Rafa: I’m Staying At Liverpool

There’s been a lot of speculation recently in both the English and Spanish media about the future of Rafa Benitez, but he has today officially denied the rumours by stating he is going nowhere:

I think it’s important the fans know I am completely committed to Liverpool Football Club and I’m going nowhere.
“I know there’s been a lot of speculation in the Spanish media linking me with Real Madrid.

“Any manager would be honoured to be associated with such a famous club, especially as Madrid is my home city and also my former club. However, I want to make it clear I am very happy at Anfield and very happy in England and I’m genuinely excited by what the future holds for Liverpool.

“I’ve had some extremely positive discussions with the new owners and share their enthusiasm and determination to take this club back to the very top.

“I will be sitting down shortly with both Mr Gillett and Mr Hicks to discuss things face to face, but an enormous amount of work is already underway in preparation for the way forward.

There has been a lot of speculation that Real Madrid would come calling this summer (for the 2nd year running) to test Liverpool’s and Rafa’s commitment to each other, as they look to replace the soon to be axed Fabio Capello.

Rafa shunned Real’s advances last summer but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly concerned that Rafa could leave Liverpool, especially if Real are the ones that come calling. The above statement has proved my fears are unfounded and I never really believed he would leave but you just never know in football.

Tom Hicks also stated that Rafa is the man they want to take us to the next level so good news all round. Rafa and the new owners are scheduled to sit down after the Arsenal match for their first proper meeting as joint owners and manager, face to face. What I would give to be a spider on that wall, as long as nobody tried to squash me.

Rafa Staying At Liverpool

New Stadium Plans Halted

BBC Sport

Liverpool’s new owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have suspended work on their proposed new stadium and ordered a review of the plans.

BBC Sport understands the pair want to examine ways of increasing the 60,000 capacity of the arena in Stanley Park.

Liverpool have targeted 2009 as an opening date for the stadium, but if major changes are made, there would need to be a new planning application.

This could result in a delay, although the original date may yet be met.

Liverpool have yet to confirm the decision to suspend preparatory work on the £215m project.

But BBC Sport believes the club’s hierarchy regards the move to commission a review of the plans as a sign of the huge ambition of Gillett and Hicks rather than any move to back away from the original scheme.

Gillett and Hicks are fully behind the project as part of their takeover plan, and it is understood the review will take ”weeks rather than months”, allowing work on any alterations to the original design to get under way as soon as possible.

An increased capacity will be one of the plans under discussion during the review, but this is not a guarantee that this will happen.

Work on the new ground needs to start in the spring because public money has been allocated to the regeneration element of the plan, and it has to be spent by the end of 2008.

Gillett said in early February: “The shovel needs to be in the ground in the next 60 days.

“We are fully supportive of the Stanley Park development and of building a facility that we hope will be the greatest facility in this sport.

“We do work hard on design and development and making sure the quality of the fan experience is unparalleled.

“We want to make sure the newest technology is incorporated in it. It is about the comfort of fans.”

And Hicks added: “We have our own people lined up to see if, within the confines of the plans, there are any other ideas that would be good for the fans.”

Well it appears our new owners have wasted no time in trying to make a mark on the club. I’m quite pleased they’ve decided to look at the plans again as I think the new stadium’s design is rubbish, and it’s too small! It looks like many other new stadia built around the world, and I’d like to see a single tier Kop too. It’s unlikely we could get planning permission for a bigger one now without starting completely from scratch (and losing the grant money in the process), but we should change the design to make it expandable at least, as the current one is not.

Celtic fans show their support for the 96

Justice for the 96

Memorable Liverpool Goals No. 2: Riise v Man Utd 4/11/01

It’s always a sweet occasion when we get one over on the Rags but this beauty from John Arne Riise made the result and performance even sweeter:

It’s a shame he can’t do that more often. Any birds randomly flying by are at more risk than the opponents goal from most of Riise’s free kicks. I wouldn’t like to be standing in the wall either.

Justice for the 96 A Poem: The Justice Bell

gaz1 posted this poem here so I thought I would try and give it a little more exposure. It’s an incredibly moving poem, written by Dave Kirby in 2002, about the Hillsborough disaster:

A schoolboy holds a leather ball
in a photograph on a bedroom wall
the bed is made, the curtains drawn
as silence greets the break of dawn.

The dusk gives way to morning light
revealing shades of red and white,
which hang from posters locked in time
of the Liverpool team of 89.

Upon a pale white quilted sheet
a football kit is folded neat
with a yellow scarf, trimmed with red
and some football boots beside the bed.

In hope, the room awakes each day
to see the boy who used to play
but once again it wakes alone
for this young boy’s not coming home.

Outside, the springtime fills the air
the smell of life is everywhere
viola’s bloom and tulips grow
while daffodils dance heel to toe.

These should have been such special times
for a boy who’d now be in his prime
but spring forever turned to grey
in the Yorkshire sun, one April day.

The clock was locked on 3.06
as sun shone down upon the pitch
lighting up faces etched in pain
as death descended on Leppings Lane.

Between the bars an arm is raised
amidst a human tidal wave
a young hand yearning to be saved
grows weak inside this deathly cage.

A boy not barely in his teens
is lost amongst the dying screams
a body too frail to fight for breath
is drowned below a sea of death

His outstretched arm then disappears
to signal thirteen years of tears
as 96 souls of those who fell
await the toll of the justice bell.

Ever since that disastrous day
a vision often comes my way
I reach and grab his outstretched arm
then pull him up away from harm.

We both embrace with tear-filled eyes
I then awake to realise
it’s the same old dream I have each week
as I quietly cry myself to sleep.

On April the 15th every year
when all is calm and skies are clear
beneath a glowing Yorkshire moon
a lone Scots piper plays a tune.

The tune rings out the justice cause
then blows due west across the moors
it passes by the eternal flame
then engulfs a young boys picture frame.

His room is as it was that day
for thirteen years it’s stayed that way
untouched and frozen forever in time
since that tragic day in 89.

And as it plays its haunting sound
tears are heard from miles around
they’re tears from families of those who fell
awaiting the toll of the justice bell.

My heart goes out to everybody that was effected by that terrible day on April 15th 1989. It just reinforces my hatred off The S*N, Kelvin MacKenzie and every single piece of shit that has tried to cover up what really happened. We will never forget the 96 who lost their lives and the injustices that their families have had to face.

YOU WILL NEVER WALK ALONE

Newcastle v Liverpool: FA Youth Cup S/F 1st Leg 10/3/07

Liverpool’s under 18s have a great chance to make it to their second FA Youth Cup Final in two seasons after they beat Newcastle Utd 4-2 in front of just over 4000 fans at St James Park earlier today.

Goals from Ryan Flynn (2), Craig Lindfield and Charlie Barnett have gave our youngsters a great chance of facing the winners of the other semi final clash between Manchester Utd and Arsenal.

Charlie Barnett opened the scoring for Liverpool on 24mins with a stunning 30 yarder that Magpie ‘keeper Mark Cook, had no chance of saving. Liverpool then went 2-0 after 40mins after young Swede, Astrit Ajdarevic, chipped a lovely ball for Craig Lindfield to latch on to after beating the offside trap and he didn’t disappoint when faced one-on-one with Cook.

Liverpool weathered some pressure from the home side in the 2nd half and went 3-0 after 60mins after Ryan Flynn tapped home from 2 yards after Cook couldn’t hold on to Barnett’s shot from the edge of the box. Newcastle responded well and pulled a goal back shortly after through Andy Carroll, who headed in past Hansen from a free kick.

Liverpool scored there 4th on 68mins after Flynn was put through and lobbed a despairing Cook for his 2nd of the match to all but finish the game. Newcastle then pulled one back shortly afterwards, after a free kick from Andy Carroll was deflected past Hansen. Newcastle were unable to pull any more goals back, and face a big ask to overhaul Liverpool in the 2nd leg at Anfield a week on Monday.

Champions League: Liverpool to Face PSV

The draw for the quarter finals of the Champions League was made earlier this morning and we were paired with Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven. We faced them in the group stages earlier in the competition and drew 0-0 in Eindhoven and beat them 2-0 at Anfield (Gerrard and Crouch on target), so more of the same would do very nicely.

If we get past PSV we could face either Chelsea or Rafa’s old team, Valencia, in the Semi Finals. I’m obviously hoping Valencia knock Chelsea out but former is going to be hit with suspensions after their involvement in the mass brawl with Inter Milan in the previous round. Chelsea, on the other hand, will more than likely be back to full strength and the return of John Terry could prove decisive.

Now, this pains me to say it but I don’t think we will lift the European Cup for a 6th time in Athens. I fancy us to beat PSV but if we face Chelsea in the Semis, I think it will be fate for them to knock us out. However, if we face Valencia, I think we will make it to the final and lose to either Bayern Munich or Man Utd.

I just don’t have the same vibes or feelings I had back in 2005 when we defied everybody and won the European Cup. I obviously hope I’m wrong but I just don’t think it’s our year.

Memorable Liverpool Goals No.1: Fowler v Brann Bergen March 1997

Each week I will post a video of one of my favourite Liverpool goals, in no particular order, so to get the ball rolling, I present to you Robbie Fowler v Brann Bergen:

World class skill and finishing, despite the average team he was facing.

I remember watching that game live, and vividly recall how little the media praised Fowler’s skill and touch, the following day. If Henry or Ronaldinho scored that it would’ve been goal of the decade. Fowler might not get the plaudits his goal scoring talents deserve but he is rightly hailed as a Liverpool legend by Liverpool fans across the globe. God indeed.

What the last two games have really shown, despite the results

In the last two games at Anfield Liverpool have shown they can live with the best in the world. Despite losing both games it’s clear Liverpool should have won both comfortably with the amount of chances created. It was a very frustrating night for me, because I simply couldn’t believe we weren’t scoring with the chances we had!

If we keep being this wasteful in front of goal it’s going to cost us, thankfully with the money from Gillett and Hicks we can now go and spend some money to get those top attacking players, rather than only being able to stretch to £6million for the limited Pennant. We might be able to get someone like Alves, who was so close to a move last year but we lacked the extra funds. Hopefully next season we’ll be able to really push for the title, but it feels like we’ve said that plenty recently….

Champions League: Liverpool v Barcelona (H) 6/3/07

Talk about nail biting! Yet again we did things the hard way, hanging on to knock out Barcelona 2-2 on the away goals rule.

We had more than enough chances to finish the game in the first half, with Riise shooting just wide before hitting the crossbar and having his headed attempt cleared off the line in a move that brought a double save from Valdes courtesy of Bellamy then Kuyt. Sissoko then almost capitalised on another Valdes error by connecting with the ‘keeper’s woeful clearance, only to be denied by the crossbar.

Barcelona were awful for most of the game, with just one piece of brilliant play from Ronaldinho who was thwarted by the post. Barca finally came alive after Eidur Gudjohnsen was played onside by Arbeloa before calmly going past Reina and slotting the ball home. Barcelona then dominated possession but created very little and Crouch, who replaced the hardworking Kuyt near the end, should’ve made it 1-1 after getting onto a dangerous cross by Pennant only to blaze it into The Kop.

Another fantastic result in Europe but we need to start taking our chances if we are to repeat what we did 2 years ago and lift the Champions League trophy for the 6th time, in Athens.