£4m?! You're having a laugh! Is it time for Gerrard to get involved?

According to this article in the Liverpool Daily Post, the current rift between Rafa and our owners is over £4m. That's the price quoted by AC Milan for their centre back, Kahka Kaladze, a player who would have instantly provided coverage at not only at that position, but at left back as well. In hindsight, I'm not sure if it would've mattered if you consider that the more Hyppiä has played, the better he's become, but I'm also not sure how long the aging Finn can keep it up.

Ultimately though, £4m is nothing, especially of a player with Kaladze's experience and quality. If the owners are going to quarrel over what essentially is peanuts, then Rafa has every right to go elsewhere. Think about that: £4m to basically put the problem of lack of centre back depth to rest. That's utterly ridiculous and inexcusable. If that's not a clear indication that Hicks and Gillett have no clue about football and/or bit off more than they could chew when they bought the club, I don't know what is.

I initially said I wouldn't be addressing this issue, but if there's any truth to this report, it's difficult to ignore. If Rafa's job is in jeopardy because our owners are misinformed in thinking we have the horses to win any race, than maybe it's time the most influential person at the club get involved. I know it's not his place, but Gerrard should at least offer some sort of mediation. I mean, according to most newspapers and blogs, he's an expert on how to solve England's lack of international competitiveness issue, so this should be a walk in the park for him. The squad as a whole should step up and show solidarity in backing Rafa, even if they disagree with his tactics and policies. He wants what's best for the side and has the silverware to prove he knows what he's doing.

The owners need to understand that they got the steal of the century when they bought our club and with just a bit more tweaking (by investing more money, of course), they could build something special. They basically bought a squad that has tons of potential, but just not there yet. Not handing over a mere £4m to augment the side even more, worries me to no end. I'm hoping a voice of reason comes out of somewhere to set everyone straight and I'm sure Gerrard could play that role, but if the meeting on December 16th doesn't go well, we can forget about even having a hope for silverware.

One tactic that the owners have implemented that has all the scent of a bureaucratic power play is stating that Rick Parry will be in charge of transfers. Naming a mediator whom is clearly on their side is a brilliant managerial move, but will only place the club deeper into disharmony and push Rafa further out the door. Ultimately Parry doesn't control the funds nor does he know what's best for our squad, Rafa does. This is where Gerrard needs to come forward and take the side of his manager. Stevie-G is the face and clear-cut breadwinner of the club, without his heroics, the mystique is lost. He is a local boy who against all odds has become a Champion of Europe, leading our club to amazing heights. If he gets involved and the owners still don't see it Rafa's way, well, then I guess we really will know where their true intentions lie and it's not for the better of the club.

Liverpool 3, Newcastle 0: And some have the nerve to say he isn't world class...

Dear Big Sam,

Up your hole and shut your trap. Once again Rafa showed he was the superior manager.

Cheers,
Every Liverpool Supporter (and probably a few Magpie ones as well)

Once again Steven Gerrard proved his class in a thoroughly dominating display where even a three goal margin of victory doesn't properly tell the tale of the match. It could have been much worse, but it seems Fernando Torres refuses to score a simple goal, which is fine by me. As long as he nets the difficult ones I don't care, but it was a bit comical after awhile.

If there's one negative effect Torres has on the side, it's the long ball. Particularly in the beginning of matches, everyone tries to chuck it down the field and have him chase after it. The problem with that is, aside from it occasionally working which makes it worse, it prevents from 'breaking in the ball' so to speak. Passing around the ball just to keep possession builds confidence and wears down the opposition, but when we start with the long ball and fail to produce, it has the opposite effect. It stagnates controlling the match, which should be our side's first objective instead of a quick, cheap goal. Thankfully we tend to realize this about twenty minutes in to most matches, as we did today, but if we started from the onset, we could be even more assertive throughout.

The man of the match was without a doubt Steven Gerrard. Our captain had a world class free kick goal to start things off and then assisted on the other two. His brilliance just cannot be understated. I wouldn't sell him for £100m and there's no player in the world I'd trade him for. That's six goals in seven matches and probably his most inspiring display of the year. Anybody who watched that match today and still says he's not world class is obviously mental.

I'll do grades eventually, but despite the relatively easy three points, not everyone was on top of their game. Kewell, Arbeloa, and of course, Torres, have had better days, but in the end it didn't matter. I just hope no of them let it affect them in the long run. We'll probably read or hear how rubbish Sissoko was, but though he didn't have his best match he did complete 39 of 42 passes and was second on the side with 7 tackles. Lucas Leiva was superb overall and lead the side with 11 tackles.

It's always a good sign when your club doesn't play their best and sleeps its way through a commanding victory as they did today. I can only imagine the scoreline had we be on our game. It was really good for Kuyt to get the goal even if he had to do basically nothing to get it and whatta ya know? Babel comes on and we score, or well, he scored, as expected. We are now three points behind Man U with a game-in-hand and after today, even the most cynical supporter like myself, sort of believes we have a shot at the title. Next match is Wednesday when Porto comes to Anfield for a crucial Champions League tie. Let's pray we continue our winning ways. Cheers.

Liverpool at Newcastle: Kewell and Lucas to start!

Here's the line-up:
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Hyypia
Finnan
Kewell
Sissoko
Lucas
Gerrard
Kuyt
Torres

Subs:
Itandje
Riise
Crouch
Babel
Mascherano

Love Lucas starting! And with Kewell! And with Sissoko! I guess Agger isn't fit yet. Anyhow, let's hope this is the right ingredients for a winning recipe. Cheers.

By the way, I have about 30 comments I've yet to check because I've been busy, but I'll get to them in due time. I've had to be an uncle for the last few days, sorry.

Liverpool at Newcastle: What will Rafa do?

Finally, the exhibition matches have commenced for a while and we can get back to football that matters. Last year's trip to St. James Park was a comedy of errors played in a virtual swamp and I'm hoping we don't see a repeat of that tomorrow. The good news is that we should have a fully fit Fernando Torres and possibly Daniel Agger as well. I'd be somewhat surprised if Agger started, but then again, Hyppiä played for Finland on Wednesday, so it's not as if the most-likely fatigued Finn would be the better choice here. There's a chance that Benayoun might be available as well as he is recovering from a groin injury, though Xabi is definitely still out.

A lot of our players played either Tuesday or Wednesday in international competition, so I think it's safe to say those who didn't will probably start, which means Carra, Arbeloa, Aurelio, Kewell, Torres, and Sissoko should be out there from the onset tomorrow. I would like to see Lucas start as well, but given it's away from Anfield against a semi-formidable opponent, I doubt he will. The rest of the squad really depends on the fitness of others. I think Kuyt will start up front with Torres, only because he played just the second half in the Netherland's loss to Belarus. From the looks of the result, he along with the rest of the side probably didn't try too hard.

Anyhow, here's my guess:
Reina
Aurelio
Carra
Agger
Arbeloa
Kewell
Sissoko
Mascherano
Gerrard
Kuyt
Torres

Bench:
Martin (or Itandje)
Babel
Lucas
Hyypiä
Finnan

I would love to see Finnan start at right wing, but since Rafa hasn't done that in a long time, I can't see him pulling it out of nowhere and doing it here. I feel Sissoko will be the key, if he plays well, we'll win. If he doesn't it may be the beginning of his exodus. We are lucky to have seven well-rested players and we should definitely need it. St. James Park hasn't been nice to us over the years and I have a feeling that won't end tomorrow, even though I would for our boys to stick to 'Big' Sam Allardyce. Cheers.

The worst Liverpool site possibly ever

Well, we've found our winner for Liverpool 'wind-up blog' of the year... and possibly ever. It's clearly a case of someone trying to garner fame by slagging off on popular conceptions and theories because his mother waned him from the nipple prematurely. His lack of empirical evidence and legitimate data to back his raucous claims are clear indications of his inability to write an article as he put it 'rejecting biased media hype and and fawning 'blind-faith' fandom.' What a wanker and that's just one of the reasons I refuse to link him.

If you want someone who ignores other's opinions and in fact, mocks the status quo, look no further than here. I consistently mock mass media released articles for their ignorant zealotry and purposely shut out the rest of the world when watching Liverpool matches, just so my opinion isn't persuaded by outside influence. I doubt this plonker even watches matches and his 'data' is primitive at best if not made-up. The difference between me and him is that I do the actual work and am able to write a critical article without spouting half-truths riddled with overbearing arrogance to justify my opinion. This lad clearly has a severe case of cognizant dissonance to go with his Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Let's take a gander at the front page of his site so I can prove my point. His first article is 'Croatia debacle proves one thing: Steven Gerrard is NOT world class.' If that's not a good laugh, I don't know what is. His opening sentence? 'Steven Gerrard’s abject ability as a Captain was exposed once again as England suffered ignominious defeat to Croatia.' Well, if that doesn't prove that this guy spends more time during a match looking in a mirror than he does actually watching a match, I don't know what does. He clearly isn't a Liverpool fan. Gerrard worked his ass off in the Croatia match, but got little help from his teammates, which is essentially the problem for England, they don't play as a team. Gerrard was covered in mud by the end of the first half, anybody notice how Frank Lampard looked? Anybody notice that Frank Lampard was even playing? It's hard to inspire a bunch of prima donnas who are more worried about how they look then if they'll win or not. Furthermore, who cares? It's England, not Liverpool, and I could care less if Gerrard ever put on a Three Lions shirt again.

To say Gerrard is not a leader is all the evidence I need that this idiot doesn't watch Liverpool matches and is not a LFC supporter. Where to begin? Let's see, what about March 31, 2001? Man U? Ring a bell? Probably not. September 15, 2001? Everton at Goodison? Just to give this guy a backlog of matches so he can learn something, here's a list:
October 16, 2001 at Dynamo Kiev, European Cup
February 3, 2003 vs Manchester United, League Cup Final, Cardiff
April 21, 2003 vs Charlton, Premiership
December 8, 2004 vs Olympiakos, Champions League
May 3, 2005 vs Chelsea, Champions League
April 29, 2005 vs Aston Villa, Premiership
May 25, 2005 vs AC Milan, Champions League Final, Istanbul
May 13, 2006 vs West Ham, FA Cup Final, Cardiff
April 18, 2007 vs Middlesborough, Premiership
This is just a few that stick out, rarely was there a better nor more inspirational and influential player when Gerrard was on the field between the beginning of the Premiership season in 2003 up until our last match versus Fulham. Go get a copy of each of these matches, son, and then make your cretinous claims. If match performances don't make a player world class, what does? He painted himself in a corner on that one.

This paragraph is a perfect example of this guy's inept understanding of football:
'Truly world class players deliver not only in their domestic league but on the INTERNATIONAL stage. Any player who does not deliver in the big tournaments cannot be considered world class. There are of course exceptions to this, such as George Best, who never got to play in a major tournament, but players like him are a special case. The whole idea of ‘world class ability’ needs to be redefined, and in my view, achievement on the international stage should be the main criterion.'

Name one 'world class player' who's proven himself on the international stage? Zidane? Uh, no, Zidane sort of had a bunch of other great players, most of them not French I might add, playing along side of him. In fact, this moron's inability to recognize Claude Makélélé as the most important 'French' player of the last dozen years proves he's a plonker. Don't believe me? How many cups and trophies did Zidane win after Makélélé left Real Madrid? Try zero, zilch, none and he did nothing in France without him either. This guy wouldn't know world class if it stabbed him in the chest. He has the nerve to call out Gerrard for lacking football intelligence, but he clearly hasn't a clue about the sport. Just because Stevie-G didn't take a dozen shots or score a hat-trick, doesn't mean anything. He's a box-to-box midfielder, not an attacking one. If you need dazzling displays than think about this, Steven Gerrard is the only English league-based player ever in the history of the game to score in a domestic league cup final, a domestic cup final, an UEFA cup final, and a Champions League final.

Every single other player on your list had other world class players playing with them. Ronaldinho and Pele each had about half a dozen world class players playing with them at one time or another, but they never have carried a side by themselves. Maradona? I seem to recall a player named Passarella, among others. It is Argentina after all. Cruyff had the van de Kerkhof brothers, Platini had Trésor & Papin, Beckenbauer had almost as many great players as the Brazilians and Argentinians in Sepp Maier, Gerd Müller, Berti Vogts, and Uli Hoeneß among others, and Puskás was part of the legendary Golden Team. Gerrard can't do it on his own and England has nobody in his class with either the ability nor desire to help him, which is just another reason I don't care if he plays for England. Maybe Rooney when healthy, but as long as he plays for Man U, a hangnail is legitimate enough of an injury to prevent him from playing for England. John Terry is great, but legitimate injuries have kept him scarce. Beckham is at least three years past and no one else has even the potential to reach that level. Michael Owen stopped caring when he started hanging out with the wrong crowd.

Furthermore, saying players should be judged by their international performances as to whether or not they are world class and then making an exception for George Best makes no sense. How can one say that those Northern Ireland sides that Best played on aren't better than England today? You can't and therefore you're argument becomes null and void. In fact, it just proves my argument that one world class player can only carry a side so far. To prove this guy has no class and just a wind-up ponce, he then goes on to criticize Steven Gerrard's post match comments. Make up your mind you loser, is he a footballer or a pundit?

I could reduce every article he writes to rubbish, but honestly, I have better things to do with my time. This person clearly lacks the intelligence to write 'hard-hitting critical analysis' of anything without using manipulative methods of spin and illogical reason to prove his point instead of having an objective outlook. He deserves all the proper attention of a child kicking and screaming because they aren't getting it in the first place. The humorous aspect is, he's not going against the grain at all, he's just a muppet with the mass media's hand up his ass. Gerrard is constantly ridiculed in the national press and Peter Crouch is consistently praised and Rafa questioned for the forward's scarce use. By the way, I won't be doing a daily today (obviously) because there's shit-all going on. Cheers.

Euro-qualifying: A great day to be a Liverpool fan... well, almost.

I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. With the conclusion of today's matches, a large majority of our players who would normally be representing their countries in next year's Euro Championship, will now be getting the summer off. Like I've said prior, I don't give a rat's ass about international play, especially exhibition tournaments like the Euro and the World Cup. They're great for killing time or for an excuse to binge drink, but for the most part they aren't legitimate competitions anymore and have certainly ceased to matter. Too many questionable calls and duplicitous actions have tainted them far beyond any rational person's belief.

Anyhow, to get to today's matches, four teams, three featuring our players were given glints of hope before having them squashed by the all-mighty hand of reality. John Arne Riise and Norway crushed Malta, 4-1, but occurring at the same time Turkey was hosting Bosnia-Herzegovina in Instanbul. The Norwegians needed the Bosnians to at least manage a draw while they took care of business in Ta' Qali. After going up 2-0 in the first 28 minutes and Turkey appearing to have their problems scoring against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Norway probably started to believe they had luck on their side, but it wasn't meant to be. Villareal scoring machine, Nihat Kahveci, placed a shot in the far side of the net with two-minutes to go in the first half and Ay-Yıldızlılar managed to hold on, 1-0.

Sami Hyypiä and Finland were hoping to travel to Porto today and pull off one of the biggest upsets of qualifying by beating Portugal at the Estádio do Dragão. The only way for the Finns to advance was to win. They were lucky to come away with a 0-0 draw as Portugal unleashed an onslaught of attack on the Finnish side, but came away empty each time. The result eliminates the Huuhkajat from competition and with the summer months off, might allow Hyppiä to come back for one more season.

Then we have the Three Lions. After going down by a pair of comical goals by Croatia, England battled their way back to draw even, the latter goal a magnificent chest-catch and finish by Peter Crouch. It looked as if Gerrard and company might just get it done, but then Sol Campbell forgot he was supposed stop the ball from going towards the goal and conveniently got out of the way of a Mladen Petrić shot, which found itself in the back of the net. Carson hadn't a chance. Euro dreams for England were crushed and Steven Gerrard will finally have a couple of months off to recuperate. I can't say I'm not ecstatic.

Finally we have Spain with Pepe Reina the lone Spanish Red starting in goal. Thanks to a deflected shot from Xavi Hernandez, our Pepe got the win and the clean sheet. Other players who saw action include Andriy Voronin, who was the only goal scorer from our club, and the Dutch duo of Kuyt and Babel. The former came in at the half, while the latter played the full match and collected a yellow card to prove it. So Spain and Holland are the only two teams with our players that advance, which may mean up to six of our players, but it could have been worse.

Today's Banter: Kuyt burgled, Deco talks dirt?, Gerrard pep talks England, & more

Dirk Kuyt became the fifth Liverpool player in eighteen months to have his home burgled last Thursday while he was away on international duty. Just another reason to quit the national team if you ask me. Anyhow, this of course shows that Merseyside is riddled with crime and a far worse place to live than say Manchester or London, right? Wrong. If anything it shows that at least the criminals are smart enough to know who to target. Just for kicks, check out the 193-page report on crime in the UK and Wales from the Home Office. If you don't want to bother, ponder this: per 10,000 households in Merseyside approximately 0.0352% were burgled between August 2006 and July 2007. Greater Manchester? 0.0518%. London? 0.0422%. In fact, those two areas are worse percentage-wise in every category of crime, but facts don't matter, right? Moving on...

Oh my God, Barça's Deco forgot to mention us as contenders for the Champions League, so he must not think that we have much of a chance. I am so riled up at the moment, I mean, just because we have a slim chance of advancing to the knockout stage, doesn't mean we can't win at all! That Brazilian, uh, I mean Portuguese ponce! This is called 'mocking a shit rag site who has nothing better to do than make things up.' Deco doesn't mention us, big deal.

Gerrard must want some expensive gifts for Christmas. I mean, who are the two England players whose asses you'd kiss to get, say, most likely a Ferrari from as a present for Christmas? It's not Joleon Lescott or Nicky Shorey, I assure you that. Our captain was just full of praise for John Terry and David Beckham in this article.
Stevie-G wants the side to win it for the Chelsea defender and thinks that Beckham is still 'international class.' Those comments are worth at least a bottle or five of Krug Clos du Mesnil.

Robbie Threlfall dreams of playing for Liverpool one day. The soon-to-be 19-year-old local product may be far down the left-back totem pole, but he knows if he works hard and continues to develop, he's got a shot at making the first team. He's currently on-loan at Hereford United where he has started four matches. They play again today in FA Cup action at Leeds. I honestly think the kid's got what it takes to be a first-team contributor in two-to-three years after being impressed by him in the preseason against South China FC.

Finally, I feel sorry for Pepe Reina. It looks as if our keeper will be in net for Spain when they face Northern Ireland in Euro qualifying tomorrow. The game is meaningless to the Spaniards so I hope Luis Aragonés plays youngsters who care and are looking to impress their coach for future call-ups. If not, it could be a long day for Pepe as Norn Iron has to win to have any chance of advancing. Of course, with the Green & White Army relying on Latvia to upset Sweden, they might as well not even try either. Cheers.

Weekend Recap: Harry Kewell, Norway falls, Finland wins, Paul Anderson plays, & more

Even though we didn't play this past weekend, we had a ton of players who saw action for country or on-loan club. First off, as I mentioned in my daily, Harry Kewell played the full match for Australia in their Wembley friendly with Nigeria. He appears to have come away unscathed, but I'll believe it when he suits up for us again. By the way, the Aussies won 1-0.

I guess Paul Anderson wasn't subbed off early for injury reasons in his side's 1-0 Football League Trophy victory over Yeovil Town last Tuesday. The 19-year-old winger was replaced in the 50th minute of that match by Thomas Butler. This past Saturday the Swans looked to continue their current unbeaten run of ten matches when they faced Huddersfield. Paul Anderson started and played the full match, but Swansea lost 0-1, costing them a chance to go to the top of the League One table. Their next match is away to Tranmere on Saturday.

Of all the internationals, John Arne Riise probably had the worst weekend. All Norway had to do was draw with visiting Turkey to almost assure themselves a spot in the 2008 Euro, but they failed to do even that. The Norwegians took a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute on a goal by Erik Hagen, but a little under twenty minutes later Newcastle's Emre Belözoğlu equalized. Then in the 59th minute, Villareal's Nihat Kahveci, a player I think Liverpool should inquire about, put the Turks up 2-1 with a clinical finish. That ended up being enough and now Norway will have to rely on the Bosnians to go into Istanbul and get a positive result or else their Euro dreams are over. Riise played the full match, but wasn't much of a factor.

On the other end of the spectrum, Sami Hyppiä and Finland won, just not in the fashion they would have preferred against group doormat Azerbaijan. Playing in Helsinki, it was believed that the Finns would have little trouble with the cellar dwellers, but it wasn't to be. The Azeri took a 1-0 lead on a stunning shot by Makhmud Gurbonov which sent the host side into a frenzy. Upping their play, the Huuhkajat managed to even things up with 11 minutes to go on a cheeky chest-catch and finish by Birmingham's Mikael Forssell. Then seven minutes later former LFC star Jari Litmanen placed a free-kick cross into the box that after bouncing off a head or two found Shefki Kuqi right outside of the net. The recent Fulham addition had powered himself into position and easily headed the ball past the line. The Finns next travel to Portugal on Wednesday, where they have to win to have any chance of advancing.

Javier Mascherano played the full match in Argentina's 3-0 World Cup qualifying match. The win kept the Albicelestes as the only side with a perfect record and to have yet to yield a goal in the CONMEBOL group. They play Colombia tomorrow in Bogotá. I really don't see the point in making Argentina and Brazil qualify. Despite Brazil's recent stumbles, and by stumbles I mean draws since they're still undefeated, both of these countries will easily qualify. I guess they do need to play home matches to raise revenue though.

In other on-loan action, no one managed to score, but a few saw action. On Saturday, Robbie Threlfall played the full ninety for Hereford United who won 3-0 on the road at Stockport, while Craig Lindfield started and played 72 minutes for Notts County in their 0-1 home loss to Macclesfield Town. On Sunday, Lee Peltier played the full match in Yeovil Town's 2-1 victory over Gillingham at Huish Park. Those who didn't play were Godwin Antwi at Hartlepool and Miki Roque at Xerez CD.

In other International matches, Steve Finnan played the entire ninety in Ireland's meaningless 2-2 draw with Wales at Cardiff on Saturday. Andriy Voronin started and played 69 minutes in the Ukraine's 0-2 embarrassing loss at Lithuania. Dirk Kuyt came on at the start of the second while Ryan Babel was subbed on in the 84th minute as the Netherlands clinched a spot in the 2008 Euro with a 1-0 win over Luxembourg in Rotterdam. Finally, as expected, Pepe Reina did not get to play in Spain's 3-0 home victory over Sweden which also booked their ticket to the exhibition tournament next summer. That probably means he'll play Wednesday against Northern Ireland. Great.

Oh yeah, then there was that insignificant friendly between England and Austria in Vienna. England won, Crouch scored, and Owen got hurt. Sounds like the typical Three Lions match. Steven Gerrard only played the first half as he and his English teammates prepare for Croatia on Wednesday. I could care less if they advance or not. Knowing my luck though, they'll lose and then replace Austria when the host country pulls out of the competition. Cheers.

Today's Banter: One part wind-up, two parts wind-down, & 44/100% certifiable

All appears quiet on the Liverpool front, which is fine by me, but apparently not so for the wind-up bloggers. There's this one site in particular that holds contests for it's 'writers' to see who can attract the most hits. Basically it's who can write the most outrageous title followed-up by the most inane, speculative garbage that any half-witted teenager could author. One of these 'articles' is about how Steven Gerrard doesn't deserve a starting spot on a fully fit Liverpool squad. Yes, they are that feeble-minded.

Another 'article' attempts to blame Liverpool and more specifically Rafa for the supposed stunted development of Momo Sissoko. He didn't have to sign that contract extension this past summer and furthermore he's had two major injuries in his first two seasons with us, but let's leave facts to the thinkers. For this bullocks to stop, please make an effort to ignore these imbeciles. Don't click on their articles and definitely don't comment. It'd be nice if they dropped dead, but that would be asking way too much, so ignoring them is the best way to go about. They don't write such rubbish for the good of anyone but themselves. Moving on...

According to this article, Mascherano is close to signing a five year, £17m contract. Well, this is news to me. I know his transfer fee is around that amount, which we obviously have to pay first, but I didn't know we've already negotiated a contract with him. Of course, this is the first article I've read that's mention such notions, so someone might just have their facts wrong, intentional or not. Another part of that article I've yet to hear is Mascherano 'insisted he would leave Anfield unless a deal was finalised within a month.' Really? Hmmm....

Tony Barrett of the Liverpool Echo has written a short but sweet article praising Alvaro Arbeloa. He basically just reiterates a lot of what's already been said of the Spaniard by myself and other bloggers. One thing I slightly disagree with is how he thinks that Arbeloa is better on the left. To me, he appears more comfortable on the right and gets more involved on attack when he's over there. I chalk it up to him having more confidence on that side to get back on defense. Barrett even goes as far as to compare Arbeloa with Stevie Nicol.

Speaking of which, Nicol's New England Revolution face the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup final today in a repeat of last year's match-up. The Revolution have already won the US Cup this season and will be looking to complete the double in Washington, DC, where the match is being held. As painful as it is for me to watch MLS, I'll probably take in this one. Nothing really better to do, actually.

Finally, I can't end my daily without mentioning an article or post by a questionably mental Man U or Chelsea fan. That would be unforgivable. Today we have a Chelsea supporter from the ever reputable site Vital Chelsea. If you've ever visited that veritable armpit of the world wide web, you'd know that it's one of the more dim-witted sites around. The most humorous aspect is that it's supposed to be a place for Chelsea fans to write about their own side, but most of their articles are usually about Liverpool. I guess when you don't have much of a history nor brain cells, you get short on subjects. Anyhow, this clown starts off writing about how a reporter from the Echo chastises Michael Essien for not apologizing for a vicious yellow card-earning tackle on Leon Osman last Sunday and then ends up talking about Didi Hamann and Dirk Kuyt. What?! Oh, because the paper is in Liverpool. Brilliant. Yeah, Evertonians and Liverpool fans are one in the same, just like Chelsea supporters are the same as Fulham fans. I mean, Chelsea is in Fulham after all. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Sissoko to Everton?, Crouch departure looks likely, Kewell may start for Socceroos, & more

Well, this is quite alarming. Apparently David Moyes is interested in bringing Momo Sissoko to Everton. Why do I get the feeling that this is going to spark Toffee cries that Liverpool stole him away from them in the first place? Of course they just want to ignore the fact that he played under Rafa at Valencia. As for this rumor, I'm going to have to give it the Heston treatment and say, 'From my cold dead hands!' There's just no way Rafa can allow a talent of Momo's proportion to go not only to our friends in blue, but to any Premiership side.

Apparently Sissoko wants to talk over his future with Benitez, which I'm sure will just lead to the Malian announcing that he's got to work harder or some rubbish of the sort, but if he does go elsewhere, it's best he goes to Italy or Spain. I personally want him to stay, as his athleticism could eventually be an asset to allow him to be more than just a defensive midfielder, as he showed in the preseason. Plus at times he's a beast on the pitch and with the motivation that our side didn't think he was good enough for us, I'm sure he won't be very fun to face. Not to mention recklessly dangerous.

Word is Rafa is tired of Crouch's ego and is looking to sell him in the January transfer window. Do you hear that? Are you sure? Well, it's a heavenly host of angels in my head singing glorious psalms of triumph. Who needs coffee when you've got news like this? With that said, Rafa will probably come out sometime next week and say that Crouch is, in fact, not for sale, crushing my hopes. Well, apparently his valuation has been set at £10m and among those interested are Newcastle, Portsmouth, and Aston Villa. I would just like to ask those clubs not to give in to the good fight and if it'll help, I'll donate a couple of quid to their cause. By the way, unlike Momo, I would pray that other clubs would play Crouch against us. One less player to worry about.

Any hopes of Harry Kewell not seeing action for Australia tomorrow have appeared to've been dashed. Apparently Tim Cahill is unfit to play which will move Kewell into a starting role. So he has yet to start for Liverpool this season, but he may for the Socceroos? I can't say that I'm shocked. Anyways, I'll be keeping tabs on the situation on Saturday and may even watch the match. Stay fit, King Harry... please.

Now for the fun stuff. Steven Gerrard is once again the slag flavor of the month for his so-called 'xenophobic' comments regarding a foreigner quota in the Premiership. First off, the fact that this is getting any attention is just pure rubbish. All he said was that it might be something to look into, that's it, but I realize it's Stevie-G, the greatest player in the world, and everything he says is front-page news that sells copy. Fine, whatever. The best thing is when complete morons chime in on their opinion, believing they know what Gerrard said, which, let me assure you, they don't. They weren't there and didn't ask Stevie himself. Muppets.

Patrice Evra is apparently one of them. The French International has been quoted as saying that Man U have more England Internationals than Liverpool. I just love it when Senegalese players... what? What was that? He's French? But... Really though, Patrice? Let's look into that for a second. I'm looking at the latest squad selection right now and I only see one Man U player, Wes 'I'm having a laugh' Brown, and two LFC players, Crouch and Gerrard. Last time I checked, two was more than one. Oh, wait, do you mean players with caps for England? This will be fun.

Let's start with Gary Neville. Gary Neville? Paging Gary Neville? Nevermind. Then you have Wes Brown... hold on... I can't stop laughing... Jamie Carragher is ten times the player Brown would ever hope to be. Michael Carrick? B team at best. Hargreaves? Like I said yesterday, he only has knee cartilage for his club. Kieran Richardson? Oh, wait, nevermind. Rooney? Always seems injured when his country comes a-calling. That leaves Rio Ferdinand, who, unlike last year, is well-deserving of a spot to represent his country, but alas, he's suspended. So there you go, Man U's latest contribution to England in a nutshell. Stick with being a cheat Evra, you're good at that. It's in your Senegalese, uh, I mean French blood.

Finally, we have another good laugh when this bloke tries to say Jermaine Jenas is as good as Steven Gerrard. Of course, Jenas is more of a holding midfielder and Gerrard is a true box-to-box, but let's ignore that. Also, Gerrard plays in more matches for club and country and has scored more goals overall, but let's just manipulate the data to prove our point. No manager in the world would take Jenas over Gerrard and if he did, he'd be an unemployed manager. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Gerrard for foreigner quota, Eastenders sensationalizes Hillsborough, Carra enjoying time off, & more

I would write a headline like 'Gerrard hates foreigners', but unlike just the one single comment I have ever received calling me a 'wind-up merchant', I am in fact not and honestly, anyone who states such an opinion does not read me regularly. Furthermore, I cannot stand the non-news sites, a.k.a. 'wind-up blogs', who write rubbish trying to draw people to their sites so they can increase their hits. They are not fans of football and just do so for monetary reasons. It makes me sick. Maybe I'll do a post calling these people out in the near future because they severely water-down the soccer blog community and nearly nullify efforts such as my own to provide quality opinions and insight into my club and the sport itself. Those idiots give solace to the idea that football fans are thick-headed. Anyhow...

Steven Gerrard is all over the press like ants on sugar. First, our captain chimes in on the topic of a foreigner quota or at least a set amount of English players required for each Premiership squad. There's a number of reasons why this will never happen and the first is that it just won't work. All the propositions I've read about are having a set number of English players on a side's squad. With no limits on the amount of players a club can have, that wouldn't matter. Take a wild guess as to how many English players are in Liverpool's squad? Try nine and that doesn't include the seven we have out-on-loan neither the nine at the Academy. That's 25 of the 74 total players in all.

Second, if they set a quota for only allowing the number of foreigners eligible to play for a certain match, then you delude the quality of play on the field. Like it or not, it's no longer England's Premiership, but the world's, and it's going to have to reflect that notion to maintain it's popularity and economic status. To blame the failures of the national team on the lack of playing opportunities in the EPL is simply rubbish, especially when you have tactless and spineless individuals running your country's squad.

Speaking of McClaren, Gerrard sees 'no point changing managers every five months or every year.' Stevie G, I love ya, but what are you talking about?! McClaren has been at the helm for 15 months now and has the second worse record of any England manager in history. He's clearly out of his element. As long as he is allowed to continue, England has absolutely no chance of winning anything. I don't know why I'm complaining, eventually it just means more rest for Gerrard.

Popular BBC soap opera, Eastenders, created quite the controversy when it alluded to the disaster of Hillsborough as being the responsibility of hooliganism. The scene in question involves a group of 'hoodlums' in search of another character with a hooligan past, but are apparently confronted by a character who says, 'Five years out of Europe because of Heysel, because they pinned you lot in to stop you fighting on the pitch, and then what did we end up with – Hillsborough.' Though clearly socially irresponsible, it's not as if it doesn't represent the ignorance of most people who either choose to know nothing about Hillsborough and just chalk it up to hooliganism out of convenience or the other poor sods who use the disastrous event in poor taste as ammunition against LFC supporters.

The show does try to portray a social realist angle, but the insensitivity of the approach here is quite inconsiderate. Sadly the influence of imaginary people spewing mis-educated opinions is greater than truth and reality. I won't divulge anymore on the subject, but do agree that Eastenders owe the families of the victims and those that were present and traumatized by the event, a sincere apology.

Recently we've added a couple of kids to our ever-growing world youth arsenal. Lauri Dalla Valle, a 15-year-old Finnish attacking midfielder, was signed to a contract to join the club in January. Valle is considered one the best talents ever to come out of the Scandinavian country and was at Inter last year. Other clubs that pursued him include Chelsea. The plans are to keep him at the Academy for a year-and-a-half and then integrte him into Melwood. More recently, 16-year-old Swedish centre back Tim Bjorkstrom was granted a trial of indeterminate length to train at the Academy. Bjorkstrom has played with the Swedish U17s and for Swedish side Brommapojkarna.

Finally, Jamie Carragher is enjoying his two-week fixture-free 'holiday' since he doesn't have to suit up for England. The 29-year-old centre back is enjoying the light training sessions at Melwood and spending more time with his wife and kids. Doesn't that sound great, Stevie? Furthermore, he has no regrets about quitting England. He shouldn't, being played out-of-position constantly and not getting the opportunities he was entitled to and earned was just pure rubbish. Cheers.

International Watch: the who, what, when, where, and why

Though I'm never too enthusiastic about our players risking injury for their country, I will admit that it gives me something to look forward to over the break. With that said, let's take a look at which players got call-ups and if applicable, what the situation is with their country in advancing to the European Championships next summer or in one case, World Cup qualifying.

First, Pepe Reina got the usual call-up to his native Spain to be the back-up to Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas. I honestly think Pepe is better than Casillas, but it doesn't bother me that he doesn't get to play. Torres, despite probably being fit enough, was not called-on, and Xabi is still injured. I'm sort of surprised Alvaro Arbeloa isn't taken into consideration, but I'm not going to argue over his exclusion. The group of defenders they appeared to call is actually quite strong for once, recently they've had a few injured.

Spain has ties with group leader Sweden and Northern Ireland, the former at Santiago Bernabéu and the latter at Gran Canaria. A draw in either of those matches nearly assures their advancement to the final, a victory definitely does. How big was the fan incident with Herbert Fandel for Denmark? It pretty much cost the Danes any chance of advancing, of course, drawing nil-nil with Northern Ireland both times didn't help either.

Both Ryan Babel and Dirk Kuyt will be in Rotterdam come Saturday as the Netherlands need a victory over Luxembourg to continue to the next stage of the competition. Sounds like a simple enough task as the Red Lions have just recently recorded their first competitive win in twelve years. Hopefully one of the two will not have to play in the following mid-week fixture at Belarus, so they'll be fresh for the Newcastle tie.

Sami Hyypiä will take the pitch for Finland as they basically need to beat Azerbaijan in Helsinki on Saturday and then travel to the Estádio do Dragão to take on the Portuguese. If Portugal beat Armenia in Leiria on Saturday it might not matter anyhow, as Cristiano Ronaldo's side has a +8 goal difference over Finland as it stands now and that will probably increase after Saturday. Plus if Serbia beats Kazakhstan and Poland, whom they both play in home country stadiums, the Serbs will probably get the nod ahead of the Finns since they also have a superior goal differential. Hopefully, that'll mean Hyypiä will get the mid-week fixture in Portugal off and be fresh when he returns to Liverpool, though Agger might be fit anyhow.

Andriy Voronin was called-up for the Ukraine, even though they have already been eliminated. The Zhovto-Blakytni first travel to Lithuania and then have a chance to spoil France's qualifying hopes in Kiev. Hopefully Oleg Blokhin will be trying out his ponies and let the elder players rest.

John Arne Riise got the usual call from Norway as they look to secure a qualifying spot against Turkey in Oslo. A win and the Norwegians are in. If they draw then all they need is a similar result at Malta on the 21st. Hopefully they'll wrap it up on Saturday and not need the services of Riise after that.

Ireland called-up Steve Finnan, which actually might be beneficial to us in the end. The 31-year-old hasn't donned the Liverpool kit since the Blackburn match, so maybe a little action for his country will keep his fitness up as they travel to Cardiff to face Wales to finish off their failed qualifying campaign.

Then we have England. Steven Gerrard and Peter Crouch are both set to take the pitch for the Three Lions on the 21st against Croatia. Of course, if Russia beat Israel, I don't see the point in risking Gerrard, as I doubt Andorra will be able to hold the Russians to even a draw. An Israel draw with Russia, will assure England a great chance of advancing since Croatia would have already qualified and the match will be held at Wembley. Oh yeah, they also have that all important friendly with Austria this Friday.

Speaking of Israel, they will be without the services of their captain, Yossi Benayoun, who was injured in the Fulham match. Also, Danny Agger was not called up for Denmark in case you were wondering.

As for non-Euro qualifying international matches, Harry Kewell will be with Australia when they take on Nigeria in a friendly at Wembley on Saturday. If recent history tells us anything, it's that Kewell will most likely come off the bench. Hopefully the history of him getting injured for the Socceroos won't rear it's ugly head though.

Finally, Javier Mascherano will probably start for both of Argentina's World Cup qualifiers, home against Bolivia on Saturday then at Colombia the following Tuesday. I'd be surprised to see him start against Newcastle on Saturday though, especially since Sissoko will be well-rested.

Today's Banter: Torres left off Spain (yes!), Hicks after Roma?, Fulham post-match rubbish, & more

Luis Aragonés just became my favorite international manager. The 69-year-old Spaniard decided not to call-up Fernando Torres for Spain's two Euro-qualifiers with Sweden and Northern Ireland. With Xabi injured and Arbeloa not under consideration, it means only Pepe Reina will be with La Furia Roja, though with Iker Casillas still the number one, Reina probably won't play. I can now breathe a little easier knowing that Torres will more than likely start against Newcastle on the 24th at St. James Park. Rafa is happy with the 23-year-old striker's omission as well.

Word is Tom Hicks has inquired about possibly purchasing Serie A club AS Roma. First off, it's highly improbable that the club would sell to a foreigner since no Serie A club is owned by a non-Italian. Second, if there is even a glint of truth to the matter, it means that Hicks might be looking to get out of his co-ownership with George Gillett. UEFA rules prevent one person owning more than one team participating in UEFA competitions, so Hicks would have to sell his interest in LFC. Maybe the rumors of a rift between the two parties is true.

Was Lawrie Sanchez watching the same match that everyone else was on Saturday? Apparently not. The Fulham manager seems to think that his squad deserved at least a point for their efforts and that Liverpool was fortuitous to get the win. The 48-year-old said: "I actually felt that Torres mis-hit his final shot, and that is what confused Hughes and Niemi. It was a soft goal in the end to concede... As for the penalty, I don't believe it was in the box, it wasn't a penalty. I felt we had kept them quiet, restricted them to shots from outside the box in the first half." Well, as lucky as we were to get a 'mis-hit' goal and a penalty called for a non-penalty, we were also unlucky not to score a couple of more goals as well.

Meanwhile, Rafa Benitez has had plenty to say on a whole range of subjects. First, he expects Pepe Reina to get more assists like he did for Torres goal. I honestly don't think Rafa should be encouraging any long ball tactics especially if there's a chance the player could get carried away with the notion. It's nice to have that option, but only when it's used sparingly. Most of the time a goal doesn't come of it.

Next up, Rafa has said that not changing his line-up from the Besitkas match was just as much a risk as changing it would have been. In the end, he felt a few of the players were ineffective due to fatigue. I still don't understand why Riise was left in, he was pretty useless for the third or so straight match.

Finally, Benitez claims that Torres is not our side's most natural finisher. He feels that Kuyt and Voronin are naturally better. Uh, okay. Also in that link he talks about how Torres' pace was very effective against the tired Fulham side, which is why he decided not to start Fernando but instead use him in the super-sub role.

Steven Gerrard has spoken up about how he believes Steve McClaren is the right man for the England job. What is Stevie-G smoking? McClaren is well out of his element and lacks the vision, creativity, and balls to put a squad out for the Three Lions that will challenge for anything. The excuse that England doesn't have the horses of other European sides is a joke. The only countries that I would say have more talented are France and Spain. What England lacks is motivation and the right mix of players, but McClaren is incapable of the former and doesn't have the guts to put out any squad other than what is accepted as England's best though they may not be able to play with one another. Cheers.

Liverpool 2, Fulham 0: player grades

Reina 6
Made a great save on a Danny Murphy shot, but for the most part was required to do little. A mistake free effort nonetheless.

Fabio Aurelio 4
Aurelio is one of my favorite players, so it pains me to say he was poor. His passing was off and for the most part he was ineffective.

Carragher 6
Another solid match. Wanna take a stab at what his completion percentage for this match was? 98.2% on 57 attempts.

Hyypia 7
Defying logic, the Finn appears to be getting better the more he plays. He lead the side in tackles with 5.

Alvaro Arbeloa 8 Man of the Match
The Spaniard was fantastic in the first half, but less of a factor in the second. I'm sure fatigue had something to do with it. He took on defenders on attack and attackers on defense.

Riise 4
I have no clue as to why Rafa keeps starting the Norwegian when he has plenty of other options. For the most part he was inexistent and ineffective when involved.

Mascherano 7
His first half was forgettable, but his second half oozed class. If he could just study and master Xabi's passing ability, he'd be the best holding/defensive midfield in the world.

Gerrard 5
Was okay, made his usual runs and scored his fifth goal in six games. I expect more and better matches from him, but hopefully he's just preserving such performances when needs be.

Benayoun 5
He probably should have taken the night off. He was adequate in short spurts, but for the most part feckless.

Voronin 6.5
Seemed the threat and determined to be so, but his efforts proved fruitless. A better strike pairing might have done him better.

Crouch 4
So much for Crouch being a catalyst of our attack. Looks like he's reverted back to his normal form, giving the ball away and getting called for fouls. I can't wait to read the rubbish about him putting on anything but a poor display.

Torres 7
Scored a cheeky goal that was simply magic and was a threat the entire time he was on the pitch.

Babel 7
Impressed on the wing and caused havoc among the Fulham defenders. Still thinks he can take on the whole opponent's side by himself, and sometimes it appears he could, but he's got to realize he has ten other teammates out there with him. Once he does, he'll be that much better. Showed a different side to his game though with his tackling abilities.

Lucas 6
Nothing negative to say about the Brazilian's performance. He did what he had to in the time allotted.

Liverpool vs Fulham: same line-up as Tuesday?

You'll have to forgive me, I'm a little shell-shocked at the moment...

Here it is:
Reina
Aurelio
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa
Riise
Mascherano
Gerrard
Benayoun
Voronin
Crouch

Bench:
Martin
Babel
Finnan
Torres
Lucas

Furthermore I was a bit surprised not to see Kewell on the bench. Riise played like absolute crap Tuesday, so I'd much rather see King Harry start on the left.

I'm sort of at a loss of words at the moment. If Crouch or anyone else doesn't perform, I'm not holding back. Rafa really out-did himself by not doing anything at all. Sort of brilliant. Cheers.

Liverpool vs Fulham: What will Rafa do?

The big question going into this match is what kind of part will Fernando Torres play? From what I've read, it appears that Rafa is contemplating starting the Spaniard. Apparently he's looked good in training, but I'd be a little shocked if he started. There has also been some speculation as to whether or not Rafa will start the same XI he did against Beşiktaş. I'll go ahead and save everyone the trouble, he won't. So with that...

In front of Reina, starting on the left, I'd be shocked not to see Aurelio. He looked pretty sharp on Tuesday and I would hope that Rafa would want to keep the Brazilian that way. In the middle we'll probably see Hyypia and Carra, not only because Arbeloa is the only other choice here, but also because the two elder Reds didn't have to expend much energy against Beşiktaş. Finally on the right I suspect Steve Finnan will get the nod against his former club. Arbeloa should be on the bench.

In the midfield, I don't know why because he was probably our worse player on Tuesday, but Rafa will probably start Riise. I'd personally rather see Kewell or even Benayoun, but I think the Norwegian will get the nod. In the middle I'm gonna say Sissoko and Mascherano, even though it'll probably be Gerrard paired with the Argentine. Finally on the right, it's either Gerrard or Benayoun, I'll decide shortly.

Up front I'm hoping Rafa starts the Dutch connection and gives Kuyt and Babel the call. Like it or not, Kuyt's part of the rotation. He lead us in goals in the league last year and he'll eventually get it going.

So here's my final guess:
Reina
Aurelio
Carragher
Hyypia
Finnan
Kewell
Mascherano
Sissoko
Gerrard
Kuyt
Babel

Bench:
Martin
Arbeloa
Lucas
Torres
Benayoun

I changed my mind and put Kewell in for Riise. Probably wishful thinking, but oh well. I fully expect Torres to get a running out and for Lucas to get on if the Masche-Momo pairing isn't working or if we need a boost. I know Voronin is no where to be found but I honestly think the less he plays, the better he seems to be.

The thing I'll be looking for in this match is if we come out early with our blitzkrieg-style that we have been using since the last twenty minutes of the Blackburn match. Even if we don't create a goal early, we need to keep on pushing until we crack their defenses. One goal and as long as we keep going at the Cottagers, the floodgates will open. I don't expect another 8-0 or even 6-0, but 4-0 is very realistic and I hope Kuyt gets at least one for his confidence. Cheers.

Sometimes I wish Gerrard would get 'injured'

The word is Wayne Rooney got 'injured' today in training and will be out for a month. Just in time to miss two matches for England, the Austria friendly and the Euro qualifier against Croatia. Tell me, why is it that United players just happen to get injured right before they're about to go out on International duty? Rooney always seems to 'stump his toe' every time England comes a-knockin', especially when it's just a friendly, and I seem to recall Tevez earlier this season 'not feeling well enough' to play for Argentina when he was the only true striker on the United bench.

Other than not having to play the two matches for the Three Lions, Rooney will also miss two meaningless Champions League matches and Premiership ties with Blackburn, Bolton, Fulham, and maybe even the leviathan that is Derby County. Oh no! So he'll basically miss one match that they have a slight chance of not winning in the Rovers. The convenience of pulling up lame right now is a bit overwhelming. I know, I know, he left the training facility on crutches (no, my eyes aren't rolling).

Anyhow, wouldn't it be advantageous for Gerrard to get an elbow bruise or possibly even a hangnail and not be available to try and save McClaren's ass? Those two weeks off would probably do him wonders. And what about Harry Kewell, maybe King Harry can stick his fingers down his throat, throw-up, and then claim he's too sick to play for the Socceroos against Nigeria. That would be grand, but unfortunately not our style. No, I'm willing to bet that even though Torres might not play for us before the upcoming international break, that he'll probably still feature for Spain in their two Euro qualifying matches next week anyhow. That's just the kind of players that wear our crest.

Oh, and don't be surprised if Rooney makes another of his 'miraculous recoveries.'

Today's Banter: Gerrard named to FIFPro World XI, Sanchez praises Rafa, Pako to West Ham? & more

Steven Gerrard has added another honor to his long list of accolades by being named to the 2006-07 FIFPro XI. Surprisingly, it's the first time he's won the distinction. He also became the first Liverpool player to be named to the list, which is selected by 'more than 57,000 footballers from players' associations around the world.' A bit baffling as to why Gianluigi Buffon was named to the side though. I'm not saying he's undeserving skill-wise, but he played in Serie B last season. That would be like Stephen Bywater making it.

For all of Rafa's rotation policy critics, take a gander at what Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez had to say about our manager: “Liverpool are probably the most difficult team in the Premier League to prepare for. I’ve got no idea what their team will be but you’ve got to give credit to a man who has won the UEFA Cup, was a Champions League finalist and has won the Spanish League twice – he obviously knows what he’s doing. He doesn’t fit in with what people do in this country but at the end of the day, they’ve just won a game 8-0.” He even forgot about actually winning the Champions League, but I'll let that slide. The former Wimbledon star goes on to say how he expects a totally different line-up than the poor man's side they faced towards the end of last year when we were concentrating on the Champions League. This is only coming from a man who had Northern Ireland at the top of it's Euro-qualifying group before leaving for the Cottagers. What does he know?

The rubbish rumor of the day is Rafa's former assistant, Pako Ayesteran, becoming West Ham United's technical director. Alan Curbishley has dismissed such speculation adding that the newly-created position was still very early in the selection process. Also I'm pretty sure that the 44-year-old Spaniard is contractually prohibited from working with an English side at least until the end of this season if not longer. He's stated his desire to return to Spain anyhow, so I highly doubt he'll work in England again anytime soon if ever.

In some pre-match news, Fulham expects to have Chris Baird back from injury with Carlos Bocanegra also returning from suspension. Paul Konchesky, who scored a fluke goal for West Ham against us in the 2006 FA Cup final, and 18-year-old defender Elliot Omozusi will both be unavailable serving bans. The Cottagers have a total of seven players sidelined with injury: Moritz Volz (shoulder and groin), Phillipe Christanval (knee), Kasey Keller (bicep), Lee Cook (knee), Ian Pearce (ankle), Brian McBride (knee) and Jimmy Bullard (knee). I personally can't wait to see Bullard finally return after being out over a year with a devastating knee injury. The Newham-born midfielder was wreaking havoc in the league early last season before going down and is expected to return either later this year or sometime in January.

In player transfer news, James Smith has returned from his loan spell with Stockport, but wishes to go back to the Hatters on a permanent basis. The 22-year-old defender was a regular starter for the League Two side. You would figure Smith being a local lad and all would want to make his mark with our club and it's not like there isn't opportunity for a centre-back, but maybe he's been told he's got little chance by Rafa or something of that sort. Also, just a short note before I bid adieu, it looks like Steve Cotterill will have little say in where and for how much young Burnley starlet John Cofie goes since the 43-year-old was let-go from his managerial position of the Clarets yesterday. Cheers.

Today's Banter: De-constructing Rafa, Babel babble, & A look at our depth

There isn't really much going on in the world of Liverpool Football Club, just reiterations of yesterday's headlines, so I've decided to just ramble on about a bunch of nonsense. Feel free to share your opinions below.

Before I go down that long and winding (or winded, which ever you prefer) road, there's an excellent piece on Rafa's obsession with our club and football in general by Oliver Kay at the Independent.ie. It gives good reason to laugh at all those who feel as if they are obligated to criticize the boss' managerial decisions. He puts in the time and has the trophies to prove it.

Anyhow, moving on, I think it's time Ryan Babel is made a permanent part of our striker force, don't you? From the looks of our last three matches, Rafa may have already decided to do so. He started there against Cardiff and when Kewell came on for Voronin in the Beşiktaş match, the young Dutchman was moved up to partner Crouch. He appears more comfortable there anyhow and in fact, when he plays for the Netherlands, that's his normal spot.

It seems as if when he does occupy the left, he's basically trying to play the role of a forward instead of a winger anyhow. Though I think it would be great if he learned to be effective on the flank, his talent seems best suited up front. With Harry Kewell back to share left wing duties with Riise and occasionally Benayoun, Babel is really no longer needed over there.

Which brings me to squad depth. Just for kicks, let's take a gander:

GK - Pepe Reina, Charles Itandje (inj), David Martin
LB - John Arne Riise, Fabio Aurelio, Alvaro Arbeloa, Emiliano Insua (res)
CB(2) - Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger (inj), Sami Hyypia, Alvaro Arbeloa, Jack Hobbs
RB - Steve Finnan, Alvaro Arbeloa, Stephen Darby (res)
LM - John Arne Riise, Harry Kewell, Ryan Babel, Yossi Benayoun, Sebastian Leto (res)
HM - Javer Mascherano, Xabi Alonso (inj), Momo Sissoko
AM - Steven Gerrard, Lucas Leiva, Xabi Alonso (inj), Momo Sissoko
RM - Jermaine Pennant (inj), Steven Gerrard, Yossi Benayoun, Ryan Babel
F2 - Dirk Kuyt, Andriy Voronin, Peter Crouch
F1 - Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel, Peter Crouch

(I put in bold who I believe to be our ideal starter at that spot, (inj) = injured, and (res) = primarily a Reserves player but capable of filling in on the first team on an emergency basis.)

The thing that stands out to me is our lack of depth at centre back. With Babel establishing himself as a forward, our focus during the January transfer window has to be a class centre back at any cost. Even when Agger gets back, having Jack Hobbs even in the depth chart is a scary aspect. The kid may be good one day, but he's still very raw.

The depth on the flanks is great, but most goals are scored from the middle of the field. One of the most positive results of the Beşiktaş match was that Hyypia and Carra had to do very little, which means they'll probably be pretty fresh come Saturday. After that, there's a two week layoff for the international break, which means when the team plays again at St. James Park on the 24th, we could have a full, fresh squad including Danny Agger and possibly Xabi Alonso.

Some other links to kill some time:
- Before there was Stevie Finnan, there was Jimmy Willis
- Carra calls on the entire squad to improve

Liverpool 8, Beşiktaş 0: Player Grades

Pepe Reina 6
Didn't have to do much, but got the job done and made a great save.

Fabio Aurelio 5.5
The Brazilian made little contribution, but it wasn't required. He came off early in the second for Babel, which I'm hoping was because of fatigue more than anything else.

Jamie Carragher 6
Wasn't called-on to do much, but did what he had to.

Sami Hyypia 6
Stayed back, didn't get beat. One of his better performances so far this year, but I bet you he can't wait for Agger to get back so he can go on holiday.

Alvaro Arbeloa 7.5
Was a real instigator on the attack early and can probably be credited for getting us going. Once Beşiktaş had to worry about him as well, even more space opened up. By the way, he completed 100% of his passes. Wow.

John Arne Riise 5.5
Made up for his passing woes by causing havoc.

Steven Gerrard 5.5
Must have been nice for him not to have to play his arse off and our side win like this.

Javier Mascherano 7
Another solid performance from our other World Class midfielder, was utterly dominate in midfield and lead our side with 8 tackles.

Yossi Benayoun 8
I don't think it's possible for a player to have as good a night as Yossi. 3 goals and 2 assists? Ridiculous. Man of the Match.

Andriy Voronin 7.5
An inspiring performance from the Ukrainian as his relentless attack caused problems all day for the Turkish side.

Peter Crouch 7
Get ready to hear a bunch of nonsense about Crouch being the reason we dominated this match. He wasn't. In fact, he missed quite a few opportunities that could have made the score even worse and turned over the ball many times. With that said, Crouch was good at creating space and drawing fouls. His effort should be commended.

Ryan Babel 7.5
Was a ball hog early, which appeared to annoy his teammates, but adapted and made a solid contribution. Once Kewell came on and he moved up front, he looked more comfortable. The first goal was simply brilliant and he was unlucky not to have a third when one of his headers from a corner hit the cross bar.

Harry Kewell & Lucas Leiva 6.5
Both players brought a lot of energy to our side, but neither really got enough time on to get comfortable. Kewell definitely needs a full match or close to it, so we can see what he can do.

I hope this match strikes fear into our upcoming opponents more it goes to our heads.