Liverpool FC - "You'll never walk alone...!!!

[goleador2000]

Also am liebsten würd ich ja alle nehmen  . Aber einen Mexes, Dawson oder Trabelsi (in dieser Reihenfolge) können wir auf jedenfall in der Abwehr gut gebrauchen. Auch ein offensiver Mittelfeldspieler sollte kommen, da wären unteranderen für links ein Rothen von Monaco oder eben Benayoun nicht schlecht. Malbranque wäre da aber sicher erste Wahl, denn was der in der Premier League kann, hat man schon gesehen und da kann man fast sicher sein, dass er einschlägt.

Ja, das sind wirklich alles sehr interessante Spieler die uns mit Sicherheit weiterhelfen könnten -...ich würde sehr, sehr gerne noch Robbie Earnshaw - er ist hochbegabt, torgefährlich und auch noch Waliser wie Rushie, der könnte doch vermitteln - von dem ich sehr viel halte oder James Beattie(falls Heskey geht/gehen muß) als Sturm-Alternative/n sehen !!! - Aber unser Hauptaugenmerk auf dem Transfermarkt müssen wir auf die Erneuerung bzw. Blutauffrischung der Abwehr und auf einen offensiven Mittelfeldmann legen !!!

Interessant wäre nur zu wissen, woher dieses Geld kommen soll, denn ich glaube, dass der Besitzer von Liverpool David Moores wahrscheinlich doch einige Anteile am Club an Steve Morgan, einem Immobilientycoon, verkauft haben könnte. Was aber auch wieder ein neues Licht auf New Anfield werfen könnte, denn Morgan soll vehement für einen Groundshare mit Everton eintreten.   Das würde sich auch mit den gennanten Zahlen decken, denn 14 Millionen für Cisse + 30 Millionen für andere Spieler würde fast genau die kolportierten 50 Millionen ergeben, die Morgan investieren wollte.

Ja, da könnte was dran sein - ich habe auch vor längerer Zeit gelesen, daß Multi-Milliardär Steve Morgan, der bereits einige Anteile des Clubs sein Eigen nennt, in Zukunft groß einsteigen und investieren will - der Verein hielt sich bis jetzt bedeckt, jetzt scheint's Ernst zu werden No,no,no mit den Toffees ein eigenes Stadion zu haben, fände ich auch nicht lustig Bitte nicht !!!

Auf jedenfall können wir uns jetzt nicht wieder einige Transferfehlschläge erlauben, denn dann kann es für die nahe Zukunft sehr düster aussehen.

Ja, diesmal sollten die "richtigen" Leute geholt werden, die uns wirklich weiterbringen - Stichwort: Klasse statt Masse

bearbeitet 21. April 2004 von goleador2000

[ianrush]

Liverpool press Owen to sign

Dominic Fifield

Thursday April 22, 2004

The Guardian

Liverpool are to intensify contract talks with Michael Owen in an attempt to tie the England striker down to a new long-term deal before Euro 2004.

The club's chief executive Rick Parry met Owen's representative Tony Stephens, of the SFX group, for preliminary discussions last week with Liverpool desperate to settle the 24-year-old's future ahead of his departure for Portugal. Further talks have been scheduled for next month.

Liverpool are keenly aware that the striker's current £60,000-a-week contract is due to expire next summer and he will be able to negotiate with foreign clubs over a potential Bosman-style free transfer to the continent from January. To that end, Parry and the club's board would prefer to see a deal - preferably an extension to the forward's current contract - concluded quickly.

Yet those aspirations could be frustrated. SFX is believed to be in no great hurry to settle before the European Championship, conscious as they are that the summer tournament could act as a shop window. Owen's reputation, and therefore any potential salary at either Liverpool or elsewhere, could be significantly enhanced should he flourish with England in Portugal.

Gérard Houllier has long insisted that he believes Owen will remain at the club for the foreseeable future, with the player himself thought to be keen to remain on Merseyside. However, he is seeking assurances that the club will recruit heavily this summer to ensure they do not have to endure another season as demoralising as the current campaign.

The France international striker Djibril Cissé will join from Auxerre for a Liverpool record fee of £14.1m, though Owen is keen to see further reinforcements arrive to strengthen all departments of the team.

Owen muss verlängern !

[goleador2000]

Porto coach Mourinho prefers Liverpool over Chelsea

Porto coach Jose Mourinho would prefer a move to Liverpool over Chelsea.

Mourinho said: "Liverpool are a team that interests everyone and Chelsea does not interest me so much because it is a new project with lots of money invested in it.

"I think it is a project which, if the club fail to win everything, then Abramovich could retire and take the money out of the club. It's an uncertain project.

"It is interesting for a coach to have the money to hire quality players but you never know if a project like this will bring success."

Interessantes Statement eines der begehrtesten Coaches in Europa...er will im Sommer ja unbedingt nach England und könnte der neue Reds-Coach werden !!!

[ianrush]

Gerrard is haunted buy terror of failure

Guardian

Dominic Fifield speaks to Anfield captain about the pressure of facing Arsenal today

Saturday April 24, 2004

Steven Gerrard: Terrified by the grim horror of it all

Grim reality is taking its toll at Anfield these days. The tubthumping conviction which normally emanates from Steven Gerrard before a trip to Old Trafford was conspicuous only by its absence, his bullish self-confidence apparently drained. There was fear in the Liverpool captain's voice this week.

"We can't finish this season the same as last, having to go away in the summer knowing we're coming back to play Uefa Cup football," snarls the England midfielder, the memory of being condemned to a fifthplaced finish by Chelsea 12 months ago a wound which has wept all year. "There was a terrible feeling of failure that day and it's the fear of that which is driving me on. We failed last season, and that can't happen again."

At least the inescapable sense of dread has not blunted his brutal honesty. Liverpool have relied upon Gerrard's verve all season, looking to him shamefully at times as others, seasoned internationals among them, have shrunk from responsibility. Yet a campaign of toil has transformed the captain into an angry young man, a scowl of frustration forever teasing at his lips. The 23-year-old has taken his team's shortcomings to heart.

Liverpool make the daunting trip to Manchester United this afternoon aware that, while victory would move them clear of Newcastle, defeat may leave them languishing in seventh place by tomorrow evening. The pursuit of fourth place has long since degenerated into a crawl, such is the inability of the five sides involved to capitalise on each other's slip-ups. Someone, at some stage, is going to have to take the initiative, with Gerrard painfully aware that the scrabble could be prolonged to the season's Anfield finale, against Sir Bobby Robson's side.

Not that he views it with any great relish. "Come that game against Newcastle and the final whistle at the end of the season, I don't want to be walking around the pitch clapping our fans having finished fifth again," he says. "That would make this season a complete wash-out. I would take nothing from it, nothing at all. I want to be clapping those fans knowing we have qualified for the Champions League [qualifying round].

"Last summer we had high expectations to be in the title race come April, and to be left scrapping for fourth isn't good enough for this club. But we've got to come away with some sense of pride, some sense of progress. That's why I'm thinking about nothing else but fourth place. It's Champions League, Champions League, Champions League. I cannot stop thinking about it, and I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't a little bit concerned about our chances of making it because of our form in the last three games.

"I have sensed the urgency in training the last couple of days, but it is all right sensing it and feeling it. It's no good us performing at Melwood if, come three o'clock on Saturday, players are going missing. You can't hide in games. The manager has either brought players through, or bought players, to handle the pressure of these last four games and if people don't want to play, if people want to ride, it's no good to me, no good to the manager and no good to Liverpool football club.

"We need players who are going to stand up and be counted, people who want it as badly as the fans."

Recent events, with the boos cutting through the disappointment upon the final whistle, suggest the angstridden sceptics on the Kop wonder if some among the squad share that desire.

A solitary point has been picked up from three games since the riotous dismissal of Blackburn at the start of the month. Liverpool were humiliated at times at Highbury but, far more disturbingly, their home displays against Charlton and Fulham - for all Gerrard's desperate propulsion - have been mystifyingly anaemic.

"There's been a nervousness, a tension there," concedes Gérard Houllier, who also suggests that might be less of a factor away from Merseyside. Despite last season's 4-0 drubbing at Old Trafford, the Frenchman has an impressive record at United.

Yet this year's inconsistencies have left them the least successful team in fourth position with four games to play since the formation of the Premiership, three points adrift of Blackburn Rovers' 53 at this stage back in 1992-93. Worryingly, the gulf with third-placed United is 21 points, with only 22 separating Liverpool from the foot. That they are a colossal 31 points behind Arsenal is too horrific for some to contemplate.

"The last few results have hurt me but, if anything, this season has shown that United, Arsenal and Chelsea have all improved and are in a league of their own now," Gerrard adds.

"We have fallen short. The players here all need to improve and we need to strengthen as well, whether we finish fourth, fifth or whatever. Last season we bought three or four players. This summer we might need the same.

"We would have money to strengthen. Three or four new faces could come in and we would be ready for the challenges that lie ahead, but there is no margin for error any more. We cannot afford, come [this] Monday morning, to have the same number of points on the board.

"We need at least a point from United to stay in this race because, if we get beaten and Newcastle win, there's a chance it'll all be over. It's as simple as that, the biggest game of our season. We need a result."

________________________

Hoffen wir mal das beste

bearbeitet 24. April 2004 von ianrush

[goleador2000]

Murphy's Elfmetertreffer beschert Liverpool 3 Punkte gegen ManU

Wieder mal war es Danny Murphy, der dem ewigen Rivalen United vor eigener Kulisse die Show stahl...Danny Murphy, da war doch was....ja, ja - seit Bestehen der Premier League konnte L'Pool dreimal auf feindlichem Territorium triumphieren und in jedem Spiel war es jener Danny Murphy, dem der Siegestreffer gelang . Auch gestern war es wieder soweit - in einem eher schwachen Spiel, in dem ManU uninspiriert und spielerisch schwach agierte und Liverpool, das in den letzten 3 Spielen lediglich einen Punkt ergattern konnte, das Hauptaugenmerk auf die Defensive legte, war es schließlich wieder einmal Stevie Gerrard, Liverpools bester Spieler der Saison , der in der 62. Spielminute beherzt in den Strafraum der Red Devils eindrang und von Gary Neville unsanft von den Beinen geholt wurde....Referee Riley zögerte keinen Augenblick und deutete auf den Punkt. Nachdem zuletzt Owen und Gerrard verschossen, übernahm Danny Murphy die Verantwortung und verwandelte bombensicher. Im Finish traf Ryan Giggs noch die Stange und Louis Saha hatte 2 kleinere Möglichkeiten, doch im Großen und Ganzen stand die Liverpool-Defensive um "The Finnish Rock", Sami Hyppiä und Stephane Henchoz sehr sicher und war Garant für den so wichtigen Sieg.

Premier League - 35. Runde

Manchester United - FC Liverpool 0:1(0:0)

Liverpool: Dudek - Finnan(Smicer 60'), Henchoz, Hyppiä, Carragher - Murphy, Gerrard, Hamann, Riise - Owen(Heskey 84'), Kewell(Cheyrou 81')

0:1 Danny Murphy(62'/Foulelfmeter)

Old Trafford - 67647 - SR: Michael Riley

[ianrush]

Houllier confident Gerrard and Owen will stay

Houllier laughs off speculation while O'Leary wants Vassell improvement

Paul Walker

Thursday April 29, 2004

The Guardian

Gérard Houllier was involved in an accident on his way home from training yesterday. The Liverpool manager's Jaguar was in collision with another vehicle on a busy roundabout. Police were called, but nobody was injured and there will be no further investigation.

Earlier, Houllier brushed aside reports linking Liverpool's captain Steven Gerrard with a move to Arsenal or Manchester United.

"You would have to cut off both my arms before I let go of him because I would have them both wrapped around him," he said.

Houllier described talk of transfers involving Gerrard or Michael Owen as "stupid and laughable", but feels the need to calm supporters' fears for the future of the club's most prized assets.

Houllier added: "Steven is irreplaceable. We have big plans for him here to take him up to an even higher level. I want him to not only become player of the year in England but he has every chance to be European and world player of the year in the future as well.

"Lothar Matthäus achieved that as a central midfielder and so can Steven. He's my captain and that tells you everything you need to know about what I think of him. And everyone knows what Steven thinks of the club, too."

Officially, Liverpool have declined to dignify the speculation by commenting. Houllier said: "When I saw those things I just laughed, they are just not true, just a laugh really. But it is what I expect to see, it is the sort of thing we have to put up with."

Houllier believes that such speculation is typical of what Liverpool see as an orchestrated campaign to undermine the club at a crucial time of the season as they strive for Champions League qualification.

Owen's agents have opened preliminary talks with Liverpool over his new contract and the player has always insisted that he would not leave for another English club.

Houllier said: "I would be very upset if Michael left, because the best of him is yet to come.

"We have had preliminary talks and they went well. My position is the same as it has been all season. I think Michael will stay with us. Whether I am proved to be right or wrong only time will tell."

However, the Liverpool manager said that he was "amused" to see Owen and Gerrard both linked with Arsenal on the same day this week.

You've read the piece, now have your say. Email your comments to [email protected]

______________

Owen und Gerrard würden beide sicher niemals zu einem anderen Klub auf der Insel wechseln und sollten für uns sowieso unverkäuflich sein. Beide Spieler werden noch grosses für uns leisten, denn beide haben den Zenith ihrer Karriere noch weit vor sich.

[goleador2000]

Owen und Gerrard würden beide sicher niemals zu einem anderen Klub auf der Insel wechseln und sollten für uns sowieso unverkäuflich sein. Beide Spieler werden noch grosses für uns leisten, denn beide haben den Zenith ihrer Karriere noch weit vor sich.

Stimme zu 100% zu. Beide sind Liverpooler Jungs und werden NIE zu einem anderen englischen Club wechseln - Arsenal, ManU, Chelsea & Co -

[Starostyak]

Gut, dass ich jemand bin, der ebenfalls an solche "vereinstreuen Kicker" glaubt - obwohl das im heutigen Fussballgeschäft fast schon sowas wie der Glaube ans Christkind ist - denn sonst müsste ich jetzt einen sehr deppaten Kommentar schieben

[ianrush]

Die neue Heimdressen bis 2006 :

Mir wärs in ganz Rot ja lieber :

oder so wieder :

[ianrush]

Spark of Owen lights the touch-paper

Fight for fourth place Liverpool and Aston Villa pull clear of Newcastle in the race for the Champions League

Dominic Fifield at Anfield

Monday May 3, 2004

The Guardian

A season's grumbling discontent has not dissipated but at least Liverpool have coaxed an element of reassuring familiarity from the dregs of their campaign. "We've always been a side who, when we have to get a result, tend to produce," said Danny Murphy and, for once, produce they did.

Had the Merseysiders been true to the midfielder's word, then the gulf between them and the pinnacle would not gape at 27 points. But, given that Liverpool's campaign has long since degenerated into a grinding pursuit of fourth place, this victory was nothing if not timely. Breathing space has been chiselled between them and Newcastle, who are saddled by a dire away record. Hold off Aston Villa over the final two games and the season's only remaining objective will almost certainly be met.

The omens look promising largely because Liverpool host Newcastle on the final afternoon: Sir Bobby Robson has never won in this arena and, more significantly, Michael Owen has found belated spark. The England striker's long-term future at Anfield remains in doubt, the key negotiations likely to be prolonged beyond Euro 2004 when his reputation as a world-class striker could be restored across Europe, but his pesky presence was too much for Middlesbrough.

Liverpool's Champions League prospects have been improved as a result. For all the frantic energy with which the home side began this contest, they prised obdurate opponents apart only once confirmation of Villa's victory over Tottenham had swept through the dressing room at half-time to spread jitters across the Kop. Cue Owen's intervention to settle the nerves.

The 24-year-old had twice spun and forced Mark Schwarzer to block from close range as Boro struggled to restore their rhythm after the interval. That set an up-beat tone which the substitute Steve Finnan maintained by bursting beyond Franck Queudrue to the by-line from Dietmar Hamann's pass, with Owen gathering the Irishman's cross. The striker was shielded by Chris Riggott, only to twist and anticipate the contact. When it came, he duly crumpled to the turf.

"It was very harsh," growled Steve McClaren, dismayed on the touchline as Andy D'Urso answered the crowd's holler by pointing to the spot. Murphy stroked the penalty into the corner, Gérard Houllier punched the air in the dug-out and Liverpool breathed again.

The goal punctured the tension and victory was assured within four minutes. Harry Kewell slipped Owen into the area and, with Boro defenders in panic, his touch freed Emile Heskey. The maligned striker steered a low finish beyond Schwarzer from 10 yards for his 11th goal of the season to give the home sidebreathing space.

Thereafter the contest fizzled out with Liverpool content. "Our confidence is back now and I've got the belief that the boys will make it," said Houllier. "We knew the Villa result but the fight for fourth will go right to the end. We were a bit too hurried initially but had more penetrating movement in the second half."

That was partly down to the introduction of Finnan and Heskey at the break, with Stéphane Henchoz (groin) and Vladimir Smicer (knee) retreating to the physio's couch. Yet there was an element of good fortune. Though Liverpool had exploded from the traps, Kewell spitting shots from unkind angles which Schwarzer tipped aside, arguably the best chance of the first period had been created and fluffed by the visitors.

Gaizka Mendieta emerged from the home side's frenzied pressure 13 minutes in to cross with Massimo Maccarone's poor control flummoxing his marker and acting as a lay-off. Joseph-Désiré Job, alone just inside the area, had time to measure his finish only to steer too close to Jerzy Dudek, who saved well.

Owen later struck a post, with Ugo Ehiogu deflecting another close-range effort over the bar, though Boro - their own European qualification assured after League Cup success - played with such refreshing freedom as to leave Liverpool on edge. "We matched their desire, attitude and intensity but our finishing didn't deserve the football we played," added McClaren. "But for a five-minute spell after half-time we matched them throughout. Still, we're looking forward to Europe next year." On this evidence, so too can Liverpool.

· You've read the piece, now have your say. Email your comments to [email protected].

[goleador2000]

Liverpool besiegt M'Boro hochverdient mit 2:0

Im sonntägigen Premier League-Spiel empfingen die Reds den aktuellen Liga-Cup-Gewinner aus Middlesbrough und ließen keine Zweifel aufkommen, wer als Sieger den Platz verlassen wird. Harry Kewell vergab die erste Chance des Spiels, Michael Owen hatte mit einem Stangenschuß großes Pech und erneut Kewell(Abseitstor) vergaben die besten Möglichkeiten zur verdienten Führung. M'Boro hatte auch 2 Einschußmöglichkeiten, doch die Reds-Abwehr stand gefestigt. Der Pausenstand von 0:0 schmeichelte McClaren' s Truppe. Nach Seitenwechsel wurde Michael Owen von Verteidiger Riggott in Ringermanier gefoult und Danny Murphy verwandelte den lupenreinen Elfmeter zur hochverdienten Führung. Die Reds legten durch den eingewechselten Emile Heskey 3 Minuten später zum richtigen Zeitpunkt nach - M'Boro hatte nichts mehr entgegenzusetzen. Ein verdienter 2:0 Erfolg, der für die letzten Partien große Zuversicht aufkommen läßt, weil die Reds spielerisch sehr gut agierten und die Verfolger, mit Ausnahme Aston Villa, Federn ließen...

Premier League - 36. Runde

FC Liverpool - FC Middlesbrough 2:0(0:0)

Dudek - Carragher, Henchoz(Heskey 45'), Hyppiä, Riise - Murphy, Hamann, Gerrard, Smicer(Finnan 45') - Owen, Kewell

1:0 Danny Murphy(50'/Elfer), 2:0 Emile Heskey(43')

Anfield Road - 42031 - SR: Andy D'Urso

[goleador2000]

Liverpool 'in the race' for Kezman

Mateja Kezman - einer der begehrtesten Stürmer auf dem Transfermarkt...

PSV Eindhoven striker Mateja Kezman claims that Liverpool are among the clubs queuing up to sign him.

Earlier this season, Birmingham and Fulham showed an interest in the forward, with Birmingham making PSV an offer for the Serbo-Montenegrin international but they could not reach an agreement with the Eindhoven outfit.

Kezman, who scored twice in PSV's 5-0 victory over Volendam at the weekend, has an ongoing contract with the club.

However, it is understood the Eredevisie side are willing to cooperate in a transfer, with Liverpool being the latest Premiership side to show an interest in signing the 25-year-old.

'Liverpool are back in the race, that's true. It is a marvellous club with a great history. It would be great to join that club,' Kezman told De Telegraaf newspaper.

Kezman, one of the most prolific forwards in European football, has spent nearly four years at PSV after he joined them from Partizan Belgrade in July 2000.

Wäre toll, sollte Mateja Kezman in Bälde den Dress des FC Liverpool tragen - finde er ist ein außergewöhnlichen Stürmer und würde sehr gut auf die Insel passen...sollte der Jugoslawe geholt werden, sind wohl die Tage von Emile Heskey an der Anfield Road gezählt...

Weitere interessante News:

AJ Auxerre will vom FC Liverpool als Draufgabe für Djibril Cissé den jungen Stürmer Florent Sinama-Pongolle haben...

fände den Deal für beide Seiten sehr gut, da er bei Guy Roux in sehr guten Händen ist und in der nächsten Saison mit Sicherheit keine Chance auf ein Fix-Leiberl haben wird..., hoffe aber er wird nur verliehen und nicht verkauft !!!

Dem jungen Rechtsaussen Richie Partridge der nahezu die ganze Saison mit einer schwer Knieverletzung außer Gefecht war und sich in den USA einer Knie-Operation unterzog, wird eine weitere Chance an der Anfield Road eingeräumt, sein Talent unter Beweis zu stellen...sein im Sommer auslaufender Vertrag wird verlängert...

Auch Nachwuchstorhütertalent Paul Harrison(18) dessen Vater, ein eingefleischter L'Pool-Fan, auf tragische Weise bei der Tragödie im Hillsborough-Stadium ums Leben kam , erhält einen neuerlichen Vertrag beim FC Liverpool

Gerüchten zufolge zeigt Liverpool an einem weiteren interessanten Spieler Interesse: an Feyenoord-Spieler Tomas Buffel der sowohl im offensiven Mittelfeld als auch als hängende Spitze eingesetzt werden kann, sollen die Reds dran sein...

Noch eine interessante Neuigkeit für das wichtige Match im St.Andrew's Stadium gegen Birmingham City:

Jamie Carragher soll den Schweizer Stephance Henchoz in der Innenverteidigung ersetzen und an seine gute Leistung gegen M'Boro nahtlos anknüpfen, der wiedergenesene Steve Finnan wird Carragher's Rolle als Rechtsverteidiger einnehmen.

Finde ich eine absolut gute Lösung - Carragher, der in seiner Jugend diese Position spielte, ist von seiner Statur und Zweikampfstärke im aktuellen Kader auf jeden Fall die beste Wahl bzw. für die Zukunft ebenfalls auf der Innenverteidiger-Position zu beachten, ich hätte ihn gerne schon länger auf der Position gesehen...

Also dann - hoffentlich holt der FC Liverpool die 3 sooo wichtigen Punkte im Kampf um Platz 4...nach den zuletzt gezeigten Leistungen bin ich jedenfalls sehr zuversichtlich !!!

bearbeitet 7. Mai 2004 von goleador2000

[ianrush]

Owen back in gear

Amy Lawrence at St Andrews

Sunday May 9, 2004

The Observer

A whirl of celebration abounded from end to end here. The travellers from Liverpool were joyous about their European hopes, and the faithful from Birmingham were joyous about Aston Villa's (European hopes) fading badly.

After a campaign patchy enough to be best forgotten, Gérard Houllier's men found the perfect moment to click into gear. For the first time in aeons they have woven together three consecutive Premiership wins, a positive enough statement to put a healthy sheen on the season's end.

Should the fourth Champions League spot boil down to next Saturday's showdown with Newcastle at Anfield, at least they can approach it with confidence. The onus is now on Bobby Robson's team to collect at least four points from their two games in hand - today against Wolves and a midweek trip to Southampton - to keep Liverpool on their toes.

Birmingham, despite a tired run of form and little to play for but an upbeat send-off to the season in front of their home support, were still stubborn enough to make Liverpool work for their opportunities. But not that hard.

The visitors carved Birmingham open with their first meaningful attack as Danny Murphy's cute pass invited Emile Heskey to strike low and hard across the face of goal. His effort, however, was neither shot nor cross for a screaming Michael Owen. The jinking Harry Kewell was the next to tee up Heskey, whose attempt at an angled drive was blocked by Kenny Cunningham's astute interception.

As an audition for a potential future role at Birmingham - Steve Bruce is believed to be interested in securing his services in the summer -- Heskey reconfirmed the impression that he is an erratic handful.

Liverpool's touch and passing were slightly off-key, a problem emphasised when Owen miscontrolled a couple of tantalising opportunities. The England hitman persevered, though, and would have scored with some brilliant predatory work but for an equally dazzling point-blank save.

Birmingham should have punished Liverpool with a well-constructed move down the left involving Jamie Clapham and Stephen Clemence, but Clinton Morrison blazed over the crossbar. The Ireland striker went close again with a looping header minutes later.

Enough. Owen evidently felt sufficient concern to sort Liverpool out. Just before the half-hour mark, he accelerated on to Heskey's sweetly weighted pass, burned past his marker Cunningham, and flicked the ball past the advancing Ian Bennett and into the far corner. Classic, unstoppable, Michael Owen.

Predictably enough Birmingham's stomach for the fight dipped suddenly. Liverpool were allowed to string together pass after pass and Blues chased shadows and appeared to be thinking about Saturday night revelry. Just as Owen had lifted his team, so Mikael Forssell tried to revive Birmingham with a determined solo run.

But on the appetite stakes, there was no competition between the homely Blues and Liverpool's Euro vision. Six minutes after the break Houllier's men took another giant stride towards the Champions League berth they crave with a fine team goal. Kewell bewildered Birmingham with a sublime flick into Steven Gerrard's path. The England midfielder, who had been subdued by recent standards, sprang to life with a lung-busting burst and perfect cut-back. Heskey, this time, sidefooted crisply past Bennett. Liverpool's sweeping moves threatened to make the scoreline more emphatic, and Gerrard tested Bennett with a ferocious long-distance chip.

Bruce made a triple substitution, hoping for an unlikely turnaround to propel City to their goal of finishing in the top 10 for the first time in 30 years. But four minutes later Cunningham was sent off for attempting to mug Gerrard, who was charging goalwards with nobody but Bennett to beat.

The Birmingham captain might have been better letting Gerrard go with the game virtually beyond reach. By the end, Liverpool should have racked up a massive scoreline. Heskey and Owen blew golden chances, with Gerrard setting them up masterfully. The Liverpool captain supplied the coup de grace with a stylish goal four minutes from time, bent around the keeper's hopeless dive.

And so the locals began filing out. They had had their fun, with a conga in the Tilton Road End recognition of their contentedness in spite of a comprehensive beating. A seven-game winless streak doesn't disguise the massive progress engineered by Bruce's side this season which will live long in Birmingham's memory.

Liverpool still need one last push to make this one to remember.

Man of the match

Michael Owen

He displayed fantastic attitude in a match Liverpool were under tremendous pressure to win, showing the perseverance to try, try and try again. Having struggled to tame the first chances that came his way, he continued to make runs until one came off. His clinically struck opener paved the way for three vital points.

· You've read the piece, now have your say. Email your comments to [email protected].

[goleador2000]

Souveräner Auswärtssieg der Reds bei Birmingham

Das schwere Auwärtsspiel im St. Andrew's Stadium haben die Reds mit Bravour überstanden und die dringend benötigten 3 Punkte souverän bei Steve Bruce' Mannschaft entführt. Michael Owen, der rechtzeitig zum Saisonhöhepunkt der EM wieder in absolute Topform zu kommen scheint, mit einer tollen Performance, (Noch)-Liverpool-Spieler Emile Heskey (er wird bekanntlich von M'Boro und Birmingham umworben möchte aber unbedingt bei L'Pool bleiben... ) und unser Captain Steven Gerrard sorgten für die Treffer. Liverpool war klar überlegen, spielte dominant, effektiv und sehr abgeklärt. Die Verteidigung stand hervorragend und ließ nichts anbrennen - der gesamten Mannschaft gebührt ein pauschales Lob, denn in diesem wichtigen Spiel zeigte das Team Charakter und knüpfte an alte Tugenden an - Bravo Gerard Houllier scheint wieder fest im Sattel zu sitzen, sein guter Draht zur Mannschaft ist ohnehin nie abgerissen, die Mannschaft hat bei den letzten guten Auftritten eindrucksvoll gezeigt, daß die Chemie stimmt und sie mit dem Trainer in die nächste Saison gehen will !!!

Fazit: Aston Villa hat sich mit dem Unentschieden aus dem Rennen um Platz 4 verabschiedet und auch die Magpies zeigen Nerven, nach dem enttäuschenden Heimunentschieden gegen Fix-Absteiger Wolverhampton müssen sie nun unbedingt im Nachtragsspiel bei den heimstarken Saints 3 Punkte machen, ansonsten ist der FC Liverpool durch und das letzte Saisonspiel an der Anfield Road ist nur noch für die Statistik !

Premier League - 37. Runde:

Birmingham City - FC Liverpool 0:3 (0:1)

Liverpool: Dudek - Finnan, Carragher, Hyppiä, Riise - Murphy, Hamann, Gerrard, Kewell - Owen, Heskey

0:1 Michael Owen(29'), 0:2 Emile Heskey(51'), 0:3 Steven Gerrard(86')

St. Andrew's Stadium - 29533- SR: Dunn

bearbeitet 10. Mai 2004 von goleador2000

[ianrush]

Billionaire Thai PM in talks to buy a share of Liverpool FC

John Aglionby, south-east Asia correspondent, and Dominic Fifield

Monday May 10, 2004

The Guardian

After Roman Abramovich's money-flushed Russian revolution at Chelsea, English football is bracing itself for further foreign investment in the Premiership as the Thai prime minister bids to buy into Liverpool.

Representatives of Thaksin Shinawatra are to meet the Merseyside club's chief executive, Rick Parry, in Bangkok today for talks over a bid for "a significant proportion" of Liverpool, currently fourth in the league and with a huge following in the far east.

Mr Thaksin, a billionaire telecoms tycoon-turned-politician and fanatical follower of English football, failed to buy part of Fulham last October. He denied a deal had already been struck to secure a 30% stake in Liverpool for around £40m.

"There will be bigger news this week," said Mr Thaksin, whose family controls Thailand's largest telecom group Shin Corp. "There will be a lot more details and then I will tell you about it. This will be of great benefit for Thailand."

The club has had a disappointing season and, in March, appointed Hawkpoint Partners Ltd as financial advisers. That was a clear indication that it wanted to flush out new investors to enable it to compete with Chelsea in the transfer market this summer.

While the Thais would not be in a position to bankroll Liverpool, as the Russian has done at Stamford Bridge, their influx of funds would provide the Merseysiders with significantly more clout. In return, Mr Thaksin hopes to handle the rights to Liverpool's Asian commercial interests with the club and to set up a football academy in Thailand to develop local talent.

Yet it remains unclear how any potential buy into the club would be smoothed. The chairman, David Moores, owns 51% of Liverpool's shares and has been fiercely reluctant to dilute his majority shareholding in the past.

He did concede at the club's annual general meeting in January that he would consider his position if the team's results did not improve by the end of the season.

· You've read the piece, now have your say. Email your comments to [email protected].

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Thai PM to meet Liverpool board

Staff and agencies

Monday May 10, 2004

Thaksin Shinawatra: could be about to start a beautiful friendship with Ged and co.

Thailand's prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is said to be set to hand Liverpool a £30m transfer fund as he seeks to buy into a "world-class brand name".

Shinawatra is hopeful of agreeing an investment by the end of the week which would give him a significant stake in the club, and claims he is meeting Reds board representatives in Bangkok today.

"If the board are happy with the result of talks then we can make a joint announcement later this week, maybe Friday," he said. "It is a good business prospect since the team is in the top five of the English Premiership."

Shinawatra is believed to be ready to buy a stake of between nine and 30% in the club.

His spokesman, Chakrapot Penkai, believes the deal, which could significantly boost the money available to manager Gerard Houllier to spend on players this summer, will be mutually beneficial.

"Thailand thinks that the Liverpool team can enhance the standard of the sport's development in Thailand a great deal," he said.

"Why does the prime minister want to invest in Liverpool? Because it is the era of the brand name, with a good quality brand name you can do many things.

"Liverpool's name is a world-class name - people attach their fantasies, their liking for sports, their enhancement in life, their self-development, along with this kind of team."

Penkai revealed the plans for talks between Shinawatra and Reds chairman David Moores, adding: "The prime minister of Thailand will meet the chairman of the board of Liverpool Football Club this afternoon.

"In the evening he will be hosting a dinner party for the chairman. During this period Thailand will be negotiating the final round with the Liverpool club to partially own the team.

"Thailand is an up-and-coming country, so we need some names to help us come into the global era."

Shinawatra made his name and fortune in the family telecom group Shin Corp, but Penkai would not reveal full details of whether the stake would be bought in a private capacity or with public funds.

"It is too early to tell, he cannot reveal details like that but the Thai prime minister intends that this investment will be a shared investment between himself and the people of Thailand," he added.

Part of any deal could see Liverpool setting up an academy in Thailand and help with the country's professional league. The Reds faced Thailand's national team in a friendly last July, winning 3-1 in Bangkok.

Liverpool recently turned down a proposal from property tycoon Steve Morgan to raise his stake in the club through a rights issue.

Morgan has a 5% stake in Liverpool behind Granada (9.9%) and chairman David Moores (51%).

· You've read the piece, now have your say. Email your comments to [email protected].

_____________________________________________

Introducing Thaksin Shinawatra

It looks like this man is going to be in the news for a good while. Here's our guide to the Thai PM.

Paul Jump

Monday May 10, 2004

Thaksin Shinawatra attempts to calm the upset by hugging the nearest Muslim, who looks none too happy about it.

What are his vital statistics?

Born in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 1949, he's 55 and married with one son and two daughters

So how did he get to be prime minister?

After studying for a PhD in criminal justice, Shinawatra was a Bangkok cop for nine years before setting up a company to sell computers to his former employers. That company now owns the country's largest cellular and TV networks. Bored with merely being Thailand's richest man, Shinawatra then went into politics. After spells as foreign minister and deputy prime minister in the early nineties, he founded the Thais love Thais party in 1998 and won a landslide general election victory in 2001.

Read more here

Is he a good PM?

Well, he is widely credited with launching a Thai economic boom. In addition, he's promoted popular policies such as offering extremely cheap health care to the masses, soft loans to all the 70,000 villages, a debt moratorium for farmers and super-low interest rates.

Read more here

Sounds OK, but isn't he the guy with all those human rights activists on his back?

He certainly is. Human rights group Forum Asia are none too happy about the suspicious recent disappearance of a prominent human rights lawyer.

Read more here

They also point out the recent resignation of two independently minded newspaper editors in Thailand, "amid credible allegations that these moves were the result of political pressure."

More here

So he's not exactly Mr Popular in some quarters?

Definitely not. Thailand's deprived south, home to many Muslim immigrants, has long wanted separatism. Last week machete wielding Islamic insurgents stormed fifteen local police stations and government buildings before holing up in a mosque. Security forces responded by storming the mosque, killing 32 of the insurgents. A total of 107 alleged Islamic separatists have been killed in recent clashes.

Read on

Has Shinawatra done a Donald Rumsfeld and apologized?

Alas no. He visited the damaged mosque and promised to rebuild it, but continues to insist that the insurgents were in fact no-good drug dealers put up by corrupt local politicians. He seems to be in complete denial of Thailand's separatist problem. More here

Did Shinawatra have much to say to that?

"It's normal that we have some mistakes in such a big war, and a few cases may be the work of officers since there are some bad officers. Don't be moved by the high death figures. We must be adamant and finish this war. Don't you worry about our next generation? When you go to war and some of your enemies die, you cannot become soft-hearted, otherwise the surviving enemy will return to kill you."

It's all here

It's not sounding like he's the sort of chap Liverpool fans will take to their hearts.

That'll depend on whether his millions persuade Michael Owen to sign a new contract.

· You've read the piece, now have your say. Email your comments to [email protected].

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Mehr als fällt mir zu diesem Thema eigentlich net ein. Da wäre mir sogar ein russischer Öloligarch lieber am Ruder, als Shinawatra. Aber ich hoffe ja das an diesen Gerüchten, die ja schon seit Monaten durch die Welt schwirren, nix dran ist. Warum Moores immer eine mögliche Aufstockung von Morgans Anteilen abgelehnt hat ? Wirklich beschäftigt habe ich mich nicht mit Morgan, aber er dürfte definitiv eher eine weisse Weste haben als dieser südostasiatische Möchtegern Berlussconi. .

bearbeitet 10. Mai 2004 von ianrush