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Stilly

By Stilly
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Takizawa

Takizawa

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I remain optimistic, and even based on what i've seen in the first few games. I'm predicting these will be our worst performances, United and Arsenal have hardly flown out the blocks too, and Chelsea should have lost at the weekend. But what did they do? Ground out a 1-0 victory against 'poor' opposition.

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ras el hanout

ras el hanout

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I remain optimistic, and even based on what i've seen in the first few games. I'm predicting these will be our worst performances, United and Arsenal have hardly flown out the blocks too, and Chelsea should have lost at the weekend. But what did they do? Ground out a 1-0 victory against 'poor' opposition.

If we'd won these first few game by playing great I would still think the same. Every season under Benitez we have gone on great runs. I think these have been inspite of him rahter than because of him. I think that our players now only get confidence by winning and not from the manager. We will probably win ten in a row and then Benitez will do something really fucking smart and our confidence will be gone, just like that! That's what normally happens.

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Commander Jameson

Commander Jameson

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If we'd won these first few game by playing great I would still think the same. Every season under Benitez we have gone on great runs. I think these have been inspite of him rahter than because of him. I think that our players now only get confidence by winning and not from the manager. We will probably win ten in a row and then Benitez will do something really fucking smart and our confidence will be gone, just like that! That's what normally happens.

For example?

I can't believe you're now complaining about going on winning runs because they end!

And that rumour sounds like utter nonsense. Do you really think that Benitez is that weak a manager that he would be forced to set up the team based on what the senior squad members say?

No-one is saying Benitez is the perfect manager. He has made mistakes in starting formations, team selections, substitutions, but he has done far more right for us that you seem to give him credit for.

Can you not see where we are going, with respect to the style of play (look at the 2nd half of last season, rather than the start of this one, since it is very rare for any team to start well)? Valencia (under Benitez) tearing us apart at Anfield in the CL. High tempo, pressuring the opposition defenders high up the pitch, attacking full backs (which we are lacking).

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ras el hanout

ras el hanout

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For example?

I can't believe you're now complaining about going on winning runs because they end!

And that rumour sounds like utter nonsense. Do you really think that Benitez is that weak a manager that he would be forced to set up the team based on what the senior squad members say?

No-one is saying Benitez is the perfect manager. He has made mistakes in starting formations, team selections, substitutions, but he has done far more right for us that you seem to give him credit for.

Can you not see where we are going, with respect to the style of play (look at the 2nd half of last season, rather than the start of this one, since it is very rare for any team to start well)? Valencia (under Benitez) tearing us apart at Anfield in the CL. High tempo, pressuring the opposition defenders high up the pitch, attacking full backs (which we are lacking).

Reading?

Something happened towards the end of last season. Perhaps it was just Rafa told himself to stop fucking around, who knows. Something happened though and he stopped fucking around like he had done all season until that point. Maybe it was just that we were out of most of the competitions so he could ditch his mad ideas.

And this is important - Benitez inherited an awesome Valencia team. And wasn't that around the time Barca went all rubbish? Houllier inherited an awesome Lyon team and didn't fuck that up either. I guess it's easier to keep an awesome team awesome than it is to make one. I mean, come on, surely even the most loyal of Benitez fan knows he's not going to turn us into Valencia or anything like it.

Are we more like Valencia now than we were the day he arrived? I don't think so.

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DeNeo

DeNeo

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Interesting quote from Rafa:

Benitez felt the overriding factor behind his side's late winner was their ability in the wide areas and was pleased that they kept going, despite suffering an evening full of frustration.

"The goal came from a good cross from Ryan Babel and Nabil also played well," he said. "You play with wingers because it gives you space for penetrating passes.

"It's important to have balance in defence but also in attack so that you have pace and quality in the wide areas, with Torres and Keane in the middle."

:)

Please let this mean Benayoun won't be starting on Sunday.

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DeNeo

DeNeo

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On a side note, rumours on a couple of Liverpool fora that the stadium work has been cancelled and an announcement is due in the next few days.

Looks like they're right:

The troubled regime of Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr at Liverpool suffered another severe blow last night when it emerged that they are preparing to postpone construction of the club's new stadium because of difficulties raising the funds in an unforgiving financial market.

Hicks and Gillett had hoped that the building of a 60,000-capacity stadium on the site at Stanley Park, barely a quarter of a mile from the club's Anfield home, would start within weeks, dispelling some of the concerns about their ability to drive Liverpool forward. But their apparent failure to do so casts further doubt about their credibility as owners, increasing the pressure on them to sell to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.

The American tycoons will play down the significance of this latest setback, saying that the market conditions are not favourable for such large-scale borrowing, but, 18 months after they bought the club, pledging that building would start “within weeks”, it is another embarrassment that they could do without. According to one source, they were recently told by the Royal Bank of Scotland that they could borrow the money required for the £350million project on the condition that they could put up £200million in guarantees, but they have been unable to do so.

The Hicks-Gillett regime has appeared doomed since it emerged that they had invited Dubai International Capital (DIC), the private-equity investment arm of the Dubai Government, to buy a minority stake last October. Hicks blocked DIC's bid to buy the club for £400million earlier this year, but the Dubai interest remains, albeit now presented as a consortium headed by Sheikh Mohammed, rather than under the DIC banner. The Dubai consortium still expects Hicks and Gillett, whose relationship remains tense, to sell within months, aware that their most recent refinancing package is up for renewal in January, albeit with the option of a six-month extension.

On the pitch, Liverpool's results so far this season have been positive enough - two wins out of two in the Barclays Premier League and progression to the Champions League group stage - but their performances have not. Rafael Benítez, the manager, has expressed overall disappointment and he may be particularly concerned at teething problems with the new strike partnership of Fernando Torres and Robbie Keane.

Another worry is the continuing lack of quality in wide areas, which should be resolved by the arrival of Albert Riera from Espanyol. However, that £8.5million deal had still to be finalised last night, meaning that Liverpool are likely to travel to Aston Villa without him on Sunday.

Fantastic.

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Commander Jameson

Commander Jameson

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Stadium Delay Confirmed By Official Liverpool Site

Liverpool Football Club have today confirmed that the building of their new stadium will be subject to delay.

A spokesman for the club said: "Our commitment to building a new world class LFC stadium is undiminished. Like many other major development projects in the UK and overseas we are affected by global market conditions and as such work on the project will be delayed in the short term. We will use this period productively and revisit the plans for the stadium to increase its capacity to 73,000 seats."

73,000 seats now, eh? Riiight.

This may be for the best if it diminishes us as an immediate investment opportunity for G&H.

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DeNeo

DeNeo

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Yeah I was thinking before, if we had been knocked out of the Champions League, that probably would've convinced them to cut their losses...

Anyway, Riera is close to signing:

Liverpool are poised to complete the signing of Albert Riera from Espanyol after the Spanish wide midfielder flew to England for a medical.

Terms of the deal have been agreed between the clubs and 26 years-old Riera must only prove his fitness to seal his move.

The fee involved is thought to be around £8million, with Riera set to return to the Barclays Premier League having previously had a loan spell with Manchester City in the 2005-06 season. He made 12 League appearances for City, plus three as a substitute, scoring once - the first in a 3-0 win over Newcastle United in February 2006.

Espanyol have announced on their official website that Riera has travelled to England to undergo a medical. The player had set his stall out for a move to Liverpool, despite interest from neighbours Everton.

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Chewylegs

Chewylegs

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After reading the last few pages I just don't get Ramone!

He blames EVERYTHING on Benitez but questions anyone in this thread with any sort of intelligence because we think the team as well as the manager is at fault? ;)

The boy is insane! :(

As for the game, jeez we made hard work of that and Standard Leige are defintely unlucky to go out. Really good side but not clinical enough. Benayoun is just not good enough for the starting XI, I really hope he isn't playing against Villa.

The draw was a bit tricky too. I personally think all of those teams will be hard to beat.

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ras el hanout

ras el hanout

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After reading the last few pages I just don't get Ramone!

He blames EVERYTHING on Benitez but questions anyone in this thread with any sort of intelligence because we think the team as well as the manager is at fault? ;)

The boy is insane! :(

As for the game, jeez we made hard work of that and Standard Leige are defintely unlucky to go out. Really good side but not clinical enough. Benayoun is just not good enough for the starting XI, I really hope he isn't playing against Villa.

The draw was a bit tricky too. I personally think all of those teams will be hard to beat.

So Benayoun isn't good enough to start. So that's Benayoun's fault is it? Not the fault of the man who bought him and plays him? Or is it just one of those things. Rafa can't lose with you guys behind him!

I dont think Standard Liege are a really good side, tbh. Again, think back to Marsielle last year when they looked great against us at Anfield. They weren't actually great though.

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Chewylegs

Chewylegs

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No, you aren't getting my point. It is Benayoun's fault that he isn't good enough and its Rafa's fault in playing him. I think from the bench he could bring something to the side, from the start against decent opposition, no. So, do you understand, its both the manager and the players fault.

I think they played really good football and desrved to win. Marseille didn't look great against us we looked woeful against them!

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ras el hanout

ras el hanout

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No, you aren't getting my point. It is Benayoun's fault that he isn't good enough and its Rafa's fault in playing him. I think from the bench he could bring something to the side, from the start against decent opposition, no. So, do you understand, its both the manager and the players fault.

I think they played really good football and desrved to win. Marseille didn't look great against us we looked woeful against them!

Benayoun would have got into that Liege team and he would have looked good. Benayoun isn't shit. Well he wasn't until we bought him. Same with Kuyt and Alonso and Gonzalez and many others. They're playing at a higher level, is that it? So their weaknesses are exposed? Well, that could hold water if they din't look bad against bad opposition, opposition they would have looked good against at their old, poorer team.

At the end of the day if Benitez is playing a player who is bad then it is totally his fault. If I woke up tomorrow as a Liverpook player it would be a bit much if I was getting loads of abuse while nobody blamed Benitez for buying me.

And I think all our players are good enough in the right hands. I think Benitez makes a lot of players look bad through whatever, bad man-management or whatever.

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Meat

Meat

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There's speculation that's it not even DIC that's after us now, it's the Sheikh himself. :(

Yup saw that on the bbc, I really hope he buys us.

Dude, have always been meaning to ask you this, do you have a bigger pic of your avatar?

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