Dubai International to make bid for Liverpool FC

[MascheredUp]

From New York Red on YNWA.....

Since when has he been in the loop?

He just talks ****.

[sinbad]

GERRARD ANGER OVER NIC

EXCLUSIVE by Chris Bascombe

WITH Fernando Torres stuck on Merseyside with a tight hamstring, Liverpool face Chelsea today boasting as much firepower as an army of pacifists.

And skipper Steven Gerrard is still smarting over his club's failure to sign the man who could have filled the Spaniard's boots.

Nicolas Anelka spent six months on loan at Anfield in 2002, before Gerard Houllier made the calamitous decision to hand his No9 shirt to El-Hadji Diouf.


Gerrard could not understand the call at the time. And having seen his side struggle for away goals against the big three ever since, he is annoyed to find Anelka lining up against him rather than alongside him at Stamford Bridge.

Gerrard said: "Every club makes a couple of mistakes in the transfer market and we made one when we didn't sign Nicolas Anelka in 2002.


"Nicolas was top class for us and I thought he'd done enough to stay. He was a good lad around the dressing-room as well.

"I've always thought it was a shame he's not still with us. What made it doubly disappointing for me was I knew how desperate he was to sign on a permanent deal at the time.

"Unfortunately, these decisions are taken and it's only when you look back later you can make a judgement. I don't think anyone will deny we got that one wrong."

Liverpool's hope of ending their reputation as a soft touch at the toughest venues is significantly reduced by Torres' absence. The Reds' recent record at Stamford Bridge, Old Trafford and Arsenal is woeful.

They have lost all nine away trips in the Premier League under Benitez, conceding 17 goals and scoring just three.

Gerrard says shortage of striking power has been a factor in that miserable sequence — and today Peter Crouch and Dirk Kuyt are the only fit forwards.

Gerrard added: "The away form against the other teams in the top three hasn't been good enough — we can't hide that.

"When teams like Chelsea come to Anfield we know we've got to play at our absolute maximum to get a result because they're so difficult to beat.

"When we've gone to places like Stamford Bridge in the last few years, I don't think they've had to say the same about us. It's games like this where you need every single player at their best.

"For a few years I don't feel we had the quality in our squad to play anything but one way at these venues, where we tried to keep it tight and nick something. We couldn't afford to be too ambitious.

"Now we have the players to go for it a lot more and cause their defence more problems. I'll be very disappointed if we don't have a real go at taking maximum points there today. We need the three points given the situation we're in.

"I think we're all realistic about our chances in the title now. It looks as though that's now gone for another season.

"But I still believe we can catch Chelsea. If we can do that, we'll be comfortable in the top four positions, which are so important."

Two months ago, Gerrard was buoyant about the Reds' title prospects, but the club's troubles off the pitch have been echoed by frustrations on it. The skipper admitted: "We've lost our way because we've had too many draws.

"We've been punished for not finishing teams off at home and not having the ability to come from behind when we concede first away from home.

"Over 38 games and nine months, if you've any weaknesses this league finds you out and it's clear we're still not where we need to be.

"Despite what's said, I don't think we're as far as off as the table suggests. At the start of the season when we were playing really well, you could see what we're capable of. But we haven't sustained that.

"Every side can expect a barren spell during the course of a season, but ours has left us too far behind the leaders.

"Now we need a massive performance to lift our confidence again, and I see fixtures like this as the ideal opportunity to get us going again. If we can win the FA Cup or Champions League, even if we've fallen short in the League, we'll have something to show for our season."

Gerrard recently suggested the Liverpool takeover saga had been an unwelcome distraction to the players.

But he insisted: "I wasn't suggesting what's gone on behind the scenes is a reason for us not passing the ball well, or not beating teams we should have done. All I meant is we seem to have spent a lot of time reading and talking about a situation which I've never known during all my time at Liverpool.

"I think all of us can agree that time would have been better used talking about other things and staying focused on our job on the pitch."

Posted by Online Team on February 10, 2008 at 12:01 AM |

[MascheredUp]

Liverpool face Chelsea today boasting as much firepower as an army of pacifists.

Bascombe is really becoming a ****ing ****.

[MrMichael]

Is this thread shrinking? I could have sworn it was about 130 pages a few days back.

Its been that size twice infact

Without pruning it'd be close to 7000 posts by now

[Jayesh87]

Since when has he been in the loop?

He just talks ****.

NYR has been one of the most reliable posters for the past 2/3 years imo. He has some good contacts stateside.

[Morten_nogamst_Pedersen]

Sounds like he got the same info as me.

He's obviously been readng this thread.

[CAD]

NYR has been one of the most reliable posters for the past 2/3 years imo. He has some good contacts stateside.

NYR was in the loop about Kraft and that was it. Nothing else.

[desertscouser]

NYR was in the loop about Kraft and that was it. Nothing else.

Wasn't he mates with one of the Krafts?

[Armchairkopite]

First time in weeks Bascombes not mentioned DIC?????????

[bigfooty]

I think I remember reading some fairly accurate posts from NYR regarding the stadium too, at least when the first design from HKS was unveiled.

[CAD]

Wasn't he mates with one of the Krafts?

I think so. It was something about him working in New York for an accounting company that worked for Kraft. There is no reason why he would know jack****e about Hicks unless he claims they they do the books for G or H as well. It sounds just about as far out as the rest of the "insider info" we have gotten.

I doubt that anybody has real insider info on this one. I think it's all based on a complete falsum mixed with wishful thinking and people trying to build a rep for themselves. DIC seems to be nowhere near LFC as far as I can see.

Alice in Wonderland on heavy acid.

[fah-q]

Or he knows something about Kraft's involvement....

[Jayesh87]

NYR was in the loop about Kraft and that was it. Nothing else.

He was the first person to describe what the 'new stadium' was going to look like...

[kopdan]

He was the first person to describe what the 'new stadium' was going to look like...

aye

4 walls, plenty of seats and a big green floor

[Haab]

aye

4 walls, plenty of seats and a big green floor