marcus50bucks

Ben Smith ‏@BenSmithBBC Brendan Rodgers confirms there was genuine interest from other clubs in Luis Suarez. 'I saw the fax come in.' Ben Smith ‏@BenSmithBBC Rodgers confirms #LFC have been in talks with Craig Bellamy and Cardiff about him returning to Wales. Ben Smith ‏@BenSmithBBC Rodgers on Agger: 'Every player has his price. Daniel is a top player, loves the club. But you can never say never.' Ben Smith ‏@BenSmithBBC Brendan Rodgers: 'the intention is to bring in a few more players. I'd love them to be here sooner rather than later.'

Those Sahin quotes have been confirmed as fake.

Liverpool close in on deal for Gylfi Sigurdsson from Hoffenheim By Ben Smith BBC Sport Liverpool have opened talks with Hoffenheim over a move for Gylfi Sigurdsson and a deal could be completed early next week. Brendan Rodgers is keen to bring the midfielder to Anfield after the pair combined well during Sigurdsson's loan spell at Swansea last season. The 22-year-old has privately expressed his desire to join Rodgers at Anfield, rather than join Swansea permanently. Liverpool will pay in excess of the £6.8m fee Swansea agreed last month. Sigurdsson had been on the brink of agreeing a permanent move to the south Wales club when Rodgers left for Anfield last month. But despite having agreed terms with Swansea, Rodgers's departure prompted an immediate change of heart from Sigurdsson with the influence of his manager a key reason for his original decision. The new Liverpool manager has made no secret of his desire to link-up with his former player, whom he also worked with in his brief spell at Reading in 2009. "If he comes into the market for whatever reason - and I'm sure there'll be a number of clubs interested in Gylfi - then of course I would like to be in a position to put our case here at Liverpool to sign him," Rodgers said earlier this week. "But I've always said I think he's a player Swansea have had an agreement with and they have to have every chance to try to sign him. That's only right. If anything changes from that, we'll look at it from there." The personal wishes of Sigurdsson have, however, brought an end to Swansea's hopes of signing the player, leaving the way clear for Liverpool to make their first signing under Rodgers. More are likely to follow. "I think there are a few players who can come in and improve the group straight away," Rodgers added. "I know the types of player I need to bring here to make us function well and that's something myself, the club and the board will look at. "I know what we've got, more or less, in the squad, but I also know there are a couple of signings that could really improve what we do." BBC Sport - Liverpool close in on deal for Gylfi Sigurdsson from Hoffenheim He deserves his own thread now. :biggrin:

Where did you hear this mate?

I beg to differ. You wouldn't hold a press conference to say that you're leaving. Also you'd expect Liverpool to be the one to unveil him as their manager. The fact that it's been mentioned on several occasions tby the echo and Tony Barrett that we plan to interview more candidates next week makes it's even more premature that Martinez would be announcing that he's joining us.

:thumbup:

This is an updated article by Bascombe

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish flies to US to seek clarification on his position after poor league run Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has sought clarification of his Anfield future during a summit meeting held in the United States. By Chris Bascombe 10:30PM BST 14 May 2012 Dalglish travelled to Boston after Sunday’s final Premier League fixture at Swansea in an attempt to end speculation surrounding his position. Dalglish, who was accompanied by assistant Steve Clarke, decided himself to make the trip and was not summoned by his hierarchy. Confirmation as to whether Dalglish will pay the price for Liverpool’s failure to challenge for a Premier League place is now expected before his return to Merseyside. There has been silence from the club’s owners since Liverpool lost the FA Cup final as they assess whether their vision can ever be realised under Dalglish’s management. Principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner are understood to harbour serious reservations about whether Dalglish is capable of using the club’s resources in an effective manner. Their doubts follow a spending spree of £110 million on seven new players prior to the club’s worst league performance for more than 50 years. Suggestions that Fenway Sports Group have already begun the search for a successor prompted a furious reaction from Dalglish after defeat at The Liberty Stadium. Following a series of high-profile dismissals including director of football Damien Comolli, made without Dalglish’s knowledge or consultation, he decided to grasp the nettle and head to Boston establish what the Americans’ intentions were. Dalglish needs to know if he retains the owners’ faith as he looks to put plans in place ahead of next season. Negotiations with agents for potential signings and existing contract extension have been on hold since Comolli’s departure. Star performers such as Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel are frustrated with facing a third consecutive season without Champions League football, and although there have been no indications players will ask to leave, they will undoubtedly attract interest from top European teams. “I don’t know what the Champions League clubs are going to do but we are looking to bring people in,” Dalglish said. “I would say that’s the natural cause of events – there are very few seasons that any club hasn’t moved someone in. Our intention is to add to what we have got.” Henry and Werner now have a major decision to make to either back Dalglish’s vision or part company. Their face-to-face meeting is sure to be detailed as a poor league season is assessed and Dalglish tries to convince his bosses to give him one more chance. He is in a perilous position because FSG are known to be unhappy at the failure to go close to the top four and finishing eighth, four points behind Everton, has also undermined the manager’s claims that progress is being made. Dalglish won the Carling Cup and reached the FA Cup final. He also retains the support of the majority of Liverpool supporters, but FSG are not likely to be swayed by sentiment as they restructure the Merseyside club. They dismissed Comolli for wasting transfer funds. That made Dalglish even more vulnerable because he willingly accepted responsibility for identifying last summer’s purchases. Dalglish will argue the foundations are in place for a much improved performance next season, but he will need to be at his most charismatic to convince his bosses. Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish flies to US to seek clarification on his position after poor league run - Telegraph

I didn't bottle out of it at all. I personally, want him to stand down at the end of the season but that's not the question I wanted to ask. Feel free to start another poll. ;)

What makes you think he won't leave mate?

Reading around the forums I get the feeling people think it is inevitable that Kenny will leave or be sacked even if they don't want it to happen. What are people's gut feeling on here. Will Kenny lead us into the 2012-2013 season?

What formation and roles are people playing? Buying the game today but reading the sigames it seems 4-4-2 is working for most rather than 4-2-3-1

Boxnation is 456 on sky + not 446.

Just listened to Tim Vickery who's probably one of the most respected journalists based in South America. A poster did a better job than I did at typing up what he said so here it is. Vickery on Coates: Ko-wa-tiss. For ages, on verge of going to Brazil. Nacional solicited bids. Suarez is a mate. They'd been talking to each other. Coates very keen indeed. Only 20, but 3 solid years of experience - huge club. Made immediate impression and is very impressive. It's very soon and he is going to make mistakes. When he first got into the Nacional side they got to the semis of the Libertadores and he was caught in possession in the vital game. That could happen to him here. He's also going to be asked to defend a little bit higher. There's likely to be a bedding in period. Big. Not slow. Dominant in both penalty areas. A profile in World Soccer on Friday. Vickery was asked: Problem facing Aguero-esque types? He's pretty good on the ground. He will pick up a few cards, and he'll try to keep things as simple as possible.

I honestly feel Carroll hinders our style of play (one touch pass and move football). What gets me is we've played so well the past few games without Carroll, yet the minute he comes back in the side our level of performance drop and then people make excuses for him. Remind me how long King's been out yet he put in an immense performance today? For me Carroll has always lacked mobility. Personally I think if you want to get the very best out of him switch to a 4-4-2 with proper wingers and he'd perform better. He is clearly an old fashioned centre forward who thrives so much off service from the wings. However, play him in a system which relies on one touch passing, slick movement and good interchanging from our forwards then his lack of mobility, movement and technique is exposed.imo

Yes lets completely forget that he tried to play football manager which was confirmed by Benitez and Hodsgon. Lets also forget he was undermining our previous manager before hodgson by providing snippets here and there to Maddock. There is a reason only a minority of fans really respect Purslow.

Sorry but thats nonsense. People have every right to call Purlsow every name under the sun.

Raheem Sterling could make history for Liverpool in half-term Tony Barrett 1 minute ago Raheem Sterling, a 16-year-old schoolboy, could become the youngest player in Liverpool’s history after he was named in Kenny Dalglish’s party for tomorrow night’s Europa League tie away to Sparta Prague. Such is Sterling’s youth, he is able to make the trip to the Czech capital because he is on half-term holiday from Rainhill High School, where he is in the final year of his senior education. One of the first moves Dalglish made after taking over as caretaker manager in early January was to promote the highly rated teenager to the A list of Liverpool’s Europa League squad, a clear indication of his growing belief that Sterling’s precocious talent makes him worthy of being fast-tracked into the first-team picture. Dalglish was at Anfield on Monday night to see Sterling score five goals for Liverpool’s youth team in their 9-0 rout of Southend United in the FA Youth Cup, a glittering virtuoso performance that served only to underline why the Merseyside club signed him from Queens Park Rangers for an initial fee of £500,000 last March. The Jamaican-born youngster was one of the final recruits of Rafael Benítez’s reign, although Dalglish, who was working at the club’s academy at the time, was also instrumental in securing his signature. Given his age and talent, Sterling will inevitably be seen as a symbol of the renaissance that is taking place at the academy, a revival that will lead to three further products from Liverpool’s youth ranks being included in Dalglish’s squad for the tie in Prague. Conor Coady, a midfield player who captains the England Under-18 team, and Jonathan Flanagan, an 18-year-old right back whose progress in recent months has caught Dalglish’s eye, have both been called up to the squad. Jack Robinson, a left back who holds the record for being Liverpool’s youngest player at 16 years and 250 days, has also been included. But his record will be broken should Sterling be given any playing time in Prague as the England Under-17 player will be 16 years and 71 days on the day of the game. The production line of talent that once thrust the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher into Liverpool’s first-team ranks had ground to a halt in recent years, prompting a recent overhaul in which Frank McParland was appointed as academy director and the Spanish coaches, Pep Segura and Rodolfo Borrell, were recruited to oversee technical development. Benítez’s decision to utilise Dalglish’s expertise and experience by handing him a role at the academy was also significant, one of a number of changes that Dalglish himself believes is already paying dividends. “That’s great credit to Rafa who brought in Pep Segura, Rodolfo Borrell and Frank McParland,” Dalglish said recently. “He reorganised the whole academy and you can see the benefit in the kids now. It’s fantastic to see. The reserve team’s average age has been drastically reduced.”

Favourite ever player. No-one even comes close. Absolutely gutted when I think how much better he could've been. This man was pulling off skills over a decade ago that the likes of Messi, Ronaldinho are doing now. Phenomenal player and easily the greatest striker I have ever seen. For me he would have surpassed Maradonna and Pele if it weren't for his injuries. I know people bang on about Messi but there's just something different about Ronaldo.

Apparently he didn't want to go. These texts have been released by his mate Steve Wraith, editor of fanzine Toon Talk who has been on ssn in the past http://www.fansonline.net/newcastleu...cle.php?id=599 Here is a transcript of the texts that i made and received. Sunday 30th January 14:37 SW: Are you leaving mate? AC: I\'m not going anywhere mate. Monday 31st January 16:28 SW: Liverpool in for you mate. Any truth in that? AC: Dunno what\'s happening yet still mate. Thanks. 17:02 SW: Sky Sports say it\'s a matter of time mate. What\'s club said? AC: they have kind of said we don\'t want u but want me to say I wanna go. And I said I don\'t want to go. 17:26 SW: Have you put in a transfer request? AC: No I didn\'t that\'s what I mean that\'s what they wanted me to do and I said no. 17:27 SW: So they want you to go? AC: They said they wanted to accept it. 17:28 SW: So you have no choice? AC: Looks like it. 17:31 SW: Your agent will be doing ok out of this. When you going? AC: I don\'t know mate. Gutted tho. 17:32 SW: Any message you want put across to the fans? I\'m happy to do that for you mate. AC: They said they wanted the money. 17:37 SW: Anything else? AC: Gutted to be leaving Newcastle but I was kind of pushed out the door. 17:41 SW: That it? AC: Just what i\'ve just said really. Gutted to be leaving my home club but I was practically told to go. Didn\'t want to leave that\'s why i signed a 5 year deal. 17:47 SW: I will pass these onto the press lads I know. AC: Sound mate. 17:56 SW: Can you give press lads a call to do an interview when deal done? AC: I will yeah. I will speak to him later. Bit busy atm mate.

Marcotti Gabriele Marcotti RT @nikcub: @Marcotti LFC have removed all Torres promotional images/video from website. see: The Liverpool website has removed all Torres video and images : soccer

If it's true that Sturridge is having a medical at Bolton then I think it's fair to say that Anelka won't be part of the Torres deal and it probably means Torres is definitely going. Can't see Chelsea going into the remainder of the season with only Drogba, Anelka and Kalou.

Fernando Torres can go - but Liverpool FC demanding record £50m deal by Luke Traynor, Liverpool Echo Jan 31 2011 LIVERPOOL will only entertain selling want-away Fernando Torres if they can immediately bring in a top level striker as a replacement. As Torres’ insistence on a move to Chelsea hardened over the weekend, Liverpool have reluctantly been forced to consider pragmatic alternatives. The Reds want at least £40m for the Spaniard, plus a recognised top-level forward to fill the gap the 26-year-old would leave. A part-exchange deal involving cash and Chelsea’s Nicolas Anelka, effectively taking the value of the transfer to £50m, a British transfer record, could tempt Anfield bosses. But this would be a last resort as Liverpool are set to spend the rest of today trying to persuade Torres to stay on Merseyside. Kenny Dalglish was hopeful the £22.8m signing of Luis Suarez might prove to the Spaniard that owners Fenway Sports Group were willing to plough considerable finance into the pursuit of success at Anfield. But Torres has grown disillusioned with the direction of the club in recent years and with a perceived lack of investment by the Boston-based owners. The ECHO understands that money plus young Stamford Bridge striker Daniel Sturridge for Torres is not an option for Liverpool. Equally, coaxing Anelka to Anfield, who scored five goals in a loan spell at the Reds in 2002, would be difficult as he looks to still be part of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans. But the 31-year-old was refused a contract extension at Stamford Bridge earlier this season. The Reds were today bracing themselves for a second bid in a week from Chelsea as the transfer window deadline looms at 11pm. Torres is said to have a £50m exit clause in his contract which Liverpool would be keen to enact should a sale be the only option left. Torres was at Melwood yesterday and spent the time training alone away from his team-mates. The Spaniard had been given permission to arrive at the West Derby facility slightly later than his colleagues. The number nine has been spending time in Spain as the squad enjoyed two days off since the win against Fulham on Wednesday. Privately, Liverpool are furious with the timing of the Chelsea approach, coming just days from the transfer cut-off point. They believe it gives them little time to consider a credible alternative to Torres and threatens to send their plans for the second half of the season into turmoil. The Reds could insist any switch to Stamford Bridge happens in the summer, but that makes little sense to Liverpool who would hardly welcome their number nine a distracted figure from now until May. Even if Torres did stay at Liverpool, it is difficult how his relationship with fans could be salvaged as fury towards the Spaniard has grown considerably over the weekend following his hardline transfer stance. The Anfield faithful are particularly angered by his actions as it shows no correlation with comments made by the striker last summer. Chelsea moved to land Torres in May, after he had helped Spain to win the World Cup in South Africa, but the 26-year-old’s words had appeared unequivocal. At the time, he said: “My commitment and loyalty to the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed.” Chelsea’s Frank Lampard, meanwhile, appeared to suggest over the weekend he was expectant of Torres’ arrival in London. He said: “Players of a top, top level and world-class players will always help your squad. “It remains to be seen what happens with the club - who they bring in and who the manager wants to bring in - but they’ll always be very welcome from us.”In a further twist, if the Torres deal does go through, one of the Spaniard’s first assignments will be facing Liverpool this Sunday at Stamford Bridge. Incoming striker Luis Suarez was in Liverpool yesterday after his £22.8m move from Ajax to Liverpool. The 24-year-old has passed a medical and agreed personal terms making today’s official signing a formality. A third bid for Blackpool’s Charlie Adam, meanwhile, could be made by Liverpool today while reports emerged last night that Liverpool have had a £12milion bid for winger Ashley Young turned down by Aston Villa. Fernando Torres can go - but Liverpool FC demanding record £50m deal - News - Liverpool FC - Liverpool Echo

Apparently Bascombe has said that players and agents have let Comolli know that they do not wish to join us without clarification of who the long term manager will be. I am not suprised to be hearing this to be honest. With so much uncertainty surrounding the club you cannot blame players for not wanting to join us.

Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs lead chase for £25m Lukaku, confirms Anderlecht Chief Published 12:16 15/01/11 By Football Spy Anderlecht have confirmed a trio of Premier League clubs are leading the race to sign teenage sensation Romelu Lukaku. Speaking to Goal.com, general manager Herman van Holsbeeck also confirmed that it would take a bid of £25m to secure the starlet's services. "Our price will be around €30m (£25.3m)," said van Holsbeeck. "If you ask for between €20m and €30m for a footballer in Europe there are a maximum of 15 teams who can pay this amount. These 15 teams are all interested in Romelu Lukaku but it depends sometimes on what resources the team has at the time. "We received one offer from an English club three days before the end of the August transfer period. It was €10m immediately and €10m in one year. We would not accept the offer because we want to keep the player." Spanish giants Real Madrid are known to be one of those clubs monitoring Lukaku, but van Holsbeeck thinks that the player will most likely end up in the Premier League. "For him the team is in England," he said. "We have some managers who send people to inform us about the interest. It depends on the offers. We know that teams like Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool are interested in him and that they follow the player. "There is some interest from Real Madrid but we know they are interested in every good young player. "What for us is the right club? The Premier League clubs from the UK are the biggest clubs in the world with a lot of money." Transfer news Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham lead chase for £25m Romelu Lukaku, confirms Anderlecht chief - News - MirrorFootball.co.uk