Rumour Mill: Liverpool tracking Dutch striker

Liverpool FC has earmarked a future move to sign Dutch international striker Luuk de Jong after a series of scouting missions. The 21-year-old has been a consistent performer for FC Twente and his displays have earned him a series of international call ups and a growing list of prospective suitors.

The powerfully built striker helped his side to a Dutch Eredivisie title in his first season at the club and this term he has matured into a more effective attacking weapon, notching up six goals in eight matches. The 6ft 2in Swiss born forward has been linked with interest from several clubs across Europe and is seen as a prospect with a bright future.

Though Liverpool have a formidable first choice strike pairing in Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll they do lack strength in depth in this department, especially after the sale of David N’Gog to Bolton. Kenny Dalglish brought in a short term solution to this problem by signing 32-year-old Craig Bellamy.

De Jong is valued at around £10million and clearly having spent upwards of £100million in 2011 on new additions, such a price tag will not cause any problems for the Merseyside outfit. The young FC Twente man will no doubt be tempted by a high profile move where he would link up with his international colleague Dirk Kuyt.

If Liverpool is to follows suit with a bid in January transfer window, we will not be surprised that Daniel Pacheco’s future at Anfield has been numbered. Pacheco currently on a season long loan to Atletico Madrid.

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.

Source: CaughtOffside

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Liverpool takes on Glasgow Rangers on a friendly match

Liverpool will head to Glasgow in a midweek friendly later this month to take part in a friendly game against Rangers.

The game will take place on the 18th October at 7.30pm UK time. Charlie Adam and Danny Wilson are the two Reds who played for Rangers.

   “They are a fantastic club and their squad is packed with world class players so I have no doubt this game will capture the imagination of our supporters.

“We look forward to welcoming Charlie Adam and Danny Wilson back to Ibrox and I am sure the fans will turn out in huge numbers once again to watch us in action against such a high-profile English Premiership side.” - Rangers boss Ally McCoist

The two teams last met in a pre-season friendly in August 2008, with Liverpool running out 4-0 winners in Scotland. Liverpool have been allocated 3,500 tickets for this fixture.

Source: Liverpool FC Official

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Jamie Carragher career may ends soon

Liverpool's vice-captain Jamie Carragher has admitted his career could be over in a year's time.

Carragher has made 676 appearances for Liverpool since coming through the youth ranks and making his debut 14 years ago.

He has been a regular in the Reds defence since coming on as a substitute in Liverpool's League Cup game against Middlesbrough in 1997, but the 33-year-old concedes his long and glittering career may be nearing its end.

When asked how long he had left in the game, Carragher told the Leaders in Football conference in London: "Ask (Liverpool boss) Kenny (Dalglish). He picks the team. It will be up to the coaching staff I suppose.

"You want to try to get as much out of your career and play as long as possible.

"The time will come in the next 12, 18 months, maybe two years.

"That won't be down to myself. It will be down to the people around me, the staff, the manager. They will decide."

Carragher's full-blooded displays at the heart of the Liverpool defence have earned him many plaudits during his career and his leadership skills have seen him touted as a future Reds boss.

The defender admits he would love to go in to coaching after hanging up his boots.

"Do I want to go in to coaching or management? Yes, I think so," Carragher said.

"I've taken my first steps to coaching and the B licence.

"We all love the game, you want to stay involved in the game."

Carragher made morning headlines when he claimed that England are "cheating" by employing a foreign coach as their national manager.

The defender insisted this evening that his claim should not be viewed as an attack on England boss Fabio Capello, but more of a plea for placing trust in home-grown coaches, and he even claimed that every part of the national football set-up should be English.

"It's nothing against Capello or anybody who comes in in the future," Carragher added.

"It's nothing against foreign players or coaches. I just think that's what international football should be about.

"For me we shouldn't have a foreign member of staff. The best doctor in the country should be the England doctor or the bus driver. That's what international football is.

"If we're not up to it in certain areas we have to improve."

Carragher also thinks the presence of foreigners is impeding the development of young English players.

The defender has hit out at the Premier League for not protecting the home-grown youngsters coming through the ranks.

"Everyone wants to play in the Premier League now. Players at our academy don't get a chance," he said.

"Our academies are not just full of local players. They are full of foreign players too.

"That's a bit of a problem for me.

"I think no foreign players should leave their country until 18 or maybe 21 and I think I think the academies should be for local players.

Former England and Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes claimed recently that the England camp had been divided into Manchester United and Liverpool cliques during his time on the international scene.

Carragher, who was a member of the squad at the same time as the retired Red Devils player, agreed, saying: "I saw that.

"I don't think it was Man United and Liverpool. It was more Man United and the rest.

"They'd all grown up together those Man United players. They had been in youth teams together. They would always sit together at meal times.

"It was just like the five best mates together.

"They'd all come through together. It was a tight-knit thing. They were best mates. They had a great youth team. It was more of a case of that.

"There were that many of them. They had such a good team. They probably had seven or eight in the squad at the same time.

"It was probably difficult for anyone to break into that little group and get to know them."

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.

Source: ESPN Star

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Video Highlights: Everton 0-2 Liverpool

Source: FootyTube.com

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Premier League: Everton 0-2 Liverpool

Andy Carroll scored his first Barclays Premier League goal of the season as Liverpool recorded a 2-0 victory over Everton in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

Everton's cause wasn't helped by the controversial sending off of Jack Rodwell midway through the first half after a challenge on Luis Suarez, but Dirk Kuyt missed the opportunity to give the Reds a half-time lead when he later saw his penalty was saved by Tim Howard.

However, Carroll found the back of the net with a little under 20 minutes remaining, hooking in a cross from Jose Enrique from close-range.

Suarez then settled the contest with a neat finish after a mix-up between two Everton defenders inside the box to ensure Liverpool claimed local bragging rights in the 216^th meeting between the sides.

A little more than 20 years had elapsed since Kenny Dalglish last led a Reds team across Stanley Park into battle with the neighbours.

On that occasion, a pulsating FA Cup tie ended in a 4-4 draw and in the build up to the game the boss quipped another four for his side wouldn't go amiss this time around - minus a quartet of goals for the opposition, of course.

Kuyt, so often the talisman on these occasions, earned a recall to the starting XI, with the Dutchman replacing Jordan Henderson in the only change made to the side that began against Wolves last weekend meaning Liverpool fielded five derby debutants.

Read more: Liverpool FC Official

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Preview: Everton v Liverpool

Saturday October 1st

Everton v Liverpool
Goodison Park
Kick-off: 12.45 BST
TV: Sky Sport 2, Highlights BBC1 Match of the Day.

Probable line-ups:

Everton (Probable, 4-1-4-1): Howard; Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; Neville; Coleman, Fellaini, Rodwell, Osman; Cahill.
Out: Anichebe (groin).

Liverpool (Probable, 4-4-2): Reina; Kelly, Carragher, Skrtel, Jose Enrqiue; Henderson, Adam, Lucas, Downing; Suarez, Carroll.
Out: Agger (ribs), Johnson (hamstring).
Test: Gerrard (match fitness).

Referee: Martin Atkinson

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard may have to settle for a place on the bench again the 216th Merseyside derby.

The England midfielder has played just 25 minutes after a six-month lay-off from a groin operation.

Defenders Glen Johnson (hamstring) and Daniel Agger (rib) will not feature – although the latter has returned to training – while forward Dirk Kuyt is pushing for a recall at the expense of Jordan Henderson.

With Tim Cahill recovering from the bruised shin he suffered during last week's 2-0 defeat by Manchester City, Victor Anichebe is Everton's only long-term casualty with a groin injury.

Everton will be looking to repeat last season’s embarrassingly one-sided Goodison derby win, but must be wary of the Dalglish factor.

In 23 Mersey derbies as Liverpool manager, Dalglish has only ever lost three, winning an impressive 13.

Tim Cahill’s recovery from a shin injury will buoy the blue half of the city, but with Steven Gerrard itching to get off the bench, Dalglish will have the aces to call upon when required.

Chris Bascombe’s prediction: Everton 1 Liverpool 1

Red's Fury™ prediction: Everton 2 Liverpool 3

Yours’ prediction: Everton ? Liverpool ?

Leave your score prediction in the comment box below.

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.

Source: Telegraph

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Liverpool owner hurt in boat accident

The Liverpool owner John Henry has been taken to hospital after falling on his 164-foot boat in Boston.

Henry, who also owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team, was seen leaving the $32m (£25.5m) yacht wearing a neck brace and was treated by paramedics at the scene before being put on a stretcher and taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in an ambulance.

"He walked down the gangplank and he pretty much walked on his own and he was then taken off on a stretcher," an eye witness told the Boston Herald.

Boston Red Sox president, Larry Lucchino, told the radio station WBZ-AM that Henry was injured but was able to walk off the boat wearing a neck brace.

The accident occurred less than 24 hours before Liverpool play Merseyside rivals Everton at Anfield on Saturday and on the day Boston Red Sox announced the departure of Terry Francona, the manager who led the team to two World Series victories, after the team failed to make the play-offs.

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.

Source: Guardian

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Can King Kenny Accommodate Steven Gerrard?

The return of Steven Gerrard to the Liverpool first team has been understandably met with excitement from Reds fans. With the skipper back in the fold, Liverpool have one of the best players in the Premiership back on their teamsheet.
However, the question is being asked in some quarters as to where exactly Gerrard fits into the Liverpool team. While he will undoubtedly be eased back in gradually, doubts will remain over the midfielders ongoing fitness after being out for a long spell with a troublesome injury.
There is a long standing argument that it is difficult to build a team around Steven Gerrard. Rafa Benitez often struggled to fit his captain into his preferred position, while Fabio Capello played him wide left during England's ill-fated 2010 World Cup campaign.
As an additional complication, Gerrard is arguably no longer the main man at Anfield. While there was a time Gerrard was the darling of the supporters, sales of Luis Suarez shirts now vastly outnumber Gerrard, although it must be taken into account the captain has been out of action so far this season.
Of course, such is the talent possessed by Gerrard, boss Kenny Dalglish is unlikely to leave him out of his side. The answer to Gerrard's inclusion is likely to be the exclusion of striker Andy Carroll and the deployment of Suarez as a lone striker.
The £35m Geordie has been a major disappointment so far in his Liverpool career and is likely to be sacrificed with Dalglish going for a 4-5-1 formation which I personally see as Liverpool's best bet.
With the pace and craft of Craig Bellamy and Stewart Downing on either flank with Gerrard supporting Suarez, Lucas sitting and Charlie Adam spraying the passes, Liverpool have a very strong attacking element which should provide enough attacking flair at home and enough counter attacking pace away to pick up points and really push for a place in the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League.
Saturday's 2-1 win at home to Wolves got the Reds back on track after two defeats on the bounce but with a tough run of fixtures coming up, the sight of Steven Gerrard back in a Liverpool shirt is just the lift the supporters need.
Fans will be praying the captain's injury woes are behind him and he can finally regain his best form.
Written by Colin Hill, a sports blogger who writes about Serie A shirts.

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