BBC: England captaincy: Steven Gerrard should replace Terry, says Taylor
Written on February 3, 2012 – 8:35 pm | by New Liverpool |Former England manager Graham Taylor says Steven Gerrard should replace John Terry as the national team’s captain.
Yahoo: McCarthy authority `not eroded’
Written on February 3, 2012 – 7:53 pm | by New Liverpool |Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has held clear the air talks with owner-chairman Steve Morgan after his verbal dressing room attack on the players following Tuesday’s 3-0 home defeat by Liverpool.
Liverpool Daily Post: Liverpool FC midfielder Stewart Downing avoids assault charges after arrest last month in Teeside
Written on February 3, 2012 – 7:25 pm | by Liverpool Daily Post |LIVERPOOL FC and England star Stewart Downing is not being charged by police after his arrest last month on suspicion of assault.
Bleachers Report: Sir Alex Ferguson vs. Alan Hansen: Who Is Correct in Their War of Words?
Written on February 3, 2012 – 6:51 pm | by Mustafa Ozalcin |In a week which has seen Liverpool get the spark to possibly set their season alight and Manchester United ominously close the points gap with championship rivals Manchester City, Sir Alex Ferguson has been caught in a war of words over the quality of football being played by Manchester United, with TV pundit, Daily Telegraph columnist and former Liverpool captain Alan Hansen.
So who is correct?
The answer is not as simple as one over the other and goes beyond the quality of football issue that is seemingly the bitter point of contention. Before we analyse the probable cause of Sir Alex’s ire, let us recap what has been widely reported as being said by Messrs Hansen and Ferguson.
After the Red Devils’ recent 2-1 win at Arsenal, Hansen apparently said on BBC’s Match of the Day that Manchester United had not been playing to the level people expected and had been “woeful” for the past 18 months.
Sir Alex hit back in the match programme ahead of Manchester United’s 2-0 home win against Stoke by saying, “I noticed Alan Hansen was at it again, saying we had not played well for one and a half years…I reckon that comment goes alongside his claim a few years ago that you don’t win anything with youngsters.” He further goes on to say, “Maybe he was just trying to rattle us on the eve of going to play his old club at Anfield in the FA Cup.”
Hansen responded on Wednesday by saying, “I really don’t know where that has come from, I never said that at any stage. What I said was that, over a period of 18 months, they haven’t been as good as they have been in the past. I have also said that if you take the three teams at the top, Manchester United have consistently played worse than Tottenham and Manchester City. But it is to their credit that they are where they are and they will be the team to beat.”
So there you have it. Much like the Evra vs. Suarez saga, people will draw their own conclusions as to who is right and who is wrong, and these views will obviously be heavily biased by team affiliation. And like the aforementioned case, the situation is not exactly black and white.
What is evident, though, is that Ferguson cannot seem to accept criticism of late and overreacts to the slightest negative comment about his team.
Let us remember the press conference after Manchester United’s 2-2 Champions League home draw with Benfica. A reporter innocently stated that United seemed to be “struggling” in Europe. So disgusted was Ferguson with this comment that he got up and walked out. And not long after, Manchester United failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.
This is where the real issue probably lies. Hansen stated that Manchester United have not been playing well over the last 18 months. I would say he was being conservative. Though Manchester United have been winning games as usual over the last couple of years, I think even the most die-hard United fans would agree that they have not been playing to the same level since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure at the end of the 2008-09 campaign.
After Ronaldo’s move to Real Madrid, Manchester United lost the title to Chelsea, only to regain it last season with the lowest points tally in over a decade. One could argue that a number of teams are getting better thus making the Premier League a much more difficult competition to win, yet in terms of why Sir Alex is reacting so badly to the criticism, this would make the argument against him.
Nobody likes negative criticism. But the matter here goes beyond a natural reaction to bad press. Sir Alex Ferguson knows that his teams stranglehold on the domestic front is nearing its end. More and more teams are less and less afraid of going to Old Trafford or playing them at home, believing that they can get a point, and even perhaps all three.
Manchester United’s psychological dominance over teams is wearing thin and Sir Alex, king of the psychological mind games, certainly does not want this to be said aloud. Hence his reactions of late.
Read more Liverpool news on BleacherReport.com
Goal.com: Liverpool & England star Stewart Downing will not face charges for assault allegation – report
Written on February 3, 2012 – 5:22 pm | by New Liverpool |
The former Aston Villa man was cleared of any wrongdoing by Cleveland Police, although the woman arrested with him on January 8 remains on bail for alleged assault
Clubcall: Skipper comeback boost
Written on February 3, 2012 – 4:48 pm | by New Liverpool |Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard is back in contention for Monday’s clash with Tottenham after missing the win over Wolves.
Liverpool Daily Post: Back of the Net: Our footy round-up featuring LFC & EFC flashbacks, photos of the week and poor haunted Steve McLaren
Written on February 3, 2012 – 3:47 pm | by Liverpool Daily Post |WELCOME to Back of the Net, our round-up of football coverage on our sites and across the web. Keep your eyes peeled for suggestions for next week’s Back of the Net and feel free to submit them for inclusion via email to liverpooldigitaldesk@gmail.com, or on Twitter @livecholfc and @livechoefc.
BBC: Liverpool v Tottenham
Written on February 3, 2012 – 3:40 pm | by New Liverpool |Preview followed by live coverage of Monday’s game between Liverpool and Tottenham in the Premier League.
BBC: Ban could help Luis Suarez – Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish
Written on February 3, 2012 – 3:18 pm | by New Liverpool |Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish believes Luis Suarez’s eight-match ban may help keep him fresh through to the end of the season.
Goal.com: ‘Tottenham have been most impressive team this season’ – Jamie Carragher hopes Liverpool can match title-chasers
Written on February 3, 2012 – 2:51 pm | by New Liverpool |
Spurs crushed the Reds last September with a 4-0 win at White Hart Lane in the Premier League, but the 34-year-old is confident that the team will get revenge at Anfield
Bleachers Report: Liverpool Transfers: 6 Dream Buys to Hope for in the Summer
Written on February 3, 2012 – 2:46 pm | by Peter Webster |Liverpool opted not to spend any money in the January market, and you can read my views on that decision by clicking here.
That’s all in the past now though, and there’s no sense dwelling on it.
Summer should bring about some changes at Anfield.
Dalglish may realise that the likes of Downing, Adam and Carroll—as good as they are—aren’t of a standard that’s going to win you a Premier League title.
Sure they can put the effort in for big cup games, but the Premier League title needs players turning up and putting in a performance every week—even against the so-called minnows.
That just hasn’t happened with the current squad.
So to the article then.
Dream buys could be easy to fill with the likes of Messi and Ronaldo, but what would be the point in that? It would be too unrealistic.
Given that Liverpool are likely to have money to spend in January, here’s my 6 dream buys that Liverpool could actually stand a chance of signing.
Enjoy.
Goal.com: Can Chelsea score against the best away side in the Premier League? Ten key stats for this weekend’s action
Written on February 3, 2012 – 2:43 pm | by New Liverpool |
Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have the best defensive record away from home, conceding only seven goals whilst picking up 26 points on their travels away from Old Trafford
Goal.com: Goal.com Predicts: Chelsea 2-1 Manchester United, Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham, Arsenal 2-1 Blackburn
Written on February 3, 2012 – 2:31 pm | by New Liverpool |
Our reporters give their forecast for the weekend fixtures, hoping to get back on form after a couple of weeks without a perfect score prediction
Goal.com: Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard credits former midfielder Dietmar Hamann for goalscoring performances
Written on February 3, 2012 – 2:11 pm | by New Liverpool |
The Anfield skipper revealed the German was his ‘safety net’ & believes that any fan of the Merseyside club would love to have him back in the team at his prime
