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Reds' boss Brendan Rodgers has again spoken of the incredible appetite for football of star striker Luis Suarez. The country's leading goalscorer returned from playing a double header with Uruguay, and immediately got back onto the training field at Melwood ahead of the game with Aston Villa this Sunday, leaving his manager to purr about the enthusiasm of his star man. “This is a boy who must clock up incredible air miles. As soon as he arrived in Manchester [on Thursday] we get all the players to report back so we can give them a quick medical MOT to check if they are right – he comes back in and he is back out on the training pitch again." “Of course he looks a little bit tired after all that flying but that doesn't stop him. He was out there working, running and chasing. He's an amazing character. He doesn't get enough credit for that.”

Brendan Rodgers is ready to do battle with Alex Ferguson to secure the services of talented England u17 striker Patrick Roberts according to the Daily Express. The Fulham youngster has yet to sign a professional contract and has attracted the attention of several big clubs with his displays in the Fulham u18 side as well as for England u17s. Fulham boss Martin Jol is reportedly looking to introduce the talented forward into his first team set up next season, but Rodgers can point to the examples of Raheem Sterling, Andre Wisdom and Suso to convince potential new recruits that first team opportunities are there for young players providing they show they are good enough. The Reds have been recruiting young players from all over the country in recent years, the likes of Sterling, Wisdom, Jordan Ibe and Seyi Ojo amongst others have all been snapped up from other English clubs at a very young age. It remains to be seen if Roberts is the next one.

Ajax Sporting Director Marc Overmars has revealed that Liverpool's scouts have been regular visitors to their games as Brendan Rodgers prepares to step up his interest in highly rated Dane Christian Eriksen. "We have the list of the scouts of foreign clubs who have been here recently and Liverpool has been a regular visitor," Overmars told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. The Reds also reportedly watched the 21 year old attacker represent his country this week against the Czech Republic, and with the youngster stalling on a new deal Liverpool are one of a number of clubs looking to pounce this summer.

Various reports today suggest that Shakhtar Donetsk forward Henrikh Mkhitaryan is on Brendan Rodgers' summer shopping list. The 24 year old Armenian has been with Shakhtar since 2010 but is looking for a new challenge in one of Europe's major leagues. Mkhitaryan was voted Armenian Footballer of the Year in 2009, 2011 & 2012 and was last year names Shakhtar's Player of the Season. He plays as an attacking midfielder but can also play centre forward and he would cost a reported £12m.

Reported summer transfer target Dede has been given the green light to leave Vasco Da Gama according to the player's agent. The Brazil international centre back is a wanted man, with Liverpool and Manchester United amongst the many clubs reportedly interested in signing him this summer, and his agent Paolo Autouri has confirmed that Vaso are resigned to losing him: "I know Dede is leaving" he said."We talked about this since when I was negotiating with the club, I won't make up stories as that only complicates things". Vasco director Cristiano Koehler has also said that Dede will be sold, but the Reds will face stiff competition for one of the most highly rated players in Brazil.

Daniel Trickett-Smith scored twice including a last gasp equaliser to earn Liverpool u18s a draw with highly rated Tottenham Hotspur at the Academy yesterday. The former Crewe youngster, normally a midfielder, was once again playing in a 'false nine' role and he put the young Reds in front after just 40 seconds, rifling in a low shot with the outside of his foot following an Alex O'Hanlon pass. Spurs hit back with goals either side of the break to lead until the third minute of stoppage time when Trickett-Smith chested the ball down and drilled a shot past the keeper to make it 2-2. Team (433): Fulton; Baio, Jones, Heaton, Maguire; Brannagan, Rossiter, O'Hanlon; Peterson, Trickett-Smith, Wilson (Kent):

There’s an ongoing problem with us at the back at the moment and it’s only going to get worse when Carra takes his early (I’m calling it early, he could still play dammit!) retirement in the summer. Sktrel almost certainly seems to be out of here after his weak displays against anyone with an ounce of strength so we’re almost certainly looking at two new centre backs. Factor in uncertainty about whether Coates is the long term solution and it’s really becoming the number one issue for us as a team. It’s not as if we’ve been solid defensively this season. Even when we’ve kept clean sheets in games it seems the opposition always miss a couple of gilt-edged chances. When we’ve lost it’s often been through our own stupidity more than the other team’s attacking nous. Carra is a leader, an organiser; he sorts out our back line better than anyone else at the club. At this point I would say that you can always hear him yelling at Anfield, even when the crowd is loud but Carra’s so loud that sometimes the TV microphones pick him up as well. So we’re looking for someone who’s not going to get bullied, is a leader, a good organiser and can slot straight in. Rodgers thinks he has that man, or at least had him when he was Swansea manager. I’ve seen Ashley Williams play numerous times for club and country and I think he’s a fine player. It’s something to be admired that he’s made his way to the Premier League the long way round and years of playing lower league football tends to keep a player grounded in the way that some of younger players could benefit from. I assume that’s what Rodgers was alluding to when we were handed our arses by Oldham and Dr. Who. Williams certainly has the grounding, he’s captain for club and country so you could say he’s the leader at the back we’re looking for. He’s also not a player willing to get bullied easily. He sounds like he’s a good fit so why am I saying no? There are couple of reasons behind this. The first is I think his age versus his price means that we won’t get decent value for him. I would imagine that, if he wanted to leave Swansea, they wouldn’t exactly sell cheaply. Secondly whilst I think Williams is a good player, I’ve seem him make a few gaffes for Swansea and Wales. He’s not what I would define as an error-prone player but he does have mistakes in his locker. That leads me to my third point, Rodgers just can’t sign anymore Swansea players unless they’re called Michu; he just can’t. I don’t advocate signing (or not signing) players on what some sections of our increasingly reactionary fan base think but unless Williams came in and hit the ground running, there’d be a section of the support frothing at the mouth. Hell, Joe Allen came in and played great for the first couple of months of his career here but he’ll never escape being known as teacher’s pet by the fans that aren’t sure about Rodgers. I’ve seen enough of Williams to know he will make errors and if that happens then he’ll be given a tough time by some people, and that will trickle down to Rodgers. It’s a problem he doesn’t need to create. If Brendan wants to sign a centre back then I would recommend he uses the scouting system we’ve got. Even if Williams isn’t brought as Carra’s direct replacement that’s how he’ll be compared, add that to him being a former Swansea player and I just think it’s too volatile a mix to sanction a deal. If Williams isn’t Carra’s direct replacement then I don’t see him wanting to come here to be on our bench and nor should he accept that. There’s too many marks in the minus column for me and not all of them are football related but you have to consider the big picture sometimes, and I think buying Williams would be a decision Rodgers doesn’t have to make. Look elsewhere, Brendan. Julian Richards I've got to be honest, Ashley Williams isn't someone who has been on my radar for any kind of reasons. Apart from the moronic comments about Suarez, which let's face it were just made in order to publicise his autobiography, the Welshman has attracted no sustained interest either way from me. He has though attracted rave reviews throughout both this season and last. He's looked a tidy player from what I've seen and he has become the cornerstone of a pretty mean Swansea defence. The rumours are heavily indicating that we're going to be in for him come the summer. He was immense in Swansea's 0-0 draws against us in the league, he seemed to be first to every ball and was superb in the air. A glaring weakness of ours. He fits the profile. He's 28 and will therefore add some experience to the spine of the team. We all know the obsession with youth and promoting young players but we need to add some seasoned players to the squad and preferably the first eleven. By the looks of things we're going to have a lot of upheaval in the middle of the defence this summer and it's absolutely essential that we get it right. We can't afford to let Carragher go and not bring in an experienced head to slot into the eleven or the squad. With questions over the futures of Skrtel and Coates too, there's every chance that Williams would have a great chance of going straight into the thick of the action. One thing you can definitely see about him is that he's a leader. He encourages, he cajoles, he organises. These are skills that Carragher has in abundance. And if Martin Kelly and Andre Wisdom are moved infield as is suggested might happen and is their natural position, then we're going to need someone who can help them develop. They are young players and they will make mistakes. At 28 and the Welsh captain, Williams is hitting the peak of his career. I think he'd be a good signing. He gets a lot of stick on TLW but I can't help but think that a lot of that is down to the idiotic comments about Suarez. I simply don't care. If we think he's a good player then we should sign him, provided the price is right of course. Who cares what he's written about? Players need to be judged on their footballing ability and nothing else. And Williams is a good centre half. Dan Thomas As anyone who listens to the podcast will know, I suggested Ashley Williams as a player who could fill a few of the gaps in our squad some time ago; in fact, appropriately enough, it was just around the point where Carra's return to the team and announcement of his imminent retirement thrust those collective flaws kicking and screaming into the light. Our current method of play with its unflinching focus on attacking football that deploys the full backs very much as midfielders-cum-forwards exposes the slightest deficit in organisation and focus at the back and in a Carra-free Liverpool team such exposure will be stark. When that factor is combined with the lack of a mobile midfield screening player and the collective inexperience of the squad then, to my mind, this team is screaming out for an injection of mental fortitude, leadership and organisation. For my money, we simply don't have enough men in the team and especially those that feel the very real pain of defeat like the fans and are therefore prepared to do anything and everything to avoid it - including demanding more of their teammates. And, from what I've seen of Ashley Williams, he ticks all those boxes. Now I should make clear at this point that he's not a player I've studied in depth. However, it is obvious that he's a vocal organiser who doesn't seem to have any obvious flaws to his game. I'm not suggesting he's a world beater, but he can play a bit, has reasonable pace, is decent in the air and is a proper defender. So far, so mediocre I hear you cry. However, he is a player who has fought for everything he's achieved in the game and, leaving aside the growing snobbery increasingly associated with some of our support, there's no question that it is a massive achievement to fight your way up through all four divisions to find your feet in the top flight, en route winning the captaincy of your country (the same one Ian Rush represented, by the way, if you're still turning your nose up). Williams' age and possible fee are often touted as the main justifications for not signing him and it would be ridiculous to ignore such arguments as they clearly have some merit. However, we've already shown since Rodgers arrived that we won't be taken for a ride over price and in my view his age is actually a reason to sign him rather than not. As long as we get the fee and wages right, then value is eminently possible in any new signing providing he delivers on the pitch, no matter what his age. Gary Mac's two seasons aren't questioned by anyone so why should the signing of a man five years younger be, assuming the money side is right? My one hesitation in signing Williams lies not with the player himself but with the reaction of the cynical anti-Rodgers minority of the internet fan base (because fans at the match have been exceptionally tolerant of the troughs that have accompanied our handful of peaks this season). Of course I have no problem with those who've asked genuine questions of the new regime - you'd be a fool not to. My problem is with those who are already slagging Williams off and calling him a lazy target; the ones who will instantly leap on any perceived fault (because every conceded goal has to be someone's fault these days) from the minute it's identified. To question his potential signing is not only sensible in my opinion, it's right. To slag it off is something totally different however. That said, I think both Rodgers and Williams are strong enough to roll with such criticism and prove it wrong. I would though like to see a second centre half signed alongside him, both to offer further competition and quality, but also to assuage the prejudices of those who are ready to pounce. Ashley Williams offers us plenty that we lack but he should not be the sum total of our ambitions and, assuming that's the case, I'd be delighted to welcome him to Liverpool in the summer. As for the notion that comments in a book should preclude his purchase, I'll offer two responses: one, he's apologised to Luis like any adult should and also had his apology accepted; and two, our greatest years carried internal feuds along with all the trophies (most of them involving Tommy Smith) and it was never an impediment to success then, so why should it be now? No, it was handbags stuff that's old news and is therefore irrelevant. I'd be more than happy with Ashley Williams in Liverpool Red. Paul Natton I’ll be honest, initially, the thought of us signing Ashley Williams was about as appealing as going to watch a One Direction concert. It had nothing to do with his ridiculous comments about Suarez, nor did it have anything to do with the fact that he worked under Rodgers at Swansea. It had everything to do with me not thinking he’s a particularly good defender - more one who fits the system he’s in - and his price tag being far too high for a player fast approaching 30 with only two seasons of top flight football under his belt. I believe we need experience in the side, but only if it’s the right deal, and the reported £10m for Williams is far too much. The more I’ve thought about it, though, perhaps that’s what we need: a player who’s comfortable in the system. The capitulation of Martin Skrtel’s Liverpool career this season has been alarming, especially considering he was one of the best centre-backs in the league last season, and Daniel Agger hasn’t been pulling up any trees, either. For someone who is such a talented footballer, a possession-based philosophy should be Agger’s bread and butter, but whilst he has stayed fit, his form has been average. We have two centre-backs who have shown that they’re capable of performing to a very high level, and were coveted by a whole host of top clubs, but neither have done so under Rodgers. So maybe, then, given our defensive woes this year, signing someone who understands how to defend in Rodgers’s system, and can then convey that to the other players, is just what we need. Williams is a leader, and leaders across the pitch are something we sorely lack; we go a goal down and our heads drop too easily, we need more fight and experience in the team, and maybe someone who has paid their dues coming up through the lower leagues can help provide that. That's still not enough to alleviate my concerns, however. The other thing I question, apart from his ability (or lack thereof), is whether he can handle the pressure of coming here. Like it or not, he’ll be seen as Carra’s replacement – an undeserved noose around anyone’s neck – and with him working with Rodgers previously he won’t be given that honeymoon period by the fans to settle in. Like so many players we’ve signed from smaller clubs in the Premier League, they have struggled to deal with the expectation and pressure to succeed here, which is massive – unfairly so given our recent history – and I fear Williams will be the same. Ultimately, I realise my problem is not just with Williams himself – although I genuinely don’t think he’s good enough, and would rather we looked elsewhere – but what his signing represents: an unimaginative signing from the Premier League that we’ll undoubtedly end up paying over the odds for. It’s like we’ve not learned our lessons from the Comolli/Dalglish era when it comes to buying players domestically. I honestly hope I’m wrong, but I see us signing him, him struggling to make an impact, and Laudrup replacing him with some ‘unknown’ player who impressed in Spain for a fraction of the cost, and then us being in the same situation next year. Alex Woo

With no first team games this week we took the opportunity to focus on youth development. We've got an interview with current U18 skipper Jordan Lussey as well as contributions from Academy boss Frank McParland, head of Academy coaching Rodolfo Borrell and U21 coach Alex Inglethorpe, whilst former Reds striker Neil Mellor joins TLW Editor Dave Usher and your host 'Numbers' to discuss in detail the difficulties of bringing players through the system. Some great discussion in this one. Listen now either on the embedded player below, or by visiting our podcast page here. You can also subscribe through itunes and have any new podcast automatically delivered to your computer. Clicking the link above will download the latest episode straight into your itunes, and will subscribe you to any future episodes. Those of you wanting to listen on your phone, try this link as it should work on most smartphones. You can also download our new app by visiting that page and clicking the 'Quick Launch' option which will automatically download the app to your homescreen. To listen in this window, simply click the play button in the box below.

0730: Alarm goes off. Throw off the Union Jack covers and head for the shower. 0732: Notice that the bathroom is gleaming. Good effort from her, even the toilet is sparkling. 0750: Get out the shower and the missus has a brew ready for me. Tastes funny; almost a bit salty. She’s been buying different tea since around the time of that thing with Bridgey’s ex, she says it’s Lord Gray tea or something, and that it’ll grow on me. Not sure. 0752: Go to brush my teeth but my toothbrush smells odd and tastes bad. Weird. 0815: See on the news that it looks like Redknapp’s lawyers have played a blinder with this “I’m dead thick” defence. Shame, if I went for that in this Ferdinand thing nobody would buy it, not from a smart cat like JT. 0845: Driving into training and listening to a voicemail from my agent: “Remember what we said about trying not to do anything stupid today, JT?” I’m getting sick of that guy; same message every damn morning. 0855: Apparently running a red light whilst on your phone is against the law. Said I’d show the two coppers around the club if they let me off, quick thinking there from JT. 0910: Me and Ashley see David Lolz (our nickname for him, because he’s a joke) and both pretend we’re playing FIFA with controllers and stuff. Totally owned him. 0920: Saw Meireles and Bosingwa chatting away with Ramires and Lolz and asked them where they learnt to speak Brazilian so well. Meireles looked at me proper funny and Bosingwa raised his eyebrow at me. His one, stupid looking, eybrow. 0930: Getting our kit on and Daniel Sturridge throws Michael Jackson’s Black or White on the stereo, does one of his “I’m a massive arsehole” dances and looks at me laughing. Tosser. 0945: Training starts and I’m on the same side as Lolz. Well annoying. Straight away he’s off wandering upfield leaving me looking exposed. Had a joke with the gaffer in Brazilian too, they both looked at me and laughed. Bastards. 1045: Embarrassing moment in training. Cahill had a pop at me because I keep calling him Tim. Apparently Tim plays for Everton and his name is Gary. How the fuck am I supposed to know that? I don’t watch the Championship! 1145: Break for lunch and I see I’ve got a message from Mourinho on my phone. “The Special One needs your help JT...” Ooh, quite fancy winding down my career at Madrid, might get my agent onto this “...can you tap up Juan Mata for me, see if he’s interested?” Bollocks. 1215: Frank’s not taking this being left out of the team stuff very well. He’s onto a fourth dessert and has taken to some pretty heavy comfort eating. Cheered him up though when I said how he’ll be the main man for England when Uncle Harry gets the job. He had a big, daft, chocolatey smile. 1300: Session in the video room. AVB doing some boring thing about zonal marking. I yawned dead loud on purpose and everyone laughed. AVB said he could do a Powerpoint on how not to bottle it and lose a three nil lead in half an hour if everyone wanted; we got the point. 1315: Frank did a little doodle of AVB called “The not so special one” had me and Ash in hysterics. Got sent out of the room. Cech told us to grow up too, the turncoat. 1345: Tim Cahill and Lolz wandering down the corridor together chatting away like best mates. Not sure I like that. 1400: Had a whole session this afternoon about how we weren’t playing to Torres strengths. He’s spanking it wide, launching it over, air-kicking and falling over but AVB is bollocking us. Odd that Roman was down watching training too, he hardly ever does that. 1530: In the changing room Frank asks if I’ve seen that Barton is putting the boot into me a bit on Twitter. Says he’s always quoting Neitzsche but probably doesn’t even know who he is. I laughed and said “Yeah, bet he probably thinks he played full-back for Germany!” Anyone with even just a few footy DVDs knows he played on the wing for Holland. 1600: On the way home I called Fabio to thank him for standing up for me with the FA. I said that wherever he ends up just to drop me a line and I might come and play for him. Went quiet, then said “You’re a going through a de tunnel, John” and the phone went off. I wasn’t going through a tunnel though. Odd. 1620: Listening to Talksport and they’re saying Capello is going to Russia, and there’s loads of issues of racism over there. Hmm, best swerve that then. 1710: Pulled into the drive and the bloke who fixes the dishwasher was just leaving. That’s three times this week that thing’s been broken. Shoddy workmanship that. 1740: The missus was talking about Rooney’s hair, saying how it looked better and he probably got it for free. Asked if I’d ever considered plastic surgery for my massive forehead. She’s being a right bitch at the moment. 1815: Missus is off out with the girls but says she’s put my tea in the oven. Pulled it out and it was a baking tray full of Alphebite potato shapes all in rows spelling BNP. Hilarious. 1945: Sat down to watch the footy as Didier is playing in some game in Africa. He lofted a penalty well over the bar. He looked like he was going to cry but then blamed the spot; I wish I’d have thought of that. 2130: Mad game and Didier’s lot get beat on penalties by Zimbabwe. Penalties are such a lottery. If you miss one, and then lose, then you can’t really blame yourself, it’s all pure chance. I called him after the match and said he must be gutted he won’t be at the next World Cup after that result. He just sighed and put the phone down. He was really down. Felt sad for him. 2135: Got a text off Kalou saying: “Cheers 4 thinking of us JT” – No idea what that’s about? 2200: Get ready for bed by putting on my Chelsea pyjamas and my England’s captain’s armband (I bought my own, have that FA!) and settling down for the night. 2230: Trying to get off to sleep but keep having those recurring nightmares about playing against Germany with Upson and Barry. It’s horrible, everything goes in slow motion...well, everything except for the Germans. 2300: Finally doze off. 0415: Wake up and sit bolt upright. Hang on a minute; we haven’t even got a dishwasher!

0730: Rule Britannia alarm on my phone goes off; time for another action packed day. 0732: Walk past my Chopper Harris poster in the hall, he’s my idol. 0739: Have a shower and a shave. Cut myself with those shitty King of shave razors again. Make a mental note to call my agent and shout at him for not getting me the Gillette gig. 0743: Called to the missus to see if she wanted a brew, keep forgetting she’s in Dubai. It makes me sad and I worry about the kids as I’ve heard Africa is dangerous. 0902: Got to the training ground and there were reporters everywhere. It’s really starting to piss me off. Think I might have bumped into one of the security blokes coming through, cos’ he fell over and shouted at me, but I pay his wages, kind of, so he should stop moaning. 1045: Nicolas showed me a text today: “If Didier Drogba falls in a forest and nobody sees it, does it make a sound”. Nic was laughing but I didn’t get it. He’s an odd one that Anelka. 1049: Showed Frank the text that Nic forwarded, he loved it. I told him I didn’t get it and he said it’s because he always screams like a girl so of course you could hear it. Frank’s well smart. Me and Joe saw him reading a book once so Coley likes to call him the professor. 1130: I can’t catch a break at the moment. Ray Wilkins heard me doing the Addams Family tune as he was coaching the kids and then Ancelotti walked in on me doing my Godfather impression for the lads: “You think I’m funny? Funny how? Funny like a clown?” The lads were in stitches but the gaffer wasn’t pleased. 1145: Lamps was saying to me how he thought Deco looks proper shifty. He said that he looks like the kind of bloke you wouldn’t leave your missus with. I think I looked a bit uncomfortable and then he realised why. It was a bit awkward. 1200: Lunch. I was sitting down with some of the lads and the guy who looks after the kit came and had a word. He said that he knows I keep taking the captain’s armband home and that wearing it all day every day isn’t acceptable. Jobsworth. Frank stole my pudding while this was going on; you can’t trust anyone these days, even your mates! 1220: Popped out to the car park to meet a couple of blokes I know through my agent. I showed them my official club parking space and gave them a goody bag filled with a signed picture of me, a picture of Lamps (also signed by me), one of those little Chelsea flags we give out for the European games and some razors. And all for just three grand, you can’t argue with value like that. 1320: Joe got put on my team in training and we were up against Malouda who Coley doesn’t like. He whispered to me that Malouda was in trouble and he didn’t even know it. Sure enough, the first fifty-fifty they had Joe made out that he’d been caught really badly and Malouda got a big telling off from the gaffer. That’ll teach him. 1345: Alex was practicing some free-kicks but the gaffer told him to stop. He said that three broken goal frames, a concussed youth player and a downed police helicopter was quite enough damage for one session. 1440: A reporter cornered me in the car-park as I was leaving training and asked me about that handshake thing with Bridgey. I told him that I didn’t want to shake his hand anyway because I might have caught something. He gave me a funny look and left. 1530: In the car driving home I clicked why he looked funny at my comment; probably the sex stuff with his missus and the DDTs you can catch. Called my agent and told him to bully the paper. Hopefully it won’t get printed. It’ll make me look dumb, which is not on. 1730: Got home and put some fish fingers and alphebites in the over for tea. Put the telly on and X-Factor was on. Got me thinking and I sent a text message to that Cheryl, after all, it’s not like her and Ashley are together anymore is it? “Ash iz well out ov order doin dat 2 u. Giz a ring. Lolz.” 1732: Ashley rang to ask why I’d texted their landline and what that message was about. Managed to blag him pretty well though. Phew, that was a close one. 1845: Got a call from Jose’s agent saying that they were looking into the idea of Mourinho TV and would I be interested in coming on as a guest. He said it’ll be 24 hour wall to wall Mourinho where he’ll do the news, host chat shows and test out some sit-com ideas he’s got. I said if the money’s right then I’m in. Funny smell in the house, can’t put my finger on what it is. 1955: The fire brigade finally leave. If I’ve done that once I’ve done it a hundred times. I wish the missus was still here. Order some take away. Avram gave me a leaflet for a great Thai place he goes to a while back, I’ll have to try them one night. 2000: Had a quick look online and it said that Ferdinand was injured, checked the story and it was Anton, rubbish. We’re never going to win the World Cup if you’ve got a bloke that’s played for West Ham leading you, that’s obvious. 2030: My agent calls to tell me my autobiography is coming along nicely. They stopped me doing it because I wanted a wizard in it, so Harry Harris is doing it now. I told him that he should change the bit about me missing that penalty in the Champions League because people like a happy ending; he said he’d think about it. 2200: Check to see how those tickets are doing on Ebay. Not too shabby at all. Saw I got an e-mail about an interesting business opportunity in Nigeria, might run it past Mikel in the morning, could be a nice little earner. 2245: Went to sleep, it’s been a big day. 0330: Got woke up by a text message from Bridgey, just had a picture of Dubai. I thought he was a mate? What an arsehole!

0730: Kerry Dixon alarm clock goes off and 'Blue is the colour' gets me up and at the world. 0735: Look at humongous forehead in bathroom mirror. It never gets any easier. 0810: Get a call from Joe, says he’s hiding in a bush in a park with no clothes on again; something about getting another hiding and doing a runner. For such a likeable lad he seems to be unlucky like that. I agree to pick him up on the way to training. 0930: Got into training and that new lad with the stupid name was giving me evils. I said to Frank we could call him Boula-loser and we laughed. Stupid foreign people with stupid names. 1045: We did some set pieces today and about fifty percent of the bibs got torn from all the grabbing and tugging; the gaffer wasn’t happy. We’ll have to make sure a lot more get ripped next time or someone’s for it. 1130: Moved onto free-kicks and Frank was amazing again. Joe managed to get three deflections and in but Lamps is up to an average of about five. You can’t defend technique like that! 1200: Lunch. Jose still only lets us have Jellied Eels as a Friday treat so we had to make do with Bolognese again. A few of the lads were laughing when I got it everywhere…that never happens with fish and chips. 1229: Sneaky trip to the toilets for a quick gel re-apply. Gotta look your best if you’re a superstar you know. 1400: Midway through the afternoon session Petr came in to do some weights. The gaffer said that the doctors were really worried about him when he got to the hospital after that smack in the head cos he looked really distant and had a this simple smile on his face, apparently they felt better when Jose told them that’s how he always looks. 1530: I fell over the ball in the 5-a-sides and had to wear the “worst player” dunces bib the rest of training whilst everyone took the piss. I miss Glen Johnson. 1700: Get home and watch a re-run of the last England game. Croatia was a terrible place; poor people everywhere, ignorant fans, terrible pollution. It didn’t seem to bother McLaren and Downing too much though; they seemed to think it was lovely. Strange. 1845: Popped Sky Sports News on and it had the gaffer’s press conference before Barcelona on again. My favourite bit was his joke about Eidur not diving when he was with us; the press didn’t get it though, they’re not too bright, that lot. 1930: My agent gives me a bell. He said that there was a rumour going about on the internet that I’d said something racialist to Ledley King when I got sent off the other week. He said it might be time to do some PR work to make it go away and asked if I’d seen Madonna on newsnight. No idea what he’s on about, I can’t sing at all and there’s no chance I’m doing a sex book. 2000: The missus gets home from a hard day’s shopping and cooks tea, I would have done it but she won’t let me use the cooker whilst she’s out after the whole fire thing. My favourite: potato smiley faces and chicken dinosaur shapes! 2030: Get some time to add a bit more to my Autobiography. My agent says we’ll have to make it good cos they gave us a seven figure sum for it. It’s going to be good alright, it’s got a wizard and a dragon in it! 2200: Go to run a bath. 2245: Settle down to bed and get out Stevie G’s book, good of him to give me a copy. Can’t believe that all he’s doing is writing about himself, that’s some ego there. Gave up on it after ten minutes; it’s a bit high brow if you ask me. 2330: Went to sleep, it’s been a big day. 0030: Missus wakes me up screaming and calling me a moron, the flat is flooded cos I forgot about that bath. Bollocks!

Aston Villa's young Austrian frontman Andreas Weimann is being linked in today's media with a summer move to Anfield. Weimann has scored 11 goals in all competitions for Paul Lambert's struggling side this season, one of them at the Kop end in Villa's shock 3-1 win at Anfield in December, but talks on a new contract have stalled and that has put other clubs on alert. The versatile youngster can fill a variety of roles along the frontline and would be available for knock down fee if no contract is agreed.

Liverpool target Tom Ince claims he is concentrating on playing well for Blackpool and is ignoring speculation linking him with a summer move to Anfield. The former LFC Academy wideman was the subject of strong interest from Brendan Rodgers in the January transfer window, but Blackpool's asking price was too high and the move never materialised. Manchester United and Swansea City were also rumoured to be trying to do a deal for the son of former England skipper Paul, but Ince junior says talks didn't get very far: “I don’t think any of the moves were close. It’s great having that speculation and it’s very flattering. To have teams of that magnitude saying you’re a decent player, it gives me a smile and flatters me a lot." The England u21 forward has been a revelation since swapping the Liverpool Reserve side for regular first team football in the Championship with Blackpool, and he is clearly appreciative of the opportunity given to him by the Seasiders: “For me it’s about putting my faith in Blackpool because without that club, my team-mates and the fans I wouldn’t be Football League Young Player of the Year and the player I am now." he told Talksport. “My dream is to play at the top level and to achieve my ambitions, but it’s all about timing and patience, so when you get to the top you are ready to go and not jumping too soon.”

Lucas Leiva has admitted that he came close to leaving Anfield in the summer of 2010 when Roy Hodgson took the managerial reigns at the club. With transfer funds in limited supply under the stewardship of Gillett and Hicks, it was widely reported at the time that the Brazilian was one of a number of players the club were prepared to offload to raise money for new signings. A move to Italian side Fiorentina was mooted, whilst Stoke City were also reported to be interested in acquiring his services and the popular Brazilian admits he almost ended up in Serie A. “I felt as though it was almost the end for me at the club. I nearly left. I knew they were looking for players. They signed Christian Poulsen at the time, and that was a message for me, that I was not really in their plans. So I was really close to leaving to go to Italy." The move never came off, Poulsen fared about as well as Hodgson did and Lucas outlasted the pair of them. "For some reason I did not go, I stayed" he said. "After a few games, I got my place back in the team and I started to play a bit more. Then Kenny came in. I really started to play with a lot of confidence and at the end of the year I was voted Player of the Season by the fans. So that moment was very important.”

So number one is Big Igor. It had to be really, didn’t it? Everything about the Big Croatian screamed out ‘Cult Figure’. For a start, there’s his name. ‘Igor’. Or ‘Eeeeeeeegor’, as he quickly became known. Then there was the way he looked. He arrived here with a basin head haircut, and in all the time he was here he never really managed to get a decent hairstyle. Bless him. After a hugely promising start, Biscan’s Anfield career hit the skids. He had a small cult following, but generally he was just viewed as another big money signing who was not good enough to hold down a regular place at the club. TLW has been criticised in some quarters for turning him into some sort of unlikely folk hero, but like I said, he already had a little cult following way before we got involved. All TLW did was take the gospel of Biscanbauer and spread it to the masses. It all started with a post on the TLW forum from someone who claimed to have seen Igor in Tesco’s smooching with some tasty brunette in one of the food aisles. Who knows if that was even true, but no-one cared. Suddenly rumours of Igor’s virility spread like wildfire, and a monster was created. Because Igor was such a quiet, mysterious fella (Carragher revealed in a TLW interview that he can’t remember ever having any kind of conversation with Igor in all the time he was at the club), it was easy for this whole new persona to be created. He always looked like he’d just got out of bed, so therefore that must have meant he was up all night entertaining his many lady friends. When he was pictured with his ‘middle leg’ dangling down from out of his shorts with Lee Carsley in close attendance, the forum almost went into meltdown with Igor jokes. Igor went from being the big dozy, accident-prone £5m flop, to the last of the international playboys virtually overnight. He was transformed, at least amongst the TLW brethren. I’m sure word spread elsewhere too, but Igor’s standing was at it’s highest at liverpoolway.co.uk. I’ve written before in the fanzine how Gregory Vignal once tried to use Igor’s name to secure the back seat of the reserve team coach from the Academy lads. He marched up to them and warned “Igor Biscan is getting on now, and he wants to sit there”. Vignal was laughed off the coach by Steve McNulty & co, but there was nothing to suggest Igor had anything to do with it. Carra revealed in issue 48 of TLW that Igor didn’t really mix too much with the lads on the coach, he’d just sit there laughing hysterically on his mobile, although no-one knew who he was speaking too (some fine lady no doubt). There is another Igor story that I’ve never been able to use until now, but the person who told me is no longer at the club, and it’s highly unlikely that Igor himself will be reading it anyway, so I think it’s safe to share this with you now. The club were on pre-season training camp, and Igor’s room-mate, who we’ll call Mr X to maintain his anonymity, had left the room to go and have something to eat in the restaurant. Igor declined his offer to join him, saying he wanted to get some kip. Anyway, Mr X got down to the restaurant, and then decided he wasn’t hungry after all and headed back to the room. He entered the room, to find a red faced, profusely sweating Igor lying starkers on his bed. Igor quickly pulled the covers up, but not high enough to cover the… ahem… fluid that was all over his chest. Mr X pretended he hadn’t noticed, went into the bathroom and pissed himself laughing before composing himself and going to tell the rest of the lads. On the field, Igor redeemed his battered reputation in his final season at the club where he often filled in admirably for Steven Gerrard, most notably in big European away games at Betis and Juventus. Not that his immense displays earned him any respect from the skipper, who simply referred to him as ‘that tit’ in his autobiography. HOW VERY DARE YOU! As the song goes, Igor Biscan is a giant of a man, and who the hell is Steven Gerrard to be mocking him? Gerrard may have secured the number two spot in the official club website’s ‘100 Players Who shook the Kop’, but Igor is number one is this particular chart. And first is first, second is nowhere. Remember that Steven Gerrard. Altogether now: “Two nil down, four two up. Igor Biscan wrapped it up, and he didn’t know what to do when he scored the goal, Igor Biscan’s our hero” Eeeegor!!! Dave Usher

He’s big, he’s red, he’s off his f*****g head. Never has a song summed up a player so well. The Big Dutchman who was snapped up on a Bosman from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 1999 proved to be a popular figure with the fans, but it was certainly not for his goalscoring prowess. Meijer was a proper loon, but in a good way. As committed a player as any that have ever played for the club, Erik only knew one way to play, flat out. Anyone who watched him stomping around St Helens like a madman in reserve games will testify to how committed this man was. Reserve games against Sheffield Wednesday were treated with the same gusto most players would save for cup finals. What he lacked in talent he attempted to make up for with sheer effort, and the one thing Liverpool fans always warm to is a trier. Erik made 27 appearances in total for the reds, but managed only two goals, both coming in the same game at Boothferry Park against Hull City in the League Cup. Many of his appearances came from the subs bench, where his physical presence and heading ability proved useful whether we were chasing a game or protecting a lead. It became a customary sight, the game would stop for a throw in or corner kick, Erik would enter the field and sprint to the near post and demand the ball. Another regular sight was his first pumping, arm gesturing to the crowd to get them whipped up. It didn’t matter whether it was 15,000 fans on the Kop, or 15 fans on the terraces at Knowsley Road, Erik loved to get the crowd involved. Reserve games have never been as much fun as they were when the big Dutchman led the attack. There was never a dull moment. There was one occasion where he was in an offside position out wide, and he sneaked along the touchline doing this tip toe, Inspector Cluesoe type walk hoping the linesman wouldn’t see him. Mad as a sack full of crazy monkeys. Another time he closed down a full back, who played the ball back to his keeper. So Erik chased down the keeper, who played it over to the full back on the far side. So Erik chased him too, and eventually got across there and blocked his attempted clearance and knocked the ball out for a throw. He then leapt to his feet, fist pumping and yelling ‘Come on!!!’ to the handful of die hards stood freezing on the touchline. Another incident that stands out was in a league game at Anfield (against Bradford I think), where Erik took a ball full in the face from point blank range as he charged down a defenders clearance. There was an eery silence around the ground for a second or two as people waited to see what followed. It was almost like it happened in slow motion, as the giant striker paused for a second, looking as though he may be knocked down, only to suddenly regain his composure and shake his head furiously to shake off the cobwebs. A huge cheer went up, and he immediately set off after the ball again. That kind of commitment is a rare thing indeed, and if certain other players who possess considerably more talent than Erik had that kind of attitude, they could be world beaters. I won’t mention any names, you can guess who they are *coughs* Heskey * coughs* Pennant * coughs*. Other amusing Erik Mejier tales include the one where was the victim of a terrible high challenge by an Academy youngster who was training with the first team. The story goes that Erik was livid, but knew it would be wrong to take out his anger on the kid, so took himself back to the dressing room and kicked a door in! The Echo’s Chris Bascombe told TLW the following story about his experiences with Erik: “He was an eccentric but very likable guy. I remember Liverpool had a striker crisis before they played Leeds (when Leeds were good). I was told on the Friday by Houllier that Meijer would play. I saw him in the Melwood car park and asked him about the game. “Tell the people of Liverpool I have something to say. There are many players up for this match, and the Big Dutchman is one of them!” I loved the way he referred to himself as the ‘Big Dutchman’. When I was still writing ‘the Kop’ magazine, I wrote an article about Liverpool’s strikeforce. I mentioned Heskey, Owen, Fowler and Camara. At the next training session he ran over to me and said “where was the Big Dutchman in your article?” We printed a comic apology in the next issue.” The season Erik spent at Anfield co-incided with the boom in players’ websites. Many of the Liverpool players had websites, but Erik’s was the most entertaining. He’d post some of his home made recipes, and one time even posted a special ‘Fish Dish’ that Sami Hyypia had introduced him to. Erik’s culinary tips went down a storm with the LFC internet community, and it’s a damn shame his website isn’t still going. On the field, the highpoints were the part he played in a win at Highbury and a draw at Old Trafford. Erik won the free-kick from which Paddy Berger stunned the Stretford End with a 30 yard rocket, but for the most part the big man was more cheerleader than striker. It is somewhat fitting then, that the thing he is most fondly remembered for by Liverpool fans is not anything he did on the field, but rather travelling across Germany to go on the lash with the fans in the Alter Markt, Dortmund, before the UEFA Cup Final. He was even wearing his old Liverpool shirt, complete with ‘18 Meijer’ on the back. You’d have to be a right miserable bastard not to have fond memories of the Big Dutchman. A really fun guy.

He was shit before he arrived, he was shit when he left, but for the short, glorious spell that he was a Liverpool player, Titi Camara fucking ruled. I love Titi Camara, and he probably shouldn’t be on this list as he’s much better than a lot of the others who made this top ten. He’s in there not because we laughed at him (like Phil Babb for instance), but because he made people smile. He was a real character. He’s a strange one is Titi. Before he arrived he had stank the place out in the UEFA Cup Final for Marseille, but in some ways that probably helped him at Liverpool. Expectations weren’t high, so that may have lessened the pressure on him. He made a great start to his Liverpool career, and my first real memory of him is seeing him juggling the ball and taking the piss out of Arsenal at Anfield. It was the game when Robbie scored that cracker from 30 yards. I also recall Titi shoulder barging Lee Dixon and almost sending him into the Paddock. He scored at Elland Road, and bagged a fair few goals in the opening months of his first season. He played with a smile on his face, and always managed to do some kind of trick during a game to keep us entertained. There’s only one thing people will think of when they think of Titi though, and that’s that night against West Ham at Anfield. Having found out his father had passed away that day, the Guinean striker insisted on playing against the Hammers that night, and fittingly he scored the only goal of the game. He broke down in tears immediately after scoring, but none of us knew the background behind it until after the game when the news broke. That night ensured Titi Camara’s place in Liverpool folklore, but it cut no ice with Gerard Houllier who just never really seemed to fancy him, especially after signing Emile Heskey. Houllier’s reluctance to play Camara in the closing part of the season arguably cost the club a Champions League spot, as the reds failed to score in any of the last five games and missed out on a place after a last day defeat at Bradford. Things got worse for Camara at the start of the next season, when he was sidelined with a back injury that Houllier claimed he was putting on. When he eventually returned to fitness, he didn’t get a look in, despite the side struggling in attack. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when Houllier made Camara warm up on the touchline for the entire second of a dire game against Slovan Liberec in the UEFA Cup. The game was crying out for him, and so was the Kop. Houllier ignored those cries, and the next day Camara handed in a transfer request. He moved to West Ham where he joined his pal Rigobert Song, but the move didn’t work out and not to put too fine a point on it, Titi was fucking shit for the Hammers. When he came back to Anfield as a West Ham player, he got a great reception and applauded the Kop whenever they sang his name, just as he used to do when he was a red. He’d even do that when the game was still going on, and it used to drive Houllier nuts. That was Titi though, he was a genuine fella who loved Liverpool. He later ended up playing for some rich middle eastern club. I remember reading about him scoring a hat-trick and being rewarded with three Rolls Royce’s or something daft like that. People often list Camara amongst Houllier’s poor signings, but that simply isn’t true. He was a good player for us and how he played for other clubs is irrelevant. It’s impossible for me to think about Titi Camara without smiling. Titi, Titi Ti, Titi, Titi Ti, Titi, Titi Ti, Titi Ti Camara. . . . Dave Usher

What can I say about Djibs? Some loved him, some hated him, and some – like myself – loved him and hated him often at the same time. The colourful Frenchman was one huge contradiction. He’d speak about his great love for the club and the fans, and he’d back it up by wearing a red suit to get married in or be seen around town wearing a vintage grey Candy Liverpool away shirt. Then he’d refuse to close down defenders and fling his arms into the air when passes didn’t arrive exactly where he wanted them. He was completely infuriating on the field, and usually that kind of player isn’t tolerated. But there was more to Djibs than the tantrum throwing, arrogant looking, work shy striker who sometimes looked like he couldn’t hit Rick Waller’s arse with a cricket bat. The ‘laziness’ was more due to a lack of a football brain than any reluctance to run. He didn’t think ‘I can’t be arsed chasing that defender’. He just didn’t think. Cisse was a phenomenal athletic specimen, and if that had been allied to a better football brain and a better first touch then he really would have been able to live up the hopes that he could become as good as his pal Thierry Henry. As for the arrogance, by all accounts he is actually a nice, quiet lad, who was popular with his team-mates. Extravagent? Certainly. Arrogant? Non. If you judged him solely on a video highlights compilation of his goals, you’d think Cisse was something very special. Scary pace, and a ferocious shot, he’s scored some amazing goals in his career. Based on that, you could be forgiven for thinking he was almost as good as Henry. What those highlights packages don’t show however, are all the times he ran needlessly offside, or ballooned a shot into the back row of the stand, or failed to control a simple pass. Many Liverpool fans had seen the goal compilation videos on the internet (some of them on Djibs’ own website in fact), and as such expectations were high when he arrived for £14m after a three or four year chase by previous manager Gerard Houllier. He wasn’t a Rafa Benitez signing, but the deal had been agreed and seemingly there was no way out of it, so the new manager was stuck with him. It started well enough with a debut goal at Spurs, but the flaws in his game quickly became apparent. Serious doubts were beginning to emerge from many fans about the striker’s technique, work rate and overall effectiveness. One God awful display at Old Trafford in which he allowed returning druggie Rio Ferdinand the most comfortable game of his career, really raised concerns about the young French striker. Then, he suffered a horrific leg break at Ewood Park. It was expected he’d be out for a long, long time, yet amazingly he was back within five months, coming on as a sub against Juventus in Turin. That desire to get back playing makes a mockery of any suggestion that he is work shy, and it earned him a lot of respect and patience from the Anfield crowd. The flaws in his game were still there, but no-one was going to have a go at a lad who had fought so hard to get back playing at a time when we were short of numbers up front. His sudden popularity also made it difficult for Rafa Benitez to sell him. He’d scored a penalty in the Champions League final shoot out, and still had four years left on his contract. Getting shut of him wasn’t going to be easy, especially as he was desperate to stay, so at the start of the following season Djibril was still at the club. He bagged a load of goals in the CL qualifying rounds against the minnows, but on the whole he just wasn’t cutting the mustard up front. Benitez had watched hours and hours of video footage from Cisse’s Auxerre days, and noted that a high proportion of his goals came when attacking from the right, so he began to use him on the right wing. The results were mixed, as Cisse’s goals per game ratio was impressive, even when he was playing on the wing. The stats were perhaps deceiving however, as he was something of a flat track bully. Most of his goals came against poor opposition, and he never got a kick against the top sides. Old Trafford would again prove to be a low point, as he missed an absolute sitter when the game was scoreless, and we went out to concede a stoppage time goal and lost 1-0. He’d missed the chance because he had been sat on his arse complaining in the six yard box, and had to jump up quickly when the ball came to him and he spooned it over the bar. The incident encapsulated all that was wrong with Cisse, and that was the day when a lot of people finally ran out of patience with him. He continued to delight and infuriate (not in equal measures) for the rest of the season, culminating in the FA Cup Final. If ever a game summed up Djibril Cisse, that was it. As we found ourselves 2-0 down to West Ham, we were in big trouble. Djibs had already seen one goal harshly ruled out for offside, but when Gerrard picked him out with a perfect ball, he acrobatically found the net with a superb volley. That goal got us back into the game, and got him off the hook with the fashion police after he’d taken to the field in odd boots. He rectified that problem at half time, changing his footwear so they at least matched. Unfortunately, his new boots were lime green coloured monstrosities. He did himself no favours there, especially as his performance was terrible. He got cramp late on in the game, just like six or seven of his team-mates. We’d used all our subs, yet I distinctly saw Djibs trying to tell the bench he had to come off. He was told in no uncertain terms to get back on, which he reluctantly did. He couldn’t walk for most of extra time, yet when the celebrations started he forgot about the pain. When the celebrations had ended and the players left the field, suddenly Cisse appeared sprinting across the pitch to go and hand his shirt and boots to a fan in a wheelchair on the far side of the field. Those around me where not impressed that he could suddenly run when he’d walked through extra time. That’s what I mean though, he is a total contradiction. I don’t think any player has ever split opinion in the way Cisse did. There were those who pointed to his goals ratio and claimed he should have been a given a run up front, whilst other argued that he contributed nothing apart from the goals and he didn’t do it against the top teams. I’m definitely in the second camp, although I think given the right surroundings in a side that plays to his strengths he would look a terrific player. That team was never going to be us, as he just didn’t know what was expected of a Liverpool player. Morientes knew what was required of a Liverpool player, he just couldn’t deliver it as he didn’t have the legs. Cisse had the legs, just not the game intelligence. Rafa was all set to cash in on him that summer, and the money would probably have been used to get Daniel Alvez. But Cisse broke his leg in eerily similar circumstances to last time, and Rafa saw £8m removed from his kitty. Marseille took him on loan, and he’s back playing and scoring with them, so hopefully the deal will be made permanent in the summer. He is not a bad player, he’s just not a Liverpool player. It’s hard not to have a soft spot for the crazy bastard though. The one thing you can say about Djibril Cisse was that he was entertaining. Not in the way he would have liked perhaps, but how can you not smile when you see your centre forward take to the field with a BA Baracus haircut? I loved that haircut. I loved the red suit he wore to get married in, I loved his penalty in Istanbul and his jig around the trophy. I love the fact he somehow got his hands on an 80’s Liverpool away shirt and proudly wore it around town. I love the courage he’s shown to come back from two broken legs, and I love that he loves us. It didn’t work out, but it wasn’t all bad. Djibril Cisse made me angry, but he also made me smile and that’s why he made this list. Allez Cisse. Dave Usher

If he was judged on his first few months at the club, ‘Crazy Tony’ would be a candidate for worst LFC player ever. Nightmare performances away at Norwich and in the FA Cup at Burnley were as bad I’d seen from a Liverpool player in a long time. But then it shouldn’t have been much of a surprise. He was included in the deal that took Michael Owen to Madrid, but he wasn’t Rafa’s first choice. Or his second, or third. In fact, the rumour is Rafa didn’t ask for him at all, but Madrid made us an offer of £8m, or £8m & Antonio Nunez. Rafa took the offer, as the player’s wages were low, and it represented a risk worth taking. Nunez had played for Madrid’s first team a few times, but was usually a member of their B team. I’d convinced myself (without anything whatsoever to base it on) that Nunez was going to be a revelation. No-one expected anything of him, so for some reason I decided he was going to surprise everybody and be some kind of Luis Figo. I reasoned that no matter how good he was he wouldn’t have got a chance at Madrid, because he wasn’t a ‘Galactico’ and he was competing with Figo and Beckham for a place in their side. That was a fair point, and may have been one of the reasons he didn’t get picked at the Bernebeu. The fact he was pretty poo was another reason. Antonio’s Anfield career got off to a nightmare start when he picked up a knee injury in training on the day he was due to make his debut for the reserves. It didn’t get much better even when he was fit, as Nunez and compatriot Josemi failed to match the high standards set by fellow new Spanish arrivals Xabi Alonso and Luis Garcia. But wheras Josemi got worse and worse, Nunez slowly seemed to come to terms with English football, and made a significant contribution in the closing months of the season. He was excellent in a memorable Anfield derby win, when the reds lost three players to injury in the first half, and also had Milan Baros sent off after the break. Nunez worked his bollocks off and really stood up to the blues’ physical approach. Other notable contributions were the header that led to Mellor’s goal against Olympiacos, and he also scored in the League Cup Final against Chelsea after coming on as a sub. The abiding memory I’ll have of ‘Arthur’ however, is from the Chelsea semi-final. We were under the cosh late on, and Rafa introduced Nunez on the right to give us some fresh legs on the counter attack. Every time he got the ball, he just got his head down and ran in a straight line towards the corner flag. He did it brilliantly, and used up valuable time whilst giving the defence a breather. That summed him up for me. Not the most gifted, but someone who did a job. "Stand back, there's a Hurricane coming through" Just when it seemed he was settling in at Liverpool, Rafa accepted a bid from Celta Vigo and Nunez returned to Spain after just one season at the club. He left with a CL medal in his pocket though, and some fond memories of his time in L4. The nickname ‘Arthur’ incidentally, came about because there’s a guy in the Main Stand who insisted on calling him ‘Arthur’. When it was pointed out to this fella that his name is in fact Antonio, he replied ‘Well he looks like an Arthur’. He does too you know. Dave Usher

Ok, we didn’t love him, far from it. But try thinking of Phil Babb with a straight face. Not easy is it? When I think of Phil Babb, I don’t think of his solitary Liverpool goal at former club Coventry. I don’t think of his total lack of talent, or his stupid shirt hanging out, cycling shorts crappy fashion sense. Well ok, I do think of all of those things, but not before I’ve thought of something else first. The name Phil Babb instantly conjures up one mental image for me, and it involves Babb, a goalpost, some seriously squashed nuts, and 40 odd thousand Liverpool fans torn between sniggering and wincing uncomfortably. It says a lot for Babb’s general crapness that this is the defining moment of his Liverpool career. He cost the reds £3.6m, which was a record for a defender at that time. He’d had a very impressive World Cup for Ireland in 1994, including a superb display against Roberto Baggio’s Italy. Hopes were high when he and John Scales both arrived at Anfield within 24 hours of eachother early in the 1994/95 season. Roy Evans knew he needed to strengthen his defence, and by splashing out so much money on Scales and Babb he showed he really meant business. It was clear from the start that Scales was a footballer as well as a defender, but Babb just never looked a ‘Liverpool player’. The uncomplicated style of the Irish suited Babb’s game down to the ground, but at Anfield he was expected to do a lot more than just win the ball and then launch it downfield. Used mostly on the left of the three man defence, he often found himself confronted by the opposition’s right winger, and it’s fair to say he had some problems, notably when he allowed Andrei Kanchelskis to give him the runaround in a 2-1 derby defeat at Anfield. The ball was like a hot potato to him, he just never looked comfortable in possession. Playing on the left side of a back three meant that he had certain responsibilities to carry the ball forward, but he just couldn’t do it, largely due to possessing no footballing ability at all. He had some pace, and defensively he did have some qualities, but in terms of sheer footballing attributes such as control, passing, and general skill, Phil Babb is the only Liverpool player that I genuinely believe possessed less footballing ability than me. As much as we often say “oh he’s crap, even I’m better than him” deep down, we know it’s not true. Someone like Paul Stewart was terrible for Liverpool, but put him in a game with you and your mates and you wouldn’t get near him, he’d be different class. I slated Josemi, but I know he’s light years more talented with a football than I’ll ever be. Babb was different, he really was totally lacking in talent. His left foot was his strongest, yet to me his left foot was like Stig Bjornebye’s right foot. In other words, totally useless. Babb would play a pass or maybe try a shot with his left foot, and it would just look like a player using his weaker foot. I’m not sure what his right foot was actually like, as I never saw him use it. When Gerard Houllier took over, there was no way Babb was ever going to survive at Anfield. Houllier was not slow to let players know if they were no longer needed, and the likes of McAteer, Harkness, James and Ince all moved on. Babb however, chose to sit on his arse picking up wages for doing nothing. Say what you like about Paul Ince (and I usually do), but at least he had enough professional pride to find himself another club when he was told he was not needed at Anfield. Not Babb though, oh no. He was quite content to see out his contract, even though he was not even considered for the reserves such was his abysmal attitude. Tranmere took him on loan, but he was so bad that they couldn’t wait to send him back. I remember watching a Tranmere game on TV, and noticing that Babb had actually developed a little pot belly under his baggy shirt. No wonder he never tucked it into his shorts. He must have had a good agent though, as once his Anfield contract had run down and he’d milked the club for every penny he could, Babb somehow he ended up getting a move to Sporting Lisbon. His time there was fairly short lived (no doubt they couldn’t believe how they’d been duped into signing him), and he returned to England with Sunderland. He was crap for them too. Another thing I didn’t like about him, was that he was far too cocky for someone of his ability. He embraced the whole ‘Spice Boy’ thing perhaps more than any of the other players, and was always spotted out on the town. He was on astronomical wages for someone so crap, and it’s galling that one so completely lacking in talent made so much money out of our club. I have a funny story about him come to think of it. He was once sent off in an away game (at Forest I think), and that night my mate saw him out in town. For some reason, my mate decided to go and talk to him (the ten pints he’d had may have had something to do with it!), so he wandered over to Babb (who was stood with other players, Collymore and James possibly if memory serves me correctly), and asked “I heard you got sent off today Phil, what happened?” Babb replied “Well the referee pulled this red card out of his pocket and told me I had to leave the field, so I did”. Now to be fair, that amused me greatly as it made my mate look a bit stupid and it was a funny line, but at the same time I’m thinking ‘cheeky arrogant prick, who are you to be acting cocky when you’re the worst footballer I’ve ever seen in a red shirt?’ If Phil Babb were a tv show, he’d be ‘Last of the Summer Wine’. An absolutely terrible, lame excuse for a comedy, that somehow managed to become known to everybody and land a primetime slot on a Sunday evening. The major difference between Babb and ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ would be that I’ve never laughed at ‘Last of the Summer Wine’. Phil Babb played 170 times for Liverpool Football Club, and that saddens me greatly. A disgrace to his profession, it says a lot about him that he will best be remembered for crushing his bollocks against the post in a failed attempt to stop a goal that he had caused. The only good thing about Phil Babb was the ‘match of the day’ song we had for him, “Babb Babb Babb Babb Babb Babb Babb Babb Babb, Babb Babb Babb Babb Babb Babb” That was class, he was not. He should have been called Phil Bad, or better still, Phil Shit. Dave Usher

The Hungarian was apparently pretty crap, although in fairness I’m not sure how people came to that conclusion as sightings of him at Anfield were only slightly more common than those of the ‘lesser spotted Frank McGarvey’. Istvan made only six league appearances for the reds, which I suppose in itself was testimony to his lack of quality. After all, if he couldn’t get a game in Graeme Souness’ God-awful side, he must have been pretty poor. Souness had been impressed with Kozma’s form in the Scottish league with Dunfermline, where apparently he’d given Rangers a lot of problems whenever he’d faced them. Souness remembered that, and brought the player to Anfield for £300k in February 1992. He made ten appearances in two seasons for the club, but I must admit the only thing I remember about Kozma’s Liverpool career was one glorious 45 minute cameo in the remarkable 4-4 draw with Chesterfield in the League Cup at Anfield. I was 18 years old, and was stood on the Kop with a couple of mates. We’d got in a few hours early, as we used to do back then to ensure we got the spec we wanted. The stadium was half empty that night, and those of us who were there could hardly believe what we witnessed in the first half. David James, Nick Tanner and Mark Wright were appalling, as Liverpool’s defence leaked like the proverbial sieve. Amazingly, the team from two divisions below the reds went into a 3-0 first half lead. It was shaping up to be one of the lowest points in the club’s history, until an unlikely hero arrived on the scene to save the day. Kozma was introduced at half time, and was a revelation as he inspired a second half comeback that eventually saw the reds salvage a 4-4 draw. His trickery and crossing ability made a massive difference to the previously toothless reds, as Liverpool laid siege to the goal at the Kop end. The atmosphere in that second half was great, and it was all inspired by the Hungarian. The Kop were in full voice that night, and it was probably the one and only time as a Liverpool player Kozma heard his name chanted. It was actually my mate who started it, giving it the “IIIISSSSSTTTVVVAAANNNN, IIIISSSSSTTTVVVAAANNNN” (just like “IIIIIIIIGGGGGOOOORRRRRR”) after he’d set up a goal (for Ronny Rosenthal I think). Having excelled in the Scottish League, Chesterfield was probably his level and it was the one and only time he made any impression as a Liverpool player. Not being able to get a game in one of the worst Liverpool sides in living memory says a lot. But never mind Istvan, we’ll always have that wonderous night against Chesterfield….. Altogether now, one for the road: “IIIISSSSSTTTVVVAAANNNN, IIIISSSSSTTTVVVAAANNNN!!!” Dave Usher

Lost in the glory that followed the defeats of Juventus and Chelsea, it’s easy to forget just how special this chilly December night really was. The Reds went into the critical game six of the Champions League group stages coming off two of their best performances of the season – the famous 2-1 victory over Arsenal and the destruction of Aston Villa (the game technically finished 1-1 but we pissed all over them). Needing to win either 1-0 or by a two-goal margin (assuming Monaco would beat group whipping-boys Deportivo) to qualify for the last 16, morale in the camp was helped no end by selfless captain Steven George Gerrard’s latest rousing ‘I wanna win things, me me me’ speech, which conveniently found its way onto the back pages on the morning of the game. But, not for the first time in 2004/05 and certainly not the last, Stevie G's awesome on-field talents ensured the next day’s papers would be full of the right sort of headlines. The outcome was all the more remarkable considering the reds started the second half needing three goals (sound familiar?) leaving Liverpool staring the dreaded UEFA Cup in the face. The reds had made a bright start but fell behind against the run of play when the cheating, snide, but brilliant Rivaldo swept a free kick past an all-too static Chris Kirkland and despite the immediate goalscoring impact of outstanding half-time substitute Florent Sinima-Pongolle, the sides were still level with just ten minutes to go. It seemed like it was going to be a case of so close yet so far after the reds had hit the post, seen two goals harshly ruled out and had a host of decent penalty shouts turned down. But just as Harry Harris was getting ready to file his latest ‘Gerrard to Chelsea’ copy, Neil Mellor, fresh from his match-winning strikes against Arsenal and Middlesbrough, was brought on to replace the clearly unfit Milan Baros. When Mellor stabbed in from close range a couple of minutes later, the stage was set for a frantic finish. As the game wore on the Greeks’ tactics had become increasingly cynical and infuriating and that, combined with the importance of the occasion, riled Anfield into a collective voice as noisy and raucous as it had been in years. Gerrard had been rather lacklustre for the majority of the game, perhaps weighed down with the pressure his earlier comments had placed on himself, and was somewhat fortunate to escape with a yellow card for kicking out in frustration at an opponent early in the second half. But some things seem just meant to be and when Mellor neatly cushioned Carra’s cross into the path of Gerrard the captain fired an unstoppable half-volley past Nikopolidis to send a standing Kop into delirium. A tense last five minutes ensued but Liverpool held on for a famous and absolutely vital victory in a match that, in many ways, signalled a rebirth for the famous old stadium. The voice of Anfield, George Sephton, described the atmosphere as ‘the best in 30 years’ in his post-game announcements - it ended up not even being the best of the season. Walking out of the ground, we were just relieved we had Champions League football to look forward to after Christmas and a bit more money to boot. The best we could hope for was to avoid the big guns in the draw for the last 16 before bowing out in the quarters, but there was no chance we could actually go all the way and win it, right? Season: 2004/05 Opposition: Olympiakos Result: 3-1 Scorer(s): Sinama-Pongolle, Mellor, Gerrard Venue: Anfield

Well this is a magic moment that is truly up there with any other experienced by any Liverpool fan of any generation anywhere in the world. The way that all reds felt inside Anfield on that night could only (and was only) be eclipsed by the ultimate achievement in the game, going on to win the European Cup. As a Liverpool fan of 20 years I have to admit to missing out on the majority of our successes, when we last lifted the most beautiful of trophies I was three years old, and when we last won the title I was only 9, so for me the successes in 2001 were as good as it has ever been I suppose. However, this was to change. I had been present at the conquering of Juventus a month earlier and swore that I would never enjoy an atmosphere and a victory as much inside Anfield ever. I was certain. I was convinced. I was wrong. The way we had played in that game against Italy's old lady was simply phenomenal, and the goal from Luis Garcia made me feel physically sick with a mixture of delight and disbelief, but as a package this game was soon put into distant memory. Managing to scrape a ticket on the Kop for the semi final of the European Cup against a team I have learnt to hate so much was the perfect start, risking the sack from my shitty call centre job for pulling yet another 'midweek, champions league sicky' was just a no brainer. Inside Anfield the atmosphere warmed up and was as hostile and supportive as possibly imaginable. I knew this was going to be special but this was far, far beyond what I could have imagined, and the game had yet to begin. Optimism was swelling inside of me, blind confidence perhaps, but it was soon given good reason. Only 4 minutes had gone when a wonderful chipped ball by Steven Gerrard sent Baros running through towards the Kop goal and an onrushing Petr Cech. As the two moved closer it was obvious that Baros would get there first and as he did the keeper felled him unceremoniously. As the whole of Anfield screamed penalty, in rushed Little Luis Garcia to collect the ball and hook it goalward. Now, whether the ball crossed the line may still be debated in years to come, whether I cared will not. As Garcia wheeled away in delight, with as yet no signal from the referee as to whether the goal stood, I was certain as was everyone around me. GOAL. My growing hatred of everything Chelsea has not come from out of the blue, and one of the moments in the long list of wrongs came only a few months ago in Cardiff, where an early lead had forced us to defend for 90+ minutes and the resistance was eventually breached. I hoped that this would not be the same. The Anfield crowd grew louder although that seemed impossible. The Chelsea players seemed far less comfortable now than they had promised, yet again the 12th man was present and battered the confidence of the newly crowned Premiership Champions. We had chances, but nothing of real note and Chelsea again bombarded us with all of their expensive might, yet nothing that they threw at us could not be thwarted by the excellent defensive line. Finnan, Sami, Djimi and of course Carra were all phenomenal, and when the 'Special One' realised that belting high balls up to Drogba alone wasn't working, he threw on Robert Huth to help out. Still the efforts of the Chelsea players were futile. An incredible 6 minutes of injury time were almost up when a long high ball up to the new option of John Terry was nodded down and fell to Eidur Gudjohnsen on the angle of the six yard box, with players on the line, time stood still as he struck the ball goalward, only for the whole crowd to breath one enormous collective sigh of relief as it whistled past the far post. Liverpool and Chelsea players fell to the floor as the realisation that we had almost gone out and they had almost progressed passed through their minds. Only a matter of seconds later, a sharp whistle from the referee signalled the start of the celebrations and cemented this as one of those memorable games, a magic moment, to live long in the illustrious history of our great club alongside games such as St. Ettienne in 1977 and definitely in my lifetime, the greatest moment that Anfield has witnessed. Season: 2004/05 Opposition: Chelsea Result: 1-0 Scorer(s): Luis Garcia Venue: Arsenal

Liverpool clinched their first title under Bill Shankly with a crushing victory over Arsenal, but there was no sign of the championship trophy at the end of the game. With just two points being needed from the last four games it was a case of when not if we'd be confirmed champions. But this was the last home game of the season and both players and fans were desperate to secure the championship. On a gloriously sunny afternoon, there was an early scare when Arsenal were awarded a penalty, but Tommy Lawrence was on hand to save George Eastham's kick. We were relentless after that, scoring five goals in an hour through St John, Thompson (2), Arrowsmith and Hunt. BBC cameras were on hand to record the action, as well as the Kop who were being filmed for a documentary. It was the year that the Merseysound took over the world and the Kop regularly sang pop songs, especially You'll Never Walk Alone. After the game the players did a lap of honour with a cardboard replica of the trophy. The reason the real trophy wasn't present is that it was still under lock and key at Goodison, home of the deposed champions. Their explanation was that the season hadn't ended yet. Season: 1963/64 Opposition: Arsenal Result: 5-0 Scorer(s): Thompson (2), Hunt, St John, Arrowsmith Venue: Anfield

In a nailbiting winner takes all battle at Molineux, Liverpool won 2-1 to go top of the league in our final game. However we had an agonising fortnight's wait to find out if we would be crowned league champions. Going into the game Wolves needed just a point to take the title. But they wilted in searing 90 degree heat and goals from Jack Balmer and Albert Stubbins put us 2-0 up at half time. After the break Jimmy Dunn got one back for the home side but we held on for a famous victory, made all the more remarkable as key players Billy Liddell, Bob Paisley and Phil Taylor were all missing. The win meant we leapfrogged Wolves at the top of the table but despite the league championship trophy being in the ground we couldn't be presented with it. A severe winter had meant there was a huge fixture backlog and Stoke could overhaul us if they won their last game, which was scheduled for 14th June. On that day we met Everton in the Liverpool Senior Cup Final at Anfield and 40,000 turned out to see us stroll to a 2-1 victory. But the real final was taking place elsewhere and when it was announced that Stoke had lost 2-1 to Sheffield United the crowd invaded the pitch to salute the first Post-War champions. Season: 1949/50 Opposition: Wolverhampton Wanderers Result: 1-2 Scorer(s): Jack Balmer, Albert Stubbins Venue: Molyneux