Everton And Liverpool Meet For Stadium Talks

Liverpool FC and Everton FC were sitting down for a top-level stadium summit with city council leaders on Monday.

Representatives from Liverpool University and the North West Development Agency (NWDA) were also expected to attend.

LFC chief executive Christian Purslow and his Everton counterpart Robert Elstone are trying to find a solution to their outdated grounds. Both were due at the meeting.

It is understood the clubs will be urged to let the university carry out a feasibility study into options.

NWDA chief executive Steve Broomhead said: "We welcome the meeting. People are beginning to look at the opportunities again. Both clubs need solutions, either singly or jointly."

Both Everton and Liverpool declined to comment on the meeting.

One option that may be examined during the meeting is the "football quarter" put forward by fans' group Keep Everton in Our City (KEIOC).

The KEIOC idea would see Goodison Park rebuilt - with a hotel and other developments around Stanley Park helping pay for it.

In a separate development Liverpool Labour leader Joe Anderson is writing to EFC and LFC to suggest they enter into a feasibility study with the council about the possibility of a shared stadium. He said the option needed ruling in or out once and for all, and that above all clarity was needed.

City council leader Warren Bradley has said he thinks the idea of a football quarter based around Stanley Park is a "cracking idea".

In the past any talk of a shared stadium has always been ruled out by Liverpool FC.

The club maintains it remains committed to building a new £400m, 60,000 seater ground in Stanley Park. It is understood the club is looking for £100m to get work started - but has so far struggled to raise the cash.

Building a new stadium is Purslow's number one priority. The lack of progress is a prime source of discontent among fans fed up with US owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

Everton fans are equally desperate for a new home.

The club was forced back to the drawing board after the government rejected the £400m Tesco/Kirkby project.

It is understood the club is now studying the possibility of re-developing Goodison - although this has always been ruled out as unaffordable.

The club is also understood to be carrying out a new search for sites with the city council. But in the past none of the sites identified by the council proved affordable because of the need for "enabling" development to help off-set the cost of the stadium.

Fernando Torres Wants As Much Playing Time As Possible For Spain

Fernando Torres is keen for as much international playing time as possible despite the Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez's concerns over the striker, who has recently returned from a lengthy lay-off after knee surgery. Benítez will hope Torres returns from Spain without picking up any new knocks in the European champions' friendly against France on Wednesday.

Spain's coach Vicente del Bosque has denied falling out with the Liverpool manager after naming Torres in his squad, and insists he will monitor the amount of time the forward is on the pitch.

But Torres claims Benítez's worries are of little concern to him. "Rafa has enough to deal with what he's got," he told reporters as he arrived at Spain's training camp. "It's normal that he's thinking about his interests but he knows that all the players want to go to the national team. For us it is an honour to be here, to play as much as possible and to return as fit as possible to our teams.

"Luckily, I recovered in time. To be in the national squad is a prize for me. I have the good fortune that the coach called me up after playing just two games since I recovered [from the knee surgery].

"I'm tired after playing nearly 90 minutes after two months of not doing so, but I'm ready for as much as the coach thinks is right. These games are always special for Spain. We can't wait to play against [France], especially after they knocked us out of the last World Cup. We always have it in for them."

Carragher Reveals Torres Fears

Liverpool vice-captain Jamie Carragher is desperate for Fernando Torres to come back from international duty unscathed.

Torres, in the Spain squad to face France in a midweek friendly, marked his first start since January 13 with the winning goal in the bruising 2-1 victory over Blackburn at Anfield.

The striker has now scored 13 goals in 17 Barclays Premier League appearances and despite having missed nearly six weeks after a knee operation he is still the club's top scorer.

Liverpool remain sixth, a point behind fourth-placed Tottenham, but Carragher believes a fit Torres will give them an extra dimension in their final 10 Barclays Premier League matches.

"Fernando has come back in and it goes without saying how much we have missed him," said the defender.

"He is still our top scorer, the kind of special player who will make a difference.

"He's a big, powerful lad, who is right up for the fight, and he's ideally suited to English football. That's why he's done so well.

"It would be wrong to rely on just one man. After all, you never know, he could come back injured off international duty.

"Please God, that doesn't happen, but he makes a big difference and you can see we are a much better team when he is with us."

Just when it seemed Liverpool's injury problems were over they have had three defenders injured in the last four days.

Martin Skrtel has been ruled out for several weeks after breaking a metatarsal in his right foot against Unirea Urziceni on Thursday while Fabio Aurelio limped off with a thigh injury against Blackburn and Daniel Agger's knee problem meant he left Anfield on crutches yesterday.

The good news is that right-back Glen Johnson's recovery from a knee injury could see him make his first appearance since December 29 at Wigan this weekend.

"Glen will be back soon, maybe in time for Wigan, and things are looking a bit rosier," Carragher told the Liverpool Echo.

"You talk about having a squad but we've got our big players back."

Liverpool Land Wonderkid With Stunning £300,000 Contract Offer

Liverpool are giving 15-year-old sensation Raheem Sterling a stunning contract worth £300,000 to join them from QPR.

The Kop outfit have pushed out the boat for the England youth star who is already rated the 'next big thing' after his appearances for club and country.

Attacking midfielder Sterling chose to go to Anfield for football reasons, but his financial package is a stunner for a player of his age.

As a schoolboy Sterling will only be able to earn the basic low wage, but part of the Kop contract includes a three-year 'pro' contract when he turns 17.

And Sterling's 'camp' will be given a giant signing on fee, worth around £200,000 and spread over the length of his deal at Liverpool until 2014. He is going into their academy in a major coup.

Liverpool are paying QPR a guaranteed £500,000 with further installments based on the time Sterling spends with them - and his eventual breakthrough to the first team.

The deal is potentially the biggest for a player of his age and was decided without going to a tribunal. Sterling told Rangers he wanted to leave and would not sign any long contract with them.

Sterling's decision left both Manchester cubs, Arsenal and Fulham upset. All of them had tried to do a deal but found it hard to agree fees and terms with all of the parties involved.

City are fuming at the result. Their offer of £1 million was higher than any rival bidder but the youngster fancied Liverpool instead.

Steven Gerrard Must Assume Centre Stage For Remainder Of The Season

There was a familiar feel to Liverpool's victory over Blackburn Rovers at Anfield on Sunday.

Not the final minute nerves, which have become almost as common as anti-American banners and 'You'll Never Walk Alone' this season, nor the post-match verbal sparring between Rafael Benitez and Sam Allardyce, two peas from distinctly different pods, who share a common dislike - each other.

The familiarity came from a quick glance at Liverpool's team. Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have played precious few games together at the spine of Benitez's side this season, but yesterday the quartets were in tandem for the first time since December, and the benefits were clear for all to see.

In truth, Carragher would probably have started the game at full-back were it not for Martin Skrtel's metatarsal injury, and that would have meant Javier Mascherano, not Gerrard, would have partnered the ever-improving Lucas Leiva in the centre of the Liverpool midfield. So, as ever, circumstances played their part.

But as it was, Mascherano performed admirably as an auxiliary right-back, and Gerrard's display in the position in which he made his name will give Benitez plenty to ponder as he plots his assault on the Premier League's top four.

Liverpool's skipper has been some way below his very best form this term, having struggled with a niggling groin strain and suffered from the club's general poor form. But against Blackburn he was back in familiar territory, and produced a familiar performance.

His first burst forward from deep brought the opening goal - his eighth of the season, and second in as many games - and the 29-year-old was at the heart of just about everything good about Liverpool's first-half performance. Just as against Unirea Urziceni in the Europa League last Thursday, Gerrard was the dominant figure in a testing midfield battle.

It should come as little surprise. This is, after all, where Gerrard matured from a shy, skinny teenager to the awe-inspiring powerhouse he has become. He thrives when at the centre of the action, bossing the game and influencing proceedings.

Liverpool fans have noted tell-tale signs of discontent in their captain's body language at times this season, with some even suggesting a lack of faith in his struggling team-mates. But there was nothing negative about the way he hunted down Keith Andrews with relish early on, clipped his side ahead on 20 minutes, or waded eagerly into a verbal bout with the ever-loveable El-Hadji Diouf shortly after.

And with Fernando Torres marking his return to the starting line-up with his 13th goal of a stop-start campaign, Gerrard should now have the perfect ally as he bids to steer his team to the top-four finish that was guaranteed by his manager earlier this year. Both players were together on the scoresheet for the first time since September, and their mutual appreciation is as plainly obvious as Benitez's disdain for Allardyce's tactics.

Torres and Gerrard are a match made in heaven, but despite the pair striking up a phenomenal understanding as a virtual two-man strike-force, Liverpool could be best served using Gerrard in a deeper role, utilising the likes of Dirk Kuyt or Ryan Babel as a partner for the Spaniard.

Such a move would of course mean that one of Lucas or Mascherano would need to make way, and in truth Benitez would be harsh to drop either from his starting line-up. But Liverpool can ill afford to be held back by sentiment at a time like this, as Champions League football next season is imperative. The sight of Alberto Aquilani - £17 million-worth of midfielder - sitting out yet another game on the bench on Sunday is proof of that particular fact.

The Italian has started just one of the Reds' last six league games, and whilst it is unfair and premature to say the former Roma man is out of favour at Anfield, the fact remains that Benitez has some big decisions to make as he seeks to guide his side to a position that most would have considered failure at the season's outset. Aquilani's style - classy yet perhaps a touch flaky - needs a more fluent side in which to shine at the moment.

Lucas and Mascherano have their many merits - and both have been in very good form of late - but with Liverpool's fixture list dominated by opponents whom it is likely to require plenty of craft and patience to break down, the time may come where one needs to be sacrificed in favour of Gerrard's dynamism and sheer quality from midfield.

And with the captain approaching his 30th birthday, and seemingly taking longer to recover from muscular strains and tears, it may be a long-term idea to utilise his long-range passing and inspirational qualities in a more conventional role than the 'trequartista' position in which he has spent most of the past three years.

Benitez is not one to be swayed by public opinion - demoting Ryan Babel to the bench yesterday following a trio of impressive displays is testament to that - but knows as well as anyone that his side are at their best when Gerrard and Torres are fit and firing.

And having seen Gerrard produce arguably his best form of the season in the past few days, the time may well have come for Liverpool's captain to assume centre stage once again.

Benitez Hopes For Torres Edge

Rafa Benitez hopes that Fernando Torres' return from injury will fire Liverpool into next season's UEFA Champions League.

The star striker started against Blackburn on Sunday and marked his return to the first XI after knee surgery with the winning goal in a 2-1 Premier League victory.

Benitez admits that Torres is not at full fitness, but he hopes that the Spain international will provide an edge over Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa in the race for fourth spot.

"It was really important for us and really important for him as he will have more confidence," said the Liverpool manager of his forward's goal.

"It was clear he was not fully fit and his match fitness is not the best but he can make the difference and he scored an important goal.

"If he can improve his fitness he will be a very good addition for us and he can be a threat for all the defenders.

"He can create space for Steven Gerrard and the other players and, if you are under pressure, he can score goals on his own."

Benitez added: "The main thing now is to manage him properly and keep him fit and he can make the difference.

"We have Yossi Benayoun coming back, now Fernando and maybe next week Glen Johnson will be fit and available so it will be good news."

Torres has joined the Spain squad for this week's World Cup warm-up against France and there have been suggestions that Liverpool are far from happy with the 25-year-old's call-up.

Benitez has spoken to the Spanish coaching staff about his striker's current physical condition, but just has to hope that there is no injury setback.

"I was talking with the Spanish staff and we know they will take care of him," he added.

"He is an important player for us and hopefully he can keep scoring goals now and help us end the season with a winning run."

Pepe Reina Believes Fernando Torres Can Fire Liverpool To Fourth Place In Premier League

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina believes that Fernando Torres can fire the Reds to a top-four Premier League finish now that he's fit again.

The striker netted his 13th goal of the season at Anfield on Sunday to clinch a 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers, and Reina was delighted to see his compatriot in action again after a season blighted yet again by injury.

"It was great to see Fernando score because he is a key player for us," the keeper told the Reds' official website.

"We have 10 league games left now and it can make a big difference with him back in the team. He is an important player for us and hopefully he can keep scoring goals now and help us end the season with a winning run."

Sunday's clash at Anfield was an ill-tempered affair marked by Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez's acerbic criticism of Blackburn's style and the behaviour of their manager Sam Allardyce.

Reina acknowledges that sealing a crucial three points was no easy task.

"It was an important game and really tough," he added.

"They put us under pressure in the final moments but we held on for a huge win. It's a great victory against a tough opponent, especially after City and Spurs won.

"It was important that we kept our good run going and we will now look to build on that in our next match."

Agger Undergoes Scan

Daniel Agger underwent a scan on an injured knee today after leaving Anfield on crutches following the 2-1 win over Blackburn.

Doctors discovered severe bruising to the Dane's right knee, and he will now undergo treatment at Melwood.

A club spokesman said: "Daniel underwent a scan this morning which has shown severe bruising to the bone in his right knee. The knee is still very swollen and he will continue to receive treatment at Melwood this week."

Agger was one of several Liverpool players to pick up knocks during a physical encounter.

Fabio Aurelio suffered a strain in his quadriceps, while Maxi Rodriguez was left with stud marks just below his chest.

Rafael Benitez Mocks Blackburn's Style

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez sarcastically compared Blackburn's style to European champions Barcelona after his team beat Rovers on Sunday.

Benitez saw his team win a physical encounter and then stoked up his feud with Rovers boss Sam Allardyce.

"I think it is a model for all the managers around the world, their style of football, his behaviour," he said of Rovers tactics and their manager.

"The style of football, I think, Barcelona are thinking of copying."

Benitez suffered his first defeat in the Premier League in a match against a Bolton side managed by Allardyce in 2004.

Former Reds defender Sami Hyppia suffered a broken nose early in that contest and the relationship between the two managers has been fractious ever since.

Allardyce accused Benitez of showing a lack of respect after a gesture during Liverpool's 4-0 win against Rovers last season.

And the Blackburn boss said in the build-up to Sunday's game that Liverpool had been reduced to a team scrapping for points as the battle to finish fourth in the Premier League hots up.

Asked about Allardyce's comments, Benitez added: "It doesn't matter - we won.

"We try to do our talking on the pitch. If they are pleased with the way they play under this manager it is their decision.

"They have a style and they are a team that plays this way under this manager.

"Some people have to talk before the press conference or after because it is more difficult for them to do a football job."

Benitez was unhappy with the physical approach of Blackburn on Sunday.

Steven Nzonzi was yellow carded after pushing Lucas in the face at Anfield and Benitez clearly thought the Blackburn player should have been sent off.

"See the replay of the incident, it was very clear," added the Reds boss.

"We have had four of five players with problems, bleeding, and Maxi with stud (marks) in his abdomen. Interesting - but we won."

Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres scored as Liverpool won for the first time in three attempts in the Premier League.

But it was a match that occasionally threatened to boil over, with Gerrard and El-Hadji Diouf exchanging angry words before half-time and the duo had to be separated as they walked off at the interval.

"It is an unfortunate reflection on our performance that we had about 25 fouls and five cards against us," added Allardyce.

"But unfortunately when we come to places like this they are very good at swaying things their way."

And Allardyce mounted a stern defence of his pre-match comments about Liverpool.

"It was only because Liverpool have a go at me and because I am entitled to respond when I get criticised by Rafa Benitez," said the Rovers boss.

"If you don't understand that over the last few years you must be deluded.

"Not this time but many other times I have been criticised personally by the manager - all I said was they got six bookings at Manchester City away so they are digging games out now rather than the flowing football they played last year."

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina sustained a shoulder injury after the break challenging for the ball but was able to carry on.

"We knew it would be a tough game and nothing surprised us," he said.

"They play that way and to be honest I felt a little under-protected, but the most important thing was that we won."

The win lifted Liverpool to within one point of Tottenham as they continue the battle for fourth spot - and saw Torres start a game for the first time since 13 January.

"We know it will be tough until the end but we have to keep going," added Benitez.

"But it is always important to have players back and feeling fresh."

Rovers have won once away from home in the Premier League this season - and Allardyce pointed to a lack of composure in front of goal when explaining his team's failure to take something from Anfield.

"Our problem is that we did not have a goalscorer to finish off our good work and chances," he said. "If we did we would have had a draw at least.

"That has been our downfall away from home all season. It was disappointing we did not convert at least one of our openings before Gerrard opened the scoring.

"In the second half we again did more than them but our failure in front of goal cost us."

Match Report: Liverpool 2 - 1 Blackburn

Striker Fernando Torres marked his first start since January 13 by scoring the winner in an ill-tempered 2-1 victory over Blackburn at Anfield.

The Spain international hit his 13th goal in 17 Premier League appearances just before half-time, having missed five weeks at the start of the year after a knee operation.

Liverpool had gone ahead midway through the half through Steven Gerrard only for Jamie Carragher's handball to allow Keith Andrews to equalise from the penalty spot five minutes before the interval.

With fellow top-four challengers Tottenham and Manchester City both winning this weekend, it was imperative Rafael Benitez's side maintain the pressure - and they ground out a win against combative opponents.

Before the match Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce, who has never had a great relationship with Benitez, had said the Spaniard's side played like his former club Bolton.

However, on this evidence - five Rovers players were booked and they could easily have had Steven Nzonzi and Pascal Chimbonda sent off - it was Rovers who lived up to Allardyce's reputation.

But it was the goalscoring return of Torres that will have put a smile on Benitez's face as Liverpool scored for the 26th successive league game at Anfield and the 33rd in all competitions.

Surprisingly, the Spain international played no part in the opening goal, which came from a swift and incisive move started by Lucas on the halfway line.

The Brazilian picked out Gerrard who, after exchanging passes with Dirk Kuyt and offloading to Yossi Benayoun, continued his run into the penalty area to collect the return ball, go past Samba and clip home a left-footed shot.

That was after Chris Samba, Martin Olsson and Morten Gamst Pedersen had all had half-chances to put Blackburn ahead.

Liverpool, though, were indebted to Jose Reina in the 17th minute as the goalkeeper made a good double save from Pedersen, particularly the first shot which deflected off Jamie Carragher.

On the half-hour Kuyt should have made it 2-0 from Gerrard's corner but appeared to be surprised by the pace of the ball and headed wide from three yards.

In the 38th minute Liverpool were forced into a change when Fabio Aurelio limped off with what looked like a thigh injury and was replaced by Emiliano Insua.

Two minutes later Rovers were gifted an equaliser when Benayoun's weak clearance was played straight back into the penalty area and, despite three Liverpool players surrounding Kalinic, Carragher catastrophically went to ground where the ball hit his hand.

Andrews fired home from the spot to put his side firmly back in the game.

However, Liverpool went ahead again a minute before the break when Samba could only poke the ball off Torres into the path of Rodriguez, who crossed into the six-yard area for the Spaniard to smash home.

Early in the second half Olsson was booked for handball in the centre-circle before Nzonzi was lucky to escape with a caution, having flattened Lucas with an aggressive push to his face.

Pascal Chimbonda's first act, having come on for Olsson, was to bring down Rodriguez as he threatened to cut into the penalty area.

Daniel Agger headed Gerrard's whipped-in free-kick over at the far post.

Chimbonda's second contribution was to carelessly give the ball away to Kuyt, which eventually resulted in Robinson having to tip Rodriguez's shot around the post.

Kalinic was next to go into referee Alan Wiley's book for hacking down Mascherano from behind and, after several close calls, former Liverpool forward El-Hadji Diouf was eventually booked for bringing down Mascherano.

Referee Wiley and one of his linesmen somehow missed Chimbonda, who had already been booked, thrusting his boot into Rodriguez's chest as the Rovers defender rolled on the floor.

Ryan Babel replaced Benayoun for the final 10 minutes but with only a slender lead the pressure began to mount on the hosts.

Torres departed to a standing ovation with his work done but in the knowledge he will have to continue to produce on a regular basis if his club is to secure Champions League football next season.

Liverpool And Chelsea Will Be Kicked Out Of The Champions League

Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City all face the extraordinary prospect of being excluded from the Champions League and Europa League in two years because of the huge financial losses they continue to suffer.

European football chiefs insist they will enforce a ban on those clubs unless they radically reduce their multi-million pound losses.

And though Manchester United will escape censure despite their £716million debt, because they are still making a profit at present, Liverpool's precarious financial state means they face a huge crisis if they wish to meet UEFA's tough new rules.

The regulations will be published this summer in a bid to prevent further clubs going into financial meltdown, as Portsmouth have done this week, and will outlaw the kind of support that owners Roman Abramovich and Sheik Mansour have provided Chelsea and City.

UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino insists that the bodies set up to regulate the new rules will not baulk at throwing out clubs who cannot balance their books, whether they be Real Madrid or Liverpool.

Infantino said: 'It is not our objective to exclude clubs, but if there are rules, it is our objective that those rules will be respected. For this reason we have established the club financial control panel, chaired by Jean Luc Dehaene, who is the former Prime Minister of Belgium. I don't think somebody like him would be afraid of anything.

'They are independent to oversee the rules and pass any potential sanction to the disciplinary committee, which is also independent and which will decide the sanction.

'But the rules will be the same for everyone and of course they will be enforced the same for everyone.'

UEFA's drive for what they call financial fair play is the biggest shake-up of elite football since the formation of the Champions League in 1992 and represents a direct challenge to the Premier League's financial model, which has allowed excessive borrowing and rich benefactors to fund many clubs, factors which caused the demise of Portsmouth.

The renewed threat from UEFA, who will finalise their new rules this summer, will wholly undermine Manchester City's plans to spend further millions this summer.

City recorded a loss of £92.6m last year and that figure is likely to balloon still further after the extraordinarily expensive signings of Gareth Barry, Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez, Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure.

UEFA are likely to demand that by the time the 2012 regulations come into force, City are on course to break even, which seems highly unlikely, unless they slash their wage bill and decline to enter the transfer market.

Liverpool, too, are at huge risk given that last year they posted losses of £42m and had to pay £36.5m interest on their debts, which the Anfield club claim have now been reduced from £350m to £237m.

UEFA will give clubs two years to put their accounts in order and will allow a transitional period in the first two years of the scheme, but they insist that clubs such as City and Liverpool cannot simply continue as they do now and expect to be cleared for competition.

Infantino added: 'The rules come into force in 2012-13 and at the beginning there will be some sort of transitional period, which we are defining. But it doesn't mean that a club cannot be excluded in 2012 if the situation is extremely bad and getting worse.

'From this summer the clubs will know what the rules are going to be and if a club doesn't do anything and think that rules will only apply after 2012-13, that's a wrong calculation.'

Infantino confirmed that, at present, United would meet UEFA's criteria because last year they made a profit, even though their enormous debts cost them £68.5m in interest payments.

'United is, of course, very well managed by David Gill and as long as they can still make a profit at the end of the year, it's fine. In the long term, though, the question is whether they can still afford this debt.'

Liverpool though have been warned that their financial model will have to change, putting owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks under further pressure to secure new funding.
'They have to look at not making these £40m losses every year. And one of the ways of not making them is to reduce the debt, or to reduce the salary of the players, though that has sporting consequences.'

Chelsea have at least embarked on a campaign to wean themselves off the funding of Abramovich, having reduced their losses from a staggering £140m in 2006 to £44.4m last year and, if they can continue at a similar rate, would be likely to meet UEFA's criteria.

Infantino said: 'Chelsea is a good example as a few years ago they said that their objective was to break even and now it will be underlined by some rules. If everyone plays by the rules this inflation which raises higher salaries and transfer fees, will decrease. It will be a big change and I don't think the owners will be unhappy. On the contrary, what they are saying to us is that they would be happy of they don't spend their personal fortune on this.'

When the rules are applied, UEFA will assess a club's accounts over a three-year period so that making a loss for a single season would not be punished.

Liverpool Manager Rafael Benitez Unhappy With Spain Boss Vicente Del Bosque Over Fernando Torres Call-Up

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is furious with Spain boss Vicente del Bosque's decision to start with striker Fernando Torres in the upcoming friendly with France, according to the Sunday Mirror.

The Reds forward has only just returned from a six-week lay-off due to groin and knee problems and Benitez needs his star man in top shape as his side prepare to push for fourth spot in the Premier League.

Benitez will reportedly hold showdown talks with Del Bosque, following the latter's announcement that 'El Nino' will be making an appearance against the Frenchmen in Paris on Wednesday.

A source close to the Kop boss is quoted as saying: "Rafa is not happy that there have been no discussions with anyone from the Spanish national team about Torres’s fitness.

"He cannot stop Fernando reporting for international duty, but he will be making it clear to Del Bosque to remind him that Torres is far from 100 per cent fit after his recent injury and that he must be handled with care and consideration."

Liverpool Land QPR Midfielder Raheem Sterling

Liverpool have captured highly-rated English international Raheem Sterling from Queens Park Rangers.

With the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, and Fulham in the hunt for the youngster, Liverpool have managed to sign the player for an undisclosed fee.

The player will join up with the Liverpool Academy.

Managing Director Christian Purslow told Liverpool's official wesbite: "The success of our Academy is vital to the future progress of the club and we have made clear that we will invest in outstanding young talent.

"Raheem is a very exciting young English player whose progress was being closely monitored by many other leading clubs and I'm delighted he's joining us.

"Frank McParland and his staff have done a great job in bringing him to Liverpool."

Allardyce Accuses Liverpool Of Mistreating Diouf

Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce has further turned up the heat ahead of the Premier League clash against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has disliked Allardyce’s physical approach to the game for some time and went as far as making a DVD on Big Sam’s Bolton side to send to the referees’ association, highlighting perceived injustices. Allardyce recently accused Benitez of using the same physical tactics this season.

He has now stoked the fires further by claiming that Liverpool did not handle Blackburn striker El-Hadji Diouf properly during his time at Anfield.

Allardyce said, “Dioufy had the opportunity to be a big star at Liverpool when they spent £11-12m on him after the 2002 World Cup, but he got cast off very quickly and didn’t get the back-up service he would have expected at a club like that. He does feel let down by them.

“He was left on his own in a strange country where he couldn’t speak the language. He didn’t know where he should live or anything about the finance and banking side.

“He was a young man with plenty of money, liked going out and that’s what he did. He’s motivated enough now to know that’s not the way forward.

“I think Liverpool slipped up in that department. They should have persevered with him, but he looked a complete write-off and waste of money coming out of Anfield.

“We looked after him at Bolton. We looked after all that off-field side of it so he could just concentrate on his football and he felt much happier.

“Understanding your players is a very important part of man-management. Getting the best out of players is what I’ve been all about and Dioufy resurrected his career with me.

“He’s still playing at the top level and hopefully he can go and play really well on that big stage at Anfield and show them what they’re missing.”

Diouf struggled for goals during a three year spell at Liverpool before Allardyce signed him at Bolton. Diouf has scored 2 goals in 20 appearances so far this season.

Liverpool's Lucas Leiva Expects Race For Fourth Place To Go To Wire

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva admits that the fight to finish fourth in this season's Premier League may not be decided until the last day of the season.

Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are tussling with the Reds for that coveted Champions League place, but Lucas is confident that Rafael Benitez's team has the necessary backbone for the battle.

"It might even go right until the last game of the season to decide fourth place," he told the Reds' official website.

"We have difficult games against Manchester United and Chelsea, while [Manchester] City also have games against Tottenham, Arsenal, Aston Villa and [Manchester] United. It will be an interesting race and hopefully we can finish fourth.

"We kept another clean sheet against Manchester City which was a positive and I think we are stronger in defence now.

"At the beginning of the season we were conceding too many goals, especially from set pieces and we have improved a lot on this.

"We were disappointed not to win against City because we wanted the three points.

"We had the opportunity to go fourth but I think it will be the same until the end of the season with four teams battling for the Champions League place, and I hope we'll be there."

Liverpool hosted Blackburn Rovers to Anfield on Sunday afternoon and Lucas is looking for his side to claim an important three points.

"It's an important game for us because from our last two games we lost at Arsenal and drew with Manchester City, so we need the three points on Sunday," he said.

"We are in good form at home and have won our last five league games at Anfield. It will be important to keep the clean sheet first and then score goals to get the three points and stay in the race for the top-four.

"We drew 0-0 with them at Ewood Park in December but it was a game we could have won."

Spirit of Shankly Add Pressure On Liverpool Owners

Spirit of Shankly has unveiled billboards around Liverpool in an attempt to raise awareness about the ongoing backroom problems at the club and add pressure on the Reds’ American owners.

Spirit of Shankly, last month, forced Tom Hicks Junior from the Board of Liverpool FC after the American foul mouthed a Liverpool fan via email.

The fans’ group has had success in getting through to the club recently, having a meeting with managing director Christian Purslow at the start of February.

Billboards were put up today at Vauxhall Road and Prescot Road in Merseyside and more billboards around the city have been planned.

The billboards, which read “Tom and George: Debt, Lies, Cowboys – Not welcome here”, also redirect fans to the Spirit of Shankly website which has more information on the group’s campaign against the owners, which started in early 2008.

The owners have broken their promises on not loading debt on the club, giving manger Rafael Benitez funds for the transfer market and building a new stadium.

The club’s debt currently stands at £237 million, according to Purslow and the building of the new stadium has been postponed on several occasions.

Who are Spirit of Shankly?

In January 2008 over 350 Liverpool supporters crammed into The Sandon pub, Anfield, and discussed not only the custodianship of our current owners but the wider issues that affect us as supporters. Issues that have been discussed by fans for decades, issues where almost unanimous desire for change is consistently met by indifference from the club – all these were aired and on a historic and emotional night, ‘Spirit Of Shankly’, the Liverpool Supporters’ Union was born.

Since that date, and following two mass meetings at the Olympia in Liverpool, a volunteer acting committee has been established, the Union has been set up as an Industrial and Provident Society and a set of aims for the short, medium and long term have been established.

The inaugural AGM took place in February 2009 and Liverpool supporters the world over were invited to take part. A Management Committee was elected after the wonderful work done by the volunteer Committee during the first year.

Why should Liverpool supporters join the union? In a nutshell, if we stand together and speak with one voice, regardless of language or accent, we can make a genuine difference to our football club, the city of Liverpool and indeed the wider footballing world.

Match Preview: Liverpool vs Blackburn

Liverpool return to Premier League action on Sunday against Blackburn aiming to boost their bid to finish in the top four.

The Reds dropped down to sixth spot following last weekend's draw at Manchester City and they will be determined to keep pace with their rivals for a top-four finish.

Blackburn goes into the game on the back of last weekend's win over Bolton and they will be seeking their first Premier League win at Anfield since 1993.

Liverpool could hand Fernando Torres his first start since his return from knee surgery after he made a late substitute appearance against Manchester City and was then an unused substitute in the Europa League win over Unirea Urziceni.

Maxi Rodriguez is available again after being ineligible against Unirea and he could start as Rafa Benitez is expected to freshen up his side after the long trip to Romania.

Benitez could be forced into a reshuffle at the back with Martin Skrtel set to miss out with a broken toe picked up against Unirea and Sotirios Kyrgiakos serving the final game of his three-match ban.

With Glen Johnson still sidelined Jamie Carragher is likely to revert to central defence alongside Daniel Agger with youngster Martin Kelly set to step into right-back.

Meanwhile, Blackburn make the trip to Merseyside without influential captain Ryan Nelsen.

The New Zealand international suffered a knee injury in last week's defeat of Bolton and could be out for several weeks.

Christopher Samba is likely to take his place having served a suspension while Brett Emerton (Achilles) is also available again.

David Dunn is pushing for a recall having had a run-out in the reserves this week.

However, Sam Allardyce could stick with the side that performed so well against Bolton last time out.

Possible starting XIs:
Liverpool: Reina, Kelly, Carragher, Agger, Insua, Lucas, Mascherano, Kuyt, Gerrard, Maxi, Torres.

Blackburn: Robinson, Salgado, Givet, Samba, Olsson, Diouf, Andrews, Grella, Nzonzi, Pedersen, Kalinic.

Benitez Has No Defensive Concern

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez insists his side is more than well-equipped to deal with everything Blackburn will throw at them.

During a nervous half-hour in Bucharest it seemed the Reds' old defensive frailties had crept back in as Europa League opponents Unirea Urziceni threatened to score from virtually every set-piece.

It is something which will not have gone unnoticed by Rovers boss Sam Allardyce, especially after a free header from centre-back Bruno Fernandes put the Romanian champions ahead from a 19th-minute corner in Bucharest.

But Benitez has no concerns - even in the absence of broken metatarsal victim Martin Skrtel - about his defence, which has improved immeasurably in recently weeks.

"We did not do badly. We conceded a goal [against Unirea] and it was more difficult but we showed character," he said.

"They were good deliveries and the Europa League ball is very difficult for goalkeepers because it changes direction.

"But you can see the last few games we have had a lot of clean sheets, I think 13 games and nine clean sheets, so the team is very strong in defence.

"We were really good at set-pieces. We are at the same level as we were in the past but the team is stronger in everything.

"We will try to have control of the game and not give them too many chances to play corners or free-kicks.

"It will be tough because it is the Premier League but we are confident and this team is stronger.

"We are solid in defence and we just have to improve the creativity in attack and we will have the balance we are looking for."

Liverpool's Barclays Premier League record, in isolation, is even more impressive.

They have conceded just one goal (to Arsenal) in their last six games and two in their last nine.

That has brought them 18 points from a possible 27 and kept them in the hunt for Champions League qualification, despite last week's goalless draw at Manchester City allowing Tottenham to return to fourth.

Benitez has long-been convinced it will be a four-horse race which will probably go down to the wire and nothing has changed his mind.

"We have to fight for being in the top four and that will be very difficult because there are three or four teams very close," said the Spaniard.

"My message two months ago was that it will be a long race and now it has proved true.

"Anything can happen, it is the Premier League, so we take on Blackburn and then see."

Benitez defended his decision to take striker Fernando Torres, whose substitute appearance last Sunday was his first for five weeks after a knee operation, to Romania but not play him at all.

And he dispelled any suggestions the club's record signing was only currently fit enough for a place on the bench.

"I think it was the right decision. It was a bad pitch and the injury to Skrtel changed the plans we had," said the Liverpool boss.

"We will see how he trains and after we will see [whether he can start]."

Blackburn will have had the benefit of a full week without competitive action by the time they arrive at Anfield on Sunday.

That is in contrast to their opponents, who did not get back from eastern Europe until the early hours of yesterday morning, having played 90 minutes on a wet, energy-sapping pitch.

But Benitez said they were issues the players had to adapt to, stressing it was not that different to when they were playing in the Champions League.

"It is always more difficult when you play two matches in a week and especially when you do not have too much time," he said.

"But we have some experience of this and hopefully we can do well. Everyone understands it is a massive game and the players need to do well."

Allardyce: Reds Have Gone Physical

Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce thinks Liverpool have adopted the same physical style which Reds boss Rafael Benitez used to criticise his old club Bolton for.

Allardyce claims the Spaniard sent a DVD of what he saw as Bolton's rough play to referees' chief Keith Hackett, but now sees elements of that same physical approach in Liverpool's play as they bid to salvage their season and qualify for next season's Champions League.

Allardyce, whose Rovers side face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, told the Daily Mirror: "(Benitez) has used all that stuff that he says he doesn't like. It's ironic isn't it?

"They have had to go back to basics and the pretty stuff goes out the window until you start winning matches.

"I watched them play at Manchester City and they got six players booked, so it shows he's brought the physical side out in them.

"If it's a good physical challenge on Sunday, then I'd be more than happy to go down that route, although I don't really have the players here to do that like I did at Bolton."

Allardyce said Benitez was so riled by Bolton's tactics that he compiled a DVD and sent it to referees' chief Hackett.

"He's had a bee in his bonnet for a while. He's entitled to have his opinion as everyone is and it's nice to have someone complaining about you when you are beating them.

"Because he didn't like it, he found an excuse about how we played. Wenger did it, Mourinho did it, they all do it when they get their backside kicked."

Benitez was criticised by Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson last season for what he saw as a mark of "disrespect" towards Allardyce, when he appeared to gesture that the game between Blackburn and Liverpool at Anfield was over as a contest when Fernando Torres scored their second goal in a 4-0 win.

Allardyce added: "I didn't get an explanation for that. He's his own man and he does things his own way. I didn't particularly like it."

John Aldridge: Liverpool Can’t Afford More Slip-Ups

Blackburn is the first of what you would assume are three very winnable league games for Liverpool.

With Wigan and then Portmsouth ahead of the trip to Old Trafford, we’ve got a great chance to pick up points in the league and put pressure on fourth place.

We can’t lose our concentration or focus in any of these games.

We can’t afford many more slip ups.

With Torres back, we’ll be more creative going forward, but if we can also capitalise on set-plays, we’ll give ourselves an even better chance of winning these games.

Sam Allardyce plays percentage football. He’ll know our strengths and weaknesses and will come to Anfield looking to counteract anything we throw at them.

I imagine they’ll put men behind the ball similar to what Unirea did at Anfield recently.

They’ll probably come looking for a point but if we can nick the first goal it will be a different game.