Liverpool Season 2009/10

[JAS]

Verdict just announced...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/mers ... 167000.stm

Regards
JAS

[johntheclaret]

That happened ages ago.

DJ wouldn't put Coldplay on for him so Gerrard started swinging.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8162085.stm

Gerrard found not guilty of affray.

Case closed

[johntheclaret]

Thanks to The Sporting Life

REAL CLOSE IN ON ARBELOA

Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa could make a £4.5million return to Real Madrid in the next few days, according to the player's agent.

The Spaniard was linked with a switch to the Bernabeu earlier in the summer but rumours had died down.

However, Arbeloa's representative, Manuel Garcia Quilon, remains in discussions with the Primera Liga giants and expects a conclusion by the start of next week.

Quilon told The Sun: "Discussions with Real are not over and I expect a solution early next week."

Real sporting director Jorge Valdano has also confirmed that the 26-year-old, who played for the club in 2004-5, remains a transfer target.

Valdano said: "Arbeloa is a basic part of our plans."

Arbeloa has one year remaining on his contract at Anfield and faces a fight for a first-team place on Merseyside following the arrival of Glen Johnson.

[johntheclaret]

I thought this story would show the depth of Liverpool's debt.

Thanks to The Mail

Liverpool owners shell out £60m with nothing to show for it in debt restructure deal

Liverpool's American owners are paying off a £60million debt as part of a deal to renegotiate the loan they took out to buy the club in 2007.
Tom Hicks and George Gillett have extended their £290m loan with the Royal Bank of Scotland for another year, but will pay back £30m immediately with another instalment of the same amount to follow.
Liverpool owe another bank, Wachovia, £60m and negotiations with both lenders has proved long and tortuous, though the Reds have continued to be active in the transfer market and bought Glen Johnson from Portsmouth for £17m.

But the owners have failed to find the money to build the club's new stadium, with preliminary work on the Stanley Park venture halting during last season.
There had been a deadline to sort out the re-financing before the end of last week and though there has been no formal confirmation, sources say the deal was agreed in time.
Latest accounts show Kop Holdings, the parent company of the Anfield club, lost £42.6m in the year to August 2008. Annual figures showed that interest payments accounted for £36.5m of those losses.

[devilsadvocate]

So with Alonso gone, where does that leave Liverpool?

There's not another player of Alonso's quality sitting in the wings to step up and string passes together like the Spaniard.

IMO, Liverpool could have been gold this season with Man U's demise, but this is a bog blow to their chances. The Chav's must be rubbing their dirty mits together in glee.

[johntheclaret]

So with Alonso gone, where does that leave Liverpool?

£30m towards thier debt repayment. the story said £60m in to £30m payments

[johntheclaret]

So with Alonso gone, where does that leave Liverpool?

There's not another player of Alonso's quality sitting in the wings to step up and string passes together like the Spaniard.

IMO, Liverpool could have been gold this season with Man U's demise, but this is a bog blow to their chances. The Chav's must be rubbing their dirty mits together in glee.

DEFOUR 'COULDN'T SAY NO' TO REDS

Steven Defour's agent has claimed the Standard Liege midfielder couldn't turn down the chance to join Liverpool if they came in for him.

With Xabi Alonso's future continuing to dominate the headlines as Real Madrid look to secure his signing, the likes of Roma's Alberto Aquilani and Defour have been linked with a move to Anfield.

[johntheclaret]

Good news ??????

thanks to Skysports

Voronin expects regular role
Ukrainian frontman hoping to take second chance at Anfield

Andriy Voronin is confident he will play a prominent role for Liverpool in the 2009/10 campaign. The Ukraine international spent last season on loan at Hertha Berlin after being deemed surplus to requirements at Anfield. He is, however, back in England and has featured regularly for the Reds during their pre-season preparations. Having rebuilt his confidence in Germany last year, following a difficult debut season in the Premier League following his 2007 arrival from Bayer Leverkusen, Voronin believes he is now better equipped to force his way into Rafa Benitez's plans.

[Swooper16]

Alonso is off to Real pending a medical for 30 mil apparently.

He was an important player for liverpool but i thought he was sometimes too lightweight and inconsistent to be considered in the same class as Lampard, Gerrard, Scholes, Essien etc.

Therefore i think L'pool have done well to get that type of price for a player who can be replaced. Issue iwill be trying to find a replacement by the start of the season...

[devilsadvocate]

Alonso is off to Real pending a medical for 30 mil apparently.

He was an important player for liverpool but i thought he was sometimes too lightweight and inconsistent to be considered in the same class as Lampard, Gerrard, Scholes, Essien etc.

Therefore i think L'pool have done well to get that type of price for a player who can be replaced. Issue iwill be trying to find a replacement by the start of the season...

Sorry, but I gotta disagree with you there mate. Alonso was possibly Liverpool's most consistent player last season, always putting in a shift and rarely misplacing a pass regardless of how far away.

As for lightweight...not sure, but I never saw him pull out of a tackle or think twice about sticking a boot in.

Big loss for Liverpool IMO.

[RoosterMarty]

I don't think they will be able to replace him that easily, he was a key to their title charge last season and was going to be a key to them this season.

It is like United losing Ronaldo.

edit: snap DA... just to add.. he seems to be the most 'hated' opposition player in the EPL with the amount of tackles he copped, quite a few ended in red cards too.

[MST]

I am sad to see Xabi leave, no question, but at the end of the day he wanted to go to Madrid and there is little point in keeping a player who doesn't really want to stay. Liverpool paid 10.7 million quid for him five years ago and are reportedly pocketing 30 million plus ad-ons....a tidy piece of business in anyone's language.

I also firmly believe Rafa will bring in a quality signing, possibly someone that has waited patiently in the wings whilst this saga has played out. A goal scoring midfielder and another striker please, after all, Alonso was an exquisite passer of the ball but he didn't offer a scoring threat.

I'll await some news...

PS, Rooster Marty, how you can possibly compare United losing Ronaldo to Liverpool losing Alonso is quite laughable? Ronaldo was worth no less than sixty goals to United in the last two seasons. Liverpool will lose a little bit of creativity without Xabi, depending of course on who they now bring in, but he is/was nowhere near as important to Liverpool as Ronaldo was to the 'Salford' Reds.

[JK]

Alonso is off to Real pending a medical for 30 mil apparently.

He was an important player for liverpool but i thought he was sometimes too lightweight and inconsistent to be considered in the same class as Lampard, Gerrard, Scholes, Essien etc.

Therefore i think L'pool have done well to get that type of price for a player who can be replaced. Issue iwill be trying to find a replacement by the start of the season...

The Xabi of his first and last Liverpool seasons is going to be a big loss, no doubt ... However the Xabi of his 2nd and 3rd seasons won't be such a loss.

As sad as I am to see him go, at the end of the day as MST said, if he doesn't want to be there there's no point in trying to hang onto him ... I don't think the club would cope if Masch departed aswell though, so here's hoping he's onboard and committed for the season.

There's still quality at Anfield and whilst it can be hit and miss, Rafa's had a pretty reasonable knack of filling holes, and of course any team with Gerrard and Torres can win on any given day.

However, the aforementioned pair would probably need to play a minimum of 30 EPL games each and that could be a big ask given their injury concerns of last year.

Can't afford to carry Babel this season so he needs to deliver on his potential, will now be relying (rather than hoping) that Yossi can hit the heights of last season and hopefully Insua, Spearing and Nemeth can all step up with their contributions.

[Bully]

will be a big loss IMO

[JK]

Looks as though the Reds have signed Aquilani from Roma as a replacement for Xabi ... I can't say Im familiar with him, anyone seen much of him?

[Il Duce]

Looks as though the Reds have signed Aquilani from Roma as a replacement for Xabi ... I can't say Im familiar with him, anyone seen much of him?

Yeah I have. I can only think that Roma needed the money he probley would of been the next De Rossi or Totti for Roma he has been roma's best player for the last 2-3 years. He also played in Italys Euro 2008 and Confederations cup squads. He should be a fine replacement has all the skill of Xabi and the hardness of Gattuso.

[JK]

Looks as though the Reds have signed Aquilani from Roma as a replacement for Xabi ... I can't say Im familiar with him, anyone seen much of him?

Yeah I have. I can only think that Roma needed the money he probley would of been the next De Rossi or Totti for Roma he has been roma's best player for the last 2-3 years. He also played in Italys Euro 2008 and Confederations cup squads. He should be a fine replacement has all the skill of Xabi and the hardness of Gattuso.

Awesome, thanks for that mate ... Here's hoping he can adapt to the speed of the English game and be a real find for us.

[johntheclaret]

£20m is the reported fee C_P

[JK]

£20m is the reported fee C_P

Most supporters would be happy to have $10Mil leftover after trade and replace, but sadly I doubt any of that will make it into the transfer fund.

[RoosterMarty]

20mill is a bit much I reckon, he hasn't played much football due to injury over the past few seasons and is actually injured right now. There are reports he may not pass his medical.