Today's Banter: The kids crush Bolton, Carson gone, God may need surgery, & Agger almost back

It's a match day so I'm not going to indulge as much as usual. First off, the Academy hailed brimstone and fire on the young Wanderers of Bolton to secure a 5-2 victory. Nathan Eccleston and David Amoo notched a brace apiece with Marvin Pourie adding the fifth. You know, I've heard of the latter two kids, but this Eccleston seems to be the business. Hopefully he'll continue to develop and progress so if he ever gets to the first team, we can stick it to the Mancs about stealing one of their own right out from under them. They can have their Cofie and biscuits and shove them you know where. Anyhow, youth coach Hugh McAuley was pleased with the scoring output, but disappointed that the clean sheet wasn't kept.

Well, it's looking more and more like a done deal that our keeper/super-model extraordinairre, Scott Carson, may be making his loan to Aston Villa permanent. Apparently we've agreed to terms with Martin O'Neill's side. I have mixed feelings about this as I think Carson is as good if not better than Reina, but the Spaniard is always going to get the nod with Rafa calling the shots. Hopefully we're getting a respectable chunk of change for him and can use that money to sign Masche permanently. In any case, I'm gonna dread when we have to face the Villans from now on, just another keeper with more cause to shut us down.

Word out of Cardiff is that Robbie Fowler is having hip issues. So much so that he may need surgery to fix the problem. Details are far and few between, but God is traveling to Germany sometime next week to see a specialist. He's the same guy that treated Michael Owen and Ronaldo, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Hopefully it's not as bad as thought and he'll be back to fitness in no time.

Speaking of getting back to fitness, the return of Danny Agger after the international break looks highly likely. The Dane has returned to training and as soon as he gets to fine fettle, he'll be back on the pitch for us. Maybe he'll feature for the Reserves on Tuesday, who knows, but we need him back ASAP. Cheers.

Liverpool vs Cardiff: the line-up

Here it is:
Itandje
Aurelio
Carragher
Hobbs
Arbeloa
Leto
Lucas
Gerrard
El Zhar
Babel
Crouch

Subs:
Martin
Riise
Kewell
Benayoun
Mascherano

Mascherano?! Wow, that was a quick recovery. Where's Sissoko? Hopefully he's okay. Anyhow, I'm really excited to see El Zhar out there, he's really improved over the course of the season with the Reserves and is fun to watch.

Harry Kewell starts from the bench, huh? Does that means he'll be available against Blackburn on Saturday? I guess it really depends on how much he plays today. Anything more than the last thirty minutes and he's probably questionable against the Rovers.

The backline looks familiar. Babel and Crouch up front is interesting. A lot of youth in Hobbs, Leto, Lucas, El Zhar, and Babel. Let's see how it goes.

Today's Banter: Riise upset over wageslip leak, Villa want Crouch, Rafa afraid of 'God'?, & more

Well, another match day is here and I'll get to the normal routine in a bit, but first it's time to cover what's going on in the world of all things Liverpool FC. First off, John Arne Riise is furious that one of his wageslips from last season has been made public. The 27-year-old defender is convinced the paper was somehow stolen from him since he would never just throw something containing such sensitive information in the trash. Why this interests anyone except a criminal trying to use Riise's information to steal his identity is beyond me. Furthermore, it's obvious that there's a severe case of cognitive dissonance going around that is more viral than images of Riise's wageslip. I seriously doubt any of those people who have published the photo of the papers would want their wages and/or personal information revealed. Have some class and stop doing things just for your own self-benefit.

Martin O'Neill has revealed that Aston Villa are interested in making a bid for Peter Crouch in the January transfer window. It looks as if O'Neill is ready to break the £10m mark for the lanky striker, smashing the club transfer fee record in the process. Other interested parties such as Sven-Göran Eriksson and Man City seem reluctant to pay a proper sum for Crouch, obviously seeking a bargain. Rafa has recently said that the England International is not for sale, but I personally hope he's willing to change his mind for the right price.

Speaking of Crouch, there seems to be speculation that he could start tonight. I would sort of be surprised if Rafa didn't save him for Saturday, but then again, maybe he's planning on resting him then so he'll be in top form for our crucial Champions League clash with Beşiktaş at Anfield next week.

Rafa just can't stop praising Robbie Fowler. Benitez feels that 'God' could very well score against his former club this evening, but hopes he does so in a losing effort. He continues the Robbie Fowler love-fest by thanking the 32-year-old striker for his second term service to the club and being like an additional coach on and off the field. I love Fowler and am worried about him being extra motivated to score tonight, but I'd rather he didn't, losing effort or not.

Finally, Rafa has called a fit Harry Kewell like a new signing. I concur, but let's all hope he stays fit. The Aussie is due to start against Cardiff this evening and with Gerrard likely to sit, I look to him to be our leader. We need his heroics now more than ever. Cheers.

Today's Banter: Kewell set for Cardiff, Torres may return sooner, Mascherano training, & more

- Wow, what a difference a day makes, but it's still not all roses & wine just yet. It would be great to hear that Xabi's injury is not as bad as thought, but optimism isn't my forte. Anyhow, it looks as if Harry Kewell will make the next step in his return to first team action when we play Cardiff in League Cup action tomorrow evening. That probably means he won't play against Blackburn on Saturday, but still, with his record, cautious baby steps are probably the best way to go about re-integrating him into the squad.

- Rafa has stated that Torres might be back sooner than expected. Before anyone throws the baby out with the bath water in belief that Rafa might be making another error in rushing Torres again, think about this. Benitez wants the Spaniard back fully fit and would never risk further injury. Torres wanted to play against Arsenal and by all accounts was good to go. I know rationality is not a trait of Rafa's critics, so I guess we'll just have to weather the storm of ignorance comments that the press and pundits might have in store for our boss. Fernando may return a week earlier than expected.

- Another piece of welcome news is that Javier Mascherano is already back in training. Thank Robbie Fowler. I doubt we'll see him on Wednesday, but Sissoko should suffice in that regard anyhow.

- With tomorrow nights fixture against Cardiff, Liverpool legend and current Bluebird striker, Robbie Fowler, is getting a lot of praise from a former Reds teammate and manager. Dirk Kuyt has thanked 'God' helping him adjust to English football and life in England. Meanwhile, Rafa Benitez might be planning some sort of grand return for the 32-year-old Toxteth Terror. Bringing back Fowler was one of Rafa's smartest moves both on and off the field.

- Fernando Torres is happy at Liverpool and plans to play out his six-year contract. It's good to hear that we have some positive voices coming from our squad. You taking notes, Crouch?

- Rafa has declared with his last two performances, Steven Gerrard is near top form once again. It's amazing what a couple of goals will do for one's confidence. Keep 'em coming, Stevie-G.

- Finally, Rafa has announced that he'll be resting some big names for the Cardiff clash. No big surprise, I fully expect Mascherano, Hyypia, Riise, and Reina to be get the night off and possibly Finnan, Gerrard, and Kuyt as well. According to Benitez, Leto, Lucas, and Aurelio will most likely start. I'm pretty confident Hobbs and Kewell will as well. I hope Stephen Darby and Emiliano Insua are there too. I know that's a lot of youth, but it's only the League Cup and honestly, a lot of our boys looked spent by match conclusion with Arsenal. Even our Reserves players mixed in with some first-teamers should be good enough to beat Cardiff.

Both Paul Anderson & Robbie Fowler scored today

Paul Anderson scored again for League One side, Swansea, in their 2-1 win over Swindon Town. The 19-year-old Leicester product is out on loan to the Swans for the season. It was his fourth overall goal for the club this season and his second in league play.

Robbie Fowler also netted. The former Liverpool Legend turned Cardiff City striker scored a penalty in the 45th minute of their match with Sheffield United. The Bluebirds eventually went up 3-1, but weren't able to hold on to the lead and had to settle for a 3-3 draw.

Finally, the Reserves lost to Sunderland, 1-0, with a side that was without Sebastian Leto nor Lucas. Maybe that means we'll see them tomorrow? According to the report from the official site, our boys were unlucky not to score a few times against the more experienced Black Cats side. Cheers.

Robbie Fowler to return!!

Wow, great job rigging the draw whoever did. Not only do we get a relatively easy opponent for our fourth round Carling Cup tie, but 'God' gets to return to Anfield. This match could be played on All Hallows' Eve as well.

Robbie Fowler to return for Cup tie?

How awesome would it be if we drew Cardiff City at Anfield tomorrow when they do the Carling Cup draw? God would get an improbable return to the place that made him a legend. Of course, knowing our cup draw luck, we'll probably get Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Here's the remaining sides:
Leicester City
Blackburn Rovers
Bolton Wanderers
Chelsea
Coventry City
Everton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Arsenal
Blackpool
Portsmouth
Luton Town
Manchester City
Sheffield United
Cardiff City

West Ham might be sweet as well since Craig Bellamy quit us and all. Maybe we can relive the 2006 FA Cup final. Ugh, forgot Arsenal was there. Just had a very painful flashback. Anyhow, the draw is at 12:15 GST Saturday. Cheers.

Video of Robbie Fowler's back-to-back braces

The Toxteth terror has scored a pair in each of Cardiff's last two matches. The first was a league match where the Bluebirds drew with Preston.


The second is a win over West Brom. Cheers.

Bring back Robbie Fowler

Seeing as we're having trouble scoring and all. God scored a brace for Cardiff today. In case you'd forgotten how it's done boys, here's a reminder:

Cheers.