Liverpool FC season 08/09

[GiveNgog]

Lol Manchester City have made Gerrard and Essien their top targets next transfer window. What a bunch of s

[Lilly Whites]

money talks.

players will go too manchester.

[GiveNgog]

money talks.

players will go too manchester.

Gerrard won't.
Kaka's agent has said Man City is a possible destination for him though. That would be a top signing...rich bastards.

[LeBron]

Can't see him missing the United game..he'd play through the pain if he had to just to be in that game..
Villa and Everton will be big tests..But even without Gerrard they're tests we should be able to overcome.

Oh and I've come to the conclusion that Keane is waiting until we play Spurs to open his account

Mate....you make me laugh at times

He's having an op to fix his groin problem.....1st you really don't know how the op went & how long his recovery will be....Rafa may say between 10-15 days but until they get in there and have a look at what's wrong you/me/they don't know....could well be 10-15 days but it also could be longer....2nd.. Why after having an op to fix the problem would he come back and play in pain???...so he can tear it again and be out for months????

Also with your "Yeah but it's one game, maybe two. If we can't go one or two games without Gerrard then there's something fuckn wrong.".....I understand what your saying but in my eyes.....HE WILL BE MISSED

No doubt..

Oh and btw, I made that comment based on what Rafa has said. Obviously nobody but him and the doctor knows whether the surgery went well, or how long he will take to recover. But I think if Rafas comments are close to the mark, theres no way in hell he would miss the United game.

Gerrard rules himself out of Man United showdown

Liverpool have been dealt a major blow ahead of Saturday's showdown with Manchester United with Steven Gerrard ruling himself out of the match.

The captain had surgery on a persistent groin injury after helping Liverpool qualify for the group stage of the Champions League with an extra-time victory over Standard Liege on August 27.

And the 28-year-old revealed the full extent of his injury misery which forced him to take multiple painkillers to get him through matches.

Manager Rafael Benitez admitted that Gerrard could struggle to make the Anfield encounter but was hopeful he would make a speedy recovery.

It's a huge blow for the Merseyside outfit with Fernando Torres already definitely out with a hamstring strain which he suffered in the last Premier League fixture at Aston Villa.

"The United game is too soon," Gerrard told the Liverpool Daily Post. "I've a decent chance for the Champions League game in Marseille but I've spoken to the manager and told him I'd like to do a certain amount of training before I come back.

"I don't want to go into a big game only having had one session with the boys.

"There are times when you have got to forget about England and Liverpool and get yourself right. I had a good rest in the summer and felt great when I came back. Then, as soon as I went into training, the groin started niggling. One day it would be the right, then the left, and over a month's pre-season, it started to be a real worry.

"I strained both sides, which is a separate injury from the main groin problem I've got. The strains came about because I was training and playing differently to reduce the pain further up the pelvic bone."

Gerrard added: "The decision about surgery was taken after our game against Standard Liege. I had a meeting with the club doctor on the day of the game and said the discomfort was getting to the stage where I couldn't continue.

"I'd had to double, then treble, my dose of painkillers to train and play, and I was having to take them during games. You get to the stage where you can't grind it out any longer. I told the doctor, 'I can't find my level, I can't get to 100 per cent because I'm missing training sessions and I don't feel right in games. I don't feel I can go to the max'.

"I couldn't sprint flat out, couldn't pass more than 30 yards and couldn't shoot properly and, as much as you want to be out there for every game, it is important to be right."

It may come as a surprise to many that Gerrard has already pulled himself out of what is one of the club's biggest games of the season, but the player clearly considered his long-term fitness more important.

With Liverpool missing Gerrard and Torres and Manchester United welcoming Dimitar Berbatov for his debut it puts the Premier League champions as clear favourites for the game.

[SPURS18]

Huge blow for you guys but you will still get a draw on the weekend

[LeBron]

Huge blow for you guys but you will still get a draw on the weekend

I got a feeling we'll draw too(1-1)

[sweeps]

Huge blow for you guys but you will still get a draw on the weekend

I got a feeling we'll draw too(1-1)

How do you expect to get a draw? honestly?
It will be a close game because it always is.... but Man U will win! Saying 2-0!
Berba to score!

[LFTWNG11]

have to agree with the Chelski scum posting above me... no way liverpool will get a result Saturday night. Even with Torres and Gerrard, we can't score against them, without them 2, we won't even make any chances!!

ManUSA 3 nil thumping to make us unfortunate scousers realise how far we really are off.

[totsreds08]

i dont know about this game. i have a feeling that we can get a draw or maybe win. we have no gerrard or torres. they have no ronaldo

[LeBron]

RAFA EXPLAINS HYYPIA EURO OMISSION

Rafael Benitez today explained his thinking behind the decision to leave Sami Hyypia out of Liverpool’s Champions League group games this season.
The long-serving centre-back was the victim of a new rule implemented by UEFA which states that all clubs taking part in this season's competition must have at least eight home-grown players in their squads for all Champions League matches.

"It was really difficult decision, but we had to do it. With the rule saying that you need more or less eight British - or local - players in the squads, we needed to decide which three centre-backs to have for the Champions League," Benitez told Liverpoolfc.tv.

Despite Hyypia's frustration, the Liverpool manager stressed that each of his defenders will get plenty of first-team opportunities over the course of the season.

"We now have four centre-backs who are good enough so they have to compete," said the boss. "And obviously it depends on the number of games we play and how we progress in the cup competitions too, so there could be a lot of games for many of our players."

Meanwhile, Benitez vented his frustration about UEFA's new rule, adding: "Clearly I think it is a mistake. When you play in the Champions League, you need the best players you have on the pitch. It is not about where you are from, it is about the best players. I would understand if this rule came in for the Premier League, but not for the Champions League."

[GiveNgog]

Is anyone else rly optimistic about our chances against Utd? Because despite missing Gerrard and Torres I've started to think that maybe some of our other players can step up and be counted. (this obviously excludes Masch, Reina, Carra, Skrtel as they always do their job for us..)

[totsreds08]

torres and gerrard have been declared fit to play

[LFTWNG11]

torres and gerrard have been declared fit to play

didnt need them... we got Riera!

[totsreds08]

torres and gerrard have been declared fit to play

didnt need them... we got Riera!

[GiveNgog]

torres and gerrard have been declared fit to play

didnt need them... we got Riera!

[GiveNgog]

Liverpool and Villa are being linked with Heskey atm...personally I like the idea of seeing Heskey back in a Liverpool strip..
It'd bring back memories..

[Judge Judy]

wtf, fuck no.

[delfino_1936]

good win guys!!!!!

WHO THE FUCK R MAN UTD

[totsreds08]

Liverpool and Villa are being linked with Heskey atm...personally I like the idea of seeing Heskey back in a Liverpool strip..
It'd bring back memories..

you cannot be serious

[LeBron]

Liverpool and Villa are being linked with Heskey atm...personally I like the idea of seeing Heskey back in a Liverpool strip..
It'd bring back memories..

you cannot be serious

No farken way

[GiveNgog]

Lol of course I wasn't serious..why the hell would we wanna buy Heskey? We have Torres, Keane, Ngog, Babel and Nemeth & Pacheco coming thru the ranks.

[route 66]

i'm not too sure how strong they are down back, up top they look good, but not too much depth down there, especially without riise

[GiveNgog]

i'm not too sure how strong they are down back, up top they look good, but not too much depth down there, especially without riise

I think Liverpools defence is very strong tbh. Carra, Agger, Skrtel are all top class CB's and I rate Arbeloa very highly. The only position I can see in defence that needs strengthening is LB..Dossena hasn't proved himself yet as far as im concerned and Aurelio is too injury-prone. Losing Riise hasn't really weakened our defence much tho, given his form for us in the past
season(s).

Riera looked rly good against Utd, but I'm not gonna make a judgement based on one game. So for me our weakest points are still RM and LB..Because even before Riera came we had Babel that could play out on the left..even if it wasn't his natural position.
Im satisfied with every other position on the field.

[totsreds08]

why doesn't agger play?
imo:
reina
cara, agger, skrtel
babel, masch, gerrard, alonso, riera
torres, keane

[deyy]

Anyone know what time the game is tomorrow sydney time?

[totsreds08]

4-15 adelaide time kick off so probably 4-45 sydney time. is it televised?

[Judge Judy]

wasn't on telly, watched it on the net, we played okay, should've scored more tbh. babel missed a couple of great chances, gerrard's first was a great finish.

[totsreds08]

i still don't know why babel is starting on the bench. give him a start and i am sure his confidence will go up and he will soon start to carve up defences. also why doesn't rafa give nemeth and pacheco a place in the squad. i am sure they can do better than keane who can't buy a goal.
very happy with the signing of riera. skill is good and has got a decent cross on him
and i agree with bali cowman; we are hopeless up front atm

[chelsea91]

I thought Torres and Keane upfront wouldnt be too bad, now with Reira who I rate I thought Liverpool would get results.. Gerrard through the midfield cant complain with that and the 3 I just mentioned, not a bad mix IMO.. They will string a few wins together and make a tilt at the title..

[GiveNgog]

I thought Torres and Keane upfront wouldnt be too bad, now with Reira who I rate I thought Liverpool would get results.. Gerrard through the midfield cant complain with that and the 3 I just mentioned, not a bad mix IMO.. They will string a few wins together and make a tilt at the title..

Yeah I agree..just gotta accept that Stoke defended very well the other night and deserved their point..
This team will do well tho:

-----------------Reina----------------
Arbeloa-Carragher-Skrtel- Dossena
-------------Masch--Gerrard---------
-----------------Keane---------------
Babel---------------------------Riera
----------------Torres----------------

*Skrtel perhaps being switched for Agger, depending on how things go. Personally I'd rather Agger but Skrtel has been great for us since hes settled in and he's formed a great partnership with Carragher.
*Gerrard moving into Keanes position if Keane fails to deliver after hes been given a fair go, with Alonso slotting in where Gerrard is.

Oh and for the record, constant slating after failing to score for a few weeks, isn't a fair go. He's taken time to score for most clubs he's been at, and once he gets his first he'll continue scoring.