Courtesy of our sister site Live4Liverpool – the top 10 moments of the decade.
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As we come closer to the end of 2010, I thought it might be good to look back at the last decade and see all the memorable moments Liverpool have had during that time. Of course, the most immediate memory is the Champions League final in 2005, but there are also individual memories such as Gerrard‘s goals against Olympiakos in 2005 on the way to the “Miracle in Istanbul,” and the “Gerrard final” of 2006 where Stevie dragged the team to win the FA Cup. Also I have shared memories of instances that occurred under Gerard Houllier’s tenure such as the Golden Goal winner in the UEFA Cup final in 2001, Gary McAllister’s injury time free kick in the Merseyside Derby and John Arne Riise’s goal against Manchester United that nearly broke the goal post in two.
10. John Arne Riise’s wonderstrike vs United
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9. Gary McAllister’s injury time winner at Goodison
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8. Alonso’s 60 yard effort vs Luton
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7. Michael Owen’s winner v Arsenal in the FA Cup final
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6. Steven Gerrard screamer vs West Ham in the FA Cup final
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5. Golden goal vs Alaves
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4. Luis Garcia’s Ghost Goal v Chelsea
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3. Steven Gerrard vs Olympiakos
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And LASTLY
2. Alonso’s equalising penalty vs AC Milan
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1. Jerzy Dudek penalty save from Shevchenko
ENJOY
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Read more articles at the excellent Live4Liverpool website below
Liverpool have appointed former Spurs sporting director Damien Comolli as their new director of football strategy.
The Frenchman has been drafted in to oversee the club's recruitment strategy overseas, with manager Roy Hodgson keen to continue to strengthen his Anfield squad.
Hodgson told the club's official website:"I am looking forward to working with Damien, whom I have known for many years.
"We are engaged in an exciting project here and he will bring a lot to the table.
"We all want to see moves to strengthen the squad and support player development over the next few years. John Henry and I are totally united in delivering on that ambition."
Comolli himself added:"I am delighted to be joining Liverpool and look forward to working with John and Roy.
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"I think we all realise there is a big job ahead, but we all share the vision that John has for rebuilding the club and bringing back the success that the supporters deserve."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Following the royal announcement that emerged late on Tuesday morning, the news that Manchester United’s owners, the Glazer family, are to settle their £220m Payment-in-Kind loans is unlikely to dominate bulletins in the way that New England Sports Ventures’ takeover of Liverpool did in October. Do the Glazers have a direct line to the Clarence House press office? It’s unlikely, and even if they did, wouldn’t they want their surprise announcement to gain as much exposure as possible rather than be lost amidst the stories about Will and Kate and the inevitable array of commemorative plates already being planned?
In truth, instead of pointing to the eventual resolving of the owners’ debt problems and those of Manchester United, the seeing-off of the PiKs raises more questions about the Glazer administration and addresses none of its problems. This is because nobody knows where the money has come from yet. According to a statement by Red Football Joint Venture Ltd (United’s parent company), they will “prepay 100 per cent from the outstanding loan on November 22.” Red Football Joint Venture Ltd do not have to reveal their funding because only Red Football, the club’s operating company, have to publish quarterly accounts, and the repayment of the PiK loans was made the responsibility of the parent company. It’s one of those peculiarities of business law with which the modern day football fan is becoming increasingly acquainted.
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The Glazers took out the PiK loans in 2005 when they bought United and, despite being renegotiated the following year, they had been tied to an intimidating interest rate of 16.25%. The fear, exacerbated by the terms of a bond issue in January, was that the Americans would take up their option to withdraw up to £70m from the club’s own accounts to help repay the PiKs. As the loans were taken out by the family and so were not the club’s official responsibility to repay, this clause permitting the Glazers to divert funds away from team restrengthening in order to lighten their own financial burden was what triggered the green and gold protests at Old Trafford in the second half of last season and saw the membership of the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) swell to over 150,000. However, on the day that Manchester United’s quarterly accounts were published, the board were adamant that none of the club’s money had been withdrawn by the Glazers in this instance. As a caveat, the accounts do only cover the period up to September 30, but the board must be taken on their word.
Where else might the money have come from? The Guardian suggests three possibilities. The Glazers could simply have taken out another loan with which to repay their existing debts (the daytime television route). Another suggestion is that a small stake in United could have been sold to a third party. Finally, the owners could have traded in one of their US business interests, although this is deemed the least likely option.
Although MUST are promising to present the Glazers with a list of questions regarding United’s finances very soon, a clearer explanation of what is happening at United is unlikely to come easily if the Americans are under no obligation to say how they have managed to repay the PiK loans. The news that club funds can be ruled out appears to be positive but if the loans have merely been replaced in kind or paid off via an unnamed source of investment then the benefits to United of having the PiKs removed from the equation become less clear. Regardless of the repayment next week, however, the club’s gross debt, the legacy of the Glazers’ leveraged buyout, still stands at £509m according to the latest figures. That is a very slight reduction on the amount three months ago but nowhere near enough for United fans to start celebrating over.
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A pulsating London derby ended in stalemate, as Heurelho Gomes redeemed himself with an injury time penalty stop that ensured the spoils were shared. At the Reebok a last gasp winner saw an unhappy return for Sam Allardyce, while Mick McCarthy will be breathing a huge sigh of relief as Stephen Hunt fired Wolves to victory in the Midlands derby.
In the papers this morning there has been more from the Carlos Tevez fallout at Manchester City; elsewhere Arsene Wenger urges patience with Theo Walcott, while Stephen Ireland is set for crunch talks with Aston Villa, plus much more.
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Furious Tevez slams City with relationship ‘beyond repair’ – Guardian
Moyes admits Everton may sell Steven Pienaar – IM Scouting
Wenger urges Walcott patience – Sky Sports
Fans will dictate future not Pards – Sun
Ireland set for crunch talks with Gerard Houllier – Daily Mail
Rio wants 4 more years at Man Utd – Sun
Houllier has no Villa regrets – Sky Sports
Terry: we’ve lacked passion until now – Daily Telegraph
Giggs sees Nasri as player to fear – Independent
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Derby day concludes with what is, quite simply, one of the biggest games of the season. Everton were good value for their 2-0 win when these two sides met earlier in the year, however the atmosphere for what will be Kenny Dalglish’s return to Anfield should be extraordinary.
David Moyes has allowed Nigerian striker, Yakubu, to leave the club on loan for the rest of the season. Considering the lack of attacking options available to the Scot, such a move is a surprise, however it may be an indication that some added firepower could be added before the end of the window.
Everton won well at home against Spurs last time out, and a repeat performance against Liverpool could well be enough to secure all three points on Merseyside. The difficulty for Dalglish is that his squad has a real lack of quality running through it, and if any of the club’s key players are absent there is a frightening lack of menace or purpose.
Much has been made of a perceived lack of confidence in the Liverpool squad, however if the return of a club legend and a Merseyside derby aren’t enough to spark a revival, then Liverpool fans may be forced to consider a spring time scrap for survival.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is determined to keep Croatian winger Niko Kranjcar at White Hart Lane, despite a bid from Werder Bremen.
The 26-year-old has started just once for Spurs this season and appears to be set on leaving the north London club, but Redknapp is keen to retain Kranjcar, who scored six times from 24 appearances last term.
“There is a German club that have come in for him. They have offered good money for him but I’m not keen to lose Niko,” Redknapp said.
“He is a good player, a fantastic player. I don’t think he wants to go to Germany and play.”
“I don’t think he feels that’s an option for him. If that’s the case then he will stay here and that’s great for us as well.”
With Spurs pressing the leaders in the English Premier League, and relishing the prospect of Champions League football next month, Redknapp is keenly aware of the physical demands on his playing list.
“We have a lot of games coming up. We are going to need a squad,” he said.
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“There’s talk that the Sunderland game that we have coming up could be an evening kick-off on a Saturday and then Tuesday we play AC Milan away, then we have them at home.”
“These games are going to be coming thick and fast. We have a rearranged game with Blackpool to play on a Wednesday night. It’s going to be Saturday, midweek, Saturday, midweek. Niko is going to be an important player for us.”
Real Madrid midfielder Kaka must continue to wait for a return to the Brazil national team after missing out on the squad to face France.
Kaka, 28, made his first appearance of the season for Real earlier in January after recovering from a serious knee injury.
Brazil meet France in Paris on February 9, but the match has arrived too soon for the former AC Milan midfielder, who has been eased back into action by La Liga title contenders Real.
Promising forward Neymar will not be part of the squad due to his involvement with the under-20 team, who are contesting the South American Youth Championship in Peru.
Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar has been selected for the first time under coach Mano Menezes, but his team-mates at the Serie A champions, Lucio and Maicon, missed out.
Two attacking midfielders – Bayer Leverkusen’s Renato Augusto and Shaktar Donetsk man Jadson – received their first call-ups, and there was a return to the squad for Dynamo Kyiv striker Andre, who made his debut in 2010.
With pre-season conditioning for the Brazilian championship underway, no home-based players were included in the squad.
Menezes, who took over from Dunga in July last year, believes there would be little point in selecting players midway through their domestic off season.
“Our players would suffer in the next games and would play rivals in a different form,” Menezes said.
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“It is important for us to have the same form, the same physical condition.”
“Brazilian teams are playing Copa Libertadores matches the same day. Anyway, we are not going to France with a weak team at all.”
Aston Villa duo Darren Bent and Ashley Young scored the goals that gave England a confidence boosting victory in Copenhagen. Fabio Capello was delighted with the performance and believes that certain performances have given something of a selection headache in the future.
In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include OPLC deny Hammers speculation; Liverpool eye young duo, while Man City and Tottenham rise up the rich league.
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OPLC deny Hammers ‘speculation’ – Sky Sports
Capello admits to striking dilemma – Guardian
City and Spurs rise up the rich league – Guardian
Liverpool eye England starlets – Mirror
Eriksen’s free reign must leave Wilshere straining at leash – Daily Mail
Liverpool’s owners battle at high court – Guardian
Newcastle snap up free-agent Kuqi – Mirror
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema in talks with Tottenham – IM Scouting
Tevez dropped for Argy bargy – Sun
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1. Good things come to those who wait in European football
Thirty-nine years is a very long time for two sides with as proud a European pedigree as Spurs and Milan to go without playing each other. Likewise, eighty minutes is a long time for a side away from home in the Champions League to have to wait before they get the chance to run behind their opponents’ midfield. Peter Crouch’s winner for Tottenham ten minutes from the end of the game came about because Milan had finally started to seize the game’s initiative and so had left themselves vulnerable to the counter-attack. With the Italian side adopting the increasingly familiar practice of the home team in a European knockout tie, lining up deeper for fear of conceding an away goal, it was Spurs who had been on the front foot throughout the first half only to find chances on goal limited as Gennaro Gattuso, Mathieu Flamini and Thiago Silva formed a screen in front of the Milan defence. Two Mario Yepes headers in the second half – both brilliantly saved by Heurelho Gomes – encouraged the Serie A leaders forward as the game entered its final quarter but it was the Colombian defender who was left trailing in Aaron Lennon’s wake as the Tottenham winger centred for Crouch to score.
2. The San Siro brings out the best in Tottenham’s wingers
Aaron Lennon deserves as much praise for his performance in Milan as Gareth Bale received for his hat-trick against Inter back in October. However, while Bale’s inspirational display was ultimately in vain, his tramline-coiffured teammate’s efforts in the San Siro on Tuesday night played a vital part in Spurs’ remarkable victory. Before the game, the selection of Steven Pienaar over Niko Kranjčar on the left was a sign that Harry Redknapp would be looking for Spurs to maintain positional discipline in wide areas; at the same time, Kranjčar’s omission made the potential attacking threat offered by Lennon on the right all the more key. The England winger did not let his manager down. With Bale absent because of a back injury, Lennon had a chance to raise his international profile in the same place his Welsh counterpart did four months ago. He caused Luca Antonini many problems at left back, particularly in the first half when Spurs’ obvious ploy was to deliver the ball to Crouch in the area at every opportunity, with Lennon beating his marker to the byline to cross on more than one occasion.
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3. Gennaro Gattuso is “a little dog at best”
That was Graeme Souness’ assessment of the Rossoneri captain after the midfielder’s typically combustible performance ended with him picking a fight with 59-year-old Tottenham coach and ex-Milan forward Joe Jordan. All he’s good for is running around after the ball, qualified Souness. It’s not the first time that Gattuso’s headstrong behaviour has seen him act like he’s a panini short of a picnic – he’s made a career out of it, as this incident in the Milan derby two years ago proves – but the Italian international’s antics throughout the second half were pretty special even by his standards. Before attempting to headbutt Jordan after the final whistle but finding himself several inches too short to make a proper impact, Gattuso had already pushed his hand into the Scotsman’s face while the game was still in progress, raised his arms to Peter Crouch, and reacted to the yellow card he was finally awarded for a tackle on Steven Pienaar – which will keep Gattuso out of the second leg at White Hart Lane in three weeks’ time regardless of any retrospective action taken by UEFA for his behaviour at the end – by repeatedly smashing the turf with his fist.
4. Most games benefit from a bit of needle
Harry Redknapp hotfooted it to the side of the pitch for a sit-down interview with Sky Sports shortly after the final whistle, which gave him his first opportunity to see a replay of the tackle by Mathieu Flamini that ended Vedran Ćorluka’s game before an hour was up. The Milan midfielder’s lunge appeared to tick at least two of the boxes that need checking for a player to see a straight red these days, being both two-footed and off the ground, and yet he escaped with a yellow card. The former Arsenal player did win the ball, but that mitigating factor is not normally enough to keep an offending player on the pitch in these enlightened times. However, if the overly aggressive tackle was Flamini’s attempt to stoke up the crowd, and his defiant pose afterwards suggested that it was, then the extra edge that the incident gave to the game ultimately backfired on Milan. Ćorluka’s teammates must have seen him emerge from the tunnel on crutches to take up a watching brief from the bench for the remainder of the game, giving them even more of an incentive to get a result.
5. Jonathan Woodgate: still here
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“I’m still here,” says Steve McQueen defiantly at the end of Papillon. If you haven’t seen the film (spoiler alert), it’s the 1973 adaptation of the prison memoir by convicted French murderer Henri Charrière. Whilst the author’s claims that the book represented a truthful account of his imprisonment at and eventual escape from a penal colony in French Guiana have been called into question lately, the film remains an uplifting portrayal of the human spirit’s indefatigability. Jonathan Woodgate would certainly have benefitted from watching it during his long recovery from a groin injury, given McQueen’s remark at the end. The defender hadn’t featured for Spurs for 15 months until his introduction for the final half-hour at the San Siro, brought about by Ćorluka’s enforced withdrawal; he was not even listed in his club’s 25-man squad for the first half of this season. Woodgate turned down a loan move to Wolves last month in order to fight for his place at White Hart Lane and against Milan on Tuesday night that decision was vindicated. The former Leeds, Newcastle, Real Madrid, and Middlesbrough man slotted in alongside Michael Dawson at the centre of the away side’s defence to help Spurs to their first away clean sheet in Europe this season and leave them ninety minutes from the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Schalke came from a goal behind to defeat Valencia 3-1 and book their spot in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.Ricardo Costa fired Valencia into a 17th minute lead which not only gave them the lead on the night, but also on aggregate, before Jefferson Farfan struck a sensational free-kick just five minutes before half-time to equalise for Schalke.Mario Gavranovic put the Bundesliga side in front with his 52nd minute finish and after Valencia missed a hatful of chances to take the lead on away goals, Farfan completed the victory with a delicate chip in injury time.The tie was well poised after Raul’s second-half equaliser for Schalke at the Mestalla saw the first leg end at 1-1, but it was the La Liga outfit who impressed in the early stages of the return leg in Germany.Jeremy Mathieu saw his early shot flash just wide of the post, but Unai Emery’s men did not have to wait long for a goal, which was triggered by a wonderful piece of skill by Mehmet Topal.Topal intelligently created space for himself on the edge of the area and delivered a bullet cross which was turned in by Costa to give Valencia the lead and an all-important away goal.Schalke were shaken by the goal and could have been two behind if it was not for Christoph Metzelder’s last-ditch challenge to deny Aduriz after 21 minutes.The hosts were eventually able to work themselves back into the match and should have scored through Gavranovic who missed a header, before the equaliser came when Farfan produced a superb free-kick. The Peruvian attacker curled his set piece around the wall and despite the best efforts of Valencia goalkeeper Guaita, who got a touch, the ball thudded into the back of the net to level proceedings.Energised by their goal, Schalke started the second-half well and claimed the lead when Gavranovic pounced on a Guaita error, with his shot hitting both posts before trickling over the line.The goal seemed to fire Valencia into action, and Aduriz shot into the side netting on 56 minutes before he saw a one-on-one opportunity brilliantly saved by in-demand Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer two minutes later.Valencia should have levelled again through substitute Tino Costa, but he failed to connect with his first-time shot with the goal beckoning.But as Valencia poured forward seeking the late away goal that would take them through, Schalke struck with a counter-attacking move finished by Farfan, who chipped over Guaita to send Felix Magath’s side through to the last eight for just the second time in their history.