All posts by h79snht.top

When past players, punditry panels and onlookers alike look at the current Premier League stadia they will often recall Anfield as one of the most special venues in the land. Whether it’s the steep-sided Kop, the hair-raising ambience of Jerry and the Pacemakers blasting out before kick off or simply the vast history surrounding the place, Anfield truly is one of those magical locations in world football. However, the current Premier League season has been one of toil and struggle for Kenny Dalglish’s Reds and despite lifting the Carling Cup, Liverpool remain frustratingly miles away from where many think they should be realistically challenging in the division.

Despite having one of the best defences in the league, Liverpool have uncharacteristically struggled at home, failing to put many middle-of-the-road sides to the sword and suffering from a distinct lack of goal scoring and an inability to go on a long winning streak. Coupled with this, many of Dalglish’s big money signings have flattered to deceive and have only been used as scapegoats in Liverpool’s disappointing league campaign. Understandably, loyal Reds fans have grown frustrated at the club’s transitional state and have aired their concerns, despite a reluctance to shoulder the blame solely with their idolised manager Dalglish.

But have the Liverpool fans and Dalglish built such a high pressure environment that it is no wonder the players are continuing to struggle? Arguably, yes. Whilst we could embark on an in-depth comparison between whether the team inspires the fans or whether the fans inspire the team, there is no doubt that negative energies in the crowd are usually counterproductive for any team. Anfield has no longer been the intimidating fortress of old this term for opposing players but has seemingly become intimidating in the sense that many Reds’ squad members consistently fail to impress in their expectant and impatient surroundings.

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The groans for a poor Stewart Downing cross and the sighs for a misplaced Jordan Henderson pass have been more deafening than ever, and a large majority of fans are still umming and arring just whether to cut their losses with Andy Carroll or not, who despite playing better of late, still would be more at home in a long ball system. These unanswered questions have undermined Liverpool’s season, and add in Luis Suarez’s conflicts with Evra and you have a very distracted campaign. Manager Dalglish still maintains his ‘us against them’ tact in the media too, with his recent Sky Sports interview with Andy Burton after the Blackburn game representing for the umpteenth time the Scot’s old school attitude and blunt nature that the press are troublemakers and that he won’t work with them and give too much away.

Perhaps a more socially astute manager would deflect further criticism by not making himself an easy target and conveying more honesty instead of a defensive nature when quizzed about the obvious poor performances of his team. In this respect, Dalglish fails to negotiate a mastery of the mass media in the way a Jose Mourinho or Harry Redknapp does.

The ‘us and them’ ideal as enforced by Dalglish can be conceptualised more greatly also. The outsiders in Henderson, Downing, Adam and Carroll are still yet to be truly embraced by their public and are always seemingly one bad performance away from a widespread show of dissent by fans turning on them. Their designation alongside more Liverpool-familiar squad members in Steven Gerrard, Jay Spearing and Jamie Carragher serves to suggest they still need guidance and to learn just what it means to be a Liverpool player. It is not premature to surmise both Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson have struggled particularly with the so-called step up to a ‘bigger’ club and it should not be underestimated just how much the new daunting surroundings of Anfield can be for an individual. Adam was the star and most technically gifted player at an unfashionable Blackpool outfit but now he finds himself alongside an idol in Steven Gerrard and precocious talents such as Jay Spearing and Jonjo Shelvey. Is it any wonder, his performances have stood out far less?

The very nature and history of Liverpool Football Club means by default that they should be cutting it nearer the top end of the division. In order to get nearer to their targets, this season has to be forgotten and more astuteness and a sensible negotiation of the transfer market has to be the way forward. Liverpool have shown in the past that they can attract the right sort of player with Martin Skrtel, Xabi Alonso and Pepe Reina setting the tone, but failing to reach the Champions League is inevitably going to have negative repercussions. The club just might need to win the FA Cup to truly convince their fans and potential imports that this season has been a one off.

Has the high pressure environment of Anfield had an adverse effect for certain Reds stars? Follow me @ http://twitter.com/Taylor_Will1989

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England have held their first training session ahead of Euro 2012, with Danny Welbeck and Glen Johnson not able to take part.

The sprightly forward has not played since picking up an ankle injury in the Manchester derby, and Roy Hodgson is now believed to be sweating over the Manchester United attacker’s fitness, according to The Guardian.

Welbeck is expected to lead the line for the Three Lions against France and Sweden in the first two games of the tournament, as club team-mate Wayne Rooney is suspended.

However, it appears that Welbeck faces a race against time to be ready for the competition, and will need further rehabilitation to be able to play.

Johnson meanwhile is nursing a minor injury, and could be a doubt for the international friendly against Norway on Saturday; club colleague Martin Kelly has been called into the contingent as a temporary back-up.

The Three Lions’ boss was given a boost however, as Scott Parker negotiated the 90 minute session at the Etihad Stadium unscathed.

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By Gareth McKnight

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England’s record of never beating Sweden at a major international tournament came to an end on Friday night, as they dramatically captured a 3-2 victory in Kiev. For many England fans, the praise was aimed at Theo Walcott, who came on to change the game and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with a goal, followed by an assist for Danny Welbeck.

The 23 year-old hasn’t started either of England’s matches so far at Euro 2012, but has appeared from the bench twice to play on the right hand side of England’s midfield. Is it possible that Roy Hodgson sees Walcott best used as an impact sub?

The opening game against France didn’t see him make the headlines as heroically as his antics against Sweden, only appearing for the duration of injury time. As England went 2-1 down to Sweden, Hodgson immediately turned to Walcott to salvage the game. His pace and eagerness to attack an out of shape and tired Swedish back four ultimately made the difference.

Therein lies Walcott’s threat. For Arsenal and England, his attacking prowess is mainly owed to his speed rather than his technical ability. At times, Walcott has baffled many as such a disappointing underperformer. An English youngster who had so much potential but was yet to achieve nor was he appearing to develop at the highest level.

Roy Hodgson is not the only one who may serve to see Walcott as only an impact sub. His club manager Arsene Wenger has at times relied on the ex-Saints man to make the difference from the bench. Even defensively, brining on Walcott can have an impact as his pace terrifies full backs, making them reluctant to push forward for a fear of being caught out on the counter attack.

As England manager, many questions are continuously asked of Roy Hodgson and his team selections are not easy decisions. Choosing James Milner or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the starting line up givesEnglanda different dimension to what Walcott can offer. Milner will work hard, spraying passes around midfield whilst staying defensively disciplined. Oxlade-Chamberlain is powerful, direct and intelligent. Walcott offers something completely different, as he charges at defences and makes runs in behind full backs. This change in playing styles with just a substitution can bemuse opponents and turn a game on its head, as Walcott demonstrated in Kiev.

Similarly, if a fresh legged opponent is going into the game with the knowledge Theo Walcott is starting, the playing style Walcott possesses is at times simple and can prove easy to defend. Walcott becomes ineffective and his presence on the pitch is scarcely noticed. As an oncoming substitute, the difference is simple: the players he faces are more fatigued and find him difficult to handle.

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As 23 year old Walcott fights for fitness for the remainder Euro 2012,England fans will be hoping he can be fit as soon as possible, as his impact from the bench has already played a role in their tournament.

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On the pitch at Euro 2012 so far, England have performed slightly above expectations after having them dampened so often by those in power, but the aftershocks of the situation that led to the side going into the tournament a month or so before without a manager in place are still being felt, and we shouldn’t forget to scrutinise the FA for their undoubted media mistakes along the way.

Fabio Capello resigned from the England job in early February this year, after he decided that getting a kicking from a bitter and somewhat xenophobic national press for not talking to them all that much while earning £6m-a-year just simply wasn’t worth all of the hassle. However, the straw that broke the camels backs was the FA’s mis-handling of the John Terry saga and it continues to botch one attempt to draw a line under the issue after another.

John Terry is innocent until proven guilty with concerns to the court trial he has coming up for an racially-aggravated public order offence, involving Anton Ferdinand. The thing that moronic fans often forget, when they boo Anton Ferdinand for being reportedly racially abused, is that it was a fan at the game that reported the incident rather than the player himself, hence why it has been dealt with by the courts rather than the FA as the Patrice Evra-Luis Suarez case was.

The fact that this was taken out of the FA’s hands has had a huge role to play in the mess they’ve repeatedly made. Only when it was revealed that the court case date was set for after Euro 2012 on July 9th did they make a decision themselves. They stripped John Terry of the captaincy when it became clear that the courts weren’t going to do them a favour and make the decision for them. This dithering approach isn’t a media strategy as such, it’s just downright idiotic. What followed was that Capello, quite rightly, saw this as a challenge to his authority and he fell on his sword. No manager at any level would stand for having the board tell them to get rid of his choice of captain.

Where the FA really fell down, though, was that they stripped Terry of the captaincy but stopped short of banning him from the squad. So instead you had this ludicrous half-measure that meant he could still go to Euro 2012 with a racism court case hanging over his head but just not as captain. The very reasons that meant the FA stripped him of it in the first place still existed – problems in the dressing room, a divided national team set-up – but the FA were only really interested in protecting their image, particularly with racism such a hot topic in Ukraine and Poland this summer.

It essentially left whoever took over the job with a terrible conundrum to face right away. Whatever course of action Roy Hodgson took, he was on a hiding to nothing. The FA had just passed on responsibility for the situation once again to someone else. The lack of leadership on display beggars belief.

So what happened next? Hodgson named his England squad and Rio Ferdinand was left out and John Terry was left in. The former West Brom boss simply said ‘footballing reasons’ were behind Ferdinand’s omission, but didn’t care to specify what exactly they were. Of course, there were very real concerns about Ferdinand’s fitness and ability to play two games in quick succession, but instead, both Hodgson and the FA remained quiet.

Ferdinand’s representative Jamie Moralee relseased a statement which read: “Lampard, Terry, Barry, Gerrard; all ageing but they go to the tournament. Why is Rio different? To treat a player that has captained and served his country 81 times (in this manner) is nothing short of disgraceful. Total lack of respect from Hodgson and the FA as far as I am concerned.”

Ferdinand then himself took to Twitter to tweet the short but rather unsubtle “what reasons????!!!!” in reference to Hodgson leaving him out of the squad. I think that it’s fair to say that there are classier ways of edging towards international retirement than this. The situation got even worse when Gary Cahill was ruled out of the tournament through injury and Liverpool’s back-up Martin Kelly was called up in his place, instead of Ferdinand.

On the 9th June, Hodgson finally revealed his footballing reasons and they actually made a lot of sense: “Rio Ferdinand for me is not a player that you call up as a substitute, or to cover for the players that you have. “We turned to Martin Kelly because I knew he was going to be someone who would be very useful to us. “He’s very happy to be here knowing that his chances of playing a big part in the tournament are quite small. “You don’t turn to people like Rio Ferdinand for that.”

Hodgson named his England squad on the 16th May, which is 24 days until he properly explained Ferdinand’s absence from the squad. It made sense when he eventually did, so why such the delay? What exactly is the FA’s director of communications team being paid to do unless it’s stopping stories like this from hogging the limelight? Sticking your head in the sand is not a strategy, and neither is putting your fingers in your ears and hoping for the best and that it will all just go away.

Hodgson later remarked that he was ‘surprised’ that everyone was still talking about the Ferdinand omission, which shows you the level he’s at when it comes to being able to play the media game, but the FA should know better. They’ve botched this situation from the off and the circumstances that led to Hodgson getting the job in the first place were solely down to their mis-handling of the affair.

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They’ve undermined two different managers in quick succession and essentially failed to make a decisive and clear decision of their own at every turn. Success on the pitch may have saved them, but as they have consistently shown in the past, it won’t be long until they make another horrendus gaffe.

You can follow me on Twitter @JamesMcManus1

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Paul Jewell has recently announced that Carlos Edwards will remain as captain next season even though many thought that new signing Luke Chambers would take the armband.

Edwards took over as captain last season when Grant Leadbitter was removed as captain and Jewell believes that Edwards is still the right man for the job.

The Trinidad and Tabago international did put in some solid shifts at right back last season and he certainly makes a better captain than Grant Leadbitter.

However, Edwards will be 34 in October so it is likely that he won’t be able to sustain a regular position in the team in the future. I don’t think that Edwards will be good enough to make the team by the end of this season and many would argue that Jewell should have replaced Edwards and named a younger player as captain for this coming season for the long term.

Although many have said that Chambers would make a good captain, others have claimed that young centre back Tommy Smith should have been named captain.

At the age of 22, Smith is young enough to lead the team for many years and he did impress at the end of last season. It would be great to see Smith take the captaincy and have a great season but personally I don’t think he is quite ready for that role. It would be hard for Smith to boss the team around as he still has a lot to learn himself and he hasn’t even played consistently well for a whole season yet. If anyone was going to take the captaincy off Edwards, for me it was always going to be new arrival Chambers.

Chambers has experience as captain from his former clubs and at the age of 26 is old enough to command respect within the team. One of the reasons Paul Jewell signed Chambers would have been because he has great leadership qualities; so why not make him captain?

The main argument against appointing him as captain would be that as he is a new arrival it wouldn’t be right to give him such a crucial role. Personally, I don’t think it matters whether a player has been at the club for years or is a new arrival because as long as they have the ability to lead and the respect of their team mates then they will make a good captain.

I agree with those who say that Chambers would make a good captain and I also agree that Smith will one day be a good choice. However, I think Jewell made the right choice by keeping Edwards as captain. Edwards has more experience than any other Ipswich player and he did a great job last season when he took over as captain. Additionally, by keeping the same captain it gives the side a bit of stability and consistency which is always useful.

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Jewell also brought up a good point when he said “It’s not really about who has the armband. It’s about what you do out on the pitch and in and around the club during the week. That’s what makes a leader”. I couldn’t agree more with Jewell’s logic here and he is saying all of the right things in this instance.

It is likely that Jewell’s plan is to see how the season goes and at some point he will decide it is the right time to replace Edwards as captain. I can see Chambers taking the armband around January or February time but really that shouldn’t change much within the team. Like Jewell says, it doesn’t matter who has the armband as all of the senior players are expected to offer something in terms of leadership and you always need more than one good leader within the team.  

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Liverpool striker Andy Carroll looks like he could be set for a move away from Anfield, with former club Newcastle United interested in bringing the England international back to Tyneside.

The 23-year-old has struggled since his move to Liverpool back in January 2011 and the arrival of new Reds manager Brendan Rodgers has heightened the possibility of him leaving the club.

Carroll won’t be allowed to leave on loan, which was the deal that Newcastle were looking to structure, so the Magpies have been left to negotiate with the Reds’ board as Liverpool embark on their pre-season tour of the USA.

Here is Carroll burying his head in the sand so to speak as he hides from the rumours surrounding him, but can you come up with a funny caption for this picture?

Leave your suggestions in the comments section below…

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Last week’s winner: Adrian Brodkin – click here to see all entries

The majority of Sunderland fans would be lying if they said they hadn’t been expecting more from Martin O’Neill’s first full summer in charge. With obvious weaknesses in the squad and assurances from the manager and Chairman Ellis Short that the club would be targeting quality signings, the solitary arrival of Carlos Cuellar hasn’t exactly revitalised the Stadium of Light faithful ahead of the upcoming campaign. Supporters have spent many a transfer window analysing the merits of a host of new signings but there has been rapid change of pace on Wearside this time around with more departures than new arrivals.

In part this reserved activity was inevitable as O’Neill was bound to focus on whittling out the deadwood in his squad but the terraces know all too well which positions need to be strengthened and so far the club have made very little progress. With Wolves endlessly batting away inflated offers for Steven Fletcher, Sunderland’s progress has in part been crippled by selling clubs looking to take advantage of their desperation for reinforcements but to their credit they have remained steadfast in their recruitment drive and still have time to find the right names.

Despite a low key summer, the club are still in a great position to challenge for the top 10. Whether they can push for a European place will rely heavily on their pre-deadline day efforts but despite being a fair way behind to League’s top dogs, the Black Cats have an excellent foundation to build upon next season and can look to enjoy some cup success while cementing their place as the best of rest.

One to watch next season

Plenty has been made of Irish winger James McClean after his impressive debut season in the North East culminated in a call up to Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2012 squad. Despite Stephane Sessegnon bearing the brunt of Sunderland’s attacking threat, the 23 year old has become one of the first names on the team sheet after countless energetic performances illustrated how wrong Steve Bruce was to leave him in the reserves. Having been thrown in at the deep end during O’Neill’s first game in charge, the former Derry City star has hardly looked back since and managed to score 6 times in side that often struggled in front of goal. His determined work rate has made him a fan’s favourite and an expected switch to the right wing will help develop his game still further by allowing him progress from a raw talent to a versatile Premier League midfielder.

His reported £350,000 transfer fee looks a snip compared to the inflated prices being touted around this summer and shines a light on the £9m offer from West Ham that Wolves rejected for Matt Jarvis, proving there is value for money if you’re willing to look for it. With bags of energy and a never say die attitude that makes him just as responsible defensively as going forward, the speedy winger’s progress is one of the main sparks to excite fans going into the new season. Sunderland have finally found a solution to their left sided midfield woes and possess a player who can make the position his own while they seek to strengthen in other areas.

The Black Cats have struggled to find any real consistency in recent years, particularly in front goal since the departure of Darren Bent, but players like McClean have affordably helped them rediscover their attacking flair and the final piece of the puzzle is finding someone to put the ball in the back of the net. O’Neill’s troops look threatening as a counter attacking side and the pace and skill of McClean will play a major role in the hopes for re-establishing their top 10 status next season.

Breakthrough player

Despite a Kevin Ball inspired youth setup churning out a number of talented aspiring stars, Sunderland fans have rarely seen the fruits of his labours in recent seasons but with Jack Colback looking more and more accomplished in the centre of midfield, they could finally have a home grown hero to get behind. After the departure of Jordan Henderson, there were concerns that the Black Cats may have lost one of their best fledgling talents but ‘the North East’s answer to Paul Scholes’ has shown he’s a mature passer of the ball and is by no means out of his depth in the top flight. His progression is in stark contrast to the stuttering path walked by Henderson at Liverpool and another season of first team football could see Colback outshine his former team mate.

As well as ousting central midfielders such as David Vaughan and Craig Gardner from the starting line up, the youngster has also shown he’s defensively adept when filling in at left-back and this versatility is another string to his ever strengthening bow. With an old head on young shoulders Colback keeps possession well and tracks back to defend but he also found the net twice last season, including a wonder strike against local rivals Middlesbrough, and will be looking to add more goals to his game. Having been given the backing of his manager after spells of intermittent game time, the steep learning curve he experienced last season will stand him in good stead for an improved campaign. Supporters should still be cautiously nurturing given the competition for places at the club and no one can predict potential injuries and personal disruptions but Colback should play an increasingly integral role in the side.

Expectations for the upcoming campaign

It’s always a tough task trying to assess Sunderland’s potential fortunes. On the one hand they’re clearly a big side with a large stadium, passionate supporters and an experienced manager backed by a wealthy owner with European aspirations. On the other hand they’re one of a number of mid-table teams looking to take the next step up in class but have little pedigree to suggest such progression is especially likely. Long gone are the good old days of Peter Reid and while the foundations for a repeat performance are still there, the current squad on paper do not look capable of reaching those heights. Add to that the years spent yo-yoing to and from the Championship and it’s only in the last few seasons that the club have truly reaffirmed their position as a top side.

Fans know they need a number of fresh faces if they’re to move forward but so far nothing much has materialised on the transfer front and until improvements are made, it’s hard to look beyond another inauspicious mid-table finish. That said, it’s not all doom and gloom for the squad is looking much healthier now than in previous injury ravaged seasons. Should the club attract a new striker and left back to the North East in the next few weeks then they will have every position in the squad covered. O’Neill has already shown during his short reign in charge that he is more than capable of inspiring his players to go above and beyond for the cause and if he can get the best of his squad when they’re lacking in a few areas then the sky’s the limit should he finally fill those gaps.

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In reality an 8th placed finish and a cup run would satisfy most but the club’s ambitions are to challenge for Europe so if the owners can back that sentiment with transfer funds then fans can expect a much stronger assault on the Premier League next season.

What excites/concerns you ahead of next season? Which player’s are you looking forward to seeing at the SOL?

Let me know your views and opinions by following me on Twitter – Tweet me @Alex_Churcher

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When Liverpool invested in taking Brendan Rodgers from Swansea this summer and appointing him as their new manager, they were investing in a new vision for the club. But the process of developing that vision and Rodgers ideology for the football club, demands that principal owner John W. Henry and the Fenway Sports Group continue to back and invest in their new man.

Because the status of the club and the realities of this league demand that Liverpool cannot continue to regress anymore. Rodgers had to be backed to the hilt; now was not the time to verge on the side of caution or hesitate in making the decisions that the Ulsterman requested. Otherwise the changes made in getting rid of Kenny Dalglish were made redundant.

But the stark reality is that FSG have fallen short in the support of their new man and new project. Yes, investment has been made this summer and supporters weren’t oblivious to the fiscal responsibilities that have come with the last 18 months of spending. But in failing to acquire a new striker for Brendan Rodgers, the club have left the job half done. Time will tell quite how serious the implications of this will be. But the lack of depth up front has the capacity to spell big trouble for the red half of Merseyside.

As this summer’s transfer window progressed, it felt as if Liverpool were assembling a squad with real balance but more importantly, in the shape of the man that they’d brought in to take the club.

The £15 acquisition of Joe Allen from Swansea has still left a handful of supporters dubious, especially after the vast sums spent on the likes of Stewart Downing. But Allen has looked to settle well, he fits the new style but most importantly, he was Rodgers number one transfer target. The club recognized how much their new man valued Allen as an integral cog in the machine and they backed him up by getting the deal done.

Similarly, Fabio Borini was a player that Rodgers has worked with before and clearly values highly enough to demand that the owners shell out near on £10million for him. A player that is young, technically astute and versatile, he fits the Rodgers mould that FSG invested in acquiring.

But this is where progress seems to have to come to a grinding halt for Rodgers in the transfer market. Snapping up the exquisitely talented Nuri Sahin from Real Madrid on loan was a wonderful bit of opportunism that has boosted the squad, but perhaps not where it was in the most need of boosting. Liverpool were in desperate need of bringing in another frontman by the end of the transfer window. The future of Andy Carroll was always up in the air but both his and the departures of more unconventional front men in Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy left the Rodgers with only two conventional strikers.

And quite remarkably, the status quo remained as the transfer window slammed shut. Liverpool’s ranks of recognized frontmen currently consists of both Luis Suarez and Fabio Borini, a player who himself, is a newcomer to Premier League football. For however talented the pair may be, Liverpool have begun the new league campaign with an alarmingly weak frontline. Even if Rodgers’ 4-3-3 system is extremely fluid and interchangeable, a long term injury to Suarez in particular, could prove terminal for any goals they wish to achieve this season.

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But the fact is, it simply should never have got to this stage at Anfield.  In particular when Rodgers’ principal target was ex-Fulham, and painfully now Tottenham Hotspur striker, Clint Dempsey. The American offered not only real quality, as his 23 goals demonstrated last season, but amazing value. Fulham reportedly wanted around £5million plus for the 29-year-old. Astonishingly, this was apparently too much for the Liverpool board to contemplate, and a counter £3million was reportedly their return offer. Unsurprisingly, this was rejected and Dempsey subsequently joined Tottenham Hotspur on deadline day.

In his open letter to the club, John W. Henry stopped short of addressing the Dempsey issue directly, but he gave a relatively unsubtle hint to exactly how he felt about it.

The 62-year-old said:

“Spending is not merely about buying talent. Our ambitions do not lie in cementing a mid-table place with expensive, short-term quick fixes that will only contribute for a couple of years.”

It’s hard to argue with the overall merits of Henry’s admirable ideology but he seems to be naïve to the process in how you go about achieving this. Just throwing Rodgers in with his 4-3-3 and ensuring all the players have average age of the squad is nice and low doesn’t mean anything. For starters, age is only a number and all great squads have ben built with at least some bedrock of experience. Turning your nose up at a striker who’s got 17 goals in the league when you’ve only got two recognised frontmen on the basis he’s 29 isn’t smart. In fact to put it mildly, it’s pretty foolish indeed.

Supporters understand that the wage bill at Anfield after a culture of paying high money for questionably quality, had to be slashed. But not backing Rodgers on Dempsey, just because he had a low re-sale value, is an unbelievably poor showing of judgement. Although in terms of quality, finance and ambition, Manchester United’s purchase of Robin van Persie isn’t on the same plateau as Liverpool’s pursuit of Dempsey. But at the end of the day, they made a purchase, regardless of age, that they thought could drastically improve the prospects of the squad. For the price that Dempsey was available for, there are no excuses for Henry and the FSG.

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But perhaps far more poignantly, the club haven’t just let Rodgers down but they’ve in some respects, displayed a public lack of faith in the ex-Swansea man. Of course, their intentions to run the club sustainably suggest that there isn’t anything deeply cynical about this. But when they invested in his vision for the club, they were trusting him with taking Liverpool forward. Why back him with £25million but then baulk at paying £5million-odd for Dempsey?

Rodgers has got off to a difficult start at Anfield but similarly to Andre Villas-Boas’ fate at Tottenham Hotspur, he has been let down by a higher figure of authority. Fans need to see through that and back him to the hilt; an away fixture to Sunderland followed by a home game against Manchester United suggest that patience may have to be a virtue in the coming weeks.

How do you feel about Liverpool’s faliure to attain Clint Dempsey? Were they right to stick true to their principals given his age or is it a serious error of judgement? Let me know what you think on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me your views. 

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Arsenal are prepared to let misfit attacker Andrei Arshavin leave the club on a free transfer in hope that he can secure a move back to his homeland before the Russian transfer window closes on Thursday, The Telegraph report.

The eastern European playmaker spent the second half of last season on loan at Zenit St Petersburg, but it is believed that his former side and Anzhi Makhachkala are both not interested in a move for the forward.

As such, Dynamo Moscow have emerged as the most likely destination for Arshavin, but a deal must be wrapped up in the 36 hours before the window closes in the nation.

Arshavin signed for the Gunners for a fee of more than £13 million back in 2009, and Arsene Wenger was initially hopeful of recouping around £5 million for him.

However, with time running out and Arshavin in the last year of his contract, the north Londoners are set to cut their loses on the out-of-form player.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Rickie Lambert admits he cannot wait to return to Merseyside, as Southampton prepare to face Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday. The official Southampton website reports.

The Saints will go into the match with confidence, after back-to-back wins over Aston Villa in the League and Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup.

Lambert tried to review the upcoming match in a professional manner, before revealing how the match evoked memories of playing for the Toffees’ local rivals, Liverpool as a boy.

He said: “It’s just another one.

“But it’s another one that all the lads are buzzing for, and for me as a Scouser it’s definitely one I’ve been looking forward to.”

Although, the 30-year-old is aware of David Moyes’ side’s good start to the season and admits they will have to be at their very best to get a result.

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“They’re flying at the minute, but even when they’re not flying it’s a hard place to go so we know we’ve got a hard game on our hands.

“Hopefully the Villa win is going to give us the confidence to go there and get something”, he added.