were less successful in Europe though - going out in the last sixteen with a five-three aggregate loss to Real Madrid.

In January; Dalglish showed that he was as shrewd as ever by signing Portsmouth and England right-back Glen Johnson for one-million pounds plus seldom-used Jermaine Pennant and Charles Itandje; whilst also suprisingly offloading Alvaro Arbeloa to Sevilla for a relative bargain five-million pounds. Fabio Aurelio also left for three-million pounds, joining Serie A side Napoli. In came the loan signings of forgotten-Madrid man Rafael van der Vaart, and more importantly, Obafemi Martins from Newcastle - who scored 6 vital goals which secured Liverpool the FA Cup and so very nearly the league championship.

Dalglish saw this campaign as a successful first year, and a rebuilding job was set to take place.

2008/09 said:

The summer season firstly bought the positive news that as the owners had sold various assets and restructured the clubs debts; the construction of the new Stanley Park Stadium could recommence; with the intention being that the club could start playing there for the start of the 2013/14 season. The American owners also pledged to back Kenny with a hefty budget; however most of the almost fifty-million he spent over the total season was recouped in sales:

Outs

Diego Cavalieri (£3,000,000 exchange deal to Newcastle)
Lucas (£10,000,000 to Tottenham)
Philipp Degen (undisclosed fee to Portsmouth)
Albert Riera (undisclosed fee to Portsmouth)
Jay Spearing (£800,000 to Preston)

Ins

Vincent Enyeama (undiclosed fee from Hapoel Tel-Aviv)
Kyle Naughton (part of the exchange deal with Newcastle)
Alvaro Negredo (£2,500,000 from Real Madrid)
Yoann Gourcuff (£9,000,000 from Bordeaux)
Hernanes (£7,500,000 from Sao Paulo)
Daniel Parejo (season-long loan from Real Madrid)
Edoardo Sorrentino (free transfer from Udinese)
Sam Vokes (undisclosed fee from Wolves)
Cristian Nazarith (£800,000 from CD America)
Clarence Seedorf (£8,000,000 from AC Milan

Liverpool made a blistering start to the season - in fact they did not leave top spot all season. Despite Torres taking half a dozen games to open his year's account, Negredo reached double figures extremely quickly and Steven Gerrard quickly adapted to his new role well, chipping in with a goal or two in most games. Liverpool sold heavily again in January, with only one major signing coming in:

Outs

Yossi Benayoun (£9,000,000 to Man Utd)
Sebastian Leto (£2,000,000 to Leeds)
Andrea Dossena (£3,300,000 to Aston Villa)
David N'Gog (£3,400,000 to Arsenal)

Ins

Dionatan Nascimento (undisclosed fee from Kosice)
Jacob Davey (free transfer from Galway Utd)
Antonio Valencia (£20,000,000 from Wigan)

Liverpool, of course, won the league by five points in the end but it really could and should have been more (click here for the final league table for the 2008/09 season). They also advanced well in Europe - eliminated at the semi-final stage of the Champion's League four-two on aggregate by Arsenal; and were unlucky not to get further in the Carling Cup, where they were eliminated at the quarter-final stage by West Ham on penalties.

09/10? said:

What will next season hold for Dalglish's men? Kyle Naughton has already decided to join Mark Hughes' Middle Eastlands Revolution for a thirteen-and-a-half million fee and Xabi Alonso is widely tipped to leave; however Liverpool, along with Chelsea, Man City, Real Madrid and Barcelona, remain heavily linked with Carlos Tevez, who has indeed decided to leave Man Utd at the end of his two-year loan deal. Will Dalglish bring a famous sixth European Cup to Merseyside? Or will anybody be able to stop an ever-improving Liverpool from securing their first consecutive titles in nearly twenty years? We'll have to wait and see...

[Euan]

Nice, nice, nice.

Great start man.

[The Roll]

Babel becomes a Black Cat
Sunday June 14th 2009

Ryan Babel will officially join Sunderland when the transfer window reopens in July from Liverpool, for a fee believed to be around eleven-and-a-half million pounds; which will see the Merseyside club recoup just under what they paid to sign him from Ajax in 2007.

One of Benitez's last signings before leaving Liverpool, Babel scored six times in thirty-four appearances for the Reds this season in all competitions; but with only seven of them being starts the move has hardly come as a suprise to many. Despite scoring a crucial brace in April against Wigan as well as scoring the FA Cup-winning goal in extra time against Chelsea at Wembley in May, Babel never really fulfilled the promise which saw such a substantial fee being paid for him. He signed from Ajax, where he made seventy-three appearences, on the tails of a highly impressive showing in the Dutch team during the 2007 UEFA Under-21 Championships. Although Dalglish was once quoted as saying that Babel "has the ability to terrorise defenders in the Premier League with his pace and trickery with the ball", he is now clearly no longer a piece of the Anfield puzzle.

Babel could not be reached for a comment; but his agent has said that Babel is 'very excited to be joining the project Mr. Short and Mr. Quinn are making possible', and wants to 'help Sunderland reach Europe'. Sunderland are searching for a new manager after Steve Bruce moved to Manchester United, replacing the retiring Sir Alex Ferguson.

In other Liverpool news; reserve team goalie David Martin has joined SPL side Motherwell on a free transfer to bolster their side for next year's Europa League campaign.

- - -

YOUR THOUGHTS?
e-mail us at sport@dailymail.co.uk to let your opinion be heard!

[Ana_Garcia]

Lol, more Liverpool stories!

Going to have try them one day

Good going though and good luck!

[The Roll]

20th June 2009


FIXTURES ANNOUNCED!
Season starts away to Alan Shearer's Newcastle

Here is our provisional fixture list for the 2009/10 Barclays Premier League campaign. Remember, this is very much a provisional fixture list and all fixtures are subject to change.

FIXTURES, 2009/10...Home fixtures in CAPITALS

Sunday 2nd August 2009 - FA Community Shield - vs. Chelsea (at Wembley)
Saturday 8th August - vs. Newcastle United
Saturday 15th August - vs. WIGAN ATHLETIC
Wednesday 19th August - vs. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Saturday 22nd August - vs. Fulham
Saturday 29th August - vs. MANCHESTER CITY

- - -

Saturday 12th September - vs. Aston Villa
Saturday 19th September - vs. Plymouth Argyle
Saturday 26th September - vs. WEST HAM

- - -

Saturday 3rd October - vs. MIDDLESBROUGH
Saturday 17th October - vs. Reading
Saturday 24th October - vs. ARSENAL
Saturday 31st October - vs. Everton

- - -

Saturday 7th November - vs. CHELSEA
Saturday 21st November - vs. Manchester United
Saturday 28th November - vs. WEST BROM

- - -

Saturday 5th December - vs. Blackburn
Saturday 12th December - vs. IPSWICH
Saturday 19th December - vs. PORTSMOUTH
Saturday 26th December - vs. Sunderland
Wednesday 30th December - vs. NEWCASTLE UNITED

- - -

Saturday 9th January 2010 - vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Saturday 16th January - vs. Wigan Athletic
Wednesday 27th January - vs. FULHAM
Saturday 30th January - vs. Manchester City

- - -

Saturday 6th February - vs. ASTON VILLA
Saturday 20th February - vs. Middlesbrough
Sunday 21st February - Carling Cup Final
Saturday 27th February - vs. PLYMOUTH ARGYLE

- - -

Saturday 6th March - vs. West Ham
Saturday 13th March - vs. READING
Saturday 20th March - vs. Arsenal
Saturday 27th March - vs. Chelsea

- - -

Saturday 3rd April - vs. MANCHESTER UNITED
Monday 5th April - vs. EVERTON
Saturday 10th April - vs. West Brom
Saturday 17th April - vs. BLACKBURN
Saturday 24th April - vs. Portsmouth

- - -

Saturday 1st May - vs. SUNDERLAND
Sunday 9th May - vs. Ipswich
Wednesday 12th May - Europa League Final
Saturday 15th May - FA Cup Final
Wednesday 19th May - Champion's League Final
- - -

Fixtures for the Carling Cup, FA Cup sponsored by E.ON, and the UEFA Champion's League will be announced when their draws have been made.

[Euan]

Fixtures look quite kind there. No top four games until the end of October. But yeah the March-April fixtures look hellish

Arsenal away, Chelsea away then United at home :ninja:

[The Roll]

June 25 - We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement for the transfer of Xabi Alonso from Liverpool

Personal terms have been agreed and a medical completed, we now await the Spanish international receiving international clearance before completing his registration.

The midfielder made 155 appearances (scoring fifteen times) for the Reds after joining in July, 2004. The 27-year-old had previously played for Spanish top-flight side Real Sociedad where he made 115 appearances, scoring 9 times.

And Xabi can't wait to get started.

Xabi Alonso: "I am delighted to join a club of the stature and history of Tottenham Hotspur. I had been at Liverpool for a number of years and felt that I had stagnated, and having admired Harry Redknapp for many years I was more than delighted to come here."

Alonso has signed a five-year deal for a fee of sixteen-and-a-half million pounds.

[The Roll]

TEVEZ IN SHOCK
ANFIELD MOVE

Carlos Tevez has SHOCKED the football world by signing a multi-year deal at Manchester United's arch-rivals LIVERPOOL.

Tevez, 25, was in favour of staying in the Premier League and was always set to snub Spanish interest; but was believed to be left deciding between Chelsea and Man City, as many assumed that the rapport Tevez had built with the Utd faithful would mean he could never move down the M62 to the other Reds' L4 home.

However, this was not the case, as the Liverpool website today declared their summer spending open with a bang by confirming Tevez's signing on a three-year deal.

More to follow.

[The Roll]

Thursday, 2nd July 2009

Tevez: Utd showed me no loyalty; so why should I?

Carlos Tevez sensationally blasted both Manchester United and ex-manager Sir Alex Ferguson at his Liverpool unveiling today.

Tevez, who has just signed for Liverpool after a two-year loan spell at the Red Devils, immediately set out to endear himself to his new fans by claiming Ferguson 'did not respect him' and that Man Utd are 'a poorly run football club who are a sinking ship'.

This comes on the heels of Tevez's shock signing at Liverpool, and Kenny Dalglish was delighted to secure his signature.

"Carlos is one of the top striker in the world and I do not believe that there is any side in the world who would not want him in their team. He adds something different to our strikeforce and with him, Fernando, Alvaro, and Dirk, we will truly be a potent force to be reckoned with next year"

Dalglish would also not be drawn on speculation that Porto left-back Aly Cissokho is on the verge of signing for the club.

"Cissokho is without a shadow of a doubt one of the top rising stars in world football today. Will he be in a Liverpool shirt next year? Lets wait and see what develops on that front."

Elsewhere, many youngsters have left Liverpool. Craig Lindfield, Aridane, and Ryan Crowther have joined Leicester, Scunthorpe, and Bury respectively after their contracts expired; whilst Sam Vokes, Godwin Antwi (both Southampton) and Cristian Nazarith (AA Gent) have left on season-long loan deals.

Cissokho: Anfield bound?

This post has been edited by The Roll: 25 June 2009 - 07:59 PM

[The Roll]

Feedback said:

Euan: Thanks for the compliments mate. That is a bugger of a run of fixtures, don't forget the Merseyside derby on the end of that!

AC/DC: Yes, another one... nevermind, hopefully I can keep my posts as fresh and unique to keep you reading!!

Thanks for the feedback all.

- - -

4th July 2009


CISSOKHO SIGNS!
Young Frenchman 'delighted' with move

The club are delighted to announce the French left-back Aly Cissokho has signed from Porto for a fee of seventeen million pounds; following the collapse of his transfer to AC Milan

Cissokho made his professional debut for French second division side FC Gueugnon, on the last match of the 2006/07, after which he signed a three-year contract extension with the side. On June 2nd, 2008, Cissokho signed for Vitória de Setúbal, joining the Portuguese first division outfit on a three-year deal. After some good performances for the league strugglers, Cissokho moved north, joining Portuguese giants Porto in January 2009. He was immediately cast into the starting XI of Jesualdo Ferreira's side, helping it conquer its fourth consecutive league title and reach a place in the Europa League Semi Final.

Aly: "I am absolutely thrilled to be at a club with a history and tradition like Liverpool's. When I heard that my move to Milan had collapsed I was devastated but when the opportunity then came round to come to Liverpool I jumped right at it".

Cissokho will wear the #3 jersey, previously worn by Kyle Naughton.

Nikolay Mihaylov has left the club, joining Leyton Orient on a free transfer. Michele Rossetti (Young Boys), Elemer Toth (Ferencvaros), Tom Banks (Leicester City), Marco Farina (Palermo), and Ben Keeling (Crewe) have joined the club and will be based in the club's academy.

[The Roll]

Friday, July 16 2009


INSUA OUT; GROSSO IN

Liverpool have swooped quickly to replace the outgoing Emiliano Insua with the capture of veteran Italian full-back Fabio Grosso from Lyon for £2million.

Grosso, capped twenty-five times for the Italian national side, has signed a one-year contract and is expected to provide cover for fellow full-backs Glen Johnson and Aly Cissokho, another new boy.

The signing of Grosso is seen to be a 'knee-jerk' reaction to the sale of young Argentine left-back Emiliano Insua to Newcastle - who signed a five-year deal at St. James' Park for a fee believed to start off at £7.5m

This post has been edited by The Roll: 31 July 2009 - 12:35 PM

[The Roll]

1st August 2009


SQUAD NUMBERS ANNOUNCED

On the eve of the Community Shield game against Chelsea at Wembley tomorrow afternoon, the club are pleased to release this years full first team squad list, as of today, Saturday August 1st.

Goalkeepers
#1 Vincent Enyeama
#13 Dave Grant
#25 Pepe Reina
#33 Dean Bouzanis

Defenders
#2 Stephen Darby
#3 Aly Cissokho
#4 Robert Huth
#5 Daniel Agger
#6 Glen Johnson
#12 Matthew Mills
#23 Jamie Carragher (vice-captain)
#24 Fabio Grosso
#37 Martin Škrtel

Midfielders
#7 Stewart Downing
#8 Steven Gerrard (captain)
#11 Yoann Gourcuff
#14 Adam Hammill
#15 Antonio Valencia
#16 Clarence Seedorf
#17 Hernanes
#20 Javier Mascherano
#30 Edoardo Sorrentino
#42 Gerardo Bruna
#43 Lauri Dalla Valle

Strikers
#9 Fernando Torres
#10 Álvaro Negredo
#18 Dirk Kuyt
#29 Krisztián Németh
#32 Carlos Tévez
#39 Nathan Eccleston

This list is obviously subject to change, depending on whether Kenny Dalglish brings in or allows any more players come in/out of the club.

[The Roll]

Sunday, August 2 2009


LIVERPOOL WIN COMMUNITY SHIELD CLASH

Liverpool fell behind twice before securing a snatch-and-grab victory in the last ten minutes at Wembley today. Fernando Torres equalised Ricardo Carvalho's headed goal before Frank Lampard gave Chelsea the lead just before half time. However in the last ten minutes both Torres and Dirk Kuyt broke Chelsea hearts.

Both managers blooded new signings to English football - Carlos Tevez started up front with Torres whilst Chelsea's Gokhan Inler, a £26.5 million signing from Atletico Madrid, came on as a late substitution for Didier Drogba. Liverpool's other new boys Fabio Grosso and Aly Cissokho did not feature at all.

Liverpool made a very positive start to the game, with Torres testing Petr Cech twice. However, Chelsea soon settled down and before long it was Ancelotti's men who were asking the questions - Pepe Reina twice saving from Joe Cole and Didier Drogba. One could not fault Reina for the opener as it was as route one as you get. Some poor Liverpool marking from a Deco free kick presented Carvalho with a simple task of heading into the net.

Fortunately for their fans and manager, the Reds reacted well and just ten minutes later the ever-reliable Torres equalised, scoring with a low yet powerful 20 yard drive past the flailing Cech's left hand. Both teams then seemed happy to play it out until half time until Liverpool's defence decided to go walkabouts; leading to Lampard's tame shot being deflected in off of the shin of Glen Johnson.

A frantic second half began with the first booking of the game; Gerrard the recipient after a nasty looking challenge on Joao Moutinho. Deco went close from the resulting free kick but Reina was equal to it. In a lovely flowing move, the ball swiftly found itself at the other end of the Wembley pitch where Tevez, on his debut, was unlucky not to have scored Liverpool's second equaliser and found have had Miguel not got across to clear his effort off the line.

For the next portion of the game there was not a lot of excitement. Dalglish decided to sacrifice the tiring Stewart Downing for Adam Hammill - the Liverpool youngster who showed much promise in his few appearances in the early part of last season before going on to excel in a loan spell at Sunderland. He set the game alight, with Tevez, Valencia, Agger, and himself all going close. The pressure soon became too much for the Blues. Terry was lucky to only get booked for his two-footed challenge on Torres - Gerrard found Hammill from the free kick and his sweet cross was met by the diving head of Liverpool's #9 who rippled the back of the net with an electric headed finish. Before long, late-substitute Kuyt, whom many have tipped to become a forgotten man for his club this year with Torres, Tevez, and Negredo (who didn't even play today) supposedly ahead of him in the pecking order, proved his worth to all with yet another vital goal he has for Liverpool, heading home Antonio Valencia's cross.

Despite Chelsea's late hustle and a flurry of substitutions, they simply ran out of time; as Martin Atkinson blew his whistle giving Liverpool their first Community Shield victory since 2006.

Liverpool showed today that it is not how much possesion you have but what you do with it that is important. Dalglish will be no doubt delighted to have won and will look to take this momentum into the season opener at Newcastle. Chelsea should not be too disheartened though as they looking impressive in spells today against a very good Liverpool side, and on this basis it should be a good season for Mr. Ancelotti's men.

Teams
Chelsea: Cech; Miguel, Ashley Cole, Terry ©, Carvalho; Moutinho (Kalou 81), Deco (Ballack 85), Essien; Joe Cole (Cork 90), Lampard (Anelka 81), Drogba (Inler 90).
Unused Subs: Taylor, Alex.

Liverpool: Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Agger; Valencia, Downing (Hammill 61), Gerrard ©, Mascherano; Torres, Tevez (Kuyt 74).
Unused Subs: Enyeama, Hernanes, Cissokho, Negredo, Huth.

Man of the Match: Liverpool's Fernando Torres
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Attendance: 82146

This post has been edited by The Roll: 31 July 2009 - 12:35 PM

[The Roll]

Saturday, August 8 2009


LIVERPOOL DOMINATE YET ONLY DRAW

Liverpool leave Tyneside today scratching their heads wondering how they did not secure all three points; as they absolutely thrashed Newcastle in all aspects and stats apart from 'goals scored'. In a game where Liverpool had eighteen shots, with nine finding the target; the record books will show how Alvaro Negredo scored late on to scrape Liverpool a point.

Both teams had no injury worries, with Carlos Tevez making his league debut for Liverpool and Emiliano Insua (against his old club), Thomas Vermaelen, and Cani making their Newcastle bows. Aly Cissokho, another new signing for Liverpool, started on the bench, with Jamie Carragher preferred.

The first real chance of the match fell to Torres, who went just over after a delightful through ball from Gerrard. Just a few minutes later, Martin Skrtel provoked a stunning double-save from ex-Red Diego Cavalieri from a Stewart Downing corner.

Newcastle had not even had a sniff of goal when they somehow took the lead. Joe Ledley and Danny Guthrie combined fantastically to put through Obafemi Martins; who two seasons ago impressed in a six month loan spell at Anfield, and he placed the ball firmly past Reina into the net. Gerrard almost pulled his team level instantaneously but another great save from Cavalieri ensured that Newcastle went into the break with the lead.

In the second half, Liverpool carried on as they finished the last: creating but not coverting chances. Javier Mascherano came close with a piledriver from thirty yards and Antonio Valencia's placed shot did manage to clip the post on its way out of play but in all honesty the match seemed to be caught in suspension - nothing was happening either way.

Following a head collision with Skrtel, the game's best player so far Obafemi Martins went off with what has now been confirmed as a broken orbital socket and is set to miss a months worth of action. Dalglish took this opportunity to reshuffle: Aly Cissokho came on to make his debut in a more attacking option to Jamie Carragher and Alvaro Negredo came on for a quiet Tevez. This turned out to be an profound move as Negredo worked into the holes of Newcastle's defence much more effectively than his predecessor did. It was he who latched onto Mascherano's chip over the Newcastle centre halves and slammed home an equaliser in the eighty-first minute. He then got a chance to double his and Liverpool's tally after being put through by Valencia but could not convert.

In the last proceedings of the match, Michael Owen, freshly resigned to the Toon for another three seasons at least and playing against the club where he first made his name, felt he deserved a penalty from Daniel Agger but Alan Wiley deemed him to have simulated his fall and booked him as a result.

Kenny Dalglish: "I'm honestly shocked we did not win today. I couldn't have asked for a much better performance but we just did not finish our chances. Hopefully we'll build on this for next weekend and win in front of our fans against Wigan."

Alan Shearer: "We were woeful today and if we are to build on last year's great performance back in the Premier League then we must improve in all areas.

Newcastle welcome Man City in their next game; while Liverpool play their first home game of the season against Wigan.

Teams
Newcastle: Cavalieri; Angulo, Insua (Belhadj 66), Brechet, Vermaelen; Cani (Battaglia 76), Ledley, Bullard, Guthrie; Owen ©, Martins (Smith 66).
Unused Subs: Harper, Coloccini, Bassong, Zuniga.

Liverpool: Reina; Johnson, Carragher (Cissokho 66), Skrtel, Agger; Valencia, Downing (Hammill 79), Mascherano, Gerrard ©; Torres, Tevez (Negredo 66).
Unused Subs: Enyeama, Huth, Hernanes, Kuyt.

Man of the Match: Newcastle's Obafemi Martins
Referee: Alan Wiley
Attendance: 52361

This post has been edited by The Roll: 31 July 2009 - 12:36 PM

[Ana_Garcia]

I hate when you play well and dont win! So frustrating!

Just a game to forget

[The Roll]

Saturday, August 15 2009


SKRTEL SCREAMER SECURES VICTORY

A Martin Skrtel curler from thirty yards secured the points for the home team at Anfield today in a good performance against a spirited Wigan side. Fernando Torres and Amr Zaki were the other goalscorers.

With both managers having fully fit squads available, Kenny Dalglish chose to give Aly Cissokho a first start for Liverpool in an otherwise unchanged line-up from the draw last week against Newcastle, meaning goalscorer Alvaro Negredo once again had to settle for a seat on the bench. Meanwhile, Roberto Martinez decided to play Maynor Figueroa, despite his midweek international action in the Honduras and playing Amr Zaki alone up front.

Within three minutes Liverpool had taken the lead. Torres got his head to a somewhat hopeful Steven Gerrard through ball and was lucky enough for that effort to bobble past Chris Kirkland in the Wigan goal. Torres then came extremely close once again just a few minutes later, but Kirkland produced a good save.

Forty minutes in and Javier Mascherano, the heart of Liverpool's engine room, went off following a crunching tackle from Wigan's Hugo Viana. Yoann Gourcuff replaced the Argentine, who will now miss his team's game on Wednesday.

In early doors during the second half Angel Di Maria forced Reina into an acrobatic save; and only two minutes later Wigan scored their equaliser. Stephane Sessegnon played in a lovely low ball from the deep right which Zaki pounced on - and much to the dismay of the Liverpool defenders the goal was not ruled offside - despite replays showing that the goal was valid.

Liverpool resumed with their bombarding pressure, with Gourcuff, Johnson, Negredo, Cissokho, and Tevez all going close. It eventually paid off. When Martin Skrtel, the ever-reliable Slovakian received the ball at his feet thirty yards from goal, the last thing anybody inside Anfield expected was for him to do exactly what he did - a sweet curler into the top corner. The Kop erupted, as Skrtel took in his deserved plaudits from the fans.

Wigan did try to get something out of the match and the introductions of Hugo Rodallega and Ben Watson did stem Liverpool's attacking flow but it was too little too late for the the Latics as Liverpool won their first game of the season at the second attempt.

Dalglish, post-match, said that it was now an irrelevance about whether the Wigan goal was legitimate or not: "I have not seen a replay but there is no point in arguing about it now, it has come and gone and the referee has made his mind up, we cannot change that. Luckily it is irrelevant because we won at the end of the day." Roberto Martinez praised the spirit of his side; but they remain bottom of the pile after two games.

Liverpool welcome Spurs on Wednesday; and Wigan are at home against Liverpool's local rivals Everton.

Teams
Liverpool: Reina; Johnson, Cissokho, Skrtel, Agger; Valencia (Hammill 86), Downing, Mascherano (Gourcuff 37), Gerrard ©; Tevez, Torres (Negredo 62).
Unused Subs: Enyeama, Carragher, Mills, Kuyt.

Wigan: Kirkland; Melchiot, Figueroa, Bramble ©, Vilchez; Sessegnon, Di Maria, Milijas, Scharner (Rodallega 73), Viana (Ben Watson 85); Zaki.
Unused Subs: Beale, Boyce, Cho, Keith Watson, Edman.

Man of the Match: Wigan's Amr Zaki
Referee: Howard Webb
Attendance: 45350

This post has been edited by The Roll: 31 July 2009 - 12:36 PM

[The Roll]

Wednesday, August 19 2009


CONSECUTIVE WINS FOR REDS

A Steven Gerrard thunderbolt and a Fernando Torres penalty took Liverpool to victory today against a poor Tottenham at Anfield.

Liverpool were missing the injured Javier Mascherano (concussion), whilst centre-backs Robert Huth and Daniel Agger were away on international duty with Germany playing Denmark. Yoann Gourcuff and Jamie Carragher came into the side as replacements. Harry Redknapp's Spurs meanwhile only had long-term absentee John Bostock unavailable. However, summer signing Xabi Alonso would be facing his old club, the one which originally bought him to England.

From the get-go, Liverpool made their intentions clear. Carlos Tevez - still goalless for since his summer move from Man Utd, went close with Heurelho Gomes tipping his effort wide. From Stewart Downing's resulting corner, Gerrard found himself with the ball in shooting distance and his piledriver couldn't have been stopped by a brick wall - finding the top corner despite a small deflection off of Ledley King.

It really should have been two just five minutes later; and would have been if Antonio Valencia had not scooped his effort over from seven yards.

As the half time whistle went, Spurs had still not penetrated Liverpool's backline. A tactical shuffle from Redknapp aided their cause somewhat but their attack force was just blunt today. Their fate was sealed when Vedran Corluka tripped Torres in the box and referee Clattenburg gave the penalty. Torres dusted himself off and doubled his side's lead. The remainder of the game was a dull affair with no real chances at either end.

Liverpool travel to Craven Cottage to face Roy Hodgson's Fulham on the weekend; and Spurs are away against Man City.

Teams
Liverpool: Reina; Johnson, Cissokho, Skrtel, Carragher; Valencia, Downing (Grosso 71), Gerrard ©, Gourcuff (Hernanes 71); Tevez (Kuyt 85), Torres.
Unused Subs: Enyeama, Mills, Hammill, Negredo.

Tottenham: Gomes; Corluka (Dawson 76), Bale, Woodgate (Zokora 66), King; Rafael da Silva, Modric, Mikel (Moses 76), Alonso, Defoe, Keane ©.
Unused Subs: Ranieri, Palacios, Ledesma, Taarabt.

Man of the Match: Liverpool's Fernando Torres
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
Attendance: 45324

This post has been edited by The Roll: 31 July 2009 - 12:37 PM

[The Roll]

Saturday, August 22 2009


LIVERPOOL SNEAK VICTORY

Liverpool snuck in a win over a resiliant Fulham team today at Craven Cottage. After falling behind, a Daniel Agger point-blank range toe-poke and a slick Fernando Torres finish ensured Liverpool face Manchester City next week as still unbeaten this season.

Liverpool were still missing Javier Mascherano but Roberth Huth and Daniel Agger were available again after mid-week international duty. Youngster Krisztian Nemeth made the first team squad for the first time, taking the place of Dirk Kuyt on the bench. The only absentees for Fulham were Paul Konchesky and Alexander Tettey.

Fulham took the lead in the seventh minute through Mexican international Johnny Magallon. Magallon, who is in his third season with the Cottagers, connected with Aaron Hunt's chipped through ball to leave Reina standing and Liverpool behind.

After this, Hodgson's men seemed contempt to sit back and let Liverpool play and hope to keep hold of their lead - leading to Gourcuff, Torres, and a worryingly still-goalless Tevez all testing captain Mark Schwarzer in the home team's goal.

It took the visitors thirty five minutes to equalise. Stewart Downing's corner led to a manic goal line scramble, which only ended when the linesman deemed the ball to have completely crossed the line. Daniel Agger was shown in the replays to have had the last touch and was credited with his first of the season.

A mere five minutes later, Tevez and Torres showed some great potential in their striking partnership when some beautiful one-two's presented Torres with an easy finish for his third of the season.

Downing could have put Liverpool out of sight with the last kick of the first half but unfortunately for him his free kick was wonderfully saved by the Australian Schwarzer.

The second half was a poor advert for the game in what became a truly dull affair. The only chance of the half came to Adam Hammill and all he could muster up was a tame effort into Schwarzer's arms.

Liverpool will be pleased to keep their momentum going ahead of next week's visit of Man City. Roy Hodgson, on the other hand, takes his side to a club not far from Liverpool - Crewe Alexandra - in the Second Round of the Carling Cup.

Teams
Fulham: Schwarzer ©; Volz, Stoor, Arzo, Magallon; Augusto Fernandez, Leonardo (Kamara 84), Brighi (Dempsey 69), O'Hara; Andrew Johnson (Zamora 78), Hunt.
Unused Subs: Murray, Baird, Hughes, Semioli.

Liverpool: Reina; Glen Johnson, Cissokho (Carragher 68), Skrtel, Agger; Valencia, Downing (Hammill 81), Gerrard ©, Gourcuff (Hernanes 68), Torres, Tevez.
Unused Subs: Enyeama, Huth, Negredo, Nemeth.

Man of the Match: Liverpool's Daniel Agger
Referee: Andre Marriner
Attendance: 27801

This post has been edited by The Roll: 31 July 2009 - 12:37 PM

[The Roll]

The draw for this year's UEFA Champion's League Group Stage was made today. Here is a recap of the draw as well as a list of the match dates.

GROUP A



Real Madrid C.F. (ESP) - PSV Eindhoven (NED) - F.C. Spartak Moskva (RUS) - CFR Cluj (ROM)

GROUP B



Liverpool F.C. (ENG) - Atlético Madrid S.A.D (ESP) - F.C. Schalke 04 (GER) - S.C. Braga S.A.D (POR)

GROUP C



F.C. Internazionale (ITA) - AZ Alkmaar (NED) - A.J. Auxerre (FRA) - Kayserispor (TUR)

GROUP D



Chelsea F.C. (ENG) - S.S. Lazio (ITA) - F.C. Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) - S.K. Slavia Praha (CZE)

GROUP E



F.C. Bayern München (GER) - F.C. Porto (POR) - Celtic F.C. (SCO) - Atalanta B.C. (ITA)

GROUP F



A.C. Milan (ITA) - Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) - F.C. Dinamo Bucureşti (ROM) - Shamrock Rovers F.C. (IRE)

GROUP G



F.C. Barcelona (ESP) - CSKA Moskva (RUS) - Aston Villa F.C. (ENG) - Beşiktaş J.K. (TUR)

GROUP H



Arsenal F.C. (ENG) - A.F.C. Ajax (NED) - Olympiacos F.C. (GRE) - F.C. København (DEN)

Matchday One - September 15/16
Matchday Two - September 29/30
Matchday Three - October 20/21
Matchday Four - November 3/4
Matchday Five - November 24/25
Matchday Six - December 8/9