Turkish Delight

Hobbs looks a real prospect for me and could become a 'proper' squad player over the next year or so IMO. Having watched a bit of the reserves as well as last night I still think Leto is a better prospect than El Zhar and when you consider he's struggled a bit at first team level that doesn't really say a great deal for Nabil. Lucas impressed me again and he seems to have a great range of passing. So much so that I think he would be a good stand-in for Xabi while he's out injured.

They were sat about 3 or 4 rows behind me and I was embarrassed by the number of people who rushed straight to the stewards. They were stupid to sing Blue Army but it was before they scored and and in a ridiculously quiet moment. If we were singing I don't think we would have heard them.

Kelly and Leto stood out most for me last night but a special mention has to go to the football experts who were sat behind me at the match who came up with this gem... Expert 1: "I don't like them foreigners taking the place of Britain lads in the reserves." Expert 2: "Yeah, that Ryan Babel should have played tonight" Expert 1: "He's injured though"

To be completely honest I like everybody else was totally shocked when Gerrard came off particulary as Sissoko had been so poor. However, up until that point we were playing fast aimless football and had spent the previous 10 minutes or so being outplayed by 10 men. Lucas came on and was at the heart of several good moves and all of a sudden the team were playing good possession football and creating chances. Like everybody I'm quick to criticise when I disagree with the manager and I'm proved right but in this instance he showed balls, made a difficult tactical change and it worked. Sometimes, you just have to accept that there are people who have greater knowledge than you do.

I remember seeing him in The Park pub when I was meeting a few mates before a Pompey game a few years ago. He was completely bladdered and people were throwing things at him but he was too pissed to react.

The whole anti-Liverpool stance that you have and the way you talk about the city in general baffles me when you consider the team you support. However, I'll take it that you're jesting with most of what you are saying and give honest answers as a recent graduate (well, 4 years ago) from Liverpool uni. The main areas where students live (Wavertree, Allerton, Mossley Hill) are generally fine places. Of all of the people who I knew at uni only one was a victim of crime and that was a fairly minor incident. I lived in carnatic halls in Mossley Hill and then just off Smithdown Road and I never encountered any trouble at all. In my experience, most of the publicity Liverpool gets about crime is based on historic stereotypes. There have obviously been incidents lately involving gangs in some areas but these are a long way from the student areas. I studied economics and to be honest wasn't the biggest fan of the support we got through our study. I personally wouldn't recommend the university because of this but I have friends who would disagree with me on that. What I can say is that everybody who I am still in touch with are in good jobs with long term prospects so it has obviously done us no harm.

I completely agree with that. We were shit tonight and we've been shit the last few games but all of this dramatisation of the situation we are in is ridiculous. As far as this season is concerned I'm happy as long as we are picking up results in the league and put ourselves in a position to challenge for the title. We all know we need to improve to do that but I've seen enough of Liverpool this season and in the past few seasons to feel confident that will happen. As far as the Champions League is concerned I'm absolutely certain we will qualify anyway.

To be honest when he said teams living beyond their means being tantamount to cheating that could also be a dig at clubs like Chelsea who don't break even but rely on somebody else pumping the money in. He's in an easy position to come out with comments such as these when you see the profits that Arsenal have announced but I can't help but agree with most of it. The way football has developed into a business has removed most of the competition in the English top flight and priced many of the working class fans that had previosuly been the soul of football out of the game. Other than the people who are lining their bank balance how could anybody argue that these changes have been for the better?

Cheyrou's is the best profile in my opinion. Nothing sums his career up better than an almost completely blank page that it could be argued is a waste of space.

The one hardcore blue in our office is making me laugh this morning. Ifithadnabinferanotherdodgyeuropeanref!

I thought it was just a fight but admit that I wasn't paying enough attention. If it's a fight to the death, the whelk is too terrified to put it's injured foot outside its shell while the Man O War is in attendance and starves to death.

Man-O-War. Whelk tries to grab hold of it but it's foot is stung to fuck and as anyone knows hurting your foot is really painful. The whelk then retreats into its shell while crying and waves a white flag out of the shell-hole.

I hate the Blueshite more than the Mancs but come the end of the season whatever happens in this game and any short-term gloating will most likely be forgotten. We'll also be beyond the horizon and out of sight as far as the bitters are concerned so I hope they win and it will also be the same when they play Arsenal and Chelsea.

I love these wind-up posts from rival fans. My thoughts on the banner was that Chelsea fans were as far behind Liverpool fans in the cleverness of their wit as their team is behind ours in the number of trophies they've won.

Was about to make a comment about him always seeming full of himself but the above comment probably explains why!

Eat bacon - A week last Friday on a butty from the cafe by our work. It was cold and made me sick. Puke up because of alcohol - About a month ago. It was my cousin's wedding and a free bar so I filled my boots. Help a stranger - I can't remember. I must be a really bad person! Lie - Not sure but most likely to a client at work so I'll say Friday. Laugh really hard - Last night. Went to see Run Fatboy Run and it was boss.

I'm a set-in-my-ways Mirror and Echo reader and as such won't be reading future articles of Chris's. However, while I don't read the New of the World through personal choice I have never considered it to be part of The Sun boycott. If you read this thread this Chris, from one Old Xav to another all the best with the new job and keep writing good articles.

If he plays I hope he does well but I really don't care what happens to the England football team and it's nothing to do with what's 'cool'. I am proud to be English but the national football team represents everything that I dislike in football. From the not insignificant number of fickle, xenophobic fans who follow them to the media circus to the over-hyped and over-rated playboy, gobshite footballers like Ferdinand, Lampard and Cole. It's just something that doesn't excite me and is why I'd rather our players are fresh for Liverpool.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_2707828,00.html Not if you believe this poll you clueless fucker.

If there's any truth in this I'd be against it for 2 reasons. 1. Rafa has already stated one of the things that drew him to England was that he had final decision on transfers. My understanding of the director of football role (and I could be wrong) is that they oversee transfers so at best it would cloud Rafa's authority in this area and at worst remove it altogether. 2. I have a lot of time for Gerard Houllier but he was a massive figure of authority at this club and anything related to the first team should be a case of what Rafa says goes. I'm not confident in Gerard's ability to take a back seat and I'm not sure whether the impact of him being about again could disrupt the team at a time when we look like we're on the verge of our best assault on the title since we last won it. It could work out great but it could just as easily go the other way in my opinion and I wouldn't like that type of risk.

I lived in Dublin for a while and the best way I could describe it is being a cross between Liverpool (mainly in the way the people are) and London (in that it is very much a hustle and bussle type place). I love the place and Ireland generally but it depends on what you want from the trip. What's your idea of a good trip?

Mine divorced when I was around 10 or 11 and while I was devastated at the time it was the best thing all around. They argued like cat and dog and still don't have a good word for each other now. It really wasn't a good environment to grow up in to be honest. They both went on to have happy, stable long-term relationships and I'd consider my mum's bloke and my dad's wife to be good, close friends now and they were also very good role models to have while I was growing up (especially my mum's bloke). In fact, I'd go as far as to say if they'd stayed together I could have ended up being quite mixed-up rather than happy as I am. Despite what happened between them I would say I have an excellent relationship with both of my parents. It hasn't affected my thoughts on marriage because I think my mum and dad were far too young when they married and just shouldn't really have been together. I'm 25 now and in a happy long term relationship and while I've no plans to propose yet I'd say a few years down the line I think I will marry my current girlfriend.

I'd be surprised if Rafa went for something like that and I prefer to see us go 4-4-2 to be honest. I'd expect Sunderland to sit deep on us like they did with Spurs and challenge us to break them down. My only concern is that if our central midfielders aren't getting into the attacking positions then there's the potential for a frustrating match like we suffered on several occasions last season. Having said that in Torres and maybe Babel there are 2 players in other areas who can win a match in an instant that weren't here then. If Lucas is the hard working attacking midfielder I've read about then I would play him in Gerrard's absence. If he's not or just isn't ready then I I'd go for Xabi and Momo in the middle as at least with Momo he won't sit too deep even if he isn't the most skillful. As for the wide positions and up front there are now so many 'possibilities' that I can't make my mind up who'd be best to go with.

I agree that Keane might target him but for me it really depends how good the lad is. The only thing I've seen of him was in Rotterdam and I never form opinions based on friendlies but what I do know is that any combination of Masch, Xabi and Momo offers us no goal threat in the centre of midfield and we should be taking the game to these. If Gerrard is unable to play and the lad is good enough and you would certainly hope he is then I'd play him with a disciplined player like Masch or Xabi.

I haven't either but just through it never being something I've thought of suggesting to my missus. Might have to change that though and give it a whirl!