Sunday 6th June.
Summer of speculation at Anfield / Star exodus to begin with Mascherano
After Rafa Benitez’s sacking, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we’re set for a summer of speculation and rumour at Anfield. The Sunday papers are awash with Reds related stories, despite the fact that there is likely to be a transfer embargo installed until a new manager is appointed.
Former manager Benitez would now appear to be the number one target for Inter Milan, with many news outlets reporting that a number of key players could well follow. This would seem to contradict the suggestion that it was player power that forced the Spaniard out of Anfield.
News: The BBC reports that the ex-Liverpool manager is to hold talks with Inter Milan next week, with president Massimo Moratti reiterating his admiration for the former Reds gaffer. Rafa may have been deemed the wrong man to get Liverpool back in contention for a Champions League spot, but the Italians appear to believe that he is the right men to help them retain the Champions League crown.
Rumour: ...and should Rafa go, it would appear increasingly likely that Argentine midfielder Javier Mascherano will be plying his trade at the San Siro next season. The Sunday Mirror builds on his quotes that Benitez’s football ‘is his football’, to pad out its ‘exclusive’.
Rumour: Stories of an exodus abound, with the Reds number nine a prominent subject. For the press, it’s becoming less a matter of if Fernando Torres will leave Liverpool, and more wherehe will leave them for. After yesterday’s speculation about a record breaking bid from Chelsea, the Sunday Express proposes that big spending Manchester City are preparing to make the Spaniard the world’s richest footballer. A £200,000 a week deal is on offer, although El Nino would still have to make do with the rigours of Europa League football next season.
Rumour: ... although one player who will be at Anfield next season is new England captain Steven Gerrard. The Sunday Mirror reports that Gerrard is expected to reject the overtures of Jose Mourinho for a second time, determined to clinch the Premiership crown before he calls time on his Liverpool career.
Rumour: Should Gerrard achieve this life-long ambition, it will be under the stewardship of Roy Hodgson - if the News of the World is to be believed. The Sunday rag reports that the Liverpool board will make a formal approach to Fulham as early as this week in order to secure the services of the 62 year old.
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Sunday, 6 June 2010
Friday, 4 June 2010
KopStuff 4/6/10 - King Kenny in The Frame as Liverpool Search for New Manager
Friday 4th June.
It’s the morning after the night before, and Anfield wakes up managerless; six years of Rafa Benitez stewardship consigned to the history books. An FA Cup, European Super Cup and that famous European Cup will be his official record, a team languishing outside of the top four his legacy.
Protests occurred, noises were made, but the decision was taken to relieve the Spaniard of his position, a £6million compensation package to sweeten the deal.
Benitez was still a popular figure amongst Red’s fans, despite guiding the team to seventh place last season. Most placed the blame for the club’s failures firmly at the feet of the American owners; their boardroom squabbles and inability to provide substantial investment muddying the Anfield waters. Throughout, the manager himself became almost an icon of rebellion; a like-minded figure, a symbol of dissent; forever afforded goodwill after the heroics of Istanbul.
Now, in the cold light of day, the hunt is on for a new manager, with managing director Christian Purslow and Kop legend Kenny Dalglish instrumental in the search. Speculation is mounting that Dalglish himself could take over the reins - based largely on comments attributed to Phil Thompson, rather than anything from within the club. The rumour mill is already in full spin, with over ten names in the frame, although the board have stressed that they will not be rushed into making an appointment. One thing is for certain though - after spending £6million dispatching Benitez to the footballing scrapheap, it is unlikely that they will be wanting to spend too much in compensation to prise another manager away from his club.
Below, we have a look at the main runners and riders for the Liverpool manager’s job.
As previously mentioned, one name in the frame is former player and manager Kenny Dalglish. But what are the actual chances of King Kenny himself taking over the vacant position? A cluster of Anfield legends have been quick to throw their weight behind the iconic Scot, despite him having been out of managerial work for some time. Jamie Redknapp, Bruce Grobelaar and Phil Thompson have all argued for the stability that Dalglish’s appointment would bring to the club, and the backing of the fans is without question. Kenny would fit the other important criteria of being relatively cheap, being already on the Anfield payroll as a club ambassador. But despite these factors, it is unlikely that Dalglish himself would want the position. Having been involved in the club’s glory years, both as a player and a manager, would he be willing to risk his reputation by taking on a club in severe trouble, both off and on the pitch?
Roy Hodgson is another favourite who may also be available on the cheap. The Fulham man is believed to be on a one-year rolling contract, so any compensation would be negligible, certainly below £2million. His tactical nous has helped Fulham to the Europa League Finals, but would he be able to guide the Reds back into Champions League contention? Would the Anfield job be a step too far for the former Inter Milan manager?
Sven Goran Eriksson is another intriguing possibility, with the former England and Manchester City man currently managing the Ivory Coast. The Swede has always made it clear that he would like another crack at the Premier League, and is likely to have an escape clause in his contract with the African side. Any approach would have to wait until after the World Cup, meaning an unsettled summer at Anfield, with a transfer embargo likely.
Martin O’Neill has repeatedly been linked with the Anfield hot seat, along with most jobs in English football. The Aston Villa manager may have been available a season ago, after his relationship with chairman Randy Lerner became strained. However, assurances about his position and transfer funds led the Irishman to commit his future to the Midlands club, and an approach is unlikely to be welcome from either the board or the man himself.
Manuel Pelligrini, the recently sacked Real Madrid manager is another name mentioned in the press, with the Chilean having a further feather in his cap of speaking both fluent Spanish and English. Keeping Rafa’s Spanish contingent happy would be a prime responsibility of any manager working with limited funds.
Rank outsider is ex-Manc Mark Hughes. Several newspapers have touted the ex-Manchester City manager as a possible successor, with Hughes having been unemployed since the winter. With a new stadium still on the agenda, the board may be looking to save on demolition costs here, as Anfield would more than likely be burned to the ground if Sparky was appointed.
Whoever is appointed, their first job will be to assure the likes of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres that the club will be competing for silverware in the coming season.
That’s assuming that those players haven’t already been sold to ease the club’s mounting debts before the new manager is even named…
It’s the morning after the night before, and Anfield wakes up managerless; six years of Rafa Benitez stewardship consigned to the history books. An FA Cup, European Super Cup and that famous European Cup will be his official record, a team languishing outside of the top four his legacy.
Protests occurred, noises were made, but the decision was taken to relieve the Spaniard of his position, a £6million compensation package to sweeten the deal.
Benitez was still a popular figure amongst Red’s fans, despite guiding the team to seventh place last season. Most placed the blame for the club’s failures firmly at the feet of the American owners; their boardroom squabbles and inability to provide substantial investment muddying the Anfield waters. Throughout, the manager himself became almost an icon of rebellion; a like-minded figure, a symbol of dissent; forever afforded goodwill after the heroics of Istanbul.
Now, in the cold light of day, the hunt is on for a new manager, with managing director Christian Purslow and Kop legend Kenny Dalglish instrumental in the search. Speculation is mounting that Dalglish himself could take over the reins - based largely on comments attributed to Phil Thompson, rather than anything from within the club. The rumour mill is already in full spin, with over ten names in the frame, although the board have stressed that they will not be rushed into making an appointment. One thing is for certain though - after spending £6million dispatching Benitez to the footballing scrapheap, it is unlikely that they will be wanting to spend too much in compensation to prise another manager away from his club.
Below, we have a look at the main runners and riders for the Liverpool manager’s job.
As previously mentioned, one name in the frame is former player and manager Kenny Dalglish. But what are the actual chances of King Kenny himself taking over the vacant position? A cluster of Anfield legends have been quick to throw their weight behind the iconic Scot, despite him having been out of managerial work for some time. Jamie Redknapp, Bruce Grobelaar and Phil Thompson have all argued for the stability that Dalglish’s appointment would bring to the club, and the backing of the fans is without question. Kenny would fit the other important criteria of being relatively cheap, being already on the Anfield payroll as a club ambassador. But despite these factors, it is unlikely that Dalglish himself would want the position. Having been involved in the club’s glory years, both as a player and a manager, would he be willing to risk his reputation by taking on a club in severe trouble, both off and on the pitch?
Roy Hodgson is another favourite who may also be available on the cheap. The Fulham man is believed to be on a one-year rolling contract, so any compensation would be negligible, certainly below £2million. His tactical nous has helped Fulham to the Europa League Finals, but would he be able to guide the Reds back into Champions League contention? Would the Anfield job be a step too far for the former Inter Milan manager?
Sven Goran Eriksson is another intriguing possibility, with the former England and Manchester City man currently managing the Ivory Coast. The Swede has always made it clear that he would like another crack at the Premier League, and is likely to have an escape clause in his contract with the African side. Any approach would have to wait until after the World Cup, meaning an unsettled summer at Anfield, with a transfer embargo likely.
Martin O’Neill has repeatedly been linked with the Anfield hot seat, along with most jobs in English football. The Aston Villa manager may have been available a season ago, after his relationship with chairman Randy Lerner became strained. However, assurances about his position and transfer funds led the Irishman to commit his future to the Midlands club, and an approach is unlikely to be welcome from either the board or the man himself.
Manuel Pelligrini, the recently sacked Real Madrid manager is another name mentioned in the press, with the Chilean having a further feather in his cap of speaking both fluent Spanish and English. Keeping Rafa’s Spanish contingent happy would be a prime responsibility of any manager working with limited funds.
Rank outsider is ex-Manc Mark Hughes. Several newspapers have touted the ex-Manchester City manager as a possible successor, with Hughes having been unemployed since the winter. With a new stadium still on the agenda, the board may be looking to save on demolition costs here, as Anfield would more than likely be burned to the ground if Sparky was appointed.
Whoever is appointed, their first job will be to assure the likes of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres that the club will be competing for silverware in the coming season.
That’s assuming that those players haven’t already been sold to ease the club’s mounting debts before the new manager is even named…
Sunday, 30 May 2010
Kopstuff 30/5/10 - Reds Ready for South Africa / Carra 'Top Four Priority'
Sunday 30th May.
Which current players and ex-Reds will be on the plane to South Africa? Has Mourinho moved his attentions to Lampard?
The first World Cup games are less than a fortnight away, and several current and former Liverpool players will be hoping to impress against Japan today. Fabio Capello states that he already has twenty of his final twenty-three man squad in mind, and today’s run out hands players their last chance to cement their place. Only Glen Johnson (returning from his groin injury) and ex-Reds keeper David James will start the game, but Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard may see second half action. Former Reds Stephen Warnock, Peter Crouch and Emile Heskey will also be desperate to prove their worth and secure a ticket to South Africa, although for Villa defender Warnock, the game may have come a few days too soon.
Rumour: Our first rumour is not explicitly Liverpool related, but today has been an unusually quiet Sunday in the world of Anfield gossip. Several papers, including the News of the World, are running stories about Jose Mourinho’s expected summer dealings at Real Madrid, with the former Inter man expected to be handed a bank-busting transfer budget. The majority of the tabloids focus on his desire to capture his former Chelsea charge Frank Lampard, a deal which would surely cast further doubt on any proposed move for Steven Gerrard. It has been long suggested that the two are incompatible in the national side, and it would seem unlikely that Mourinho would look to add both players to his squad, especially with the wealth of talent that Madrid already has in the central midfield area. Any move for the Blues midfielder would be dismissed outright by the London club, but the player himself may want to rejoin his former boss, in the knowledge that he has won all he can with Chelsea. Adios, Lumplard!
News: Jamie Carragher took a break from England training to comment on the Reds title chances next season. Carra was not getting carried away in his interview in The People (I’d forgotten that paper existed), maintaining that a top-four finish ‘is the priority’. Liverpool fans may be disappointed, with all the talk last season being of the Premiership crown, but as the defender points out, the Anfield club are being priced out of the transfer market. Liverpool may not have the distraction of the Champions League next season, but money worries may necessitate a decent run in the Europa League. Ironically enough, this could add more games to next season, stretching an already tight squad and harming our chances of breaking back into the top four, never-mind winning that elusive first Premiership trophy.
Which current players and ex-Reds will be on the plane to South Africa? Has Mourinho moved his attentions to Lampard?
The first World Cup games are less than a fortnight away, and several current and former Liverpool players will be hoping to impress against Japan today. Fabio Capello states that he already has twenty of his final twenty-three man squad in mind, and today’s run out hands players their last chance to cement their place. Only Glen Johnson (returning from his groin injury) and ex-Reds keeper David James will start the game, but Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard may see second half action. Former Reds Stephen Warnock, Peter Crouch and Emile Heskey will also be desperate to prove their worth and secure a ticket to South Africa, although for Villa defender Warnock, the game may have come a few days too soon.
Rumour: Our first rumour is not explicitly Liverpool related, but today has been an unusually quiet Sunday in the world of Anfield gossip. Several papers, including the News of the World, are running stories about Jose Mourinho’s expected summer dealings at Real Madrid, with the former Inter man expected to be handed a bank-busting transfer budget. The majority of the tabloids focus on his desire to capture his former Chelsea charge Frank Lampard, a deal which would surely cast further doubt on any proposed move for Steven Gerrard. It has been long suggested that the two are incompatible in the national side, and it would seem unlikely that Mourinho would look to add both players to his squad, especially with the wealth of talent that Madrid already has in the central midfield area. Any move for the Blues midfielder would be dismissed outright by the London club, but the player himself may want to rejoin his former boss, in the knowledge that he has won all he can with Chelsea. Adios, Lumplard!
News: Jamie Carragher took a break from England training to comment on the Reds title chances next season. Carra was not getting carried away in his interview in The People (I’d forgotten that paper existed), maintaining that a top-four finish ‘is the priority’. Liverpool fans may be disappointed, with all the talk last season being of the Premiership crown, but as the defender points out, the Anfield club are being priced out of the transfer market. Liverpool may not have the distraction of the Champions League next season, but money worries may necessitate a decent run in the Europa League. Ironically enough, this could add more games to next season, stretching an already tight squad and harming our chances of breaking back into the top four, never-mind winning that elusive first Premiership trophy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)