Tag Archives: liverpool

Will Avram Grant, Carlo Ancelotti & Roy Hodgson get the sack?

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After yesterday’s Premier League results it would take a lucky man or a fool to bet on the next Premier League manager to lose his job.

Avram Grant, Carlo Ancelotti and Roy Hodgson’s days are surely numbered after Blackburn Rovers thrashed Liverpool 3-1, West Ham was humiliated by Newcastle United 5-0 and Chelsea were embarrassed at Wolves whose 1-0 victory lifts them out of the relegation zone.

I think Roy Hodgson’s time was already up before the kick-off but this latest defeat may have the Liverpool owners turning to Kenny Dalglish as a caretaker manager until they can get a big name to take up the reins at Anfield.

Carlo Ancelotti and Chelsea’s poor run continued last night at Molineux.  It’s still amazing what has happened at Stamford Bridge since the sacking of Ray Wilkins. They started the season scoring for fun only to stumble and fall at the first serious challenge against Manchester City, and since then have never looked that confident.  If ever an English Premiership team could be compared to David Haye at the beginning of the season, only to fall from grace and turn into Audley Harrison midway through the season, Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea are that team!

Of the three managers things were looking brightest for Avram Grant this time yesterday afternoon.  I assume owners David Sullivan and David Gold may have been content with a draw against Newcastle at St. James Park until it was confirmed their first and second choice strikers, Andy Carroll and Shola Ameobi, were both injured.  They must have expected West Ham to grab all three points, not get absolutely hammered 5-0 with some of the poorest defending I had seen on Match of the Day since the Liverpool game, thirty minutes earlier!

Chelsea, West Ham and Liverpool to sack their managers in January, what are the odds on that?

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Are Liverpool the most boring club in England?

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Following Liverpool’s dire goalless draw with FC Utrecht last night, Sport.co.uk is asking whether we have witnessed Liverpool quickly become the county’s most boring club.

Particularly harsh you may shout. What about Blackburn Rovers? Or Stoke City? These teams don’t come close. Although many take issue with their often direct, no-nonsense style, they make no apologies for it, use it in the main to great effect, and regularly provide shock results. Is there a more entertaining sight than seeing Arsene Wenger flailing his arms in the air as Sam Allardyce plants his latest obstacle in the path of Manuel Almunia? You wouldn’t find one at Anfield.

With Fernando Torres continuing to perform a poor portrayal of an out of form Martin Dahlin, and Steven Gerrard struggling with a back infliction, Hodgson’s two world-class performers have been hindered thus far. Joe Cole has had somewhat of an eventful but by no means world-beating start to his career on Merseyside, while Paul Konchesky and Christian Poulsen aren’t going to add the touch of flair and guile they have been crying out for ever since the oppressive Benitez reign.

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So Houllier at Villa. Will he be a success?

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So after six years away from the Premier League (and it feels like about 4 of those were speculation he was joining Villa – can you believe its been less than a month?) Gérard Houllier has officially been confirmed as manager of Aston Villa.

So the immediate question – will he be a success? He’s had a mixed bag of a career. He was last in the Premier League as manager of Liverpool, where he set about dismantling the Spice Boy Era, and bought a bit of success to the club (including a UEFA Cup win) before leaving the club in a bit of a mess after failing to qualify for the Champions League. Not that dissimilar from his successor then.

He did help turn Steven Gerrard into the Steven Gerrard we all know today, and he did get the best out of Michael Owen (who hasn’t really been the same player since). Although it wasn’t all roses, he also bought El Hadji Diouf instead of Nicolas Anelka. If you are going to buy one sulky foreigner, you want to make it Anelka.

They key, I think is that the Premier League is a pretty different beast than it was in 2004. Since then English Clubs have come to dominante in the Champions League (last season excepted) the status of the League has grown, the money is crazier, it is an altogether different beast. Although having some experience is better than none.

The other key is Villa. Can they be pushed farther than O’Neill took them? Over the past few seasons they have been bleeding talent (Barry, Milner etc) without ever breaking into the top four (Despite threatening a couple of times). Keeping hold of talent is going to be key, and its unlikely he’ll be able to dismantle and start again as he did at Liverpool.

He is a great coach though – he won other trophies at Liverpool, cups and super cups, as well as the League in France a couple of times. He had a torrid international spell, but as we know that’s a different beast entirely.

Also, apparently Villa think he shares the same core values as they do. Whatever the hell they are.

Its a really interesting appointment and I can’t wait to see how it pans out. His first game is against Stoke on Monday (Its on Sky of course), also make a note in your diary for the beginning of December, when he heads back to Anfield.

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Sneijder desperate for Inter to sign Kuyt

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Wesley Sneijder feels Dirk Kuyt would be a great signing for Inter

Rafael Benitez is understood to be keen on taking Kuyt, whom he signed for Liverpool from Feyenoord in 2006, to Inter this season, prompting Reds boss Roy Hodgson to accuse his predecessor of reneging on an agreement not to make an approach for any Liverpool players.

Sneijder, who played alongside Kuyt as Netherlands reached this summer’s World Cup final, believes Inter should press ahead with the deal, though, and says he has spoken to club president Massimo Moratti to recommend his signing.

“I hope that before the end of the transfer session he can be here with us,” Sneijder told NOS. “Dirk already knows what awaits him at Inter and I am certain within a week my team-mates will be desperate to play with him.

“I’d love him to come here. With him it’s like you’re playing with 12 men, as he knows how to do everything – protect the ball, run and score. He’s very welcome at Inter and not just because he’s Dutch. I talked to everyone about him, even with Moratti.”

Kuyt’s agent, Rob Jansen, earlier revealed the player may be keen on a move to Inter.

“The clubs continue to talk but Dirk has told Liverpool he no longer wants to be involved as this is something that regards his career and life,” he said. “It doesn’t mean he wants to leave at all costs but when a club like Inter comes along it’s normal to look into it further.”

Hodgson said on Wednesday, though, that the player had not said he wants to leave and that he is not for sale.

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Top-four rivals meet at Eastlands

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Arguably the stand-out game in the second round of Premier League fixtures sees Manchester City take on Liverpool at Eastlands.

Although both teams are competing in the Europa League this season, they will be eyeing top-four finishes this term so that they can participate in the 2011-12 Champions League.

However, it will not be easy for either side to force their way in to the top four although Monday’s match should give some clues as to who is more likely to push Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal at the head of the field.

Both sides secured a point from last weekend’s games although the respective goalkeepers enjoyed vastly differing fortunes.

City’s Joe Hart was outstanding after being preferred by Roberto Mancini to Shay Given, making a string of great stops in the 0-0 draw at Tottenham.

Perhaps understandably following their raft of big-name summer signings, City took a while to get in to the game at White Hart Lane and were fortunate to come away from the match with a point.

Meanwhile, Liverpool seemed to have done enough to beat Arsenal 1-0 last Sunday until Pepe Reina contrived to push the ball in to his own net in stoppage time to ensure the Anfield clash ended all-square.

The Reds had debutant Joe Cole sent off in the 1-1 draw so the former West Ham United and Chelsea star will be suspended for the trip to Manchester while Fernando Torres may start on the substitute’s bench as the Spaniard continues his battle to regain full fitness.

Mancini has a wealth of talent to choose from and it is more a case of who he will leave out of his side as he has no injury or suspension worries to trouble him.

Last season, the two teams showed how evenly they were matched when both games ended in draws.

In November at Anfield, the two teams shared four goals with Martin Skrtel, who signed a new contract with the club this week, opening the scoring before goals by Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland made it 2-1 to City.

Yossi Benayoun rescued a point for the Reds with a late equaliser while, at Eastlands in February, the match ended in a grim goalless draw.

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