TAO – LFC Scout Report: Queens Park Rangers

May 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

By Ben Hardy Jamie Carragher will say farewell when Liverpool take on Queens Park Rangers at Anfield as the Premier League wraps up for another season on Sunday evening. Carragher will captain the team and a guard of honour is expected to welcome the veteran defender onto the pitch as his 16 year tenure with Liverpool comes to an end. During his time on Merseyside, Carragher won such as honours the FA Cup (2), The League Cup (3), FA Community Shield (2), UEFA Cup (1), UEFA Super Cup (2) and the Champions League in 2005. He also amassed over 500 appearences for the Reds and 38 England caps, firmly placing his name into Liverpool history. Facing Carragher and co. is QPR who have had little to shout about all season. They will finish bottom of the league if they fail to win on Sunday, having only achieved four wins so far in a season to forget. Currently on a run of no wins from their last eight matches, QPR’s strategy of buying high profile, experienced players has failed and Harry Redknapp will no doubt have to reduce the wage bill in the summer as they prepare for life in the Championship. The reverse fixture saw Liverpool comfortably win at Loftus Road after three first half goals gave them maximum points in December. Since then, Liverpool have added quality players such as Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge and despite a seventh place finish this season, Brenden Rogers and the Liverpool supporters can be quietly optimistic about next season. Now unbeaten in seven matches, Liverpool have finished the season well with Daniel Sturridge stepping up to fill the void left by Luis Suarez as he serves his ban, which all bodes well for next season. Team News: QPR are expected to be without Loic Remy after his arrest this week following allegation of rape and goalkeeper Julio Cesar could miss out once again leaving Rob Green to come in. Adel Taarabt, Shaun Wright-Phillips and DJ Campbell all remain out for Rangers. Liverpool are without Captain Steven Gerrard as he undergoes a shoulder operation whilst Luis Suarez will serve the fourth of his ten match ban. Martin Kelly, Joe Allen and Raheem Sterling all remain unavailable. The Anfield Opinion will keep you up to date with all the latest post match action as well all the transfer news and gossip in the summer.

A news article on 2013-05-17 20:43:00 from: The Anfield Opinion

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TTT: Premier League Preview 2012/13: Q.P.R. (H)

May 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

TTT: Premier League Preview 2012/13: Q.P.R. (H)

By Gary Fulcher, Daniel Rhodes and Mihail Vladimirov. Liverpool bring the 2012/13 campaign to an end with a visit to Anfield of relegated Queens Park Rangers on Sunday, 3pm kick off UK time. The Reds secured a comfortable 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in December, thanks to a brace from Luis Suarez and a Daniel Agger header. The corresponding fixture last season ended with a 1-0 victory for Liverpool courtesy of a Luis Suarez strike. A victory for Brendan Rodgers’ side will see us reach 61 points, our highest total since the 2009/10 where we ended the campaign with 63 points and a 7th place finish that will be repeated this time out. Premier League record since the two clubs met back in December: Liverpool – P: 17 W: 8 D: 6 L: 3 F: 39 A: 17 GD: +22 Pts: 30 Q.P.R. – P: 17 W: 3 D: 6 L: 8 F: 14 A: 23 GD: -9 Pts: 15 Q.P.R. have failed to win any of their last eight Premier League matches – six defeats, two draws – and have won just four league games all season. They’ve scored the fewest goals (30), picked up the fewest points (25) and have the worst goal difference (-29) in the division and have failed to scored in 15 matches; the joint highest in the division shared with Stoke City and Swansea City. Liverpool have scored 70 league goals this season, our highest tally since we scored 77 in 2008/09. The only other occasions where we’ve scored 70 league goals or more in a Premier League season was in 1995/96 (70) and 2000/01 (71). We are unbeaten in seven league games (four draws, three wins) and if we avoid defeat against the Hoops, we will equal our longest unbeaten run of the season (eight: five draws, three wins), which began at the end of September and ended late November. The match-day officials for this fixture are: Referee: M Atkinson Assistants: P Kirkup, S Burt; Fourth official: R Madley TEAM NEWS Steven Gerrard (shoulder), Daniel Agger (back), Joe Allen (shoulder), Raheem Sterling (thigh) and Martin Kelly (knee) are all ruled out through injury for Liverpool, while Luis Suarez is suspended and Martin Skrtel (illness) is doubtful. Q.P.R. are missing Shaun Wright-Phillips (foot) and DJ Campbell (fractured foot), while there are doubts over Julio Cesar (back) and Christopher Samba (hamstring). Liverpool: Goalkeepers: Reina, Jones, Gulacsi Defenders: Johnson, Wisdom, Flanagan, Skrtel, Coates, Carragher (c), Enrique Midfielders: Lucas, Coutinho, Henderson, Downing, Sterling, Assaidi, Shelvey, Suso Strikers: Sturridge, Borini Q.P.R.: Goalkeepers: Green, Cerny, Murphy, Julio Cesar Defenders: Traore, Samba, Hill (c), Yun Suk-Young, Onuoha, Bosingwa, Fabio, Harriman, Ehmer, Mbia, Young Midfielders: Diakite, Derry, Park Ji-Sung, Taarabt, Granero, Jenas, Hoilett, Townsend, Andrade Strikers: Johnson, Mackie, Remy, Zamora, Hulse, Bothroyd, Balanta, Hitchcok, Hewitt This post is for subscribers only. Member-only content – you need to subscribe to read it ! A subscription costs only £3.50 per month. Find out what you get with your subscription, or Subscribe now.

View the full story here: The Tomkins Times

A news article on 2013-05-17 10:45:00 from: The Tomkins Times

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METRO – Reading goalkeeper Alex McCarthy earns first senior England call

May 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Reading goalkeeper Alex McCarthy has been named in Roy Hodgson’s England squad for the upcoming double header with Republic of Ireland and Brazil.

A news article on 2013-05-16 12:35:00 from: The Metro

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GOAL – Agger: Eriksen the kind of player Liverpool need

May 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The Danish centre-back would like to see his compatriot join the Reds from Ajax this summer, saying that he would fit perfectly into Brendan Rodgers’s style of passing play

A news article on 2013-05-15 19:07:00 from: Goal

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F365 – Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge praises Philippe Coutinho

May 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Daniel Sturridge has heaped praise on his Liverpool team-mate Philippe Coutinho, thanking the Brazilian for his assists.

A news article on 2013-05-14 13:05:00 from: Football 365

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ECHO – Liverpool FC News: Fulham 1 Liverpool FC 3: Man of the match and player ratings vote (GALLERY)

May 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment

LIVERPOOL FC concluded their away Premier League campaign with an impressive win at Fulham – Daniel Sturridge was the hat-trick as the Reds turned it around after falling behind early on to a Dimitar Berbatov header.As ever, we asked fans to vote for their man of the match and rate each player’s performance after the match – you can see the results in our gallery below, just click into it to see how each player was scored. You can read James Pearce’s match report here

A news article on 2013-05-13 11:20:00 from: Liverpool Echo

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LIVER BIRD – Sturridge Hat Trick Sinks Fulham

May 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment

My favourite image from Sunday, it’s just a shame there isn’t a bigger version… Image: gettyimages Liverpool came back from a goal behind at Craven Cottage on Sunday to win the game 3-1 courtesy of a Daniel Sturridge hat trick. Berbatov opened the scoring for the home side but the Reds quickly found an equaliser and went from strength to strength. Fulham were angry that they weren’t awarded a penalty after the ball struck Lucas’ hand in the second half and this perhaps stumped their momentum. Liverpool began the game with a pretty different starting XI. Steven Gerrard was the main man missing but there was also no Agger or Skrtel giving Coates a chance to start. Wisdom and Shelvey also made appearances. Liverpool began the game strongly applying pressure on the Fulham back four. One member who would appear as a substitute received a great reception from the travelling fans, John Arne Riise made clear his appreciation after the match. Phillippe Coutinho left the away fans gasping early on after a stinging shot from range was saved by Mark Schwarzer. Despite the Reds perhaps getting the better of the starts Fulham did manage to settle into a rhythm and it was Dimitar Berbatov who found the first goal of the game. Liverpool wasted no time in finding an equaliser though as Daniel Sturridge found his chance 3 minutes later. A lovely long ball from Andre Wisdom in defence allowed Sturridge to pick up the pass on the edge of the box, with still a lot left to do the forward wasn’t necessarily expected to score but a powerful effort from an angle saw his chance fly high into the back of the net. Liverpool were now in a comfortable position ready for the second half and it was Daniel Sturridge again who found the Reds their second. Just after the hour mark after an assist from Coutinho, Sturridge slotted home his effort from inside the box. Sturridge was on fire but shortly before his second goal Fulham found themselves aggrieved after Lucas Leiva appeared to handle the ball in the box. The referee chose not to award Fulham the penalty and this perhaps allowed Liverpool to catch them off guard. With 15 minutes left to go Fabio Borini was brought into the game and replaced Jonjo Shelvey. The Italian quickly had an influence on the game seeing and effort rebound off the far post. Sturridge completed his first ever hat trick with 5 minutes left on the clock his goal into the top right corner completed a well deserved hat trick and left Fulham wondering what the hell had happened. It was nice to see both Liverpool and Sturridge pull out a performance after the slight disappointment of the Merseyside Derby. Here’s hoping that they can put on a similar display in the final game against QPR.Like “The Liver Bird” on Facebook – www.facebook.com/TheLiverBirdsBlog

A news article on 2013-05-13 11:07:00 from: The Liver Bird

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ECHO – Liverpool FC News: Daniel Sturridge says mental strength is key to his flying Liverpool FC start

May 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment

DANIEL STURRIDGE believes improving his mental strength has helped him make such a flying start to his Liverpool FC career.

A news article on 2013-05-13 07:00:00 from: Liverpool Echo

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ECHO – Liverpool FC News: Fulham 1 Liverpool 3: James Pearce’s verdict on Daniel Sturridge’s hat-trick in Reds win at Craven Cottage

May 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment

DANIEL STURRIDGE walked away from Craven Cottage with the matchball signed by his team-mates in one hand and a book in the other.

A news article on 2013-05-13 06:26:00 from: Liverpool Echo

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TAO – Progress both on and off the field for Liverpool in 12/13 season

May 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment

As the season draws to a climax, many punters and fans alike will analyse the season, look at where their clubs have performed in line with expectations, and at Liverpool, that analysis is well underway. In what’s been a transitional year for the club, there have been many signs of progression as well as shortcomings and it’s that inconsistency which has thwarted Liverpool’s attempt for a rapid climb up the table. On the field, results at home have improved compared to last season, the win % at Anfield this season has increased to 44% from 32%. Goals too have been witnessed a lot more this season, Liverpool scoring at a rate 1.89 goals per game, compared to just 1.05 goals per game last season. Statistics aside, the football has also improved. There has been more fluidity and the philosophy that Brendan Rodgers has now embedded back into the First Team is also seen in younger age groups, which has made the transition into the senior side easier as they know what’s expected of them in their individual roles. The emergence of Suso, Sterling et al are just some markers of the progress made in this transitional year. The emergence of First-Teamers has also been pleasing, public ‘tirades’ at players such as Enrique, Downing and Henderson alongside private talks have reinvigorated the trio, with Henderson arguably making the step up paying off a considerable size of his £16million transfer fee. That has been down to Rodgers’ man management skills and they have saved the club £20million + in transfer fees for replacements. Slight progress, but progress nonetheless on the field is a reason to be optimistic for Kopites across the globe, but off the field progress too. Questions have often been asked of the clubs hierachy, sanctioning moves such as Stewart Downings £20million move from Aston Villa, and the infamous £35million signature of Andy Carroll. But when January came around, it seems the club has learnt its lesson. The installation of a new scouting team headed by Dave Fallows and Barry Hunter helped oversee the signings of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho. Not only have the players impressed with their ability to become key players with consummate ease, the price tag associated with both players is remarkable considering their abilities. £8.5 million for Phillipe Coutinho, a guy who has lit up the Premier League since his arrival, is nothing short of a steal. He has 2 goals and 7 assists since joining, but the skill and intelligence he has shown has far outshone his price tag. Sturridge too, whose transfer was question by Sir Alex Ferguson has scored 11 goals in 16 games and supplied 4 assists for his team-mate, so his contribution is crucial to this Liverpool side which lacks the unpredictable Luis Suarez. To summarise, plenty of progress on and off the field for the Reds, but this summer is much more important, as the club need to build on the foundations they have built this past year.

A news article on 2013-05-12 16:52:00 from: The Anfield Opinion

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