clareinexile

Don't know about his foot preference but my utd supporting brother says he's a friend of dorothy

Maybe he was making a subtle hint or not as to which foot Evra kicks with.

Mark Kennedy-terrible waste of some talent

Appearing on twitter now DarrenCanalPlus Darren Tulett Evra expects action to be taken regarding his Suarez racist comments accusation: 'The referee is aware of what was said.' #lfc #mufc

"Javier Mascherano wasn't like this at Liverpool," he added. "He must have learned all these cheating tricks at Barcelona." claims Ronaldo, funny I always him as a dirty cheating bollix when he played with us. Xabi and Arbeloa however seem to have had personality transplants and now seem tainted by their association with the filth that is Real facista Madrid

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs048.snc6/167876_501615530957_634660957_6269987_5646875_s.jpg

Torres is dead to me, his up there with Owen n Souness heroes who fucked us over

Supposedly it was Sky just telling a few porkies again according to phil mcnulty

I thought Carrol was fucked with a thigh injury

Gone for £48 million according to twitter

I'd just bought my young fella his 1st Liverpool shirt with Torres on it, the bollix now its ruined

gerrards arrival back certainly proved disruptive

At this rate Holloway will be quoting £98 million for Adam

It was all down to Johnsons new haircut I knew the minute he'd cut it we'd win

Fergie defends corner until he effectively owns the ring The recalling of Preston loanees was the latest example of his power, writes Miguel Delaney Master of all he surveys: Alex Ferguson's huge influence in the game has meant that rival managers dance to his tune in order to stay in his favour 1 2 Last week wasn't the first time Alex Ferguson got a little too involved in one of his sons' careers. When Jason Ferguson worked as an agent, for example, there were numerous stories about how the Manchester United manager would attempt to bully young trainees into signing for his son's company. Indeed the book that claim comes from, Michael Crick's acclaimed 2003 biography The Boss, even features an entire chapter devoted to the manager's relationship with his boys. As one family associate argues, "there's certainly an element of arrogance: he's the big man, so it won't do for his son not to be someone big too. It's an ego thing." Reading it now, it's difficult to stop the mind drifting back to King Lear. Within the chapter, an unnamed Premier League manager offers a different comparison. "I would liken him to the mafia – if you affect his welfare in any way, no matter how good the reason is, he'll come for you." Preston North End, who recently sacked Darren Ferguson as manager, will know the feeling. Look at how they massacred his boy. And look how he responded: by recalling the loan players that may well have helped them avoid relegation. The most curious aspect of the whole affair, however, was the decision of Stoke City boss Tony Pulis to do exactly the same. "Like a puppet dancing on a string," as Mario Puzo once put it. Puzo based some of The Godfather on King Lear and the image, then, given by that unnamed manager is an obvious one: of Ferguson, just like on the film's poster, with his hand on all those strings. Whatever United's critics might say, Ferguson isn't that insidious, of course. But he may well be that unconsciously influential. The entire episode raises new questions about how powerful Ferguson really is in the game. Not only did it illustrate the skewed effects his loaning programme can have (an average of 18 players a season) as well as the actual sway he holds over a cabal of managers, but it comes quickly after the authorities' difficulties in reprimanding him for his treatment of the media and referees. As one official within the game told the Sunday Tribune, "The mere sound of his voice goes an awful long way. It does sometimes seem as if he operates according to a different set of rules". Ferguson may not exactly be pulling the strings, but he is usually pushing things in the direction he wants. And forcefully. In that, he's a phenomenon unprecedented in the English game. Sure, at the height of Liverpool's dominance there were questions about the unconscious effect Anfield had on referees. And, at the beginning of it, the so-called socialist Bill Shankly used to collude with Matt Busby to keep their players' wages down so as to maintain control. Both men, meanwhile, used to enjoy the audience of many other coaches in the game. But neither could cause the quakes that Ferguson does. Referees' chief Ian Blanchard admits: "As a manager and as a person he has a very influential role in this country when it comes to football. People listen to him." Most obviously, people like Pulis. Along with Harry Redknapp, Steve Bruce, Sam Allardyce, David Moyes, Roy Hodgson, Ian Holloway and Alex McLeish, the Stoke manager makes up a group of managers who are always curiously loud in their support or praise of Ferguson. He has also managed to bewitch previous dissidents like Roberto Martinez and Jose Mourinho. A new friendship has even been forged with Arsene Wenger. Indeed, Hodgson did little to dispel the doubts many Anfield regulars had before his first day when he curiously announced: "I know Sir Alex is not really a Liverpool man so I'm a bit concerned about my excellent relationship with him. I sincerely hope he forgives me and hopefully we can have a glass of wine together, maybe in secret." This sort of thing goes beyond mere lip service though. The League Managers Association (LMA), for example, forms many of its initiatives and proposals by canvassing the opinion of its 92 members. And many of those often conform to Ferguson's thinking. As such, he indirectly drives a lot of what the LMA do. An obvious question, of course, is why so many senior figures – themselves having reached the top of their profession by directing squads of grown men to compete with Ferguson's United – are so in thrall to him. It's a far cry from two decades ago when, as many reporters who have covered Old Trafford beat testify, Ferguson wasn't far off meek as he sought to make friends and keep support. His Old Trafford success came at a particularly opportune time, however. Not only did the trophies give him the breathing space to be much more bullish, the fact they came as English football underwent rapid economic expansion allowed him to make a financial monster out of Manchester United. The club could derail the whole Premier League were they to negotiate their own TV deal – which they're perfectly entitled to do. All of this, as well as Ferguson's obvious expertise, have made him an elevated figure in the English game. Other clubs actively seek his advice when signing players or appointing new managers. That may sound simplistic, but the actual effect can't be understated. Apart from a handful of top clubs, the majority of British sides are run in a woefully unsophisticated manner. One story emerged during the week of an established Premier League club exclusively drawing up their shortlist for a Director of Football out of a World Soccer list. In that sort of climate, a few words from Ferguson go an awful long way. It pays to stay in with him. Just look at the manner he recently made a point of actually recalling a Sky interviewer to defend Allardyce. On a more human level then, there's also the fact that Ferguson is hugely charismatic and good company when off the clock. Every so often he'll take a group of north-west managers to dinner. Already friends with him, many then see him as a father-figure to learn from. One of the perks of being on that side is getting entrusted with loan deals. The figures of where Ferguson's young stars have gone over the last five years (see panel) are enlightening themselves. Paul Sturrock may be surprisingly high but then he also played under Ferguson at the 1986 World Cup. There was little surprise, either, on Friday when it was announced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's new club Molde were to benefit from Ferguson's philosophy. For all the accusations of nepotism and favouritism, there's another way to look at his attitude to loans. Given that these young players represent the future of Manchester United, Ferguson is obviously going to prefer sending them to individuals or clubs he knows and trusts. He does have previous as regards recalling players though. When son Darren left Peterborough in November 2009, Ferguson immediately ordered goalkeeper Ben Amos back ahead of schedule. In any case, it's not like the authorities can or would punish him for such petty behaviour – even if the likes of Rafa Benitez and Martinez have argued it's in accordance with a theme. But, while Benitez's infamous "facts" press conference may have been driven by a self-serving need to actively stand up to Ferguson, one insider claims there is a ring of truth to it. "He does get an easy ride from the authorities because he's so high profile and powerful." Indeed, over 24 years in English football, Ferguson has only been fined by the FA three times. Not that that says much in particular, but when the United manager is involved in flashpoints he will often pre-emptively scorch the debate to prevent sanction. A clear example was when he criticised the fitness of Alan Wiley but realised he had gone too far. On encountering a backlash, he immediately wondered aloud where there was a vendetta and questioned whether he would receive a fair hearing. By the end, Ferguson was understood to be "delighted" with the relatively lenient punishment he received. As Martinez said to a Spanish paper at the time: "The reality is that they have almost begged his forgiveness for fining him. They would have hammered anyone else. He has a lot of control." Clearly, there's nothing untoward about this control. It's not like Luciano Moggi at Juventus with Calciopoli. Rather, the exact same personality which has made Manchester United such a winning force has helped shaped affairs outside the club as well as inside it. In constantly fighting his club's corner, he inadvertently occupies an awful lot more space. Preston now know that all too well. mdelaney@tribune.ie

Premier League have DECLINED to put Mill Financial through the diligence tests. Say they must have board approval. stolen from somebody on anfield road

Totally the man should be hounded to to the end of his days. His family should also receive the same treatment until he pays back every pound he stole from Liverpool.

If Hick remains in control Liverpool fans should take a class action against the premier league,the f.a for allowing this inbred gobshite to remain in charge. I have emailed sky and said that should hicks remain in control I will also cancel my sky. Perhaps if all Liverpool fans did this I would imagine sky would put pressure on the Premier league to investigate Hicks

Lucas, Skertel, Serb guy are no where like premiership standard never mind Liverpool Standard. Tactics were more negative than Rafa at his worst

Lucas was a liability and I' afraid he always will be. Poulsen looks like once he gets settled can control a midfield. Carragher apart from one good tackle was v poor. Ngog is an enigma wrapped in a puzzle. Soto looked ok, Kelly looks good and Pacheo showed a lot of potential

Never mind Webb if those dirty fuckin orange bastards hadn't tried kicking anything that moved the game wouldn't have been ruined-Kuyt being the one exception .

To be honest even at his prime I had no time for Gerrard. I remember in the run up to the last group game in 2005 champions league he came out with comments that if Liverpool didn't qualify he would have to look elsewhere. His shameless flirting with Chelsea in 2004 and 2005 didn't help either.

brilliant days germans blitz de english and meath blitz the dubs and the sun is shining and the bulmers is cold

I'd love it if he went to another club, preflbly madrid, he's past it, got a terrible attitude and a negative influence on the club. Admire him for all he did, thats in the past role on the future.