Thursday, November 30, 2006

LOUIS WILL BE AWAY FOR FEW DAYS!

sorry guys, i'll be away for a few days.
these few days are busy..
ICAs, soccer matches..and i'm having a chalet with my family this weekend. so ya, won't be able to blog unless i have wireless connection over there.

thanks. keep tagging as well..

see you guys!

you'll never walk alone

cheers,10.55pm

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

EXTEND PEPE REINA'S CONTRACT?


liverpoolfc.tv reports..

The Liverpool 'keeper, who will be looking for his fourth straight clean sheet against Portsmouth tonight, struggled for his best form in the early part of the season but his manager now believes he's back to his best and wants him to sign an improved deal with the Reds.

"I'm really pleased with Pepe and we're talking to him about extending his contract here.
"When we decided to bring him here, it was because we knew he was a very good goalkeeper, but I also knew the person and his mentality. "He's a very good professional, always joking in the dressing room. It's all very positive. He's getting back to his best, it's clear. He's better now, and the team is better now.

"He needed confidence and, after two or three clean sheets, he's back up there. He's still very young but, for me, he's one of the top three goalkeepers in England. In Spain now, he's number one. "Whether he plays or not for his country depends on his manager but, while we have some good goalkeepers in Spain, he's number one as far as I'm concerned.

"He's got two more years after this year. But we are looking to extend it because we know there were some clubs asking about him and we don't want to sell him. We want to show we have confidence in him."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


pepe reina.
a goalkeeper who i thought was one of the best goalkeepers for liverpool for the past few years. the first season of his was awesome. clean sheets, breaking records was what he did. however, he started this season rather shaky, blunders, indecisive was what he did. what a difference in just a season.

on the whole, in my opinion, he's still a very good goalkeeper. shows a air of confidence and what i like about him is his kicks for counter-attacks. david james, sander westerveld, and jerzy dudek are not as good as him for that. his form is coming back and hopefully he can carry on his clean sheets and makes sure the team has a good run.



we should give him more time and he's going to do well for us. FA Cup final, he saved the last minute header and saves 3 out of 4 penalties. all these are not easy. we shouldn't forget all that.
about his contract, i think he deserved to stay at liverpool and extend it. of course, pepe reina, prove me right. you are a goalkeeper whom i admire.. repay rafa benitez's faith for you.

you'll never walk alone

cheers,
5.31pm

ROAD TO ISTANBUL

Road to Istabul



Istanbul


just can't forget those scenes that night..

cheers,
12.50pm

ZENDEN IS OUT FOR 6 WEEKS.


liverpoolfc.tv reports..

Zenden will undergo an operation on his injured knee on Wednesday.
This latest injury setback couldn't have come at a worse time for Benitez, who now has Steven Gerrard as his only fit central midfielder available for tomorrow night's clash with Portsmouth.

"It's a big blow for us to lose Bolo," admitted the manager. "He is a big help to all the players here because he mixes very well. "Steven Gerrard is now our only fit central midfielder and so there's no debate about where he's going to play tomorrow.

"We have a number of options when deciding who can play alongside him. Jamie Carragher can play there, Sami Hyypia can play there because he has a lot of agility and very good stamina and I've also been talking to Daniel Agger who told me he used to play as a holding midfielder. We'll decide tomorrow.

"It's a blow to have so many injuries but we have the players who can cope with it and who can come in and do a good job.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

it's a massive blow for us. though, bolo zenden is not the best central mifielder around, it's always good to have more fit players than injured players.

now we have only one fit centre mifielder who is steven gerrard. our captain. from what i read from reports, jamie carragher, sami hyypia, or daniel agger could step in as defensive and holding mifielder for us. if i'm the manager, i would choose daniel agger of the 3 players. sami hyypia has been playing centre back for several years, and he's getting old now. speed and stamina is a problem especially when we play midweek. jamie carragher? started playing that position when he first played for liverpool. however, his passing and vision is not really there for a mifielder.

hence, daniel agger is the best option for me. he has the ability to bring the ball up and also the vision to pass the ball well. of course, don't you forget, he has the ability of trying long shots. scored a stunner with his left against west ham earlier this season. almost scored another as boro with his right. so yes, he's best player to be in the holding mifielder and steven gerrad can feel free to attack and run into defences.

injuries are really increasing, just like year 2004. we are playing well at home, poor away from home. not that bad in champions league. but i hope all these injuries will not affect us and all the players can come back as soon as possible.. one game at a time..
portsmouth is up next...

you'll never walk alone

cheers,
12.05pm

Monday, November 27, 2006

BEST FANS IN THE WORLD!!

was just surfing youtube and i happened to listen to you'll never walk alone in my player..
began to search some of the videos about liverpool..
and i found this..

awesome! enjoy..






After the Champions League semi-final win against chelsea at Anfield,



only true liverpool fans will understand how it really feels to listen to this..
was totally touched and ya, all the memories came back.

cheers,
8.12pm

Sunday, November 26, 2006

GERRARD'S GOAL VS MANCHESTER CITY

nice assist.
nice shot.
good goal.

enjoy!!



cheers,
1.05pm

LIVERPOOL 1 MANCHESTER CITY 0

SKIPPER TO THE RESCUE AS REDS SINK CITY.

Steven Gerrard netted his first Premiership goal of the season as Liverpool got back to winning ways in the Premiership with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Manchester City at Anfield.

The skipper struck with a venomous 67th minute long-range strike to maintain the Reds' impressive home record and seal a welcome three points against a stubborn City team. Prior to the deadlock-breaking goal it looked as though this game was heading for a frustrating stalemate and there'd been little to report in terms of goalmouth action.

Peter Crouch, Gerrard and Luis Garcia had gone close during an uninspired first half but it was not all one way traffic and the visitors looked threatening whenever they attacked. The contest came to life after the break and Bernardo Corradi fired narrowly wide before Gerrard's winner burst the back of the Kop net.

With City pushing forward for a late equaliser Pepe Reina twice saved the day with vital saves and Liverpool deservedly hung on to claim the points that sees them move two places up the Premiership table to 8th.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


louis' comments..

not the best performance, but the most important thing is 3 points are taken into the bag. i've missed the first 1o minutes of the game and could see that liverpool was struggling to get hold the game in the beginning.

credit to stuart pearce's men, they defended well, closed down really quick which made liverpool hard to control. hence, we should always pass quick,well and play one touch football if possible to unlock defences.
could sense that xabi alonso and momo sissoko's "Missing". bolo zenden was just not good enough, passing was poor.


i was quite surprised by the lineup at the beginnning. on the other hand, that's the best line-up rafa can put up due to injuries and fitness as well. steve finnan was on the right mifield, however, he didn't provide as much width as much luis garcia. probably he's a nautral right back, not a right mifielder.

you could see that gerrard is enjoying himself in the middle of the park and of course, he's improving each day, going to the best mifielder in the world. nice strike of the ball, capitalises the mistakes by joey barton and distin, and gave the keeper no chance at all.

i'm quite impressed with jamie carragher as well. his versality is great. right back, centre back, left back. sometimes you can see him in the middle of the field. especially, later part of the game, he was playing left back, he was superb. solid defending, didn't allow anyone go past him.

one goal is just enough, most importantly, is the 3 points. we can look forward to next game...


reina-7
carragher-8
hyypia-7
agger-7
riise-7
finnan-6
zenden-5
gerrard-9
garcia-6
crouch-6
kuyt-7



louis' man of the match: Steven Gerrard

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scores elsewhere..

Charlton 1 Everton 1
Villa 1 Boro 1
Fulham 0 Reading 1
West Ham 1 Sheffied United 0
Bolton 3 Arsenal 1


cheers,
12.31pm


special thanks to gettyimages and liverpoolfc.tv for the reports and pictures.

Friday, November 24, 2006

LIVERPOOL VS MANCHESTER CITY PREVIEW

VS


a must win game. without doubt. home games are games which we can't lose any points. be it a draw or a loss, it's still points loss. maximum points are truly essential.

the injured list has increased.
Alonso faces up to twelve days on the sidelines with a knee injury while Gonzalez could be out for three weeks after tearing his hamstring against PSV Eindhoven in midweek.

Jermaine Pennant, who also left the clash with PSV on a stretcher, is a doubt and will face a late fitness test. Benitez will also be without Stephen Warnock for the next couple of weeks after the defender underwent a groin operation while Fabio Aurelio, Momo Sissoko and Harry Kewell
are all still missing.

all these players are all equally important and of course, these are no excuses for any poor results. 3 points should be in and off we go starting a run of wins. come on reds! oh yes! dietmar hamann is back to meet us. such an awesome player. welcome back!

you'll never walk alone

cheers,
10.38pm

BELLAMY! WAKE UP BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!

soccernet reports..

Craig Bellamy grabbed a 20-year-old woman by the throat with both hands during an altercation in a nightclub, a court was told today.

Sophie Palmer claimed the Wales and Liverpool striker assaulted her in Cardiff's No 10 club after she confronted him for bumping into her.

Palmer told Cardiff Magistrates Court she was walking along a narrow corridor in the club, to the VIP area, when Bellamy - then with Blackburn - bumped into her.

She said was left with bruises around her neck following the incident.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


all i can say, bellamy, please wake up.

as professional players, they should always be aware of their own conduct and should not allow such incidents happened to them. everyone is looking up to them. children, teenagers, and of course, the media is alway standing by. they should be disciplined on and off the pitch and that's something a player minimally can do. troubles such as these, are totally unnecessary.

bellamy isn't performing well for liverpool and yet all these fights and courts trials are all just so making life difficult for everyone. the manager had kept faith in you and you should repay him and the fans on how you can do the club proud.

bellamy, please.. you are wearing the red liverpool shirt. do us proud.

you'll never walk alone

cheers,
10.12pm

LIVERPOOL 2 PSV EINDHOVEN 0



i didn't managed to watch the match as it was not live on cable tv. watched the highlights though. 2 goals from gerrard and crouch. gerrard's goal was a nice assist from kuyt and it's definitely great to see our captain scoring. crouch goal's was a typical one. his strongest assest is his heading due to his height and he made use of it for the second goal.



a good win. and a boost of morale as liverpool top the group.

report from liverpoolfc.tv.

Liverpool secured top spot in Champions League Group C but Wednesday night's 2-0 triumph over PSV Eindhoven came at a price – with a triple injury blow marring their achievement.

Steven Gerrard's 65th minute side-footed opener and an 89th minute Peter Crouch header ensured the Reds will take their place in the knockout phase as group winners and renders the forthcoming trip to Istanbul meaningless.


But Rafael Benitez's delight at seeing his side clinch first place with a game to spare was tempered by injuries to Xabi Alonso, Mark Gonzalez and Jermaine Pennant.

It took the shine of an otherwise satisfactory night at Anfield as Liverpool comfortably took maximum points from a low-key clash between two sides whose qualification had already been confirmed.
The hosts dominated proceedings throughout and were fully deserving of their two-goal margin of victory, the only surprise being that it took so long to breach the Dutch rearguard.

At the opposite end Pepe Reina was rarely troubled and the closest PSV came to denying him a second successive clean sheet was a long-range strike from Carlos Salcido that sailed narrowly over.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

just glad that they managed to win comfortably and of course, it's painful to see 3 of our players injured during the match. xabi alonso is such an important player and we can't afford to lose him. pennant and gonzalaza are our wingers and of course, we don't have much cover for them as well. it's better for everyone to be fit and rafa can have more options as well.

looking forward to manchester city game and i really looking at one game at a time.

you'll never walk alone.

cheers,
9.43pm

special thanks to liverpoolfc.tv for the pictures and report.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

ONE NIGHT IN MAY!

i watched these videos at james' blog and i truly enjoyed it. it's an unforgettable night and i was almost in tears upon watching it..

enjoy it guys..

part 1


part 2


part 3



thanks james!

cheers,
12.01am

YES! THIS IS THE FIRST BLOG!

yes.
welcome to anfieldreds. it's a blog which i created for my beloved liverpool football club. and it's a blog about my thoughts and and views on liverpool. matches, players, transfers and many many more. yup. so people out there, feel free to drop by!!

feel free to give me your comments and views on the blog. design, background, content etc. anything will do. appreciate it.

special thanks to jiahao, minghao and qiao. you guys helped me in this blog! thanks guys!!

tag often!! thanks! comments as well.

cheers,
10.46pm

UNDER-PAR PERFORMANCE!



as usual, liverpool is still unable to get 3 points away from home. it's at the riverside stadium and we had 1 point. though we dominated the game, i couldn't see ourselves winning the game. the best chance was with boro, when yakubu couldn't score from an open goal after reina's save. i was quite disappointed by the fact that peter crouch was brought on so late in the game. on the 80th minute? rafa, wouldn't be too late?

there was not much penetration during attacks though we had the lion share of possesion of the ball. dirk kuyt should have scored in the first half which is quite rare for him, as he always takes his chances. we have to make our chances count otherwise, we'll be in trouble. football is about goals and goals are the ones which win the game. if liverpool still unable to put the ball into the net in their away games, i can't see them in the top 4 by may next year.

it kind of worrying to see us dominating games and yet can't put those domination into goals and went on to win the game. Man Utd could come from behind and score 2 goals winning the game. Chelsea? a geremi freekick settled it all. it's all about goals and results. as long as you produce goals, you won't have much of a problem winning. of course, defending is very important as well.



to be frank, last night game was bored. for neutrals watching, they will definitely fall asleep. for fans like us, we could only sigh and hope for the best. could sense the morale of the team is low and rafa really needs to do something about it.

you'll never walk alone.

TOTALLY GUTTED!


pure disappointment. arsenal 3 liverpool 0. it's a score which hurts every single liverpool fan out there. i can only raise my hand high and shout, WE ARE JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

totally outclassed by arsenal. passing, 50-50 balls, ball control and many aspects of the game were all dominated by them. yes. arsenal have high class players, the likes of henry, fabragas, van persie. but that's not a excuse for such a heavy defeat. just couldn't understand what are the players thinking when they are on the pitch? millions and millions of fans all around the world are watching you guys play, and yet they could just leave William Gallas unmark in the penalty area to score a free header?

defence was horrendous. steve finnan, jamie carragher, sami hyypia, john arne riise. these back 4 are the ones who went on the clean sheets record last season. but what happen now? conceding silly goals and making defensive errors as though they were playing a friendly match. to be fair, we started well enough. controlled the game, passed the ball well enough. we got a goal through peter crouch but ruled offside. however, i guess we don't have enough penetration in the box. when dirk kuyt or peter crouch draws back to mifield to get the ball, the rest of the teammates should always run to positions where they are best available. i could only see the two strikers holding up the ball, passing back to defenders in the end. credit to arsenal, their one touch passing and inter-passing among defenders worked well which led to Kolo Toure's goal down the defence. we are not getting much goals unless we have more men in the box at the right time.

rafa benitez could only blame on the mistakes. but i believe the players themselves had to pick themselves up and start performing to their best. new signings are just totally underperforming except for dirk kuyt. steven gerrard, jamie carragher and steve finnan are definitely not at their best. sub-standard performance.



let's start with every single player.

reina-6. couldn't do much for the goals. didn't have help from defence at all.
finnan-5. poor performance. form has definitely dipped and his positioning and defending is always questioned nowadays.
carragher-5. being a vice-captain, this kind of performance is bad. rash tackles, was lucky to be on the pitch. should question himself of his own defending.
hyypia-5. poor positioning for the second goal, caught ball watching and was helpless. is his time over?
riise-6. try his best to defend as much as possible. argued with gerrard for gallas goal, do i need to explain further?

mark gonzalaz-5. running aimlessly. always try to dribble past eboue who's so strong and fast, but he failed. lose the ball too much. disappointing runout.
bolo zenden-6. tried hard and was really hardworking. however, he couldn't match the likes of gilberto silva and fabragas which made me look rather poor. good enough for just substitue.
xabi alonso-6. one of the better players on the pitch. passed the ball well. however, needs sissoko around to allow some room for him to roam forward. he have to stay back and help out the back four which restricted his normal passing game.
steven gerrard-5. our captain of course didn't perform to his best. whether he's playing on the right or in the middle, his performance are not the best steven gerrard we are seeing. that's for sure. he should be the one marking william gallas for that goal. this sums of his season so far.

crouch-6. managed to get the ball into the net, but it was offside. had some knocks on for kuyt however, didn't have enough support at times hence, making him very difficult to perform.
kuyt-6. works real hard for the team. you could see his energy level on the pitch. he's the player who all the rest of players should look up and and follow. runs into space and tries his best for the team. not enough support from the rest which led him less dangerous.

we have to really pick ourselves up and really improve on our away form. i'm totally gutted and utterly disappointed by the current state of the team. honestly, we will be very lucky to get fourth this season. we are just not good enough to match arsenal, man utd and of course chelsea. we need to work harder and starts producing results again.


i do feel sad for the liverpool fans. every single of them who always been supporting all the way. last night, at the emirates stadium, the team was 3-0 down and yet i could still hear the fans singing YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE. it's very touching to see such devoted fans and i believe the players will really have to work hard for the team and play good football. i don't expect much from them, but i just really hope that they could have a good run and give fans like us something to cheer about.

come on reds, don't disappoint me..

you'll never walk alone.
6.11pm

WHAT HAPPEN TO YOU ? REDS?

great disappointment. sub-standard performance. what happen? rafa benitez will be wondering, stevie gerrard will be shaking his head, while we, devoted liverpool supporters could only confide within liverpool fans. everyone's talking about the tactics, the first 11, peter crouch etc, what truly matters is still the results. it's still the results that counts.

people can criticise on rafa's tactics, his first 11. but we must remember, he's the manager and he has to make decisions everyday. it's so difficult to always make a RIGHT decision. decisions can go right and wrong. and once it goes wrong, critics, negative comments will be all flowing in.
and if liverpool won ManUtd last sunday, the newspaper and media will definitely be speaking in another language. that's football nowadays.

enough of the match against ManUtd. we should look forward. however, with 4 losses already, i guess title's over for the Reds. I hate to say this, but we have to accept the fact and move on. all the excitement and anxiety from pre-season just totally gone after such disappointing performance. new signings : craig bellamy, dirk kuyt, mark gonzalaz, fabio aurello, jermane pennant. these players need time to gel with the rest of the team. and i agree that the senior players aren't performing to their very best. jamie carragher, pepe reina, steve finnan, luis garcia and even our captain steven gerrard.


not performing is due to ? fatigue? lack of confidence? complancey? i guess it's a question rafa needs to solve now. he's a great tactican, that's of course. however, he need to convey his tactics to his players well enough. yes, it takes lots of time and effort through training, talking. however, time is not always there waiting for you. we can't afford to lose any points. cup competitions are coming up and i guess liverpool really need to pick themselves as soon as they can and let us , the liverpool fans, something to really cheer about.



when are we seeing rafa smiling again? i really wonder. i hope that i can see it real soon. starting from the league cup tie on the way till the end of the season. come on reds! liverpool fans will always been supporting you .

you'll never walk alone.

cheers,
1.01am