All posts by h79snht.top

Getting that first league win on the board is vital for any manager at a new club particularly when the press are already sharpening their knives, ready to attack the jugular. Victories in the Europa League and Capital One Cup mean precious little to Brendan Rodgers as he continues to search for his first maximum point haul in the Premier League. Not many will have envisaged the Reds’ name being amongst those in the bottom three but that is the stark reality that faces Rodgers and the supporters. Still, there is cause for optimism on Merseyside as the Northern Irishman continues to blood an impressive group of young players into the first team in the wake of Raheem Sterling’s impressive performances since his introduction to the starting XI. Rodgers showed his faith in the likes of Suso, Oussama Assaidi, Andre Wisdom and Danny Pacheco to guide the Reds to victory in mid-week to which they delivered with aplomb.

This week on FFC are the likes of Sterling and Suso reason to be excited at Anfield and

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Best of FFC

Reasons to be excited at Liverpool FC?

A £150m risk for Liverpool FC?

An accident waiting to happen at Liverpool?

What’s happened to the fortress that was once Anfield

Steven Gerrard’s Liverpool replacement in waiting?

Lots of transfer interest, but is he the real deal?

Brendan Rodgers bemoans lack of decisions

Tottenham and Liverpool vying to push through cut-price move

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Best of WEB

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Will Anyone Step Forward to be Crowned Our King at Left-Back? – Live 4 Liverpool

 8% – The bad news about Luis Suarez that LFC fans don’t want to hear… – Liverpool Kop

Why Gerrard remains the man for the big occasion – This is Anfield

‘Muy contento!’ – Senior LFC stars hail ‘amazing’ Reds starlets after Cup win… – Liverpool Kop

Plotting the Journey from Year Zero – The Tomkins Times

Harsher Sanctions Are Required To Quell The Hate – Live 4 Liverpool

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Keep calm and walk on – This is Anfield

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Quote of the Week

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“I’m concerned that we’ve not had any sort of rub of the green from officials. We like to think we are a sporting team, I have always told my players to do the right thing, not to dive, to play fair. But the fairness we show, it seems the decisions pass us by because of it. There are so many decisions that have gone against us.

“I spoke to Mike Riley and he admitted he expected me to call earlier. I didn’t ring after the Manchester United game, I wanted to speak to the assessor first on that one, and he hasn’t contacted us yet. But after the West Brom game, I had to call. Jordan Henderson got a horrendous tackle and the player wasn’t even booked, while Andre Wisdom won the ball with a fair challenge and was booked. Things aren’t going for us at all.” Brendan Rodgers reveals that his players may start diving to win decisions from referees 

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Featured Video

Martin O’Neill was extremely critical of chants from his own Sunderland supporters of ‘we wish you were dead’ directed at Newcastle defender Steven Taylor.

Despite Taylor doing his utmost best to wind up Black cat supporters in the build-up to the game, the Sunderland boss said any such abuse was in poor taste.

The Newcastle centre half only entered the red hot atmosphere at the stadium of light later on in the game, but this did not save him from receiving a rough ride.

Whilst it was only a small section of supporters chanting the vitriol, it has marred what was a well fought Tyne-Wear derby with both sides sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw.

Newcastle United supporters are not believed to be completely blameless either, with some of them directly distasteful chants too, in the direction of Sunderland’s Lee Cattermole.

In derby day matches, with tensions running high, O’Neill accepts that sometimes emotions run over, but he believes they shouldn’t to the level they did for some fans yesterday.

The Sunderland Manager went on to tell sky sports regarding the Taylor chants. “If that is what they were singing then it would be in very poor taste. If I had heard that I would have been disappointed with that.”

He was also happy to have a jibe back at the defender who suggested not a single Sunderland player would make the Newcastle XI by saying “Some of the players had passed comment. He is entitled to his opinion. I am delighted he made their bench!”

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Next up for O’Neill’s men is a trip to the Britannia stadium to take on Stoke City this Saturday in a 3 O’clock kick off.

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Alan Pardew has revealed that superstar manager Jose Mourinho has a significant influence on his coaching of Newcastle United.

The Magpies have been hugely successful since the arrival of Pardew, almost reaching the Premier League’s top four last season, and are now near to qualifying for the Europa League’s last 32.

Pardew has been telling the Chronicle that his friend Mourinho, whose methods he studied when the current Real Madrid manager was with Chelsea, is responsible for some of the techniques he has adopted in managing a successful Premier League team.

“I used to watch Chelsea regularly as it was on my doorstep. It was when Jose Mourinho was there. There were things that I was seeing that I hadn’t seen in English football before,” Pardew said.

“Some of the managerial traits that he was bringing I learned from. And I can’t help but say I’ve nicked a few of them.”

Pardew and Mourinho are great friends, the Portuguese manager congratulated Pardew on his LMA and Premier League Manager of the Year awards, and famously texted him before Newcastle’s first match of this season’s Europa League campaign in August. Last month he even praised Pardew’s work with Newcastle.

Pardew also admitted that many managers have influenced him saying, “The big managers that I’ve come across and been lucky enough to deal with have influenced me. The impact of foreign managers can’t be lost on my education. Arsene Wenger is another. There are a few people who have influenced me in my career – Steve Coppell for sure.”

Earlier this month, Newcastle player Davide Santon noted the Special One’s influence on Pardew, saying his boss has “a lot in common with Mourinho.”

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West Ham midfielder Mark Noble believes he is playing the best football of his life under Sam Allardyce, according to reports from talkSPORT.

The midfielder, who has been with the Londoners for his entire career, is delighted with his form during the club’s return to the Premier League.

He believes that Allardyce has been a big factor in both his and the Hammer’s recent performances, praising his bosses effect as the club look to establish themselves in the top-flight.

“I’m thoroughly enjoying it (life under Allardyce),” He told talkSPORT.

“I’m probably playing the best football I’ve played in a long, long while.

“I’m settled in my position. I’m settled at the club and obviously I’ve just signed a new contract, so I was happy with that.

“I’m just looking forward to being out on the pitch every week. I keep working harder and harder in training every week, trying to improve, trying to get better and I just want to keep working hard and get performances under my belt.”

Noble has built up a solid partnership with fellow midfielder Kevin Nolan, which was key in the club’s promotion last season.

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Whilst the captain grabs most of the headlines, Noble’s contributions are equally effective, as he provides a shield for the backline as well as ammunition for the forwards through his set-piece delivery.

The 25-year-old has been capped at almost every level of England’s youth set-up, but has, as of yet, missed out on making his senior debut.

England new boy Leon Osman believes that Steven Gerrard thoroughly deserves to earn his 100th cap during Wednesday’s friendly with Sweden.

The 32-year-old Everton midfielder will be making his first appearance with the Three Lions, following a shock call up from manager Roy Hodgson.

Although they are inter-city rivals in the Premier League, Osman has hailed the influence of Gerrard and his importance on the pitch:

“It is fantastic to get to 100 caps,” He told BBC Sport.

“There is only a select band that has managed to do it and Steven deserves to be in that crew.

“He is a fantastic player and a leader of men.

“We first played against each other on Merseyside when we were 12 or 13.

“To see him now get to his 100th cap is fantastic but not surprising.”

Osman is also delighted to be in the squad, and admitted that he thought the call to represent his nation would never come:

“I hoped my time hadn’t passed me by,

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“As an English lad I had a desire to play for my country and I was hopeful it might happen.

“I had stopped looking for my name in the squad every time. But I didn’t give up hope.”

Osman has been in fine form for high-flying Everton this season, notching up a succession of impressive performances in domestic competition.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce blamed a “fluke” goal for his side’s 1-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester United.

Robin van Persie broke the deadlock at Old Trafford after just 33 seconds, as his guided effort deflected off of James Collins and into the net.

The Hammers were unable to respond, but Allardyce believes only luck separated the two sides:

“We come to Old Trafford and in 30 seconds they score,” he told SkySports.

“It was a fluke goal, to say the least.

“It was a test of character for my players. We are all disappointed that we lost the match, but we kept our shape and our tactics.

“We couldn’t help the fluke goal fortunately for Man United. You never know what could have happened if that had not gone in.

“It is disappointing that after all that we did not get anything from the game.

“I was pleased with the energy we had, especially in the latter end of the game. The energy that we showed today was outstanding.”

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Allardyce went on to suggest that the goal scorer may well be a decisive factor in this season’s title race:

“Robin van Persie is a quality player and we have largely kept him quiet.

“But he will score 20 goals for Manchester United, maybe 30. In the end that is normally the difference.”

Football fans love an exaggerated story, or a cheeky piece of football trivia to impress their friends with down the pub. Well, this list of football’s Top Ten urban legends will hopefully right a few wrongs and unfold the truth about some of football’s biggest mysteries and tall tales that are slightly lacking in the evidence department.

Some are conspiracy theories, others are stories that have crept into fan forums and discussion articles across the Internet, and a few are verging on the absurd.

But for those of you looking for a bit of entertainment and some intriguing tales, read on and check out the beautiful game’s top ten urban legends – but don’t get too carried away.

Click on Mario Balotelli to unveil the top 10

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Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has urged his star-studded strike force to improve after recent results.

The Premier League champions slipped to a surprise 1-0 defeat against Sunderland on Boxing Day, despite having more possession and shots than their rivals.

Alongside Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez, who started against the Black Cats, the Italian has Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli at his disposal.

The quartet have managed just three goals in City’s last eight games, and Mancini believes that they must improve if the club are to challenge Manchester United for the league title:

“We still have a big problem that we don’t score, and we need to change.” He told the Manchester Evening News.

“Maybe we need to play without a striker, or with just one striker. We need to do something.

“If we want to win this championship we need to score like we did last year.

“We have top strikers, but maybe we are too soft when we get a chance because we think we have good players and maybe we feel we will score the next chance that comes along.

“We have four top strikers, and it is time that those top strikers started to score. That is what they are there for, to score goals.”

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Mancini went on to suggest that he will not attempt to bring in a striker to solve their problems next month:

“We can’t keep thinking of bringing players in.

“We have a good team, good strikers, but we need them to be strong when they get a chance.”

I spoke incredibly highly of Santi Cazorla when he first came to the Premier League last summer, and like the former Villarreal and Malaga midfielder, Ignacio Monreal should be considered an equally impressive coup.

Hindsight certainly offers plenty when looking at how Monreal’s arrival at Arsenal came about: an injury to Kieran Gibbs can finally be thought of as a good thing, as without the pressing need for another capable body in that position, Arsene Wenger would have continued to sit on his hands.

But Nacho Monreal is about as real a left-back as they get, and one which Arsenal have been crying out for since Ashley Cole left in 2006.

With Gael Clichy, the Frenchman only had one season of notable quality before it all went south. Kieran Gibbs was a midfielder converted into a defender, and, like Clichy, was a far more assured weapon in the attacking-third. Players brought in as back up like Armand Traore and Andre Santos should never have been deemed good enough to play for the club.

Monreal began his career in La Liga on the left side of Osasuna’s defence, while Cesar Azpilicueta took up the position on the opposing flank of the Pamplona outfit’s back line. Here was a defender in Monreal who was a natural in that department; he wasn’t a converted winger because his club or national team needed full-backs (Sergio Ramos falls into that category), and prior to Azpilicueta’s move to Marseille, both would have been well on course for greater things in Spanish football.

What Arsenal have in Monreal is a player who understands his duties as a defender. He’s extremely reliable and is equipped with the awareness to know when to push on. You can train that sort of consistency into any of the other Arsenal full-backs who have been used in that position, but for players like Monreal, it’s a natural part of his game.

In La Liga, the former Malaga full-back was considered one of the best in his position. Plenty of talk will surround Marcelo, Fabio Coentrao and now Jordi Alba, but others have quietly gone about carving their reputation into the modern makeup of the league. Monreal had and continues to have enough merit to warrant a place in the top five left-backs in Spain, alongside Filipe Luis at Atletico, who would also have been a fine acquisition for Arsenal’s attacking game. If there was no Jordi Alba; or let’s say if his transition from winger to full-back wasn’t as smooth as it turned out to be, Monreal would more than likely be the starter in the Spanish national team.

It was fairly predictable that many in England wouldn’t have been aware of Monreal’s qualities when he was linked with the move to Arsenal on deadline day. It’s not really a surprise that a player, no matter his talent, goes unnoticed if he’s not backed by the heavyweight name of either Real Madrid or Barcelona. But Arsenal should consider this an absolute steal, and one which they’re certain to benefit from for many years in the future.

Monreal was always likely to be high up on the list of assets at La Rosaleda who needed to be sold in order to balance the books, along with Isco and Ignacio Camacho. And what Arsenal now have is a player who, like Cazorla, has been picked up for at least half of his realistic value in the market.

The player benefits enormously from this deal too. His game is sure to be enhanced even further, as competition from Kieran Gibbs is a step up from what Eliseu could offer at Malaga. The player now does have a big name club to back up his ascent into the limelight of first-team football in Vicente del Bosque’s side. Jordi Alba may be as natural as they come in terms of attacking – a trait which has become vital to a modern full-back’s game; however, Monreal is the sturdier of the two defenders.

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Monreal will bring more to Arsenal’s defence than Gibbs, who has developed well in that role this season. The player’s debut against Stoke in the league showed that he can combine well with others in the final-third, possessing the intelligence to get behind defenders and provide a good delivery for those in the box.

Maybe three or four years ago, Monreal would have been a typical ‘Arsene Wenger signing,’ relatively unknown and yet to make his mark on a bigger footballing stage. However, it’s not too much of a shame that his arrival has been delayed, as, at 26, the player brings with him enough experience to become an instant hit at the Emirates.

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Rob Hulse… if you could finish we would be at Wembley right now.

The Lions F.A. Cup quarter-final with Blackburn Rovers ended goalless after a match devoid of much quality, but we deserved the win.

After absolutely diabolical performances against Wolves and Peterborough in the last two home games, a response was demanded, and we certainly got it. All we wanted is a typical ‘Wall performance, a game with passion, heart and commitment.

The Lions controlled the game without making it pay, a typical factor since Wood and Henderson left, we just can’t score when controlling the game.

We had chances, Keogh hit the post from a tight angle, and Hulse missed that sitter from inside the box.

Then there was Danny Shittu’s shot…

A shot from all 0f 50 yards was a thunderbolt, his shot was met with cries of “Don’t Shoot!” it was brilliant saved by the goalie.

We played well but I was so surprised with how poor Blackburn were with a strikeforce that cost over £11million you’d expect a lot more quality then shown. If my club spent that amount of money while playing like that, I’d be asking questions.

Yes we are disappointed about not winning the game, but there’s now a second chance to get to Wembley, with the replay at Ewood Park tonight.

Both teams are in very poor form but I believe we could get a result up there, it’s the cup, anything can happen!

It will be hard but a win up at Ewood is not impossible, espically with the injuries Blackburn have, with three more players joining the already lengthy injury list after Sunday’s game.

One thing that annoyed me after the game was Rovers manager Michael Appleton’s comments. He claimed that ‘Wall took “cheap shots” during the game and he applauded his players for “Putting up with it” – quite ironic, that was a cheap shot within itself Michael.

This is what I find now with some Championship teams. They have great squads, like Sunday, and on paper Blackburn should beat us easily. But they don’t have enough fight or desire within the team; look at David Bentley for example, he was rattled once and went missing for the rest of the game.

He also said “As long as we get a strong referee on Wednesday I don’t see there being any problem,” – surely a ref giving out seven yellows is a strong ref? Basically you want a ref who will give you decisions no questions asked, doesn’t work that way.

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Also the winner of this does have a realistic chance of getting to the final as they will be playing Wigan, and the winner of that will be playing in Europe next season.

Millwall have already played in Europe once in their history, another European tour on the cards?

COYL

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