Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Liverpool Set For £35m AC Milan Bid For Steven Gerrard

Ac Milan are readying a big money bid for Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard in January as the Serie A side look to wrestle domination from arch rivals Inter Milan. New San Siro boss Massimiliano Allegri is a big admirer of the Anfield skipper and is hoping that funds to make a bold move for the England international will be handed to him in January.

The 30 year old midfielder has previously been linked with moves away from the Merseyside club but has always stated his desire to land that long awaited Premier League title but under Roy Hodgson he seems no nearer to fulfilling that ambition.

The Italian giants are ready to offer up to £35m for the Whiston wonder and hope that the ability to offer a return to Champions League football and the chance of a new challenge may tempt Gerrard into pushing for an exit.

Now in his 13th season in the first team Liverpool can ill afford to lose their mercurial leader and the club will fight tooth and nail to prevent any sale, regardless of price.

Malaga Lining Up January Swoop For Liverpool Midfielder Lucas

Malaga want to take Lucas off Liverpool's hands and intend to snap up the midfielder in the New Year, according to talkSPORT.

Lucas, 23, has dropped out of the Reds' starting side after the arrivals of Christian Poulsen and Raul Meireles. The Brazil international is eager to find regular first team football and could be interested in a switch to the Primera Division.

Liverpool could also be persuaded to sell Lucas to raise funds for new players. Malaga owner Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani splashed the cash during the summer and is understood to be prepared to sanction a January bid.

Despite recently being replaced in the Liverpool team, Lucas has risen 50 places in the latest edition of the Castrol Rankings. The midfielder is currently rated as the 246th best player plying his trade in one of the top five leagues in Europe.

League One Trio In Fight To Land Liverpool Starlet

Liverpool midfielder Victor Palsson has sparked a race amongst a number of League One teams wanting to take the youngster on loan.

Southampton are understood to be leading Peterborough and Swindon in a bid to sign the 19-year-old Liverpool reserve team captain on a short-term deal.

Palsson is unlikely to make a breakthrough into the Liverpool first-team this season and will be keen to pick up experience in the lower divisions having being capped by Iceland at under-17, 18 and 19 level.

The teenager joined the club on a two-and-a-half-year deal in 2009 from Danish outfit AGF Arhus.

Roy Hodgson Confirms Week-Long Lay-Off For Paul Konchesky

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has revealed left-back Paul Konchesky is set to be sidelined for at least a week with a hamstring strain.

Konchesky, 29, left the field in the early stages of the weekend 2-2 draw with Sunderland. Subsequent tests have revealed the ex-Fulham man is likely to miss the upcoming Europa League match against FC Utrecht and Premier League meeting with Blackpool.

Speaking to the club's official website, Hodgson stated: "He's got a hamstring strain. I couldn't tell you exactly how bad it is yet.

"I don't think it's extremely bad but I certainly think it would rule him out for Thursday and next Sunday.

"Hopefully it won't be much more problematic."

Reds Slump To Chelsea Loss

Liverpool Reserves suffered their first defeat of the season as they went down 3-1 at Chelsea on Monday afternoon.

The Reds paid the price for a sluggish start as Nathaniel Chalobah and Fabio Borini put the Blues in the driving seat with two goals inside the opening half hour.

Nathan Eccleston did give John McMahon's side hope with a deflected effort just before half-time but it wasn't enough to help rescue a point as substitute Adam Phillip steered in a third 12 minutes from time.

It was all the more disappointing given that the second-string had gone into the clash full of confidence after securing their first win of the campaign at home to Wolves last time out.

However, given the calibre of opposition, McMahon would have been well aware that a showdown with the Londoners represented a big step up in class.

The sight of Portugal international, Jose Bosingwa taking his place in the starting XI was further evidence of the strength the hosts had at their disposal and it was perhaps no surprise to see them take control from the off.

Indeed, a moment of individual brilliance almost got them off to a flyer on five minutes but Martin Hansen did well to gather low at his left-hand post after Gokhan Tore had followed up a dazzling run with a venomous 25 yard strike.

It set the tone for what evolved into a very one-sided half with the lively Barini proving to be a particularly prominent thorn in Liverpool's side.

First he saw his shot from a tight angle deflect to safety before Hansen produced an instinctive one-handed save to keep out the Italian's snap shot on the turn.

Liverpool had barely set foot in the Chelsea half but they almost snatched a goal against the run of play on the quarter of an hour mark when the combative Jonjo Shelvey sent a searching cross to the far post for Wilson, who could only nod his free header over the top.

It would prove to be a costly miss as the home side poured forward and after Wilson almost turned the ball into his own net they finally did take the lead on 19 minutes.

A corner from the left was whipped to the far post, allowing Chalobah to rise above two defenders and guide a header that bounced up off the turf and in off the crossbar.

It was no more than the hosts deserved and McMahon's afternoon took another turn for the worse on 29 minutes when Chelsea doubled their advantage.

A lightning break saw Jacopo Sala surge at the Reds' backline before slipping a beautifully weighted pass into the channel for Borini, who raced through and despatched a low shot beyond Hansen and into the bottom corner.

At this point it was looking like being a rout but in timely fashion the visitors grabbed a lifeline with a rare attack on 43 minutes.

Suso wreaked havoc down the left wing and sent in a low cross that was only half-cleared by the Chelsea defence, providing Eccleston with the chance to smash home via a deflection.

McMahon would no doubt have had a few choice words with his players at the interval and they should have levelled on 54 minutes when David Amoo contrived to head wide after Blues stopper Jan Sebek completely misjudged a corner.

The visitors appeared to have stepped up a gear and a delightful move involving Eccleston and Suso resulted in a free-kick that Dani Pacheco fizzed into the arms of Sebek.

With Liverpool pushing for the equaliser it was inevitable gaps would appear at the back and Hansen had to be at his best again on 65 minutes when he denied substitute Aliu Djalo following a fine run and cross from Borini.

The game clearly had another goal in it but unfortunately for McMahon and co it went the way of the home side, who sealed the points on 78 minutes when Philipp guided in from close range following more great play by Borini.

Kenwright Open To Ground Share With Liverpool

Everton chairman Bill Kenwright says he would consider a possible ground share opportunity with Liverpool after Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish claimed the two clubs should ''look at every possibility''.

English football has so far shied away from ground sharing between the biggest Premier League clubs and Liverpool have always been opposed to the possibility of ground sharing with their Merseyside rivals. But with both now desperate to build new stadia, sharing a newly constructed Stanley Park could be a solution that would suit both parties.

Dalglish opened the door to the idea this week with comments in his Mail on Sunday column and Kenwright responded in a positive way when asked about the proposals.

"In the past Liverpool have always been opposed so I am intrigued about what Kenny Dalglish has had to say about ground sharing,'' Kenwright told ESPNsoccernet. "It is more than likely we would sit down and have a descent discussion about ground sharing in Stanley Park with Liverpool."

Dalglish had claimed that a ground share would not be the ''ideal'' situation for either club, but maintained that in the current financial climate, it would be something that would be ''worth looking at''.

"It's probably true that more people are becoming sympathetic to a ground-share with Everton if a third party came forward able to build it, with the two clubs renting,'' he wrote in the Mail on Sunday. ''Again, it is not the ideal situation: that would be to keep the two clubs in two separate stadiums with vibrant atmospheres of their own.

"But this is not an ideal time for either club and I'm sure they would sit down and have a conversation with each other about it if there was a feeling it would be beneficial. It's not anyone's personal views that is important - it is about what is best thing for the club.

''I don't know if it will ever happen but maybe you need a few people to sit down and say that, although it's not what they want in a perfect world, it's worth looking at.

''Whoever is in a position of responsibility at Liverpool and Everton are only custodians for the next generation of supporter. They owe it to the fans to look at every possibility to help their respective clubs."

Restaurant To Open At Anfield

While football fans around the country have to be content with Bovril and a pie, Kopites will soon be enjoying a whole new culinary experience when the club opens a family-friendly restaurant at Anfield.

The Boot Room Sports Cafe will serve top quality steaks, salads, pasta, pizza and much more at competitive prices from 11am until 11pm seven days a week.

Diners will also be able to enjoy hot and cold drinks, cocktails and big-screen TVs when the restaurant opens for business above the club shop on October 14.

Head chef Chris McDowell has been signed from Gusto on the Albert Dock - but kids are allowed to snub our talented cook and prepare their own pizza!

There will be lots more to keep children entertained, including the chance to visit a state-of-the-art ice-cream machine.

Vegetarians are also well catered for - and we're happy to accommodate all other dietary needs as well as parties.

To make things even easier, the club is providing secure parking outside the Centenary Stand.

Christian Grall, Executive Head Chef at LFC, said: "The Boot Room restaurant will provide the local community and visitors to the stadium with a unique, fun and family-orientated experience.

"The food and service will be of the highest standards with some unique twists that will hopefully add a little theatre to guests' dining experience."

Christian has worked at the club for 10 years and has always been keen to open a restaurant within the stadium.

He added: "There has long been a demand from fans for us to provide a restaurant facility open outside of match days at the ground and along with my newly recruited team I am very excited about the upcoming opening."

The Boot Room Sports Cafe can meet the demand for up to 230 diners, so booking isn't essential.

However, we highly recommend you do so during our opening week due to the anticipated interest.

Online booking will soon be up and running but in the meantime call 0151 906 1892 to secure a table.

Credit Where It's Due As Liverpool Fans Save For A Stake In Anfield

The Liverpool fans' group Spirit of Shankly-ShareLiverpoolFC has taken its first step towards setting up a financial foundation for supporter-led investment in the club.

The society has teamed up with the Merseyside-based Partners Credit Union to provide a safe house for supporters to save towards the goal of taking up a stake in Liverpool. The Liverpool Supporters' Credit Union scheme was launched on Saturday with the aim of making investing in Liverpool more affordable.

Fans will now be able to save towards having a stake in their club, something that the current sums involved put out of the reach of all but investment institutions and the super‑rich. "If you have 100,000 people all contributing £500, you can have £50m," said Partners Credit Union's chief executive, Tracy Fletcher. "Some credit unions have 15,000 to 20,000 members, this could be much bigger."

One obstacle to the success of the union is that regulations restrict membership to people living and working on Merseyside.

However, the credit union movement hopes that legislation which may come into effect next year will permit wider membership – a development that would open the door to the Spirit of Shankly group's tens of thousands of members worldwide.