Liverpool Season 2009/10

[JK]

With all the game time Insua gets I'd like to think he'd be improving a bit better than he is.
Crossing is poor and runs with the ball head down like Milan Baros.

Every game makes me miss Arby more and more

[JK]

How ****** is that, and wtf was Nando subbed?!?!

[smithy]

During the break in transmission, Benitez has subbed Torres.
Shakes of the head from torres and Gerrard as eggnog comes on.
Time will tell if it's a masterstroke.

[Il Duce]

Gerrard had that look of - "Rafa u got no f-ing idea......wanker"

[smithy]

eggnog should've hit the target then, bad miss.
Torres has ice on his knee.
Maybe the manager slipped him a 50 and asked him to wear it so the sub doesn't look as bad.

[JK]

FFS!!!

[smithy]

SHould've won.
A lack of a clinical finisher in the end cost us.
Not because Torres came off but the bench just isn't as strong as others.

[Bully]

was fuuny watching gerrards reaction when the transmission returned after torres was subbed. yes he was like WTF are you doing

[johntheclaret]

Pool fans can take heart in Sundays press that new owners are likely to be in place before the end of the season
Liverpool's bankers gave gillette / hicks until this week end to reduce the debt by 100m
That hasn't happened and the bank have given them 1 month

Assuming g or h won't have a spare 100m in the sock drawer it is increasingly likely they will sell thier stake to a New York based businessman who can afford to pay off the whole debt

Happier times ahead for smithy connie an all maybe

[smithy]

I'm just waiting for the trade of Lucas for Bertie Bee to go thru mate.

[johntheclaret]

I'm just waiting for the trade of Lucas for Bertie Bee to go thru mate.

Get your hands off. He's are best player

Bikey has said he won't play for Laws
MacDonald walked out of the ground when he got subbed
I think bertie might be our best option right now

I'll swap laws for rafa if you like

[JK]

Alright, had a few quiet moments so went looking for some Liverpool news along the lines of what Johnny had written earlier, but instead found the article below from Koptalk.

My question for those of you familiar with media reports in the UK is, who is reliable with information and who isn't? I'd have no idea on this sort of thing - Has anyone heard anything along the lines of this article recently (must admit I had read it quite a bit 2-6 months ago)??

From: http://www.koptalk.co.uk/201004052119/D ... h-him.html

Rafa's off but who will leave Liverpool with him?

05 April 2010
When Gerard Houllier, oops, sorry, I mean Rafa Benitez, indicated that he was taking off Fernando Torres yesterday, I looked around at the people sat next to me and all of us were speechless. Not a single person shouted abuse at the decision, nobody shook their head, nobody said a thing. It was one of those freaky moments were everyone was thinking the same but nobody needed to say anything. The silence was deafening.
I cannot believe that after the match Rafa said "it was a really good substitution" and that "Ngog was really good". We desperately needed a goal and there was nothing wrong with Torres. I'd have him on the pitch on crutches in such an important game. And Ngog? The chances he missed show why he will never be a Premier League striker. But in fairness, how the hell can he replace Torres? Think about the strikers we've sold and don't give me any of that "they wanted to leave" rubbish. Why did they want to leave in the first place? Exactly. Same with Alonso, he would have stayed. But Rafa is too stubborn.
I hate sticking the knife in because I really like Benitez. I actually think he's a very good manager but it's just gone wrong. The boss will leave Liverpool and he will win trophies wherever he goes.

It is clear that Benitez wants to win the Europa Cup to add to his CV and I believe that was on his mind yesterday when he hauled Torres off.

When Torres was subbed, did you see his disgust at the decision? Did you also see Steven Gerrard? I will add the video below but it may stop working as the Premier League will pull it from YouTube. Now you know me, I have no time for footballers who are stuck up their own arses. Normally I would say "feck 'em" because the manager makes the decisions, end of debate. However we had to win that game and even if you believe Rafa's claim that Torres was exhausted, he was still putting a shift in. He would have scored at least one of the chances that were gifted to Ngog.

Last year, in the early stages of the season I told our members that Rafa had lost the dressing room. This wasn't an opinion, this was direct from within the squad. When I type up editorials I often have to put my editorials across as just my opinion but this is often because if I come straight out with the truth and the facts that either a source could be compromised or a source has specifically said you must not cover this. It drives me insane. If you're a member then you should always monitor my posts on our members forums following editorials and look for other hints. If you've followed me for a while, you know the drill.

Anyway, so I said he'd lost the dressing room. But then, when Liverpool win a game, you get the muppets that come out and say "so much for having lost the dressing room". They just don't want to believe what you tell them because they still believe that Rafa can turn this round. He can't. So many people can't accept negative editorials, opinions etc. These fans need to man the **** up or hang out on other Liverpool websites where they'll peddle you nothing but rosey nonsense.

You can read the statistics put out by Paul Tomkins and listen to him desperately finding positives about us drawing 1-1 at Birmingham and why subbing Torres was the right thing to do or you can listen to me tell you exactly as it is. I'm not going to patronise you. I'm going to tell you when things are good and I'm going to tell you when things are bad. And if I offend you, it's tough ****. There's an easy option to that, don't visit KopTalk, don't read my editorials, don't line my pockets by becoming a member and go hang out on one of the alternatives. On this site we post in good faith and we will never toe-the-line for anyone or anything. We only want to attract mature, die-hard Reds who support the team how they want to and now how they are told to. Nobody should be afraid to voice an opinion.

The owners are responsible for a lot of what we are seeing. The disruption and the uncertainty. Whether you rate Rafa or not, he has been denied some quality players because they wouldn't back him. But be honest, would you want him to spend £100million just now? Managers sign good and they sign bad but I'm still puzzled over this Aquilani signing. Admittedly the owners have been tight and they have held back cash from sales, but still, Rafa has been handed players like Torres, Johnson, Mascherano, Keane, Aquilani. His demands were also met when they gave him full control of the youth set-up also and more of a say in negotiations.

If a sugar daddy came in over the summer, and let's be honest, that is not going to happen, would Rafa's ability to recruit decent talent make the Liverpool players he has lost happy? I think not and that's why he will have to leave and that's why he is going to leave. His agent is currently negotiating his settlement and the offer from Juventus remains on the table. Liverpool are already looking for his replacement.

Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina are the key players who have no time for the manager any more. I also believe that list includes Javier Mascherano but I can't remember everything so for the benefit of fairness, we'll leave Mascherano out of that group.

It could be too late to retain Gerrard and Torres. I have it on concrete authority that Gerrard's agent has been told he can leave this summer. Note that he hasn't been told he has to leave, but if a suitable bid comes in, it will be accepted. If that happens, don't be surprised if he leaves for much less than you and I would expect.

Torres hasn't been made available and he has shown no signs of wanting out but I am informed that Gillett and Hicks will consider any serious bids for him after the World Cup. Pepe Reina and Javier Mascherano are not secure either. Ignore the new contracts that we keep hearing about. Longer contracts means higher transfer fees received.

Real Madrid will make an official approach for Steven Gerrard in the summer. I have contacts there and I can guarantee an approach if the player remains injury free. But if Rafa did end up at Real Madrid, there's no chance Steven would make the move. At this stage of his career could you blame Gerrard for not wanting to play Thursday night football? If he leaves, he leaves with my blessing and he should leave with yours.

Barcelona will be linked heavily with Liverpool players over the summer because of their presidential elections. Fernando Torres will attract attention from the usual suspects but even if we won the league that would still happen so I'm not going to try and claim some kind of inside knowledge there. What I do know is that he desperately wants to win the Champions League.

There will be changes in the summer and if the owners do recoup a lot of of money, providing they hand over a good chunk to the new manager, things might not turn out as bad as you may think.

Something has to give and something will.

YNWA
More on this (Q&A's) available to members. Join here.

What do you think? Please post a comment below, join me in our free forums or join me on our Facebook page or Facebook group.

Duncan Oldham
KopTalk Editor

[johntheclaret]

Can't see rafa taking over at juve

News here is that Mancini is being lined up. "coincidentally" he said publicly that he fancies a return to Italy and the timing of his comments might just be his "come and get me" call sign

With no apparent managerial openings in the Spanish top flight I can't see benitez going anywhere just yet but I wouldn't be suprised if torres was lured to barca if Liverpool fail to qualify for the cl next year as seems likely. Barca are still stinging over the tranfer coupe's of bitter rivals Real and the next president will be out to even the score. Torres and Fabregas must be at the top of the shopping list

As for gerrard, I could only see him moving to another epl side and with united a definite no no, you would have to ask where could fit in. It clearly doesn't work well in the England set up with both lampard and gerrard in the midfield which might rule out chelsea with might only leave arsenal.

Now before you fall of your chairs laughing just think about it. If fabs goes to barca then wenger will have a slot to fill and 50m to spend. Maybe not so far fetched?

[smithy]

Constance - DO NOT EVER believe anything written on koptalk.
The guy is a liar and a thief.
His name these days is Duncan Oldham.
He used to sell dodgy pay tv satellite systems years ago under a different name, had thousands of people after him because of money and decided to start up the koptalk site, pretending to have inside knowledge from players, staff etc.
The members only area used to have thousands of paid up users only for people to realise he was a con artist who ripped people off.
He also took pre-paid payments for a book he was writing on the inside goings on at Anfield which was never written and used to pocket funds raised through donations given towards the Hillsborough campaign, michael shields campaign and the Alder Hey childrens hospital.

He will try his best to criticise Paul Tomkins, who is an excellent freelance journo, because he owes Paul monies promised from articles writen for his site back in 2002.
http://koptalkinsider.wordpress.com/
And he ain't no scouser either, he's from Leeds.

[smithy]

Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina are the key players who have no time for the manager any more.

Gerrard and Torres have signed new contracts in the past 12 months and Reina signed a new 6 year deal today.

I didn't quote you CP for any other reason than to highlight what garbage koptalk is.

[johntheclaret]

And Lucas will earn a 4 year deal after his goal heroics against Benfica lol

[smithy]

And Lucas will earn a 4 year deal after his goal heroics against Benfica lol

[smithy]

0-0 at half time.
Liverpool have pumped the Fulham 18yard box * endlessly in the 1st half only to be denied by Schwarzer as usual.
Greening should;ve received his 2nd yellow after 35mins.
If it was in the 89th minute he would've gone off, so what's the difference?????????? rules are rules no matter the time on the clock.

Agger continues to impress me big time.
For those old enough to remember Alan Hansen, he is the closest I've seen to him IMO plus he's a better shot on goal.
pretty big wraps and hopefully he can stay fit for extended periods to show his class.

[johntheclaret]

Agger continues to impress me big time.
For those old enough to remember Alan Hansen, he is the closest I've seen to him IMO plus he's a better shot on goal.
pretty big wraps and hopefully he can stay fit for extended periods to show his class.

Hmmmmm. Big call that smithy. Hansen was part of a champoinship team that steam rollered everyone.

[smithy]

Big call I know but I can see so much of Hansen in Agger.
Agger played left back today and hopefully Insua was watching cause that's how it should be played.
0-0 at full time, champs league probably not happening next season.
85% ofthe ball and couldn't put the ball into the net, well done Fulham.
Maybe the 2 teams can meet in the UEFA Cup.