"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I’m very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”
Bill Shankly, Liverpool FC
Showing posts with label Anfield. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anfield. Show all posts
Wednesday, 18 May 2016
View from the Top - Bill Shankly
"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I’m very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”
Thursday, 5 May 2016
Liverpool v Villarreal - Preview
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| The Kop |
Liverpool midfielder Emre Can will return to the Reds squad for the Europa League semi-final second leg against Villarreal at Anfield.
The Germany international, 22, has missed the past five matches after injuring an ankle in the quarter-final win over Dortmund.
Liverpool must overturn a 1-0 deficit to reach their first European final in almost a decade.
The Reds, who lost to AC Milan in the 2007 Champions League final, are attempting to win silverware in Jurgen Klopp's first season as manager. Since replacing Brendan Rodgers in early October, the 48-year-old German has named strong line-ups during their Europa League run.
Former Dortmund manager Klopp's side were installed as favourites to win Europe's secondary club competition - which would earn qualification for next season's Champions League - after their thrilling win against his old club.
But Villarreal substitute Adrian Lopez's injury-time winner last week gave the Spanish side a slender advantage in the fight to reach the 18 May final.
"If we play our best then we can go to the final," said Klopp. "These players gave me a lot of positive signs about their qualities.
"We are ready. All we did since October was to be perfectly prepared for a game like this. We are not expecting a guarantee to go to the final. We are expecting everything and see what we get for it."
Villarreal have a fully fit squad to choose from, with defender Eric Bailly and forward Leo Baptistao recovered from injuries.
The winners will face either Spanish holders Sevilla or Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, who drew 2-2 in their first leg, in the Swiss city of Basel.
"We come here full of hope," said Villarreal manager Marcelino. "We are going to give everything we have got and enjoy ourselves. We feel we have the capabilities to make it through to the final."
Three years after being promoted back to La Liga, Villarreal have reached a European semi-final for the fourth time, but have never made it to a final.
In contrast, Liverpool have won five European Cups and lifted the Uefa Cup three times before it was rebranded as the Europa League.
However, while Liverpool need to win the Europa League to qualify for next season's Champions League, Villarreal are already assured of a place in Europe's top club competition after securing a fourth-place finish in La Liga.
"Liverpool as a club have an extraordinary squad of footballers when you consider Benteke cost the whole turnover as Villarreal as a club," said Marcelino.
"But this group of players needs to be proud of what they have achieved as we are already qualified for the Champions League. This is an occasion to be celebrated."
Sunday, 7 February 2016
Paramatta Claim Auckland Nines
Parramatta spoiled the hometown party by smashing the Warriors 22-4 to claim the NRL Auckland Nines title on Sunday.
The Warriors went into the finals as heavy favourites in front of a parochial Eden Park crowd but the Eels caused a major upset.
The Warriors’ defeat was further soured as star halfback Shaun Johnson limped from the field in the second half and appeared troubled by a leg injury.
Young Parramatta fullback Bevan French put in a near-irresistible case for a NRL starting spot this year, scoring the opening try and ending the tournament as the top try-scorer with eight.
When the Warriors failed to clean up a Luke Kelly midfield bomb, French picked up the spoils and went under the posts for a valuable bonus-point try.
The Eels controlled all the early field position and when a Corey Norman cut-out pass sent Semi Radradra over for his sixth of the tournament, they were well in control at 11-0.
The Warriors needed a spark and it came just a minute later when superstar recruit Roger Tuivasa-Sheck sliced through to reduce the margin to seven at the break.
The Warriors suffered a big blow after the restart when Johnson limped off after copping a knock in a mad scramble to field the kick-off. He returned briefly but ended the game limping gingerly on the sideline.
The Eels killed off the game when Tepai Moeroa broke open the Warriors defence and Vai Toutai scored soon after, before Cody Nelson crossed to put an exclamation mark on the result.
Something in the Anfield Ayre Tonight
Thousands of Liverpool fans voted with their feet in protest at ticket prices as Anfield witnessed its first walkout in its 132-year history.
Supporters’ groups organised the action for the 77th minute of the match against Sunderland after a £77 match ticket (up from £59) and a £1,000 season ticket for next season were announced this week.
The club argued the new structure - which includes 45% of match tickets decreasing in price, 64% of season tickets being reduced or staying the same in cost, better availability for local fans and around 1,500 £9 tickets for category C games – offers greater accessibility and affordability.
However, that was not enough to placate fans’ groups as upwards of an estimated 10,000 of the 44,179 inside the stadium got up and left their seats in the 77th minute, with long queues forming for the exit.
Before the mass departure the Kop loudly sang, “Enough is enough, you greedy bastards, enough is enough” – which was roundly applauded by all four sides of Anfield, including the Sunderland supporters – before launching into ’You’ll Never Walk Alone’, usually reserved for the last few moments of a game.
There were noticeable empty blocks of seats all around the ground, particularly in the Kop where, before kick-off, fans had waved black flags instead of their usual club colours in protest.
The walkout was followed by a Sunderland fightback as the visitors, having been 2-0 down, scored twice in the last nine minutes to snatch a 2-2 draw.
Friday, 11 December 2015
Sports Quotes - Bob Paisley
“If you’re in the penalty area and don’t know what to do with the ball, put it in the net and we’ll discuss the options later.”
Bob Paisley, Liverpool FC
Wednesday, 2 December 2015
Gerrard Returns to Red Galaxy
Steven Gerrard has trained with Liverpool for the first time since leaving his boyhood club to join LA Galaxy.
Gerrard ended a 27-year association with Liverpool in January when he announced an 18-month deal with Galaxy worth around £4m a year though he later said he would have stayed with the club had he been offered a coaching role.
The Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp had appeared to hold open that prospect recently when he said: “Of course our doors are always open for him, that is clear. Stevie has a contract with LA Galaxy, he loves this club and he is a legend and when his contract has ended we can talk about different stuff.”
Gerrard, 35, who is back in England during Major League Soccer’s off-season, had said: “I’m going to go in for a couple of weeks and work with Mr Klopp so I’m really looking forward to that, to see what he’s about and try and learn a few things from him.”
Klopp, however, has ruled out any suggestion of Gerrard rejoining in a playing role, adding: “He’s a Liverpool legend, of course, but his contract as I know is in the USA.
“But now his break starts and I told him: ‘When you are here, of course you can come whenever you want, you can train with us if you think it is good for you.’”
Thursday, 8 October 2015
Anfield Changes for Klopp
Liverpool assistant Sean O'Driscoll has left the club while Gary McAllister has been removed as first-team coach ahead of Jurgen Klopp's arrival at Anfield.
The German is set to replace Brendan Rodgers, who was sacked on Sunday, and sign a three-year contract on Thursday.
Ex-Borussia Dortmund boss Klopp, 48, plans to bring in former assistants Zeljko Buvac and Peter Krawietz as part of his Liverpool backroom staff.
McAllister is currently considering the offer of another role with the club.
The 50-year-old Scot and former England Under-19s coach O'Driscoll, 58, replaced Colin Pascoe and Mike Marsh, who were both sacked after a summer review of Liverpool's management team.
Liverpool's head of opposition analysis Chris Davies - who joined the club with Rodgers in 2012 - has lost his job along with head of performance Glen Driscoll.
Bosnian Buvac, 54, and German Krawietz, 43, were key members of Klopp's backroom team during his time at Dortmund.
Liverpool had also been considering former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, who is out of work.
But the 56-year-old Italian has suggested he may only return to management next season.
He said: "I enjoy my time now but, of course, I want to come back to manage - to work - because it is my passion.
"I want to take my time to rest, but next season I am ready."
Klopp guided Dortmund to two Bundesliga titles before he departed this summer after a difficult domestic campaign in which they lost the German Cup final to Wolfsburg and finished seventh in the league.
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