The Soccer Blog: Recap

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Sunday, 27 March 2011

More Renovation Rumors, Saturday Recap, and Other Sunday Notes

By: Ed | March 27th, 2011
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kop We’re almost there—this afternoon closed out the first wave of international matches, with Euro qualifiers and friendlies taking us through the evening and ever closer to a spell that sees Liverpool race to the finish. There’s one more in action tomorrow (Lucas and Brazil v. Scotland) before the last few qualifiers and a slew of friendlies wraps things up for the foreseeable future.

For those with an investment in their national side it’s a sad time, but for the rest of us it’ll be a welcomed return. And on a Liverpool front, there’s something besides teeth-grinding and hand-wringing that’ll accompany the final matches of the international break.

But mostly it’ll just be the teeth-grinding and the hand-wringing. Onwards, though:

* The only big non-international news from the weekend isn’t so much news as it is a rumor that’s gained increased traction—more than a few sites have run with talk that a stadium announcement is due shortly, and that said announcement will be focused on a gradual renovation of the famous ground. There’s been no confirmation as yet, but several sources close to a source that’s closer to a source that has sources close to sorcery are expecting something in the very near future. It’s an exciting prospect, and one that’s certainly a more credible possibility now that the folks in charge don’t just frame pictures of fantasies and conduct interviews in front of them.

The broader discussion about the future of British stadiums has also taken on a very serious tone, though, particularly with the recent news that the idea of terraced seating will be “listened to” as a viable option. This was quickly denounced by the Hillsborough Family Support Group, who announced that they “will not be encouraging the Government to change the law,” and today Kenny Dalglish lent his voice to the opposition as well.

Given the timing of the announcement and Liverpool’s history, there’s no way any plans for Anfield’s future would involve such a proposal. The discussion’s bound to continue, though, and as we saw when it was introduced here a little over a month ago, it’s inevitably going to be an emotionally-charged one. As with everything around these parts, we’re happy to entertain any line of discussion so long as it’s one that’s respectful on all sides, and this is certainly a topic that demands it.

* As for the actual football, today was the busiest day of the break thus far in terms of fixtures and the action for Liverpool internationals. The brief rundown:

England 2, Wales 0

Noel managed to dissect England’s performance yesterday in some depth, so I’ll point you in that direction for a more thorough recap. I’ll just leave you with a link to Glen Johnson’s sexy pass to set up the second and the knowledge that Andy Carroll didn’t feature.

Denmark 1, Norway 1

Daniel Agger played a full 90, which hopefully erases any fears created when he left training early in the first day of training. Or it aggravated whatever happened, in which case I’ll end up in the fetal position. Christian Poulsen played nearly 70 minutes for the guests, who could have drawn level with Norway atop the group with a win.

Slovakia 1, Andorra 0

Martin Skrtel also logged a full 90 in the win over Andorra, with Filip Sebo netting in the 20th minute to give the visitors the win. Slovakia remain level on points with Russia and Ireland on top of Group B.

* There’s an interview with Luis Suarez doing the rounds in all sorts of media outlets, but it was actually conducted by The Redmen, who do a series of videos on their YouTube channel. The Liverpool Echo was one of the only sites to acknowledge the actual source, and they’ve got the text of the interview here. Interesting stuff from the January signing, who touches on the transition to the Premier League and his exit from Ajax:

That’s going to do it to close out the weekend, and a reminder that Brazil and Scotland will wrap up a busy weekend with their friendly at 13:00GMT and 9:00EST. ITV and STV will carry the match in England and Scotland, respectively, and ESPN2 and ESPN3.comwill carry it for viewers in North America. Check the usual sites for stream links—MyP2P.eu, Atdhenet.tv, and FromSport.

Whatever you do, watch Lucas and enjoy. Or watch Lucas and keep telling yourself that he’s really not that good, even though he’s become an established starter for both Liverpool and Brazil. Because most people who aren’t really that good do that.

Some Related Liverpool Posts:More Reasons to Love Lucas, Friday Recap, and Other Saturday NotesYouth Cup Wrap, A Deal for Dalglish, and Other Sunday NotesLooking Ahead at InternationalsA Fenway Friendly, Contract Renewals, and Other Sunday NotesMatch Preview: Liverpool v. Stoke City, 02.02.11

Category: Euro 2012, Hillsborough, International Duty, Miscellaneous

Tags: Anfield, Christian Poulsen, Daniel Agger, Euro 2012, Euro Qualifiers, FSG, Glen Johnson, Hillsborough, International Duty, John Henry, Kenny Dalglish, Lucas, Martin Škrtel, Miscellaneous
Tweet « England 2, Wales 0: Winning the Battle and Losing the War | Home | HoffaThere’s been no confirmation as yet, but several sources close to a source that’s closer to a source that has sources close to sorcery are expecting something in the very near future.

hahaha.. this should be the definition of rumours, especially "the ll year around the silly season rumours" !Eddiehttp://www.thisisanfield.com/2...
http://www.sports-stadia.co.uk...

interesting links on photos of what anfield will look like after renovation. what do you guys think? personally i like the look of the "redevoloped anfield"
Zachyeah that wouldnt be too bad altho i cant say im a fan of the 'new anfield' with the circular design and halo ring around the top...ElizabethOn the terraced standing areas, a couple of days ago the Premier League announced that their "view is that the benefits of all-seater stadia far outweigh the return of standing areas" and that they "will not be encouraging the Government to change the law."

http://www.premierleague.com/p...EdThanks for the link, Elizabeth.YoogibearoneLFC need a 'NEW' stadium, not something like a rabbit warren !!! The club has been falling behind all the others for years ! Bolton,Sunderland,Stoke,Arsenal,Man City, and others have all moved on,looking to the future! LIVERPOOL need to look to the future also ! I've been a LFC supporter since 1952 (59 yrs) ,and have loved Anfield,but 'IT IS TIME TO MOVE INTO THE FUTURE'. A NEW STADIUM IS REQUIRED,and 'STANLEY PARK' is a fantastic site! There will never be another chance like this again!blog comments powered by Disqus

Harry Redknapp, England manager? (Awful writing) Is It Too Early to Get Excited About Sturridge? Denmark 1 - 2 England (Via Hamlet) more news...

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Sunday, 30 January 2011

Quickest recap of the FA Cup tie (vs Southampton)

By: Shaun | January 29th, 2011
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chicharitoGolManU29ene Almost as if in response to the post measuring his “effectiveness”, Chicharito struck yet again to secure our passage into the next round. The scoreline doesn’t even begin to tell the story of how poor we were for the first 45-60 minutes prior to the 2 substitutions that changed the complexion and fate of the tie.

First 58 minutes = awful/laughable/amateurish/pathetic/no-shows. Pick any of those to describe our performance for most of the first hour. Passes went astray. Players looking sluggish and confused. Michael Owen in the hole behind a front 2 of Chicharito and..Obertan? It was so bad that I fell asleep for a good 10 minute stretch and woke up feeling like I did myself a favor in not subjecting myself to the performance out on the field.

The next 32+ minutes = a much more controlled display and better tempo. We actually looked like a Premier League side. Much of that was down to the introduction of Giggs and Nani that instantly gave us another person in midfield who could actually make a pass aside fom Scholes as well as the width we had been missing all of the 1st half.

Impressions to follow…

Some Related Man United Posts:Scunthorpe Manchester United recapMarching on in controversial fashion (vs Liverpool)Rising from the dead (vs Blackpool)Welcome back Nani (vs Stoke)Perfect ending to a tumultuous week (vs Stoke)

Category: FA Cup, Manchester United, Match Reports

Tags: Chicharito, FA Cup, Manchester United, Match Reports
Tweet « The Maestro Abides! Edwin van der Sar Announces His Retirement | Home | Impressions from St Mary’s (vs Southampton) »blog comments powered by Disqus