Left field

Two trophies may still prove too little for Liverpool

By Phil O’Connor

Andy Carroll’s winner in the FA Cup semi-final against Everton might have put Liverpool on course for a second trophy, but even if they go on to win the competition it will still represent a poor return for the season.

In most major football nations, the national cup competition comes in a very distant second to the league in terms of importance, but for years England bucked that trend and the FA Cup retained huge prestige.

Since the dawn of the Champions League, managers in England have been more focused on achieving fourth place in the league than Wembley glory, but it still retains a special place in the hearts of English fans.

The same might not be said for Liverpool’s American owners, the Fenway Sports Group – having spent a rumoured 300 million pounds to buy the club, they will have expected an awful lot more than two trips to Wembley for their money.

Despite their huge investment, it quickly became apparent that this Liverpool team weren’t likely to bring an end to the club’s 22-year wait for a league title. Their dismal league form has knocked them out of contention for the Champions League spots, and even if winning the League Cup and qualifying for the final of the FA Cup represents some success, it’s hardly what the red half of Merseyside recalls from manager Kenny Dalglish’s time as a player.

Back when he played centre forward for them in the late 70s and on through the 80s, the diet of league and European success was almost constant as Liverpool dominated the English game. Their last league triumph came with him at the helm as manager in his first stint in charge.

Bad boy coming of age as Bendtner buries Liverpool

By Phil O’Connor

A contract running out, in trouble over drunken behaviour and a country qualified for Euro 2012 – whatever one thinks of Sunderland’s on-loan Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner, his life is far from boring.

With the clock ticking down on an Arsenal deal that is highly unlikely to be renewed, Bendtner hit the headlines this weekend as he struck his second goal in two games to all but end Liverpool’s hopes of a shot at next year’s Champions League.

His success, while wearing a face mask,  in the 1-0 win makes something of a pleasant change. Signed by Arsenal at 17, Bendtner has too often wound up in the newspapers for all the wrong reasons.

But things might be changing – after a recent arrest for damaging cars whilst on a night out with team mates, he issued an apology to fans via a Danish newspaper and promised to concentrate “only on football” in future.

When Bendtner spoke to Reuters recently as he joined the Denmark squad for the friendly against Russia, he was philosophical about his future.

He said he was looking forward to seeing his friend Andrei Arshavin – who had also recently left Arsenal to rejoin Zenit St Petersburg on loan – and that he could consider continuing his career in Russia.

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

Soccer Break Thursday – Champions League recap

Where to start after four brilliant Champions League quarter-finals, even if the intrigue for next week's second legs has all but gone from three of the ties with Barcelona leading Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1, Real Madrid 4-0 up against Tottenham Hotspur and Schalke 04 in total charge against holders Inter Milan after the 5-2 triumph at the San Siro.

However, the appetite has most certainly been whet for the very probable 'Clasico' semi-final between Real and Barcelona, a meeting of the world's two best players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. April 26 or 27 and May 3 or 4. Do not miss these dates. Not that Spain's two leading clubs are thinking that far ahead.

There is of course more top European action on Thursday in the Europa League, which has a distinctly Portuguese feel this year. Not that Spain's Villarreal agree mind you.

In 2003, who can forget the young Jose Mourinho leading Porto to UEFA Cup glory and the way he would rise to the top of the managerial tree in years to come. This time round there could be a similar story. Porto's current coach is Andre Villas-Boas, who used to work under his compatriot. Could he be the new Mourinho? Watch this space...

Attention now turns back to domestic leagues so read our Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 previews to bring you up to speed with what lies in store in the coming days.

A club usually associated with the English title race is Liverpool, who despite their mediocre season continue to hit the headlines. Plus basketball star LeBron James has invested in the Anfield club.

Here's more on Wayne Rooney, the goalscorer in Manchester United's Champions League 1-0 win over Chelsea in London on Wednesday, after it was announced he will miss the FA Cup semi-final against city rivals...Manchester City.

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

Soccer Break Friday – Champions League draw special

Well well well. Now the Champions League really is wide open..

So here's that quarter-final draw again:

Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur

Chelsea v Manchester United

Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk

Inter Milan v Schalke 04

As Gary Lineker put it, there will be an English team in the semi-finals, but could Tottenham make it two sides? Real are certainly not invincible.

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

If Torres goes, Liverpool should heed Spanish lessons

If the excited reports on the 24-hour channels are correct, Fernando Torres may soon arrive at Chelsea's training ground to seal a move that will leave Liverpool in a dangerous situation -- under pressure to sign high-profile reinforcements and with wodges of money to spend as the deadline fast approaches.

Kenny Dalglish accepted on Monday that transfers are part of football and the internet chatter suggests many fans have reached the conclusion that Torres may have reached the end of the Anfield road.

There are indeed plenty of reasons why Liverpool may reflect that the time has come to sell Torres, 50 million of them you might say, but if they do agree to part with the Spain striker they should consider a bit of Spanish history before going out to spend their new found riches too quickly.

Losing an iconic player can be traumatic and perhaps the worst case of how to compensate came from Barcelona back in 2000.

Barcelona found themselves forced to let the Portuguese forward walk out when Real Madrid's newly elected president Florentino Perez paid the 10,000,000 pesetas ($56 million at the time) buy-out clause in his contract (plus VAT). Barcelona had a new president of their own in Joan Gaspart and his response has gone down in Spanish soccer folklore as an object lesson in how not to spend an unexpected windfall.

First, Gaspart bowed to pressure from the local media and spent a ridiculous $20 million on buying Gerard, a former Barcelona youth team player, back from Valencia. The president then went on a shopping trip to London and came back with Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit for a joint-fee of $38 million. 

Finally, Gaspart sat down on the floor of his new and still empty office and submitted to "a little bit of madness" as he agreed to new and vastly improved terms in the contract of his remaining star player, Rivaldo, just to make sure there was no chance of him following Figo out.

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

Liverpool sign Suarez but will he play with Torres?

UPDATE: Liverpool have confirmed that Torres put in a written transfer request on Friday night. The club have rejected it. Read the statement here.

Liverpool and Ajax have just announced that Luis Suarez is joining the Premier League club in a deal worth up to 26.5 million euros.

The question is, will he play alongside Fernando Torres in the Liverpool side or in place of him?

Many will wonder if the decision of the new Liverpool owners to pay such a large fee has anything to do with the bid for Torres from Chelsea. Liverpool flatly rejected the offer when Chelsea approached them with 35 million quid but could another, improved offer tempt them before the closure of the transfer window?

Alternatively, could this signing be the sort of statement of intent Torres needs to convince him to stay?

One of the outstanding players at the 2010 World Cup, Suarez will now undergo a medical and assuming he can reach agreement on personal terms he will become a Liverpool player pretty quickly.

When he will actually play for them, I'm not quite sure, as picked up a seven-match banned for biting PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal back in November. How's that for hunger?

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

Champions League podcast, episode 3

This week the podcast panel discuss the clash of European aristocracy at the Bernabeu, where nine-times winners Real Madrid host seven-tiems champions AC Milan, plus the Wayne Rooney saga and the plight of Liverpool.

Kevin Fylan is joined by Owen Wyatt, Mark Meadows, Jon Bramley and Toby Davis

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

Liverpool have new owners – what they need now is Torres back to his best

Buying Liverpool may prove the easy part for new owners who will be expected to spend freely to rescue the five times European champions from their worst start to a season in more than 50 years.

What John W Henry really needs is for Fernando Torres to recapture the form that made him the most feared striker in the Premier League.

While he, Roy Hodgson and the Liverpool fans wait for developments on the pitch, here are some of the other known unknowns around the club:

 Q - Is manager Roy Hodgson's job safe?

A - The vastly experienced Englishman was recruited as a safe pair of hands in the wake of Rafael Benitez's departure but so far there is no sign of a new dawn at Anfield. Hodgson cannot take the blame for that though.

Most new managers at a major club would demand a war chest to start re-building but Hodgson was restricted by the off-field problems during the pre-season transfer window.

Henry, given the credit for rebuilding the Red Sox, will know that an instant turnaround is unlikely and will be under pressure to provide transfer funds. Chairman Martin Broughton was responsible for bringing Hodgson to Anfield and he has the board's backing but Henry will want to see a big improvement in the next two months.

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

Liverpool board leads 2-1 in court cases with end now in sight

Here we go again. After another legal victory in the High Court for the Liverpool board and main creditor RBS, all eyes turn to Dallas, where a new hearing on the ownership battle is underway.

Wednesday's original ruling had, it seemed, paved the way for Liverpool to be sold for 300 million pounds ($479.8 million) to New England Sports Ventures (NESV) -- owners of the Boston Red Sox -- but that was before George Gillett and Tom Hicks obtained a temporary block in a Texas district court.

Lawyers for Royal Bank of Scotland went back before the same judge in London Thursday and he granted an injunction to restrain the Dallas court ruling, saying the case had no connection to Texas.

"The owners' behavior conclusively demonstrates just how incorrigible they are," he said. "They are absolutely determined to stop this transaction in its tracks and they have no lawful justification for behaving in this way."

Liverpool's independent directors issued a statement on the club website (www.liverpoolfc.tv) saying: "We are glad to have taken another important step toward completing the sale process."

Whether this really is the green light to sell depends on what happens in the 160th civil district court in Dallas, after a judge adjourned Thursday's hearing.

We will have to wait until Friday, then, to find out whether Liverpool will have new owners by the time they play the Merseyside derby against Everton Sunday.

from Reuters Soccer Blog:

Liverpool board wins right to sell but another court battle looms

Updates at 0029 GMT, Thursday after Texas court injunction and Liverpool statement.

Liverpool were given the go-ahead to sell the club when a High Court judge backed the club's board but another court battle could be on the cards after current co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett obtained an injunction in Texas to block the sale.

The High Court ruling on Wednesday morning suggested the agreed 300 million pound ($477.2 million) sale to New England Sports Ventures, the owners of the Boston Red Sox would go through and that feeling was strengthened at around 8pm when John Henry, owner of the Red Sox, arrived for a Liverpool FC board meeting.

However, there were more doubts raised a few hours later after Hicks said a Texas court had granted a temporary restraining order prohibiting the sale of the club to NESV.

Liverpool issued the following statement after the latest extraordinary twist:

"The independent directors consider the restraining order to be unwarranted and damaging and will move as swiftly as possible to seek to have it removed."