TLW

ZAK WHITBREAD 2004-06 by Dave Usher Date of Birth - 04/03/84 Nationality - English/American Position - Defender Cost - Nothing Games - 7 Goals - 0 Club Hons (Lpool) - None Club Hons (Other) - None Intnl Hons - USA U23 Other Clubs - Millwall, Norwich City In his final year at the club's Academy, American born Zak captained the u19's and broke into the reserve side, but when the club announced which players were to be retained, his name was not on the original list. Along with several of his u19 team-mates, Zak went on the Academy exit trials, where he made a big impression. So much so, that over twenty clubs came in for him, prompting Liverpool into a rethink. A two year contract was offered to the tall blonde haired defender, and in the summer of 2003 Whitbread represented the country of his birth in the World Youth Championships, and he came back looking much more confident. In 2003/04 Zak was one of the reserve team's most consistent players, and when Rafa Benitez took charge the following summer, he named Zak in his squad to tour North America. The defender made a favourable impression on the new boss, and was rewarded with his first team debut in the Carling Cup tie away at Millwall. Whitbread was excellent that night, and kept his place in the Carling Cup team for the games with Middlesborough and Tottenham. When it became clear his first team opportunities at Anfield would be limited, Millwall came in for him on loan and he made such an impression at the New Den that they made the deal permanent in the summer of 2006. In January 2010 Zak signed for Norwich City.

STEPHEN WARNOCK 2004-07 by Dave Usher Date of Birth - 12/12/81 Nationality - English Position - Defender/Midfielder Cost - Nothing Games - 67 Goals - 1 Club Hons (Lpool) - 2005 Champions League Club Hons (Other) - None Intnl Hons - England Caps Other Clubs - Bradford (loan), Coventry (loan), Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa Had it not been for an unbelievably cruel run of serious injuries, Stevie Warnock would surely have been well established in the first team squad before he was even out of his teens, such was the promise he showed in his formative years at the Academy. An England schoolboy international, and a member of the reds u18 side when he was just 15, Stephen broke his leg at the start of the 1999/00 season. That sidelined him for most of the campaign, and then just two games into his comeback, he broke it again. That ruled him out for the rest of the season, and just when he was ready to re-establish himself at the start of the 00/01 season, he broke his other leg during a pre-season game! Thankfully it wasn't that serious this time, and only sidelined him until October. He returned to under 19 action and looked as if he'd never been away, turning in a series of outstanding performances and forcing his way into the reserve side. He was excellent for the reserves too, excelling in a variety of positions including left back, left midfield and centre midfield. He's an abrasive character, and likes to get stuck in, which considering the terrible injury problems he's had shows commendable courage. The 2001/02 season saw Warnock emerge as the reserves most consistent performer after an injury to Gregory Vignal gave him an extended run in the side at left back. Such was his impressive form, he was rewarded that summer with a new two year contract. The following season was frustrating for Warnock, who couldn't force his way into the senior set up. He impressed on loan at Bradford, and other first division clubs were keen to take him on loan also. Gerard Houllier told him there was no point in him going back out on loan, as he'd already proved he could hack it in Division One, and that he was needed at Liverpool. Gregory Vignal was sent out on loan to help clear Warnock's path to the first team, but as the side began to struggle Houllier wouldn't take a chance on throwing in the untested Academy graduate. Warnock was left kicking his heels in the reserves whilst Bruno Cheyrou and Djimi Traore embarassed themselves in the first team, until eventually Warnock's season was ended by injury. The following season saw him sent to Coventry, literally as well as figuratively. A one year loan deal at Highfield Road saw Warnock really establish himself as a professional, although no-one from Liverpool kept in contact with him while he was there. Sky Blues fans voted him their player of the season, and he attracted interest from several division One clubs, as well as a Premiership club based in the North West. Liverpool offered him a new contract, but the player was undecided about what he should do, despite the fact he's a lifelong red. Under Houllier it seemed unlikely he'd get a chance, but when the Frenchman was dismissed Stephen signed the contract, even before Rafa Benitez was appointed. The new boss took an instant shine to Warnock, and involved him straight away in the pre-season games. Stephen made his league debut as a substitute at Spurs, and went on to impress both at full back and left midfield that season. An outstanding performance away at Leverkusen in the Champions League looked to have secured a lengthy run at left back for Stephen, but he picked up an injury in the Merseyside Derby game at Anfield a few days later, and struggled to regain his place. It would prove a familiar tale, as every time he looked like putting a run together, he;d pick up a knock and find himself struggling to establish himself once more when he returned to the side. His frustration at a lack of regular first team football eventually got the better of him, and he moved to Blackburn Rovers in January 2007. Playing regular football saw Warnock's game progress to the point where he was called up by England and eventually signed by Aston Villa.

DJIMI TRAORE 1999-2006 by Dave Usher Date of Birth - 01/03/80 Nationality - French/Mali Position - Defender Cost - £500,000 Games - 141 Goals - 1 Club Hons (Lpool) - 2005 Champions League Club Hons (Other) - None Intnl Hons - France U21, Mali Caps Other Clubs - Laval, Lens (loan), Charlton, Portsmouth, Rennes, Birmingham (loan), Monaco When Gerard Houllier signed the unknown Traore from small time French club Laval, he claimed that in years to come, Liverpool fans would thank him for bringing the talented youngster to the club. Yet despite showing a lot of promise, Traore took a long time to justify his manager's boast, and has yet to fully win over the Liverpool crowd, although his performances in 2004/05 improved his reputation no end. Djimi was exceptionally quick, good in the air, and was regarded as a massive prospect when he arrived in L4. The reds beat of competition from Inter Milan, PSG, Marseille and Barcelona amongst others to secure his services, and several clubs have since tried to tempt the reds in to parting with him. Most of his early appearances for the club came at left back, and he had some difficulty adjusting to that role. His first run in the side came at full back during the treble season, and he struggled badly at times, most notably at Highbury and in Athens against Olympiakos. A persistent hamstring injury meant that he missed large chunks of that season, and he slipped down the pecking order as Houllier brought in Christian Ziege and Gregory Vignal, as well as switching Jamie Carragher to the left full back spot. Fulham and Blackburn were both keen to recruit him, but rather than sell the talented youngster, Gerard opted to let him join French club RC Lens - managed by former reds' coach Patrice Bergues - on loan for the 2001-02 season. On his return to Anfield, Djimi revealed that he wished he had joined Blackburn instead of staying with the reds, and it appeared his days at the club were numbered. However, a series of impressive pre-season performances forced Houllier into a rethink, and Traore featured regularly the following season, mainly in the centre due to continuing injury problems for Stephane Henchoz. His first goal for the reds came in the 2003/04 season when he produced a stunning curling right foot shot from 20 yards in Bucharest in a UEFA Cup tie, but it was a rare highlight in a season in which Traore once again failed to hold down a regular place in the side. The arrival of Rafa Benitez looked to signal the end for Traore, as the Spanish boss ruthlessly disposed of most of the French dead wood that his predecessor had left behind. West Brom showed a strong interest, and Everton actually agreed a deal to take Traore across the park to Goodison, but Benitez felt he hadn't seen enough of the player to sanction a deal, and put the blocks on it. Traore proved to be a revelation, turning in a series of solid displays at left back, most notably against Deportivo La Coruna in the Champions League. The mistakes that had become something of a Traore trademark appeared to have been eradicated, and even players like Damien Duff and Arjen Robben struggled to get the better of the gangly Frenchman. However, a comical own goal which resulted in the reds being dumped out of the FA Cup by Burnley brought back all the old question marks about Traore. In the past a mistake such as that would have seen Traore become a nervous wreck and he'd have slipped out of the spotlight back into the reserves. The player was more mature now however, and he put the own goal horror behind him to play a significant role in the reds Champions League success. The following season he reverted to being a bit part player again, and in the summer of 2006 he joined Charlton Athletic. The Addicks struggled desperately, and Traore failed to settle and was sold to Portsmouth just six months after arriving at the Valley. He was soon on the move again, returning to his homeland to join Rennes. A loan move to Birmingham saw Traore back on English shores, before he returned back to France to join Monaco.

FLORENT SINAMA-PONGOLLE 2003-07 by Dave Usher Date of Birth - 20/10/84 Nationality - French Games - 66 Goals - 9 Position - Striker Cost - £3.5m Club Hons (Lpool) - Champions League 2005; Club Hons (other - None Intnl Hons - France u21 Other Clubs - Le Havre, Blackburn (loan), Recreativo, Sporting Lisbon, Atletico Madrid When Florent arrived on Merseyside in the summer of 2003, expectations were very high. Liverpool fans had heard a lot about the young striker and his best pal Anthony Le Tallec, all of it very good. Liverpool had done a deal for the pair two years earlier, when Gerard Houllier stole a march on a whole host of top clubs to secure their signatures after the pair had helped France to win the World U16 championships. Le Tallec was awarded the Silver Ball for being the tournaments most impressive player, whilst Sinama-Pongolel picked up the Golden Boot for finishing as the top goalscorer. Every major club in Europe were sniffing around the pair, but it was Houllier who got in first and persuaded them to join the reds. It was seen as a major coup. It would be two years however before Flo and Tony would finally line up in a red shirt when they went on the club's pre-season tour of the Far East. Their first appearance on British shores came in a pre-season game at Crewe, when both appeared as substitutes. It was Le Tallec who first caught the eye, but as the season progressed it was Flo who made the greater impact on the first team, as injuries to Baros and Owen handed him an opportunity to show what he could do. His first goal came in a win over Leeds at Anfield, when his pace took him through and he finished emphatically past Paul Robinson. He proved to be a real handful for opposing defences, and was involved in several penalty incidents, some given and others not. He won spot kicks against Fulham and Birmingham, and was denied strong appeals against Manchester United and Middlesbrough. His opportunities were restricted as with Baros' return to full fitness, but Flo had made a big impression with the Kop and his all action style won him a lot of admirers. He failed to build on that early promise however, and the arrival of Rafa Benitez meant that he had it all to prove. Houllier had bought him, and knew what he could do. Benitez only knew of him through reputation. With Owen and Heskey both leaving for pastures new, the door opened a little more for Sinama, especially when his new pal Djibril Cisse suffered a broken leg which ruled him out for the season. The little Frenchman seemed to be low on confidence, and struggled for goals even at reserve level. Then came the Carling Cup tie at White Hart Lane. The reds, trailing to a Defoe goal in extra time, were awarded a penalty. Sinama stepped up and held his nerve to beat Paul Robinson. The game went to a shoot out, and he repeated the feat to hit the winning kick and give the reds' young side an unlikely victory. That gave his confidence a huge boost, and when he stepped off the bench at half time with the reds trailing to Olympiacos in a must win Champions League game at Anfield, he wasted no time in making his mark, scoring with his first touch. His display in that game, along with that of fellow substitute Neil Mellor, was the catalyst for a comeback which will be talked about for many years to come. That goal ensured that Flo has his own little place in the history of the club, and whatever else he does or doesn't do in his career he will always be remebered for the part he played on that memorable night. He continued to be a bit part player the following season, although as he had done the previous eason, he made a key contribution to a cup success with a match winning substitute appearance in a game that looked lost. The reds were 3-1 down to Luton Town in the FA Cup 3rd round, but Pongolle scored twice to inspire a comeback, and although he would not be a part of the final stages of the competition, the FA Cup would not have been won without Florent Sinama-Pongolle. He was struggling to get many games at Anfield, and was sent out on loan to Blackburn Rovers, where he had limited success playing alongside Craig Bellamy. He blotted his copybook somewhat with some curious comments about most people in the City of Liverpool being Evertonians, and at the end of the 2005/06 season it was his strike partner at Blackburn, Bellamy, that Rafa Benitez wanted at Anfield, not the young Frenchman. So despite interest from Gerard Houllier's Lyon, Sinama-Pongolle was sent on a season long loan to Recreativo in Spain. He made a good impression in La Liga, most notably when he scored at the Bernebeu as the Spanish minnows toppled the mighty Real Madrid in their own back yard. He made the move permanent in the summer of 2007, joining Recre for a fee of £2.6m. He impressed so much in La Liga he was quickly snapped up by Sporting Lisbon, before eventually returning to Spain with Atletico Madrid.

DAVID RAVEN 2004-06 Date of Birth - 10/03/85 Nationality - English Games - 4 Goals - 0 Position - Defender Cost - Club Hons (Lpool) - None Club Hons (other - None Intnl Hons - England u20 Other Clubs - Tranmere (loan), Carlisle United, Shrewsbury Town A captain of his country right through from schoolboys to under 20s, Wirral lad David Raven was seen as an outstanding prospect. Good in the air, strong in the tackle and a good footballer as well, he was a regular with the under 17 side when he was just 15, and remarkably he even appeared for the under 19's despite being four years younger than most of the other players at that level. He made the step up to reserve level with no trouble at all, and continued to captain his country through various age groups up to u20. His favoured position was in the heart of defence, where he used his reading of the game to good effect, but a lack of height saw him converted to a full back by Rafa Benitez. He was handed his first team debut in the Carling Cup win at Spurs, and he produced a man of the match display that night, the highlight being a wonderful last ditch saving tackle to deny Jermaine Defoe as the reds triumphed on penalties. He was then handed a start in the FA Cup defeat at Burnley, and his Premiership debut came as a substitute at St Mary's in the defeat to Southampton. Steve Finnan's consistent form limited Raven's opportunities, and the arrival of Dutch international Jan Kromkamp pushed him further down the pecking order. Reserve football was no good for his progression, so he was allowed to join Tranmere on loan, and in the summer of 2006 he joined Carlisle United for an undisclosed fee. In the summer of 2010 Raven moved on to Shrewsbury Town before returning to Tranmere a year later. After one season at Prenton Park he moved up north to sign for Terry Butcher's Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Premier League.

DARREN POTTER 2004-07 by Dave Usher Date of Birth - 21/12/84 Nationality - Irish Position - Midfield Cost - Nothing Games - 17 Goals - 0 Club Hons (Lpool) - 2005 Champions League Club Hons (Other) - None Intnl Hons - Ireland Youth, U21 Caps Other Clubs - Southampton (loan), Wolves, Sheffield Wednesday A tall, elegant midfield player with a lot of ability on the ball, Kirkdale lad Darren went to Alsop High School, where the young Gerard Houllier once taught French all those years ago He has Irish roots though, and represented Ireland at youth and U21 level. A former captain of the Liverpool Schools side, he was released by Everton as a 15 year old. Their loss proved to be Liverpool's gain, as Potter made the reds first team before being sold on to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Potter was promoted a year early from the u17's to u19 level and made the step up without any problems. He became a regular in the reserve team shortly after, and was promoted to train at Melwood with the first team at the start of the 2003/04 season. He had an excellent year for the reserves playing either on the right of midfield or in the centre, and immediately caught the eye of new boss Rafa Benitez, who handed him his senior debut in the CL qualifier in Graz. Darren was given further run outs in the Carling Cup, where he played a significant part in the victories over Millwall, Boro and Spurs. With so many international midfielders ahead of him in the pecking order, it was always going to be tough for Darren to make the first team on a regular basis, and he was sent out on loan to Southampton and Wolves before signing permanently for the Midlanders in January 2007. He spent three years in the Black Country before moving to Sheffield Wednesday, where he was re-united with his former Academy team-mates Jon Otsemobor and Neil Mellor.

CHRIS KIRKLAND 2001-06Date of Birth - 2/5/81 Nationality - English Position - Goalkeeper Games - 45 Goals - 0 Club Hons (Lpool) - None Intnl Hons - England U21 Other Clubs - Coventry, West Brom (loan), Wigan, Doncaster, Sheffield Wednesday

LIVERPOOL 0 Tottenham Hotspur 2 Report by Dave Usher at Anfield Scorer(s) – Half Time - 0-1 Venue - Anfield Date - Sun 15 May 2011 Star Man – John Flanagan Hang on, this wasn't in the script. The final home game of the season isn't supposed to go like this. It's meant to be hot and sunny, not freezing and pissing down, and we're certainly not supposed to lose. Of course we have done (last season being the most recent example), but given the run we've been on and the boost of the King getting his new contract, I'd guess very few people saw this coming. I certainly didn't. It was very disappointing, but having had a bit of time to reflect I'm not too upset about it. In fact, would it be wrong to say I'm actually thinking it could be a good thing in the long run? Don't get me wrong, I was desperate for us to win this game. Not because of the Europa League place that was at stake, I just wanted us to win and continue the great form we've been showing. I wanted the feelgood vibe to carry on into another week and for the King to mark his coronation with another big win. Clinching that spot in the Europa was more like the price we'd have to pay for it rather than the prize at the end of it. I understand the view that we need to be in Europe, both for financial reasons and because the Europa is still a trophy worth winning and let's face it, beggars can't be choosers. I'm not turning my nose up at the Europa League, and I desperately wanted us to win it this season. Having said that, I hated playing on Thursday nights, I hated being on Channel Five, I hated seeing Milan Jovanovic and David Ngog in tandem and most importantly I hated the fact that we're nearly always crap in the league games after we've played in Europe. If not having to play so many midweek games means we are sharper for our domestic games (and the evidence of this season certainly suggests that is the case), then that's a price I'm more than willing to pay. There's also the pre-season aspect of it. Having to qualify for the Europa last summer did us no favours in terms of getting ready for the pre-season. If Kenny doesn't have to deal with that and only has to worry about getting the lads ready for the opening day, that will surely benefit us. I really wish we'd beaten Spurs, but I do wonder if next season we'll look back at this defeat and think it was, to quote Gerard Houllier back in the day, a "blessing in disguise". I don't mind the defeat so much, I just wish we'd played a bit better. Ideally we'd have peppered the Spurs goal, hit the woodwork a few times and lost to a late sucker punch. Instead we laboured for much of the game and didn't really trouble Cudicini at all. 'Reality check' is the expression I keep hearing. I'd agree with that. The exhilerating football of recent weeks was rarely in evidence, but Spurs have to be given a lot of credit for that as their centre backs were outstanding and Luca Modric was the best player on the park. And yet we only lost this game to a deflection and a scandalous penalty. It's not like Spurs outplayed us. There wasn't much between the sides, but they got the breaks and we didn't. It shows us that we still have some work to do to get back into the top four and then hopefully higher. We also have to work out how to incorporate Andy Carroll into the side whilst maintaining the great pass and move, high tempo football we've been playing of late. It's not going to happen overnight, certainly not when he's missed so many training sessions with his team-mates since he arrived. I didn't think Carroll had a bad game, he was pretty good with his touches and layoffs, and we didn't fall into the trap of hitting it long to him either. Not that there'd have been any point in doing that, as Dawson and King were dealing with that kind of thing with ease, but still, you have to wonder whether his presence had a detrimental effect on the way the team played. Personally I'd say it did, and that's not a reflection on Carroll. It's gonna take some time to bed him into the team though, because we aren't set up to get the best out of him and he isn't ideally suited to play in the style we've been playing of late. One of the main reasons we've done so well recently is the partnership of Kuyt and Suarez, and more specifically the constant movement of the pair with and without the ball. They never stop, and that has set the tempo for everything else we've been doing. Kuyt has been brilliant up front, but with Carroll back in the side Dirk had to revert to the right flank. He was alright, but the balance of the side wasn't as good as it has been and without natural wingers it isn't set up to get Carroll the service he needs. It was as though we were caught between two styles. We didn't have the striker to play the kind of game we've been playing, and we didn't have the widemen to play the game the striker needs. New signings will help with the latter, and work on the training ground will hopefully fix the former. We missed Meireles too I thought. He's not been pulling up any trees of late, but the team has been playing well and he's played his part. Lucas and Spearing have bossed everyone they've faced since Kenny paired them together, but not this time. Modric seemed to have a lot of time and space in midfield, not because he wasn't being picked up, but just because neither Lucas nor Jay could get close enough to him as he played so well and perhaps because we didn't have Raul tucking infield and helping? Modric is a really good player, a lot of clubs will be thinking they should have snapped him up when Spurs took a chance on him. Was he signed by Comolli? If so, hopefully he has a few more like him in his little black book for this summer. We started and finished the game badly, but in between wasn't that bad on the whole. I certainly don't think we were outplayed, but then Spurs can say the same. I don't remember Cudicini or Reina having to make any real saves, which is surprising given the calibre of some of the attacking players on the field. Van Der Vaart scored early on with a shot that looped off Johnson and over Reina. Without the deflection I doubt he's beating Pepe from there, but shit happens. I didn't like his celebration though, giving it loads in front of the Kop. Classless. Defenders dominated this game. Carragher and Skrtel were largely untroubled by Crouch, Van Der Vaart and later Defoe, Johnson dealt with the pace of Lennon very well and I thought Flanagan was our best player on the day. For Spurs, Dawson and the remarkable Ledley King shackled Suarez as well as anybody has, and Luis was fortunate not to be sent off early in the first half. I don't think the little flick of his boot deserved a red card, but if you do something like that right in front of someone like Howard Webb, you really are playing with fire. Suarez had been taken out a minute or so earlier and didn't get the free-kick. He was hot under the collar about it, and when Dawson hit the floor and stayed there after what looked like minimal contact, Luis saw red and gave him a little kick and gestured to him to get up. I'm surprised Webb didn't send him off, as he doesn't usually need any encouragement. For the next ten minutes or so, Suarez kept going to ground wanting free-kicks. Webb was having none of it, and I'm sure Kenny will have had to have a word at half time as there was a danger Suarez would push his luck too much. He didn't do it at all after the break, but we didn't get him enough of the ball either and he wasn't really much of a factor in the second half. I felt we'd done ok after falling behind, it took us a little while to settle but when we did we looked as though we definitely had a goal in us. Spearing dragged a shot wide when well placed following a nice passing move, Kuyt had a reasonable penalty shout turned down when Rose pulled him to the floor ('reasonable' as in if it had been any ref other than Webb we may have had a chance of getting it) and there were other good situations that we didn't capitalise on. Suarez curled a free-kick just wide after a mazy run by Carroll had been halted by a lunge from Sandro, but probably the best opportunity was when Carroll put a header horribly over the bar after some brilliant work by Skrtel. I wasn't worried at half time, but I did think the next goal would be the key as we couldn't afford to go 2-0 down the way Spurs were defending. Unfortunately that's exactly what happened. The penalty was a joke. From my seat in the Main Stand I was looking at it from a similar angle to Webb, and it was clear that Flanagan did not move towards the player, they both went towards the ball and went shoulder to shoulder. Both braced themselves for impact and both bounced off eachother and fell to the floor. That was how I saw it, and having since watched the replays of it, it's an even worse decision than I originally thought as if anything Pienaar ran into Flanagan. Both ran towards the ball, but the Spurs player also angled his run slightly towards 'Flano' to try and ease him off it. You can even make a case that it was outside the box, but I don't even care about that as it's irrelevant given that it wasn't a foul in the first place. Scandalous decision given the great view he had of it. He's just a complete twat is Howard Webb. People often ask where he got his reputation from as 'the country's best referee'. He got it because Ferguson said it a few years ago. Then Webb made the mistake of giving a decision against United (in a game against Arsenal if I remember correctly) and Ferguson publicly tore a strip off him. Webb never made that mistake again. It's easy for people to say he's got it in for us, and certainly I don't ever want him near any game we have against the mancs, but I don't think this is a personal issue with LFC. I just think he's fucking shit and incredibly arrogant and smug. He isn't the best referee in the country, not even close. There is no 'best' referee in the country, it's simply a case of who is the least shit, and Webb isn't anywhere near the top of that list. Spurs made the most of their gift, Modric drilling the penalty straight down the middle as Reina dived to his right, and Spurs now had one foot in the Europa League. Remember when Pepe used to be ace at saving pens? I miss those days, they seem like such a long time ago now. He may as well come and sit next to me in the Main Stand these days and hope they put it wide or over, as he sure as hell ain't saving any. Can we get his old keeper coach Xavi Valero back? Just a thought. Chants of "You Manc bastard" "Fergie's Rent Boy" and "You're just a South Yorkshire Bastard" rang around Anfield as the game just petered out into a comfortable Spurs victory. We had some shots from distance, most notably an effort from substitute Shelvey that flashed just wide, but we didn't really put Spurs under any sustained pressure. Spearing had made way for Shelvey, but it could just as easily have been Lucas as neither hit the heights they have been scaling recently. It probably shouldn't have been either of them really, as taking Carroll off would have made more sense and allowed us to revert back to the system we've been using so successfully of late. Ngog also came on, but he was never going to do anything except give us all a reminder that we need to sign a new back up striker as he isn't anywhere near good enough and never will be. For me he's the living embodiment of the team's mediocrity of the last couple of years. The longer the game went, the less we looked like scoring. We ran out of ideas, and often resorted to looking to hit Carroll with diagonal balls to the back of the box. It was incredibly frustrating, and then we had a streaker run on the field. Am I the only one who doesn't find streakers the least bit funny (especially when we're losing!)? Actually don't answer that, I know I'm not the only one because I saw the reaction of some of our players, most notably Skrtel who I thought was going to beat him to a pulp. Shame he didn't. Was this Kenny's first home defeat? I can't think of any others and can't be arsed looking it up, so I'm assuming it was. It shouldn't really be seen as a big shock, as Spurs have some good players and can beat anyone on their day. But going into this game I was convinced we'd beat them comfortably, and so was everybody else I spoke to. This great run we've been on recently has gotten us a little carried away I'd say. Kenny has done such a great job that some of us were actually starting to think we were virtually invincible! Clearly we aren't, but it's great to be in a position again where when we lose it's a shock to the system as opposed to confirmation of something we were expecting. It's hard to see Spurs not beating Birmingham next week, but I don't really care what happens at White Hart Lane as if we don't get into the Europa I think we'll benefit from it in the long run. I just want us to end the season with a win at Villa, and if Spurs do stumble and we do end up in Europe, then there's positives in that too I guess. I just want us to beat Villa and end with a win, and then whatever will be will be. Star man was Flanagan, who was robbed with the penalty and who put in a very assured display in defence and attack. The rest of the defence played well too, and I didn't think anyone played badly individually. We just didn't play well collectively, but hopefully we can bounce back next week and end on a high. Then the real work will start this summer. Final word on the mancs who went to so much trouble to get tickets and get a banner on display at the Anny Road end. Yes they are obsessed, yes they're a bit sad, but fair play if we'd done something like that at Old Trafford I'd have laughed. So they can have this one, and Rooney can perform to the galleries like the shaved chimp that he is. We'll be back next season stronger than before, and let's see who's the first to reach 20 eh? Team: Reina; Flanagan, Carragher, Skrtel, Johnson; Kuyt, Spearing (Shelvey), Lucas, Maxi (Ngog); Suarez, Carroll (Cole):

ANDRE WISDOM PROFILE by Dave Usher Date of Birth - 09/05/93 Nationality - English Position - Defence / Midfield Squad Number - 47 Cost - Undisclosed Club Hons (Lpool) - Intnl Hons - England U19 Other Clubs - Bradford City A powerful and versatile player who joined the reds from Bradford City in 2008 after being recruited by Malcolm Elias, who was in charge of recruitment at the Academy at that time. Although a centre back by trade, Andre has excelled in several other positions including right back, centre midfield and even as a right winger. Andre was regularly selected for the u18s even when he was just 15 years of age, and was a part of the side that reached the FA Youth Cup final in 2009. It wasn't long before he was promoted to the reserve set up, and he was named as skipper of the second string for the 2010/11 season. His first involvement with the senior squad came when he was an unused substitute in the League Cup defeat to Northampton, and he also made the substitutes bench for the final Premier League game of the 2010/11 season at Villa Park. Andre is a key player for his country too, having won the Victory Shield with England in 2008, and then starring as the young lions lifted the European U17 title in the summer of 2010. Andre scored at both ends in the final against Spain, and he went on to then skipper his country at u19 level.

KRISZTIAN ADORJAN PROFILE by Dave Usher Date of Birth - 19/01/93 Nationality - Hungarian Position - Attacking Midfield Squad Number - Cost - Undisclosed Club Hons (Lpool) - Intnl Hons - Hungary Youth Other Clubs - MTK Hungaria Krisztian is a talented playmaker who has made great strides since joining the Academy as a 16 year old in the summer of 2009 from MTK Hungaria. Initially he found it difficult to impose himself in the u18 side, playing some games as a striker and some in a withdrawn role. As the season progressed he became more comfortable and scored some excellent goals. His second season was a breakout year for him, as he established himself as one of the key components in Rodolfo's Borrell's exciting team. With the likes of Sterling and Silva on the flanks, and either Ngoo or Morgan up front, Adorjan became the player who linked it all together. Towards the end of the 2010/11 season he was given an opportunity in the reserves and he was a regular in Rodolfo Borrell's side in 2011-12. He was called up to join the first team for the trip to North America in the summer of 2012 and featured in pre-season friendlies against Toronto and Roma. Video Clips of Krisztian Adorjan in action 6eHh4iH6Uus HX8EGo-nK_E

LIVERPOOL 3 Newcastle 0 Report by Paul Natton at Anfield Scorer(s) – Maxi Rodriguez, Dirk Kuyt (pen), Luis SuarezHalf Time - 1-0 Venue - Anfield Date - Sun 2 May 2011 Star Man – Dirk Kuyt Before it kicked off, the obvious hook on which to hang the report of a match between these two sides was the six foot six sized one with the pony tail who had switched the Tyne for the Mersey a mere three months previously for a British record sum. However, despite the embarrassingly small-time intentions of the away support to pin some of the blame for their loss on the latest incumbent of the Liverpool number nine shirt, this match provided yet more evidence of whom the real story is about at Anfield these days: Kenny Dalglish. In no way was this a vintage display from the Reds and to a certain degree the score line flattered us a little for, whilst a clean sheet was the least we could expect against opponents who managed a mere two shots, neither of which were on target, three goals was probably more than our attacking play deserved. That said, it was yet another match where the performance of almost every player bore the hand of Kenny Dalglish in the degree of improvement on show from those of the last two years. Clearly Newcastle are limited in both attack and defence and they had little to play for here. However, their midfield remains relatively potent and certainly has bite and this was the kind of match that would have produced a limp and toothless display from Liverpool before Kenny’s role in the fundamental re-energising of the club had begun. The game began with few surprises as Carroll was on the bench and the team was unchanged, bar the unexpected return of Glen Johnson (tellingly for our recruitment intentions this summer?) at left back instead of Jack Robinson. The opening ten minutes saw little action of note until Maxi’s deflected goal put us one up. The move was actually an effective microcosm of the Dalglish effect as we played it from back to front and left to right with a flowing series of passes before Flanagan whipped in a good cross to Suarez who was beaten to the ball but saw it fall to Maxi who struck it in off a Newcastle body, wrong-footing the keeper in the process; one-nil Liverpool. The match then progressed in similar fashion until about the twenty/twenty-five minute mark from whence our game began to lose a bit of impetus and we ceded more of the ball to Newcastle whose sole tactic appeared to be to win as many set pieces as possible in the final third of the pitch in order to exploit Barton’s delivery. Gutiérrez was their biggest threat, clearly under instruction to target Flanagan, a largely unproductive endeavour until the youngster received – in the context of the fouls Tiote was getting away with - a somewhat harsh yellow card. The Argentine’s threat was muted though by his willingness to settle for winning free kicks rather than push goal-ward with genuine menace and, as Barton’s usually precise delivery all but eluded him throughout the entire match, it was a pointless exercise. The rest of the half continued in a similar fashion with a diminished tempo and the only cause for response from the crowd was the ridiculous chanting from the Newcastle fans in the away end. From The Kop, their chants of “One Greedy Bastard” and the waving of bank notes were noticeable and treated with the contempt they deserved, despite the fact that the Geordies had selected the wrong target for their ire, as Mike Ashley continues to deny them the ownership a support of their size (if not class) deserves. My derision plunged new depths when re-watching the match at home later though. What sort of fan spends hard earned cash in this day and age sullying their own shirt with the sort of nonsense that idiot was intent on displaying to the world? Ca££roll 9 NOT WORTHY - to think the likes of West Ham are heading out of the division and this lot are safe... Still, we went in a goal to the good at half time largely secure in the knowledge that Kenny has elicited improved second half displays from his charges throughout the course of the last fifteen matches. And so it proved when they returned to the pitch fifteen minutes later, with the tempo much improved and the passing and movement crisper and more fluent. Spearing and Lucas, that pair of Terriers in the middle of our midfield, were instrumental in this, along with the effort of the front two, Kuyt and Suarez. Dalglish had also taken the precautionary step of asking the full backs to switch flanks in order to protect Flano whose yellow card made him vulnerable to dismissal, especially as Peter Walton seemed intent on asserting his authority via the youngest and least experienced player on the pitch with a series of trivial admonishments of the young lad. We didn’t have long to wait for more action as a number of Liverpool moves led to an increased sense of threat, with one resulting in Maxi hitting the bar with an over-hit cross. However, the second goal soon followed as Pepe plucked a crossed ball easily out of the air and hit a long pass forward for Suarez to latch onto. Williamson should have had the situation under control for Newcastle with his body between opponent and ball, but he failed to account for both Suarez’ tenacity and guile as the Uruguayan nipped round the defender and cut into the area across Williamson’s stride, going down as a connection was made. People have tentatively questioned the propensity of our new number seven to take the idea of gamesmanship beyond its accepted limits, but the contact was clear and he was entitled to go down, no matter how willingly. Furthermore, he had spurned a similar opportunity to do the same some minutes earlier against Coloccini and so there can be no complaints as far as I’m concerned. Inevitably, Dirk buried the spot kick with supreme confidence and composure taking his recent tally to seven in eight - a remarkable haul – and his season total to one shy of his personal record for Liverpool. I remain scathing of Kuyt’s appalling first touch and variable passing ability, but as the season has progressed, he has become ever-more effective when deployed through the middle by Kenny and in tandem with Suarez. There is a clear understanding between them – as evidenced by the third – and their intelligent movement and comparable work rates are very difficult for opposing defences to contend with. For me, this match epitomised the best of Dirk with only scant evidence of the worst of him and for that reason, along with his goal and assist for Suarez’s finish, he’s my Star Man. Suarez, I guess, would be many observers’ choice for that accolade as his obvious class makes him prominent in any assessment of a Liverpool performance these days – especially one shorn of Steven Gerrard. However, I feel that his final ball has been a little sloppy of late, despite his scintillating skills, lightening feet and clever movement and vision. That may be seen as a harsh judgement but I regard him as being on the cusp of world class status, arguably only a couple of similarly classy team-mates away from the platform to prove it, and he must therefore be judged by the zenith of what he’s capable of. That said, his inadvertent one-two with Dirk via a deflection (his fault, rather than the Dutchman’s) off Coloccini, brought huge delight when he pounced on the return and exploited the space created by Maxi dragging Simpson to the opposite post to bury what became an easy chance. The fact that Suarez’ class is already recognised by The Kop was given voice by their enthusiastic serenading of the strike with his infectious new anthem. However, it was no surprise – or injustice – for it to be surpassed in the volume stakes by the now ubiquitous chants of “Dalglish”. Wherever one looks at this Liverpool side, the evidence is abundant of his impact: whether it be new signings hitting the ground running, young players stepping up to the highest domestic level with barely a hint of inexperience or a return to the sort of results we used to take for granted (second best record in the country under his stewardship, Anfield a fortress again, goals pouring forth and drying up at the correct ends and points stripped from rivals with ease), Kenny is well and truly back. Let’s not get too carried away by these relatively pressure-free results, but there is rock solid cause for significant optimism and the new-found confidence coursing through the club at every level, both on and off the pitch, has found its focal point in Dalglish. The man is a genuine living legend who has the humility and class to cope with such status with ease (see his, “All we do is encourage [the players]” comment for evidence); and it’s clear that the players – and fans – are responding. Make no mistake, there is huge work to be done in order to return us to our historic position as England’s undisputed number one club. However, something is building at Anfield right now and Kenny is harnessing it in what is becoming a relentlessly progressive manner. For too long Steven Gerrard has unfairly shouldered the weight of our expectations as a club, but I am salivating in anticipation of what he might achieve when freed of that burden and furnished with the team-mates to match his quality whilst under the leadership and experience to focus it on what we all know Shanks was right in calling our bread and butter. It may seem strange to read such a eulogy in the aftermath of such a relatively straightforward and uninspiring win. But isn’t that the point? Haven’t we witnessed too many years of chronic underachievement not to revel in the return of expectations finally being born out or even exceeded? There is a familiar topic of conversation doing the rounds outside Anfield after the final whistle these days and it goes along the lines of, “Why does this season have to end now?” and “I wish Kenny had come back sooner”. To be honest though, I don’t subscribe to those thoughts except on an emotional level. For me, these early FSG days are all about exorcising the ghosts of the recent past and laying the foundations for the imminent future and I can’t think of a single man in world football better equipped to spearhead such work than the one in the dug-out/on the throne right now. What a season this has been: from the edge of extinction to the cusp of magic once more. Let’s now get those final bedrock elements in place this summer and really go for it in August. The record isn’t lost yet – but even if it is, it can be regained and sooner than any outsider would countenance, because... The King is back; long live The King!!! Team: Reina, Flanagan (Shelvey), Carragher, Skrtel, Johnson, Meireles, Spearing, Lucas, Rodriguez (Carroll), Kuyt, Suarez (Cole)

Dunno what happened there. Should be working now.

Issue 77 of the Fanzine will be on sale outside the ground before and after the Newcastle game tomorrow. It will also be on sale at the final home game against Spurs and will available to buy in both outlets of WH Smiths in Liverpool City Centre later this week. All subscriptions will also be sent out this week. You can order your copy online in our webshop, or subscribe for 5 or 10 issues. This is the final issue of this season. To order your copy from our shop, click here. To subscribe for five or ten issues, click here.

Everton u18 4 LIVERPOOL U18 0 Report by Steve Horton at Finch Farm Scorer(s) -Half Time - 3-0 Venue - Finch Farm, Halewood Date - Tue 26 Apr 2011 Star Man - No-one Liverpool under 18’s title chances took a battering on Tuesday when they went down 4-0 against Everton at Finch Farm in a game in which they never really got going. It was a fairly strong Reds line up, with many of the players having featured for the reserves of late. In a 4-2-3-1 formation Jamie Stephens was in goal, Joseph Rafferty, Bradley Smith, Stephen Sama and Matthew McGiveron across the back, Craig Roddan and Conor Coady the holding midfielders, with Suso, Toni Silva and Tom Ince supporting lone striker Adam Morgan. Everton had the first chance to score, with a free kick being headed over in the second minute after a foul by Rafferty, with Liverpool’s first opportunity coming a minute later Silva beat a few men on the right before passing to Ince whose shot was easily held. In the fourth minute the Blues took the lead from a corner kick that wasn’t dealt with and Eric Dier was totally unmarked in the six yard box to head the ball in. Within eight minutes it was 2-0, the Reds failed to play the whistle after the referee gave an advantage and Luke Garbutt’s cross from the left was fired in by Hallam Hope. Everton were especially dangerous down the left flank, Rafferty struggling to deal with Gabbutt and shortly after the second goal he broke clear only to run the ball out of play before he could cross. If this was at Goodison they’d have been on the pitch by now and even at their training complex the stewards were taking no chances, nobody being allowed on to any grassed area near the goals and being made to walk the long way round keeping to the path and standing behind the railings. The crowd was a decent size, probably numbering about 200 and split about 50-50 between both sets of support. In attack, the Reds front players who are fairly slightly built, couldn’t cope with a physically strong back four, one of whom looked like Peter Crouch with muscles. In times like these there is a need to resort to whippet like skill to get the better of them but too many times Suso and Silva weren’t up for the challenge, going down too easily or shying out of tackles leading to some criticism from the back players, some of whom had serious local pride at stake. On one occasion Suso tried to control a pass from Morgan and missed it completely leading to sarcastic comments from Blues that he was meant to be the ‘wonder boy’. Silva twice went down in the area, one of them after a jinking run which may have been a straight fall, but another occasion it was a clear dive, embarrassing to watch and he was lucky not to have been booked. Ince, by far the tallest of the three attacking midfielders, did create a few chances for him and Silva but they came to nothing and he spent a lot of the first half moaning at the referee for what he perceived as lack of protection for the Reds players. The reality is the Everton side weren’t playing attractive football, but it was within the rules and it was up to Liverpool to deal with it, which they failed to do so. Morgan, who is on a prolific scoring streak, only had one half chance in the first period, heading over a Suso cross and in reality the Reds never created any clear cut opportunities. In the 35th minute John Lundstram should have increased the lead when he had a shot from the penalty spot but it was straight at Stephens. In the 38th minute it was 3-0 thanks to some terrible defending, the Reds failing to deal with a looping cross from the left and leaving Lundstram with a free header. A minute later Lundstram almost put the game out of sight as he rounded Stephens but the angle was too narrow and his shot hit the side netting. The Reds were far better in the second half, enjoying much more possession but again failing to deal with the physical presence of the Blues defenders. They were restricted largely to long shots, Silva and Coady both firing over from distance. Suso was the only one to really test Connor Roberts in the Everton goal, forcing him to make a good save after a neat turn and shot. On the hour Kristian Adorjan and Michael Ngoo had come off the bench for Roddan and Ince respectively but apart from a header that went wide from Ngoo neither could make any significant impact. Everton then rubbed salt in the wounds with six minutes remaining when Hallam Hope crossed for Anton Forrester to score from close range. As disappointing as this was, it shouldn’t deflect from what has been a very promising season for the under 18’s, sometimes a bad day at the office happens and it was just unfortunate that it did in a derby and one that was shown live on LFCTV. The Reds still have the destination of the title in their own hands, although they will need to win their remaining three games and will be without Brad Smith, Raheem Sterling, Matty Regan and Adam Morgan who are now on England duty. Team: Stephens; Rafferty, Sama, McGiveron, Smith; Roddan (Adorjan), Coady; Silva, Suso, Ince (Ngoo); Morgan:

Yes, the rumour is that he was actually 17 so we released him. As for Wilson, I've only seen him once but I thought he looked very good. Big and strong, but good on the ball and happy to bring the ball out from the back. Gainford seems very skilful, but I don't know what his natural position is as once again I've only seen him play one game.

LIVERPOOL 5 Birmingham City 0 Report by Steve Horton at Anfield Scorer(s) –Maxi Rodriguez (3), Dirk Kuyt, Joe ColeHalf Time - 5-0 Venue - Anfield Date - Apr 23 Apr 2011 Star Man – Maxi Rodriguez Maxi Rodriguez hit a hat trick as Liverpool put in a five star performance against Birmingham last Saturday to continue their resurgence under Kenny Dalglish and keep the hopes of snatching a Europa League spot alive. This is the sort of game that has been worrying under Dalglish –with us having dropped points against West Ham, Blackpool, Wigan and West Brom but paradoxically beating Chelsea, both Manchester clubs and taking a point off Arsenal. On this occasion though we simply didn’t let Birmingham get a grip of the game and forced them into errors, not sitting back after taking the lead as happened at Blackpool and West Brom and home to Wigan. Most satisfying was the whole teams desire to play for each other and comradeship after goals were scored – Pepe joining in the celebrations for the first goal, all the players running to Joe Cole after the fifth for instance. There are no cliques now, the team are moving forward as one and it can only bode well for 2011-12. But back to the matter of finishing off this season, with an enforced change taking place through Andy Carroll’s injury it meant Dirk Kuyt played further forward and Maxi returned to the side. Dalglish had no hesitation in handing 17 year old Jack Robinson a start, when he could easily have brought in Sotirios Kyrgiakos and played Jamie Carragher at left back. Robinson made an early impact, dispossessing Alexander Hleb with a maturity that defied his young age. Kicking into the Kop for the first half, it only took the Reds seven minutes to get off the mark, Jay Spearing’s fierce shot from just outside the area was spilled by Ben Foster and Maxi was on hand to smash the ball into the net. The visitors briefly rallied, Craig Gardner fired over the bar and John Flanagan intervened to head a cross clear that Liam Ridgewell could have done some damage with had he got on the end of it. Flanagan put in another composed performance at right back, the only area he could have done better was with his passing, with some of them going astray. In the 23rd minute the Reds doubled the lead to make the atmosphere far more comfortable. Luis Suarez was one on one with Foster after Raul Meireles flicked on Reina’s goal kick and although Foster managed to stop his effort as well as Kuyt’s shot from the rebound, he could do nothing when Kuyt managed to hook the ball goalwards from what looked an impossible body angle. Four Birmingham defenders arguably could have stopped the goalbound shot and Alex McxLeish was visibly furious on the touchline at the way the goal was conceded. Kuyt had a great chance to finish the game off as a contest just before half time but his header from a Meireles free kick went just wide. Things had also gone from bad to worse for the visitors ten minutes after the second goal when Foster, who had been injured whilst making his double save, was forced to go off to be replaced by Colin Doyle. They were also extremely fortunate not to have a penalty awarded against them when a shot from Lucas appeared to strike the hand of Stephen Carr. Quite often when Liverpool are kicking into the Anfield Road end for the second half the momentum isn’t quite there but that wasn’t the case on this occasion. Suarez saw a free kick go wide before he set up the third goal for Maxi on 66 minutes. He beat the offside trap and raced clear onto Martin Skrtel’s diagonal ball to the right and perfectly picked out Maxi at the far post who made no mistake of volleying the ball past Doyle. In the 73rd minute Maxi completed his hat trick. His first low drive from the edge of the box was saved but he had cleverly followed in and when Jiranek couldn’t clear fully, Maxi was on hand to slot the ball into the net. Six months ago he would probably have turned away after the first shot, but it’s a testament to the determination now that every loose ball is chased and Maxi had not made any assumptions and was on hand to score the goal and claim his first hat trick in English football. Despite the relaxed atmosphere the Kop didn’t forget a former manager who is currently being treated in hospital, with a nice rendition of ‘Gerard Gerard Houllier’ ringing around the ground. Joe Cole came on for Meireles with six minutes left and took just two minutes to make an impact with his first contribution, taking the ball on the right and cutting into the area before hitting a low shot that deflected and crept in after Doyle spilled it at his near post. Cole has had a difficult season and although he hardly celebrated himself, seeming embarrassed that the shot had gone in, it didn’t stop the rest of the team running over to congratulate him. Maxi went off to a standing ovation with a minute remaining, his replacement David Ngog being booed every time he touched the ball by Birmingham fans who remember his dive that earned a penalty 18 months ago. Another change had occurred on 78 minutes, Jonjo Shelvey replacing Robinson who had been yellow carded earlier on. After the game there was a big cheer as it was announced Tottenham had dropped two points at home in a 2-2 draw with West Brom. If they do lose to Chelsea on Saturday it means the Reds can go fifth with victory against Newcastle the next day, raising hopes of Europa League qualification which would round off a magnificent second half of the season under Dalglish. Team: Reina; Flanagan, Carragher, Skrtel, Robinson (Shelvey); Meireles (Cole), Lucas, Spearing, Maxi (Ngog); Kuyt, Suarez:

Man City Res 1 LIVERPOOL RES 0 Report by Steve Horton at Ewen Fields Scorer(s) – Half Time - 1-0 Venue - Ewen Fields, Hyde Date - Mon Apr 18 2011 Star Man – Michael Roberts Liverpool Reserves hopes of claiming the Premier Reserve League North title were dashed last night as they went down 1-0 to Manchester City at Hyde, a penalty late in the first half enough to claim all three points for the Sky Blues. The game was played at Ewen Fields, home of Conference North side Hyde FC. They used to be known as Hyde United and play in red, but the partnership with City, from which they have benefited both financially and with ground improvements, has led last year to the dropping of the United, the changing of colours on the club crest from red to sky blue as well as a shirt change. As much as it’s nice to see big clubs helping those at grass roots level out, it’s sad that it comes at the expense of 125 years of tradition. The supporters association remains defiant though, with their social club still saying Hyde United outside. The Reds played a 4-5-1 formation, with lone striker Nicholaj Kohlert being supported by three attacking midfielders in Suso, Thomas Ince and Toni Silva. Conor Thomas and Michael Roberts played as holding midfielders, with Emmanuel Mendy, Matthew Regan, Andre Wisdom and Steven Irwin making up the back four. Dane Martin Hansen was in goal. City, who refer to their reserve side as the Elite Development Squad, started the brighter of the two teams, having their first shot within 30 seconds through a half volley from John Guidetti but it didn’t test Hansen at all. Hansen was called into action again in the second minute, coming off his line to gather a cross from Guidetti who had been released down the left by James Poole. Liverpool’s first half chance came after five minutes, when Wisdom played a good to Ince but his shot bounced wide. City were especially dangerous down the left, Mendy taking time to get to grips with Jeremy Helan, who twice got good crosses in during the first fifteen minutes which were cleared by Regan and Wisdom respectively and Mendy being forced to foul him on another occasion. The Reds had a good chance after 15 minutes when Ince, playing in a more central role as opposed to the left, ran had a good run forward and squared to Silva who beat a man before firing over. As the half went on City weren’t as dangerous, as Mendy got to grips with Helan and Roberts did a good job of protecting the back four as well as distributing the ball forward effectively. The home side did have a good chance on 26 minutes, Guidetti turning and firing in a low shot that Hansen could only parry but Wisdom was on hand to clear any subsequent danger. On the half hour Silva showed some great trickery on the right to break clear of his marker and cross but it was cleared before the ball reached Kohlert. The ball looked like it may drop for Suso but Paul Clowes reacted quickly to divert it from his path. On 34 minutes the two best chances of the half came within 30 seconds of each other. First a poor clearance by Ryan McGivern fell at Kohlert’s feet, he released Suso but his shot was well held. From the long goal kick City got the ball into the box quickly and Harry Bunn fired over from the penalty spot when he should at least have hit the target. Three minutes later there was a brief injury scare for Hansen when he dived to stop a Guidetti shot even though the assistant had flagged for offside. After a minutes treatment though, he was passed fit to carry on. Liverpool finished the first half stronger than City, Silva and Suso, who was roaming across the pitch wherever he could create a danger, combined well on the right with Silva but the cross was gathered by the keeper. Roberts then played a good through ball to Ince but his touch was just a bit too strong and it ran onto the keeper. In the final seconds of the half wisdom, who had been excellent so far, got into a tumble with Guidetti after a ball over the top and the referee ajudged that an infringement had taken place and pointed to the spot. Despite Wisdom’s appeals to consult with the assistant the verdict remained the same and Guidetti’s low penalty went to Hansen’s right as he dived to his left. It was a very unfortunate end to the half as the Reds had been getting much more into the game and didn’t deserve to go in a goal down. The Reds began the second half well, Irwin linked well with Ince on the left but the ball ran out of play and on 52 minutes Ince was allowed space to run forward but his low shot was weak and went wide. On the half hour Silva released Kohlert down the right and he got a cross into the six yard box which was scooped clear just before Ince could get to it. Liverpool continued to pressure without creating any real clear cut chances, with most of the efforts coming from outside the box. Suso had a low shot wide after dispossessing McGivern and Ince had a curling left foot shot over the bar. Even when the Reds were winning corners, they were taking them to the edge of the area rather than into the six yard box. City’s first real chance of the second half didn’t come until the 66th minute when Regan fouled Bunn 25 yards out, but Guidetti’s free kick was deflected over the bar by Roberts, with Hansen easily holding the corner. The game was very clean, with the first card coming a minute later, City’s Shaleum Logan being cautioned for clattering into Suso. In the 68th minute Silva showed a great piece of skill, hooking the ball over an opponent and running past him to retrieve it and put in a cross but nobody was in the box. Unsurprisingly, Kohlert was taken off after 74 minutes having failed to manage a single effort on goal, He was replaced by Nikola Saric, whilst Conor Coady came on for Thomas. The first shot on target of the second half came with fifteen minutes to go, Hansen sacing at his near post from a fierce effort by Guidetto. From the corner Mcgivern had a looping header which posed no problems for the Reds keeper. A minute later Liverpool had their first shot on target of the half, Roberts released Silva with a great diagonal ball but although he burst quickly into the box, his goalbound shot was headed clear by McGivern. From the corner Roberts was fouled on the edge of the box but Ince’s free kick was at least two feet over the bar. With two minutes remaining Saric showed great determination to force his way into the box and cross into the centre but Ince wasn’t quick enough to react. The Reds then won a free kick on the right hand corner of the area after Silva was brought down as he controlled a long ball from Irwin, but Suso’a effort was blocked by the wall. Ince was then fouled by the corner flag but again the kick was wasted, the ball being played to Irwin on the edge of the box who lost possession. It wasn’t until injury time that the City keeper had his first save to make of the second period, easily holding onto Suso’s left foot shot from the edge of the box. On the whole the Reds had enjoyed plenty of possession in the second half, creating plenty of half chances but were lacking a goal poacher in the box. The last action of the game saw City appeal for a penalty after Regan’s last gasp challenge on Guidetti, but had it been given and converted a 2-0 scoreline would have been extremely harsh on the Reds. The defeat means Liverpool are now four points behind Blackburn in the league with just one more game to play, at home to Manchester United. Team: Hansen; Mendy, Regan, Wisdom, Irwin; Thomas (Coady), Roberts; Silva, Suso, Ince; Kohlert (Saric):

LIVERPOOL U18 6 Man United U18 0 Report by Dave Usher at Anfield Scorer(s) - Tony Silva (2), Adam Morgan, Krizstian Adorjan, Michael Ngoo (2)Half Time - 2-0 Venue - The Academy, Kirkby Date - Sat 16 Apr 2011 Star Man - Raheem Sterling Rodolfo Borrell's u18 side gained a further modicum of revenge for their youth cup defeat to Manchester United, with a 6-0 trouncing of their arch rivals at the Academy on Saturday morning. It was the second time the reds have beaten United since that fiery youth cup clash at Anfield, but as satisfying as this was, nothing quite makes up for the loss that day. Still, this was pretty sweet, and it could and should have been much more than 6-0. United's continued involvement in the youth cup meant they fielded a very young side for this game. You only had to look at them to see that, they were very small all over the park and although they made a game of it in the first half, after the break they just got steamrollered. It should also be pointed out however that this was far from being our strongest under 18 side. Tyrell Belford, John Flanagan, Andre Wisdom, Jack Robinson, Conor Coady and Suso would all be in Rodolfo's best XI, but none were involved in this game. The suspended Coady's replacement of late has been Hungarian youngster Adam Hajdu, but he was ruled out through injury meaning Lewis Hatch was handed a rare outing. The 1st year scholar has been out injured for a long time and this was his first appearance of the season. It's a delicate balancing act for Rodolfo, as his side is challenging for the title but so are the reserves. The reserve squad is a little thin and recently they've been calling on some of the u18s, and with the games coming thick and fast it's proved to be a bit of a problem. Tony (I know that's not how it's spelt, but the other way is the girls way so he's Tony to me) Silva and Adam Morgan started the last reserve game in midweek, but both were needed for this game too. And with the reserves playing again in two days, Rodolfo and his pal Pep Segura had to work it out between them how to handle both players. In the end, Silva played 45 minutes and Morgan played about 70 minutes. Both got on the scoresheet, Silva with two brilliant strikes at the end of the first half, and Morgan with a typical poachers goal in the second. The 13th consecutive game he's scored in. Not bad for a 16 year old. The kid is just a natural goalscorer, but also a good footballer and very hard working. He should have opened the scoring early in the first half when the reds launched a blistering counter attack following a United corner. Brad Smith pinged a long ball over the top for Sterling. He held off a defender and waited for support before rolling it into the path of Morgan. He opted for placement rather than power, and the keeper got across to make a fine save. It would not be his last of the day. But generally, United gave as good as they got in the first half. In Tom Lawrence they have a very promising player on this evidence. He did nothing after the break as the game got away from them, but in the first half he looked very lively whenever he got on the ball. The first half was looking as though it would end goalless when suddenly Silva burst into life. He'd been quiet as most of the attacks had come down the other flank where Sterling and the excellent Brad Smith where linking up well, but the Portuguese is a real talent and he showed that when he collected Adorjan's fine cross, lobbed the ball over a defender's head and then turned him inside out before coolly slotting the ball into the far corner. Brilliant. He topped it a few minutes later when he picked up the ball in his own half and set off. A couple of times it looked like he should have released it or that he was about to be tackled, but he held off the challenges and drove to the edge of the box before drilling a low shot past the keeper. Once again, brilliant. Great pace, strength, skill and balance. That was his last act as he was replaced by Michael Ngoo at half time. Michael had been injured for a few months, then came back and got injured again. Hopefully he'll stay fit as had he not picked up that injury several months ago he'd have probably established himself in the reserves and who knows, maybe even gone further. Instead, he has now seen Morgan step into his shoes and he has a real battle on his hands just to get a place in the 18s now. Morgan remained at centre forward, with Ngoo operating from the right. He's always dangerous when he drifts into the channels, but less so when he actually starts from out wide. He did ok out there, but you could see the difference in him when he eventually moved back into the middle after Morgan was given a well earned rest midway through the 2nd half. By that point the game was well and truly over. Right from the opening seconds of the half the reds swarmed all over United. Sterling had a shot saved immediately after the restart, then Smith saw a dangerous cross just about kept out by the keeper who barely managed to touch the ball onto the bar with Ngoo lurking. Sterling put one just over the bar from 25 yards, then hit a shot inches wide after a scintillating run in which he cut across the box leaving four defenders in his wake. Raheem was leading them a merry dance, but it's not just his pace and close control that makes him special. He can play a pass too, as he showed in some of the youth cup games when he was a provider on more than one occasion. He was linking up very well with Smith, and a superb pass from Sterling sent the full back marauding into the box. He cut inside and had a shot saved, but he really should have squared to the wide open Morgan. It was becoming a frustrating afternoon for the young hotshot, as he was often being overlooked by team-mates when in a good position. One thing he does exceptionally well is finds space in the box, and he was not impressed that Smith had opted to go for goal himself. A few minutes later it happened again, only this time it was Adorjan who ignored the wide open Morgan. In fairness, it would have been a goal to remember had the Hungarian finished it off, as he exchanged back heels with Ngoo as they ripped through the United backline. It was wonderful stuff, and brought yet another fine save from the keeper. Should have squared it to Morgan though. Adam may have felt time was running out for him to extend his amazing goal streak, I know I was worrying about it, I was expecting him to be taken off around the hour mark. Thankfully a chance did come his way, Roddan's excellent cross finding him at the back post where he volleyed in from close range. Not long after he made way for Tom Walsh, who went to the right flank with Ngoo going to centre forward. You could tell the way the game was going now that there were more goals in it for Rodolfo's side. The pressing game they were playing was stopping United from getting anything going, it was one way traffic and their keeper was being seriously overworked. Adorjan made it 4-0 with a neat finish on the turn after Hatch's shot had been blocked, and Ngoo added a fifth not long after. It was awful defending from United, but they were just completely outmatched. Ngoo was like a sixth former playing against the first years. Rafferty's long clearance caught them on the hop, and as the ball bounced Ngoo made sure he got there first to nod the ball to Sterling. He dribbled into the box, and could have gone on his own but gave it back to Ngoo. He took a couple of touches to go around a defender and had the option of giving it back to Sterling for a tap in, but instead he nonchalently flicked it past the keeper with the outside of his boot. Adorjan was replaced by u16 star Jack Dunn, an attacking midfielder of huge promise who has been banging in goals at a prolific rate this season. He made his u18 debut a few weeks ago and did well, hitting the crossbar with a free-kick. He almost scored in this one too, showing great skill to collect McGiveron's pass and go past a defender before seeing the keeper do well to keep him out. The overworked United number one could do nothing to stop Ngoo adding a sixth though. Roddan prodded a pass through the legs of a United defender to Ngoo, who returned it him and then set off into the box. Roddan's pass was perfect and the big striker once again finished with the outside of his right boot. 6-0 was a fair reflection overall, as although the 2-0 half time lead flattered the reds slightly, the second half was a demolition job. United were just completely out-manned, it looked like men against boys. Liverpool were dominant all over the park and everyone played well. Even so, it wasn't difficult picking a star man as Sterling was different class. The only thing missing was a goal, but on another day he'd have had a hat-trick. The win, coupled with Everton being held to a draw, means that the reds are three points behind top spot with two games in hand. Missing out on the youth cup was a bitter blow for the lads, but if they can win their league then that would be a nice reward for what has been a tremendous season in which they have provided great entertainment. Speaking of entertainment, the crowd were highly amused at a little exchange in the first half. Roddan won the ball with a superb challenge, only for the referee to blow for a free-kick. "Fuck off ref" shouted Roddan. The ref called him over, but the worst bollocking the midfielder was going to get wasn't from the official, it was from Rodolfo, who yelled "RODDO!!! DON'T TALK LIKE THEEEES". Dead funny it was. Team: Stephens; Rafferty, Sama, McGiveron, Smith; Roddan, Hatch; Silva (Ngoo), Adorjan (Dunn), Sterling; Morgan (Walsh):

LIVERPOOL RES 1 Bolton Wanderers Res 0 Report by Steve Horton at the Academy Scorer(s) – Adam MorganHalf Time - 1-0 Venue - The Academy Date - Tue 12 Apr 2011 Star Man – Suso Liverpool Reserves kept up the chase for the FA Premier Reserve League (North) title with a well deserved 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers at the Academy on Tuesday afternoon, 16 year old debutant Adam Morgan’s 41st minute goal being enough to secure the points. Morgan has been on a prolific scoring streak with the under 18’s hitting the back of the net in his last eleven appearances. Injuries and international call ups meant he was given a chance by Pep Segura, along with keeper Tyrell Belford and midfielder Krisztian Adorjan who were also making their reserve debuts. Morgan showed he wasn’t fazed by the higher level as early as the 5th minute when a snapshot from 25 yards was saved by Jay Lynch in the Bolton goal. The Reds dictated the game early on and in the eleventh minute Adorjan and Morgan showed their understanding from the under 18’s when Adorjan played a good ball in, but Morgan was caught just offside. Two corners were forced in quick succession in the fifteenth minute but both came to nothing and Suso looked lively as usual, two great pieces of trickery midway through the half taking him to the edge of the box where he was crowded out by Bolton defenders. In the 22nd minute Morgan was fouled not far from the edge of the area but Steven Irwin’s low free kick was blocked. A minute later Bolton had their first real opportunity when a free kick was awarded after Suso was unfortunate to be booked for a foul on Topi Odabeyi, a challenge that was more clumsy rather than malicious or reckless. Liam Irwin, son of former Manchester United defender Denis, curled the free kick into the box but the danger was cleared when Emmanuel Mendy headed away. Liverpool were right back on the offensive, with Suso and Irwin conducting a great one-two after 26 minutes creating a clear opportunity. The Spaniard’s well placed shot appeared to be heading for the bottom corner but Lynch dived well to his right to save. The next minute the ball was in the back of the Bolton net but the goal was ruled out for offside on Adorjan who had laid off for Morgan to score. Morgan continued to look lively and almost pressurised Irish under 21 international Mark Connolly, a £1 million signing from Wolves in 2009, into giving up possession on the edge of the box in the 28th minute. On the half hour he failed to get his head to a Mendy cross from the right and although it fell for Toni Silva the ball bounced awkwardly and the Portuguese missed the ball. Belford was largely a spectator and didn’t have to make his first save until the 31st minute. Adam Blakeman passed to Michael O’Halloran but his chip shot from the edge of the box was weak and easily caught. The Reds were straight back down the other end with Morgan having a good effort from the left hand corner of the box well held. However Bolton continued to force their way back in the game and created another good opportunity themselves, the Reds defence was caught napping by Odabeyi’s pass to Maison McGeechan but Andre Wisdom did well to block the goalbound shot. The game’s intensity was growing now and it was real end to end stuff, on 36 minutes Adorjan had a good run forward and laid off for Irwin who crossed from the left only for Morgan ‘s shot to go wide. Mendy, who had been getting forward often from his right back position, was dispossessed in the Bolton half leading to a quick break forward but the attack broke down on the edge of the Reds penalty area. With five minutes of the half remaining Belford was called into serious action for the first time, a free kick from the right that was meant as a cross appeared to be drifting into the top corner until the youngster tipped over the bar. The resultant corner was headed clear by Mendy. Liverpool took the lead in the 42nd minute and it was no more than they deserved. A Bolton defender fell on the ball and Silva pounced, beat another man to get to the byline then pulled the ball back for Morgan who had the simple task of slotting home from close range. There was still time before the break for Bolton to force a corner but the Reds defence were able to clear. Bolton made one change at half time, James Caton replacing O’Halloran. The second half was a more scrappy affair at first with the Reds now kicking into the wind, struggling to create opportunities and getting caught offside, while Bolton were over-hitting passes and unable to take advantage. Both Irwin for Liverpool and McGeechan for Bolton got crosses into the box only for nobody to be able to get on the end of them and Mendy had a strong run down the right only to be forced off the ball before he could get it into the box. The Reds were then dealt a blow on the hour when Adorjan limped off and was replaced by Craig Roddan, with Irwin moving forward to support Morgan. Belford wasn’t called into meaningful action until the 64th minute when he came out well to gather a cross from the right by Tom Eaves. A minute later Lynch made his first save of the half, Mendy’s cross having denied Morgan and Irwin but Silva was able to control the ball and beat a man before forcing a good save. With both sides tiring a little the game opened up more and opportunities began falling to both sides. Michael Roberts struck the bar from outside the area on 67 minutes with a right foot drive after a nice lay off by Irwin, then on 71 minutes an uncharacteristically poor clearance by Wisdom saw Andrew Kellet get a cross in but nobody was on the end of it. The Reds captain then forced to go off after being injured in a challenge and he was replaced by Stephen Sama. In the 76th minute Matthew Regan missed a golden opportunity to double the lead, firing over from six yards after a cross by Suso, who three minutes later set up Morgan to go one on one with Lynch but the keeper did well to block the shot for a corner which came to nothing. This chance was the last opportunity of the game that the Reds had. Bolton, who had contributed more to the second half than first, came closest to equalising with five minutes remaining McGeechan’s strong shot being blocked by Roddan. In injury time there was one scare when Sama misjudged a bounce but Mendy came to the rescue to clear before the ball reached McGeechan who would have been clear on goal. On the whole it was a very encouraging performance from a young Reds side, none of whom have played a competitive game for the first team. The win took Liverpool into second in the table behind Blackburn who have completed their fixtures. Four points from their next two games, away to Manchester City and home to Manchester United, will seal the north division title and give them a national play off against the winners of the southern division. Team: Belford, Mendy, Regan, Wisdom (Sama), Cooper; Irwin, Roberts; Suso, Adorjan (Roddan), Silva; Morgan (Walsh):

LIVERPOOL 3 Man City 0 Report by Dave Usher at Anfield Scorer(s) – Andy Carroll (2), Dirk KuytHalf Time - 3-0 Venue - Anfield Date - Mon 11 Apr 2011 Star Man – Jon Flanagan Maybe it's time the Premier League was reduced. How about relegating the bottom twelve teams? We'd win it at a canter then. Man City went the way of Chelsea and United, as the reds produced a brilliant display to easily see off Roberto Mancini's expensively assembled side. A little over a week ago we were outplayed by West Brom. So annoying. This was an outstanding performance, probably our best of the season. We were comfortable at the back, relentless in midfield and dangerous up front. Every part of the team functioned well and City were comprehensively outplayed. Andy Carroll got off the mark in spectacular style with two great goals, Suarez was always a danger and Kuyt just terrorised their defenders with his non-stop chasing and harrying. He didn't give them a second's peace, it was a collossal performance from Dirk. Spearing and Lucas followed Kuyt's lead, closing down and snapping at people's heels all night, and how good was young Jon Flanagan? The biggest compliment I can pay him is that this was the kind of performance he puts in at every week, be it for the under 18s or the reserves. He stepped up to the top level and just played his usual game. Kenny clearly had faith in the lad, but now he knows for certain he can count on him. You can never be 100% sure a youngster will be able to make the step up until they are given the opportunity, but I wrote some time ago that of all the players coming through Flanagan was the one I had the most confidence in because nothing fazes him. I spoke to someone close to him who described him as 'a machine', and I'm not going to argue with that. He just churns out solid performances week in week out, and now he's shown he can carry that into the senior side. The presence of Carra next to him obviously helped him settle, and it must have been a proud moment for Carra too as he's known Flanagan since he was a kid (John's uncle is Carra's business partner), and even coached him at the Academy when he was doing his UEFA badges. With Johnson and Kelly also in the ranks we're well stocked at right back. Shame we don't have that kind of depth on the other flank. If Aurelio wasn't made of papier mache then we'd be fine. The Brazilian returned from his latest injury to put in atypically assured, classy performance, but it's inevitable that he'll break down again before the season is out. Very sad, as he's a terrific footballer. I'm sure in the coming weeks we'll see Jack Robinson given his opportunity to show he can emulate his pal 'Flano' and show that Kenny can count on him for next season if need be. There are a lot of gaps that need filling in the squad, but if some of the young players can do that then it means whatever funds are available for Kenny (and I'm assuming it will be Kenny as there's no logical reason for it not to be) can be used to get a few top quality players to go straight into the side. If we don't need to fill gaps in the squad that will save us a small fortune, and when you look at the impact people like Spearing, Kelly and now Flanagan have had, then why wouldn't you look to see if more of the young players can step up? There's more where they came from. It's the polar opposite to what City are doing. A few years back, City had arguably the best youth set up in the country. Now they'd rather stockpile overpriced, overpaid, over-rated shite, and you have to say that for what they have spent they have got very little. Both teams lined up in what was for the most part 4-3-3 formations, or variations of it. City's midfield consisted of Yaya Toure, Gareth Barry and James Milner. Ours was Lucas, Meireles and Spearing. A massive difference in terms of cost, and there was a massive difference in terms of impact on the game too. Not in the way City would expect though. Toure is reportedly the highest paid player in the world, but he was outperformed by Lucas. Barry is an established England international, but Spearing was much more impressive. In fairness Milner was probably City's best player before he was subbed by the clueless Mancini, but City were second best all over the pitch. The loss of Tevez clearly hurt them, but I'm sorry, if you've spent the kind of money they have then they should be able to cope with the loss of any player. Tevez picked up an injury in the build up to our opening goal. He went for a loose ball with Carroll, and seemed to tweak his hamstring. The ball broke to Meireles, and his overly ambitious shot was blocked by a defender and landed at the feet of Carroll. One swing of his left leg later he was celebrating his first goal for the club, and I was celebrating the £35 I was going to pocket later for backing him to get the first goal. We should have already been in front at that stage, but Suarez saw his shot tipped onto the post brilliantly by Joe Hart after Carroll had sent him clear with a superb first time pass. We'd started the game really well, playing at a very high tempo and although it was a Premiership game it kind of reminded me of a Champions League night. The high tempo start, the way we were closing them down and moving the ball swiftly, it was exhilarating stuff. It's difficult to single out any individual player for that, as it was a collective effort. The midfield and forwards pressed City in their own half, we closed them down and didn't give them any time to play, and the back four dealt comfortably with whatever was thrown at them. It's quite rare that you get these performances where every single player is on top of his game and there are no weak links, but this was one of those games. I can't fault anybody. The second goal was a microcosm of what we did in this game. City just couldn't get the ball away as we swarmed all over every loose ball. The attack appeared to have broken down at least three times, but each time it was a red shirt picking up the loose ball and putting it back into the danger area. They couldn't get the ball clear, and eventually Dirk put them out of their misery with a composed finished to make it 2-0. Within no time it was 3-0, as Carroll majestically flicked in Meireles searching diagonal cross. That was game over, City were not coming back from that as they simply don't have the collective team spirit and character to do it, and they don't have a manager capable of inspiring them. I was embarrassed for them watching that waster Balotelli. Vastly over-rated, and a huge gobshite to boot. If that's what having unlimited pots of cash gets you, I think I'd rather be skint. Well ok, I'd rather have the cash but not spend it on petulant, selfish little shithouses like him. It was always going to be difficult for the second half to match the first, and it's fair to say it wasn't as spectacular. Having said that, we could and should have put the seal on the win by adding at least one more goal, as we continued to go forward and created several good openings. The only thing missing from the performance was the goal in the second half to put give it the coup de grace. Aside from that, this was just about perfect. City didn't give us any trouble, and a scorching 30 yard shot from Yaya Toure was just about the only thing Pepe had to do all night. At the other end, Carroll, Suarez, Kuyt (twice) and Meireles all had chances to add to our lead. The system we played suited us down to the ground. It appeared to be 4-3-3 when we attacked, with Dirk tucking back in when necessary to make it 4-4-2 when we defended. It's difficult to pigeon hole what we did, as it was very fluid and flexible. Meireles wasn't exactly left wing, as Suarez often went to that side which allowed Meirles to tuck in a bit, and he had his best game in a while. The movement of Suarez and Kuyt buzzing around Carroll was too much for City. Their left back is crap, but I imagine he cost a fortune. Lescott is crap, and I know he cost a fortune. Kompany is very good though, but he can't hold together a defence on his own. Our front three just gave them the runaround, but City won't be the only side to suffer from that. Suarez and Carroll will pose major problems for anybody, and whilst the same can't always be said of Kuyt, when he plays like this he's a major asset to us. The system helped him, but he's generally very good in these big games anyway. When we play the better sides, our game is all about getting on the front foot and getting in their faces. We play the game at a high tempo, and Dirk's constant pressuring and harrassment of defenders sets the tone for how we play. Put us up against a crap side who sit back and ask us to make the play and break them down, and he can be a liability unless he's playing up front. I guess what I'm saying is there should be a place for Dirk next season, but not every week. It's just really difficult to know what to make of us at the moment. We lose to relegation sides, we look great against the top four. We're excellent at home, we struggle away. Overall, things are looking promising because we have a front pair that looks like they could become the envy of everybody. That's a great starting point to build upon. I also think the best thing that could happen to us is to not be in Europe. When we have a full week to prepare for a game, we're generally very good. When we're coming off the back of a European game, or an international week, we're generally very disappointing. We had nine days to get ready for this, and look at the high tempo we played at. We had eight days to get ready for United, same thing. West Ham away after a European game? Garbage. West Brom away after an international break? Garbage. So if we miss out on Europe next season, I don't see it doing us any harm except for the loss of revenue. And if we do somehow end up in the Europa League again, fuck it let's just rest everybody and play the kids. I'm fascinated now though to see what happens next weekend at Arsenal. We'll have a full week to get ourselves ready for it, and Carroll and Suarez will pose them serious problems if we can get them the ball. I don't see any reason to change the team either, let Flanagan have another run out and let's stick to the same system. This win over City has really lit a fire underneath the fanbase. People are buzzing, I am too, but at the same time there's a nagging thought in my head that we'll go and lose again to someone shit before the season is out. If we can cut that out and then add the right pieces in the summer, next season could be a hell of a ride. On the form we showed against City, no-one could live with us. We just have to find a way to produce that form more often, or at least something close to it. Star man could have been virtually any of the outfield players. In the end I narrowed it down to Carroll, Spearing, Kuyt and Flanagan, and I'm going to give it to 'Flano' as he was thrown in at the deep end. It's not like he's had some League Cup or Europa League games to get his feet wet, this was sink or swim and he was like Duncan Goodhew with hair and a scouse accent. Team: Reina; Flanagan, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio; Spearing, Lucas, Meireles; Kuyt, Carroll (Ngog), Suarez:

LIVERPOOL U16 4 Sheff Wed u16 0 Report by Dave Usher at Anfield Scorer(s) - Kristoffer Peterson, Michael Wilson, Jordan Lussey, Sam GainfordHalf Time - 2-0 Venue - The Academy, Kirkby Date - Sat 9 Apr 2011 Star Man - Jordan Lussey It was a good day for both of the Reds' Academy sides, as an Adam Morgan hat-trick inspired the u18s to a 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday, whilst on the other pitch the u16s went one better with a 4-0 win over the young Owls. The u16s have been in scintillating form this season, so I took the opportunity to check their game out rather than watch the 18s as I normally would. The way I looked at it, there'll be highlights of the u18 game on lfctv, but this is the only way to see the lads in the u16s who have been hammering everybody in their path all year. This was their 12th win on the spin apparently. The only downside to it is that there are no teamsheets available for the u16s, and initially I only knew four of the starting line up. Those four were keeper Yusuf Mersin, a Portuguese midfielder known as 'Bayo', centre forward David Moli and playmaker Jack Dunn. The rest of the side I had to try and find out as the game went on, and I've managed to get a few more names via some of TLW's followers on Twitter and a couple who I was stood next to at the game, but there are still a few who I don't know (so if any of the lads or their families are reading, feel free to let me know who I'm missing). The lads took the lead virtually as soon as I got over there, which must have been no more than a couple of minutes into the game. Our left winger (who I later learned is Sam Gainford, a boy from Cumbria who has been at the Academy for several years) was felled in the box, and he stepped up to take the penalty. His kick was saved, but the right winger was on the spot to slot in the rebound. The lads were calling him 'Chris', so I worked out that this was Kristoffer Peterson, a Swedish boy from Gothenburg. Both he and Gainford were lively, and Moli looked threatening too. I don't think he played particularly well on the day, but even so you could still see that the technique is there and he's a good player. He could have scored a couple in the first half but was denied by some good defending. The reds were bossing the game, but not creating too many chances as the final ball or cross was often lacking. The best chance fell to the reds number 6, who had a fine game in the middle of midfield alongside Baio. I'm told that it is Jordan Lussey, an England u17 international. Anyway, the chance came about after Lussey made a good run through the centre and was well picked out by Dunn. The keeper came out and looked favourite to gather the ball, but he spilled it under pressure and the reds midfielder looked certain to score but poked the ball just wide from a tight angle. The second half started the same way as the first, with a goal for Mike Marsh's side. A right wing corner wasn't dealt with by the visitors and was finished from close range by commanding centre back Michael Wilson. Lussey made it 3-0 following great play by Peterson, and Gainford completed the scoring with an opportunist finish after he beat the keeper to an under-hit backpass. Gainford had literally only switched to centre forward seconds before that as Moli had been taken off. There were a number of players to catch the eye. Bayo looks class, a player who is always available for a pass, is strong on the ball and very mobile. A Makalele type if you like. Dunn has a great left foot and has apparently scored a bagful of goals this season, he made his debut for the 18s a fortnight ago and played very well. I was very impressed with Jordan Lussey and Michael Wilson, and Northern Irish right back Ryan McLaughlin looked lively until he had to go off injured in the second half. Gainford looks a good player too, with plenty of tricks. Apparently there are only eight u16 players left now, as a number of lads were recently released. So there were a few u15 players involved with the squad in this game. There was also a Polish centre half who has been here a few weeks. I don't know if he's on trial or has signed permanently, but according to a Polish red on twitter his name is Gracjan Horaszkiewicz. Sorry for the lack of detail in the report, but this is the first time I've seen most of these players and I was basically trying to fill in gaps as to who was who. I'll probably watch them again before the end of the season, and in the meantime I'll try and find out a bit more about the players, as most of these will be in the u18 squad next season. Team: Mersin; McLaughlin, Wilson, Horaszkiewicz, Williams; Bayo, Lussey; Peterson, Dunn, Gainford; Moli:

The winners of the books are Aveez and Bossy. Send me your addresses and I'll post them asap. Baldi, I'm posting yours today.

LIVERPOOL 0 SC Braga 0 Report by Dave Usher at Anfield Scorer(s) – Half Time - 0-0 Venue - Anfield Date - Thu 17 Mar 2011 Star Man – Andy Carroll No European football for us next season then. On the evidence of what we've had to sit through this season, that may not be a bad thing, although I daresay the club's accountants will strongly disagree. Barring a couple of notable exceptions against Napoli and Bucharest, our exploits in the Europa League this year have been depressing. So bad that Channel 5 have had to try and keep people tuned in by constantly plugging whichever Steven Segal movie was following the game. This was as bad as any, in fact it was probably the most depressing as it was so weak. It was limp, and I'm talking 'Pele before he discovered the joys of Viagra' limp. I'm shocked as I really didn't see it coming at all. I thought we'd go through, but I could also have seen us going out in a blaze of glory after conceding an away goal and forcing them to survive an all out blitz on their goal at the Kop end. I'd never have predicted such a lame 0-0 in a million years. This was a European night at Anfield, it's not supposed to be like this. Even when we go out, there's usually fireworks and a blood and thunder game. The expression 'damp squib' could have been invented for night's like this. Virtually nothing happened, it was garbage. Cole had a shot saved, Carroll had a goalbound header inadvertently blocked by Kuyt, and …. erm…. that's it really. Absolute shite. Kenny needs to get a grip of the players and let them know that having Carroll in the side isn't a licence for them to just hump the ball forward in his general direction time and time again. The centre backs were the main culprits, Wilson and Reina also overdid the long ball stuff too. It's not just on them though, the midfielders need to be showing for the ball more and moving better. I very much doubt that the first thing in the defender's heads when they get the ball is to launch it to the Big Man. But when there's not much happening in front of them, it's the safe and easy option. Surprisingly, a mate of mine sat in the Paddock reckoned the bench were actually instructing the players to hit it long. I don't know why we'd be taking that approach, but it clearly didn't work and I hope we don't see it again. We need to nip this in the bud, as Andy Carroll is far more than just some battering ram. He battled for every ball but even when he won them (which he invariably did) it came to nothing because the players around him did nothing. Nobody played well. Not one of them. Carroll was the pick of the bunch based on the fact that I don't think he could have done any more than he did given how we played. To get the best out of a player like Carroll, you need to get crosses in. That means the wide players or full backs need to get down the sides and deliver quality. None of them did. I remember one cross from Cole in the second half, none from Maxi, and I don't think Wilson even crossed the halfway line. That left Johnson, but much of the time they doubled up on him and he was unable to get to the line and cross the ball. At least there was some intent to do so from him, which is something. We really missed those surging runs and pinpoint crosses that Martin Kelly provides. The really frustrating thing is that I don't think Braga are any good, but they were just so comfortable because we were so easy to stifle. They offered nothing going forward, and they are through to the next round because of that stupid penalty conceded by Kygriakos in the first leg. Reina barely had to make a save over the two games, but neither did their keeper. Worryingly, I don't see what else we could have done in terms of team selection. Maybe Spearing could have played in the middle with Lucas, with Meireles pushed on and either Maxi or Cole being left out. The side Kenny picked though was probably our strongest available on paper at least, and it made sense having Dirk pushed up front alongside Carroll. It just didn't work though, mainly due to us being too narrow, not controlling the midfield and the sheer amount of long balls we played. A couple of years ago we'd have swatted Braga aside without even breaking sweat. We ate teams like them for breakfast. Now even the most mediocre of European opposition is proving to be a difficult obstacle, and in the case of Braga an insurmountable one. It's almost two years ago that we hammered Real Madrid. Two years can be an awful long time in football, and the team (both in terms of tactics and personnel) that took the field against Braga was unrecognisable from the one that smashed Madrid 4-0. I'm sounding like a broken record, but the squad has no depth, no pace and no width. Very little flair either, although Suarez makes a huge difference when he's available. It still rankles that he was not allowed to play for us in this competition, and it makes no sense. Why is Torres allowed to play for Chelsea in the Champions League even though he played for us in the Europa, but Suarez is not allowed to play in the Europa because he played in the CL for Ajax? It's bollocks. The ruling states that because Ajax were knocked out of the CL into the Europa that Suarez is cup tied, but it's not really fair to Europa League sides is it, given that there is relegation from the CL to EL but no promotion going the other way. Stupid rule by a stupid organisation. And yes, I am being bitter about it because I had to watch that insipid mess of a performance, knowing that we had a player in the stands who would probably have won the game for us had he not been cup tied due to some stupid rule that makes no sense. It was just totally deflating seeing this toothless performance. Even the crowd couldn't really get going because the team gave them nothing to get worked up about. The fans were no doubt expecting another rousing European night, where we can make some noise and be the 12th man. You have to have something to make some noise about though. A shot, a crunching tackle, a great run, something. We had NOTHING. The fans wanted to get into it, but screaming your head off because we've won a throw in on the halfway isn't going to happen is it? The only thing we could get worked up over was some staggeringly bad officiating, they really were terrible. All of them, referee, linesmen, those two wasters behind the goal, they were all crap. Almost as crap as the men in red, but not quite. I wasn't overly worried at half time, we were attacking the Kop end second half, and I thought Kenny would get a grip of them in the dressing room and get them to start passing to feet and moving. Play our football, pin them back in their own box and get plenty of crosses and set pieces in to Carroll. Never happened though. The second half was worse than the first. I'd have changed it at half time, and brought Spearing on for Maxi. Kenny eventually did that, and also sent on Ngog for Cole. It didn't help, we were no better after the change as the rot had already set in. Braga were comfortable, they were working extremely hard to press us when we had the ball and we just couldn't hurt them. Corners were always going to be our best chance of scoring, and that's how it turned out when Carroll powered in a header that looked to be going in until it struck an oblivious Kuyt on the back of the head. Not Dirk's fault, but it summed up our night. By that point I was resigned to the fact that we weren't going to score. The optimism I still had at half time completely vanished as the ball struck Kuyt's bonce. I doubt if I was the only one, that freakish incident seemed to suck all the air out of the stadium, and the game just petered out into nothing. It could have been worse, as they had some opportunities on the break that they couldn't make anything of. Like I say, I don't think they're any good but they didn't need to be as we handed this tie to them in the first leg in Portugal and we were not good enough to wrestle it back from them at Anfield. We have a team capable of occasionally producing good performances and winning games, but they just can't do it consistently because the reality is they aren't good enough and have too many flaws. Not even Kenny can fix that unless he gets new players in. Not just one or two either, although if I could only get one or two they'd both be widemen and I'd make do with what we had elsewhere, despite glaring deficiencies at left back, centre half and centre mid. I'm sure we're still looking at trying to get 5th place and whilst it's mathematically possible we'll continue to go for it. It's not going to happen though is it? Whilst I can see Chelsea and Spurs dropping points, there's no doubt that we will too. The squad has not been able to cope with playing in Europe and then having to play again domestically three days later. If we aren't in Europe next season, I'd expect our league form to improve dramatically. I'd also expect us to take the domestic cups a lot more seriously than we have been. The downside is not being in Europe would hit us hard financially, and it also means less games to blood youngsters, which is a problem given the amount of quality kids we have knocking on the door and in need of games. Personally I'd give some of them the odd game now. We're not going to get 5th, and frankly I couldn't care less whether it's 6th or 9th now as long as we are looking to next season and blooding some players to see if they can cope. I doubt that's the approach we'll take though, Kenny will want to finish as high as possible and win as many games as he can. That's his mentality and let's not forget he also hasn't been given the job beyond this season yet. I'm really not too bothered if there's no European football at Anfield next season, but I badly wanted to win this competition this year. It would have been a great day out in Dublin, it would have been amazing to see Kenny winning something and it would have ended our five year drought without a trophy. It's even more disappointing because this cup was there for the taking. There isn't a team in it that a couple of years ago we wouldn't have hammered. The biggest threat was City, and they'd already gone crashing out before our game even kicked off. It was there for the taking, but we just weren't good enough, and haven't been good enough all season. Team: Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Wilson; Cole (Ngog), Lucas, Meireles, Maxi (Spearing); Kuyt, Carroll:

Nah that's nothing, a little graze no more. Maxi did pull out of the challenge, as if he'd followed through on it that scratch would be a lot worse than that.