Kids watch recap: Németh nets brace as Reserves crush Everton, Lindfield returns to LFC, Peltier Injured, & more

Krisztián Németh netted a pair for the second straight contest as the Reserves took the mini-derby, three to nil, at Halliwell Jones. It also saw the return of 19-year-old Spanish midfielder Francisco Durán, who came on in the 76th minute after being out for nine months with a knee injury. Leto was apparently quiet throughout, but Nabil El Zhar garnered Man of the Match honors from the official site. The squad currently sits 6th on the Premier Reserve League North table, but with a match-in-hand over everyone else except Middlesborough, they could go atop when they host 'Boro on December 10th.

Plenty of kids-on-loan yesterday found their names on the starting sheet, though no one managed to net. Most surprisingly may be Adam Hammill, who got the call for just the third time this season from George Burnley. The good news is, the Saints didn't lose this time as they have Hammill's previous two starts, the bad news is they not only didn't win, but failed to score as well in the 0-0 result at St. Mary's.

Paul Anderson returned to the starting line-up for Swansea and helped them win 3-0 over Northampton. The 19-year-old winger played the entire match, so it appears his injury worries are behind him. The three points keeps the Swans atop the League One table with now only Carlisle having a chance to overtake them with their match-in-hand. Coincidentally enough, the two sides meet on December 22nd.

Godwin Antwi started for Hartlepool and they actually won, 3-1, over Tranmere. The 'Pool had been winless in the five previous League One matches with Antwi from the outset, posting an 0-1-4 over that span. Unfortunately, the Rovers loan goal was due to a free kick on a questionable foul committed by the 19-year-old.

The only other player to see the pitch for his temporary club was Lee Peltier at Yeovil Town. The 20-year-old defender/midfielder started for the Glovers in their 2-1 win over Bournemouth, but was taken off in the 58th minute after suffering some sort of knock. I've yet to find any details about the injury, but will post accordingly.

In shocking news, Besian Idrizaj was no where to be found for Crystal Palace, though the Eagles did defeat QPR and their Chelsea on-loan contingency at Loftus Road, 2-1. Ryan Flynn failed to make his debut for Hereford United.

Finally, Craig Lindfield has ended his one month on-loan spell at Meadow Lane. Notts County no longer required the services of the 19-year-old after their roster was boosted by the return of a couple of injured strikers. It's probably not the best of times for Lindfield to return to the Reserves with the emergence of Németh and Jordy Brouwer playing well, but I guess he'd have to fight for a spot anyhow.

The only kid in action over the next two days is Danny Guthrie, as Bolton take on Red Star Belgrade at the Marakana in an UEFA Cup tie tomorrow. A win gives the Wanderers a decent chance to get through to the knockout stages, but a draw or loss puts too much emphasis on the results of group rival, Sporting Braga, who have a match more to play and sit just a point behind Bolton. Cheers.

Liverpool 4, Bolton 0: player ratings

Before I get to my ratings for yesterday's match, I want to share a couple of more thoughts about and concerning it. First off, does everybody share Paul Tomkins latest sentiment that the media for the most part is not giving our side the proper credit by rubbishing our recent opponents? I'm not so sure and I don't really care. Let the media disinform future opponents on our quality, it'll only end up helping us in the end. Of course, I'm not one to care what the media has to say anyhow.

As for the match, the more I think about it, the more I feel we were predominantly a lethargic side, going through the motions a lot, but applying the right amount of energy when needed. In other words, when Bolton looked as if they might score, our defense took it up a notch, and when we sensed weakness while on the attack, we went for the kill. That kind of intuition says that team chemistry is building and the squad appears to be coming together more as a unit in reading our opponents and getting in touch with the ebb and flow of the match energy. The downfall is a better side than Bolton would probably have taken advantage of our defensive lapses, but then again, I'm sure our boys will be more intense against a more formidable opponent. Anyhow, here are my grades:

Pepe Reina 4
Made a couple of conspicuous errors, especially the Carragher fiasco. I honestly think he was just bored though and he did make at least one decent save that I can recall.

John Arne Riise 6
Definitely a return to better form for the Norwegian as his passing improved from recent outings and seemed to be back to his old self on attack. Was probably robbed of a penalty when a trademark rocket headed for the upper right corner of the goalmouth hit off a Bolton player's arm in the box, but might have been the reason Crouch got the call later in the match.

Sami Hyppiä 6.5
Another solid effort from the Finn and a goal to boot.

Jamie Carragher 5
Not the best match I've ever seen Carra play. He seemed out of sorts at times, not really on the same page as the rest of the squad, and basically uninvolved. The week off should do him some good.

Jack Hobbs 6
His first appearance where he appeared to have a clue. It's funny, the younger players seemed to be more confident in one another than the older do them. For instance, Hobbs passed to and received the most passes from Lucas, most likely due to them playing together on the Reserves, but Reina was a bit timid in handing the ball over to the 19-year-old.

Alvaro Arbeloa 7.5
Simply a brilliant performance by the Spaniard. His passing and tackling were both dead-on and he also made a goal-saving clearance. I've said it before and I'll continue to say it, Arbeloa could probably play up front if we needed him too, but in my opinion and as his performances have shown, he's best suited at right back.

Harry Kewell 6
Carried his great form from the end of the Porto match into this one and was unlucky not to have a goal to show for his effort. His decisions on the ball could improve, but for the most, he's known as a risk-taker.

Ryan Babel 7
Another superb display from our supersub. He probably should have had a brace, but you can't really hold it against him. He was a threat nearly every second on the pitch and gave the Bolton defenders fits to no end, but he still needs to learn that he does have teammates and he doesn't need to try and take on the whole opposition by himself.

Steven Gerrard 7.5 Man of the Match
What can you say? His recent form has been nothing short of golden and I have no problem stating he's the best player in the world right now. A world-class assist to Torres and an unstoppable penalty to go along with another assist (to Hyppiä) and five tackles.

Lucas 6.5
Another inspiring effort from the young Brazilian, so much so that I'm beginning to think that it was what we should come to expect from him. In other words, imagine an above average performance. That's just scary. The amazing thing about Lucas, among other things of course, is his ball distribution. Where a lot of players are more comfortable passing the ball a certain direction or to certain players, Lucas appears to lack any discrimination in that regard and the ball usually finds its destination.

Yossi Benayoun 6
A relatively quiet outing from the Israeli, not that he didn't contribute to the effort. For the most part, as long as he steps up when others appear to be faltering, like the Wigan match for instance, I have no problems with such displays. He was far from a detriment to the side and it was probably best he didn't try and assert himself on the attack every time, sometimes a little space for the other players is what is needed.

Peter Crouch 5.5
A decent show from the lanky one, I think I only yelled at him once... maybe twice. He didn't exactly utilize his strengths, but our plan of attack didn't appear to include that this time.

Fernando Torres 6.5
His goal was class and he definitely improved from the Port match, but still, at moments he shows some glimpses of prowess that make me believe we haven't seen anything yet. I have little problem calling him 'World Class' and would love for someone to show me a striker in the world in better form.

Dirk Kuyt N/A
Though his effort was, as usual, tireless, I just don't feel he got the proper time on the pitch to get comfortable.

Liverpool 4, Bolton 0: effortless domination

This was the side that beat Man U last weekend? Well, not really. They had Kevin Nolan and our own Danny Guthrie, two crucial pieces to the defensive stalwart that puzzled and trumped the Rooney and Ronaldo-less side, but still, Nani and Anderson alone were probably bought for more than the entire Bolton squad. Also it was at the Reebok, but before I get carried away making excuses for the Mancs, I'll get to the subject-at-hand, today's annihilation of the Wanderers.

If there has ever been a match make me look like a genius, today was it. Arbeloa started on the right, as I have pointed out in the past, played with more confidence than when he's on the left and was simply brilliant overall. He made no noticeable mistakes, completed all 29 pass attempts, and made a goal-saving clearance. Ryan Babel played the supersub role to perfection and probably could have netted a hat trick, but scored nonetheless, and Hyypiä was masterly on defense, breaking the scoreboard with a cleverly-placed header from a Gerrard free-kick.

Speaking of Gerrard, our skipper continued his current run of ingenious form by assisting on two goals and grabbing a Kaká special for good measure. That's eight goals in nine games. His assist to Torres was no less than world class revealing glimpses of cunning seen only from the likes of Xabi or Fabregas. Overall his effort was colossal, but when it's all said and done, will probably be get lost in a sea of better performances.

The funny thing is, Bolton actually looked the better side at the outset, probably feeding off their energy of the Man U win. Once Hyppiä put the ball past Jaaskelainen in the 17th minute though, all fears of an upset were put to rest. Then just before the halftime whistle, Gerrard and Torres made their mark on the match when our skipper fed the Spaniard with that brilliant through pass which Torres beat out a defender to gather and then deftly loop it past the Finnish keeper.

If the result of the match was still in question when the second half began, a penalty awarded to Crouch and converted by Gerrard 11 minutes in, provided all the answers needed to know that the three points were safely in our grasp. Some may question the call, but we were probably cheated out of at least one legitimate penalty when twice shots hit off the arms of Wanderer players in the box. Babel then came on in the 67th minute to provide some late match entertainment.

The only negative appeared to be Carragher having to be taken off for an apparent rib injury caused by a comical collision with Reina in which Anelka should have scored on an empty net in the first half. The French striker uncharacteristically placed it well wide, much to the delight of the crowd. Carra tried to continue, even coming out for the second half, but Jack Hobbs had to come on six minutes later for the Bootle icon. The good news is that the injury does not appear to be serious and Carra should be available next weekend when we face Reading, also Hobbs probably put in his best effort and was more than adequate as a sub.

Overall, we played well and rightly deserved the win, far from perfect, but more than just good enough. Bolton had a couple of prime opportunities to score, but it just wasn't in the books. It wouldn't have mattered anyhow, Liverpool were clearly the classier side. I'll be back tomorrow with player ratings. Godspeed.

Liverpool vs Bolton: Crouch, Lucas, & Kewell start

Here's the line-up:
Reina
Riise
Carragher
Hyypiä
Arbeloa
Kewell
Lucas
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres
Crouch

Bench:
Itandje
Mascherano
Babel
Kuyt
Hobbs

No Momo, again...

Liverpool vs Bolton: What will Rafa do?

Apparently Fabio Aurelio is injured and won't be available at least for another week. I understand not letting the opposition know since the Brazilian is such a deadly passer, but Rafa, come on, you have my personal email address. It's not as if I would tell the world... then again. Anyhow, Bolton may have a bit of confidence coming into Anfield tomorrow after they beat Man U on Saturday, but let them kid themselves, they're still Bolton.

The Wanderers still sit 15th on the table, only scoring 12 goals in 14 matches, and to make matters worse, they'll be without their iconic Liverpool man, Kevin Nolan, and sensational upstart, Danny Guthrie. The only players that really worry me are former Reds Anelka and Diouf, but I'm hoping Carra and Hyppiä brush off the dust from the old training notes on how to contain them. Other than that, we should be able to thrash them, as long as our boys aren't as cocky as I.

Tactics shouldn't play much of a part in Rafa's selection. I'm thinking he'll go with his most rested players on principle alone. I'm thinking Arbeloa on the right and Riise on the left to accompany the geriatric stalwarts in the middle and Reina in goal. It would be a brilliant time to let either Emiliano Insua or Stephen Darby get a confidence boosting start, but I won't suffocate myself in hope.

In midfield, I like Gerrard on the right with Lucas and Momo in the middle. Both the Brazilian and the Malian should be raring to go and I truly hope they have dominating and impressive outings. On the left, it's got to be Kewell, but probably not. Anytime I'm sure of someone getting the nod, I'm always wrong. Finally, up front I like Crouch and Torres. I really don't like Kuyt paired with Crouch due to lack of pace, but once again, Rafa does what Rafa wants. Babel could get the call though.

Who can take a Torres,
start him with a Crouch?
Who can take a Babel
and pair him with Kuyt...
The Tinkerman can
Rafa-man can
The Tinkerman can
The Tinkerman can cause he mixes players up
and makes our club world class

Yes, I'm in rare form today. Anyhow, here's my final guess:
Reina
Riise
Carra
Hyppiä
Arbeloa
Kewell
Momo
Lucas
Gerrard
Kuyt
Torres

Bench:
Itandje
Babel
Finnan
Crouch
Leto

I went with Kuyt over Crouch because this isn't Europe. A bench of kids would be brilliant, but that just isn't going to happen. Hopefully Rafa takes more risks than I did, but we'll have to wait and see. It's imperative that Kewell and Kuyt have solid outings tomorrow. Anyhow, until then, Godspeed.

Today's Banter: Crouch not for sale, Hicks not selling, Agger not fit... yet, & more

Greetings, hope everyone is doing well. I'm neither sick nor incarcerated so life can't be that bad. Anyhow, I guess Rafa and Crouch have kissed and made up since it appears that the England International won't be going anywhere come January. If he continues to play like he did against Porto, even I wouldn't mind having him around. There was speculation earlier this season of him being unhappy about playing time and basically acting bigger than his boots, but apparently egos and differences have been put to rest and for the most part everyone is content. Which brings me to my next point.

In this past month, there's been a visible change in our side. Though there's always plenty of room for improvement as a squad, there appears to be a metamorphosis in attitude. Peter Crouch not whining about playing time being just one of the signs. The thing is, between the Blackburn match and the Fulham tie, our boys began to approach matches with a new found outlook. Instead of going in thinking that they will win because we're the better side, they started believing they would win despite the circumstances. I firmly believe it was the record-setting performance against Beşiktaş that assured them that they are a class bunch capable of beating anyone. Funny how revenge that would make Montezuma blush does that. Then, despite coming up empty most the Fulham match, we didn't give up and continued to push and attack until we finally broke the camel's back. I just thought I'd share that observation.

Apparently Hicks isn't interested in selling his shares in the club. In fact, he's angry that such speculation has come about. I find it a bit humorous that any grown man would get angry over such a thing, not that the press didn't just make up that angle to lure readers. Whether he's interested in selling his shares or not, I don't know, but with how unstable financial markets are these days, anything is possible.

The metatarsal injury Daniel Agger sustained two-and-a-half months back, still isn't fully healed, or at least it doesn't feel right to the soon-to-be 23-year-old. He could return next week though versus Reading thanks to special protective boots. Killer boots, man!


Going into tomorrow's match with Bolton, Rafa gave former Liverpool coach Sammy Lee some credit for Bolton's current run of form. As I mentioned in my kids watch yesterday, the Wanderers are unbeaten in their last five matches including a win over Man United. I'm not sure how much recognition their former manager deserves though, not playing Kevin Nolan wasn't exactly the brightest of ideas. He did break in Danny Guthrie into the starting side though, so I guess he's entitled to some credit for that. By the way, Bolton will not have either Nolan, due to suspension, or Guthrie, due to on-loan regulations, when we face them tomorrow.

Finally, Rafa has come out and said that Torres needs to improve his current form. I know that may shock some supporters who believe the striker was our best player in the Porto match, but let me assure you, if he was our best player, we would have lost. Two flashes of brilliance don't make a great match and I've seen Fernando play far better than that. If he was top that match, he would have probably scored four. Be back soon with my 'What will Rafa do?' for Bolton. Godspeed. Yes, that's my new favorite word.

Danny Guthrie's goal (video)

Well, It's finally surfaced. Here's video of Danny's first goal for Bolton versus Fulham in their Carling Cup match from earlier this week. Unfortunately, the quality's not that great and there's no replay, but from what you can see, it's quite the stunner. It's the first goal on the video. Cheers.

Danny Guthrie has scored for Bolton!

I'm not able to watch this match and quite frankly watching Barcelona-Zaragoza seemed like a better idea and probably was since three great goals, two by Messi have been scored, but anyhow our out-on-loan midfielder, Danny Guthrie, has scored his first goal for Bolton. His side is at Fulham for their third round Carling Cup tie. More on this and hopefully the video later. Cheers.