Premier League: Can Liverpool Avoid Relegation?

One of the best clubs in English football is in the doldrums thanks to issues not related to the field of play. Liverpool FC need to sort out their management issues so that the players can concentrate on doing what it is supposed to be doing - play football.

The club has debts, including fees, payable to Royal Bank of Scotland by October 15, failing which an additional penalty would be due.

RBS have taken the issue to High Court, in a bid to resolve a power struggle within the club, and prevent the club from removing the chairman and another board member who have approved an offer to buy the club by New England Sporting Ventures (NESV), owners of Boston Red Sox, an American baseball team.

To add to the off-field wrangles at Anfield, a Singapore billionaire, Peter Lim has bid to buy the club and made an offer that is said to compete with that of NESV's. Mr Lim is reported to have offered an additional amount to the beleaguered club to help it to buy players. The NESV offer, accepted last week by club chairman Martin Broughton, has been disputed by Liverpool's current American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

Gillett and Hicks have contended via their lawyer that they are not trying to prevent the club's sale but are interested in looking at better offers than NESV"s. According to a statement by the lawyer made on behalf of the owners, an American hedge fund had also made a competitive bid, offering an additional amount to build a stadium.

Incidentally, the hedge fund, refinanced the loan taken by Gillett in 2007 to buy the club, and controls 50% of Gillett's shareholding in Kop Holdings the company that owns Liverpool FC.

Mr Lim had also bid to buy the club in 2007, when Gillett and Hicks's bid was favoured over his. Mr Lim owns several bars, with a Manchester United theme, in Asia, a testament to the Premier League's popularity in Asia.

Mr Lim is reported to be planning to sell off the bars, if his bid to own Liverpool were successful., and use the proceeds to wipe off the club's debts to RBS, while providing additional money to invest in new players in the January transfer window.

After the completion of eight matches, Liverpool are languishing in 18th place on the Premier League points table, and their fans would welcome investment in new players who could revive the squad.

The High Court ruling on the matter is expected on Wednesday, October 13, at 10:30 BST. If the management dispute is not resolved, there is a danger of the club going into administration, in which case Liverpool FC would be docked 9 points, opening up the prospect of relegation.

Premier League Match Time: Everton Vs Liverpool

One of the mouth watering prospects in store for football fans, when the Premier League returns after an International break, is a Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool.

Goodison Park will be the venue of a lunch-time kick off on Sunday in what promises to be an explosive match between two sides looking to prove themselves, after indifferent starts to their Premiership campaigns.

Coincidentally, both teams languishing near the bottom of the table, have six points each after seven matches. With new ownership looming for the Reds, Roy Hodgson will be keen to underline his managerial skills with a win. Especially after fans chanted for his removal in the Reds' 2-1 home loss to Blackpool.

In some bad news for Liverpool (other than the off-field wrangles at Anfield), Dirk Kuyt is sidelined ahead of Sunday's game, owing to an injury sustained by the striker in Holland's Euro qualifier with Sweden on Tuesday, a match that the Dutch won convincingly. It could be a month before Kuyt returns to action.

But Hodgson will take cheer from Torres' return to the team after the Spanish striker showed signs of recovery from an abductor strain.

Steven Gerrard, as ever, will the key man, and Hodgson will look for an inspired performance from the England midfielder in what is a must-win for the Anfield squad.

Everton on their part have injury worries too, with the sidelining of Victor Anichebe, Steven Pienaar, Louis Saha and Jack Rodwell. Manager David Moyes will hope that home advantage inspires the Blues to bank three points from the game, and move up the points table.

The Toffees will look to Tim Cahill to provide the momentum, even as the Reds are set to miss the services of Daniel Agger, Fabio Aurelio and Paul Konchesky due to injury.

The following players were in Everton starting eleven in their 2-0 win against Birmingham, on October 2: Tim Howard, Phil Neville, Sylvain Distin, Philip Jagielka, Leighton Baines, Seamus Coleman, Marouane Fellaini, Mikel Arteta, Leon Osman, Tim Cahill, Yakubu.

The substitutes for the match were: Barkley, Jermaine Bedford, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, John Heitinga, Magaye Gueye, Tony Hibbert, Jan Mucha.

Liverpool included the following players in their last league match against Blackpool, a match that the Reds lost 2-1: Jose Manuel (Pepe) Reina, Glen Johnson, Sotiros Kyrgiakos, Martin Skrtel, Jamie Carragher, Christian Poulsen, Raul Meireles, Dirk Kuyt, Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole, Fernando Torres.

The substitutes were: Milan Jovanovic, Lucas, David Ngog, Jay Spearing, Martin Kelly, Maxi Rodriguez, Brad Jones.

Premier League: Boston Red Sox Owners To Buy Liverpool FC

New England Sports Ventures (NESV), the owners of the Boston Red Sox will take over Liverpool after a legal dispute with the current American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks is settled by the Premier League.

Hicks and Gillett have expressed their unwillingness to sell the club, and in a bid to prevent its sale, have tried to replace managing director Purlow and commercial director Ayre with their own nominees including Hicks's son.

Purlow and Ayre are said to be in touch with their legal counsel so as to foil the bid to replace them and to ensure the club's sale.

The club has debts of 240 mn with Royal Bank of Scotland, which is also owed 40 mn in fees. The 300 mn bid by the Red Sox owners is sufficient to cover these liabilities. If the debts are not settled by October 15, there would be an additional penalty of 60 mn payable to RBS.

So the legal dispute would have to be settled so as to allow the sale to go through by October 15.

Gillett and Hicks are reportedly uninterested in selling the club for 300 mn, as they feel this is an undervaluation. But if the sale were not to transpire by October 15, the bank could extend the deadline and take possession of the club and see its sale through.

Hicks and Gillett want 600 mn for the club, twice the offer by the Red Sox owners. In fact, their original demand was for 800 mn; they acquired the club in 2007 for 174.1 mn, when the debts did not exceed 44.8 mn.

Apart from owning the Boston Red Sox, NESV also own other companies, Rousch Fenway Racing, New England Sports Network and Fenway Sports Group.

Meanwhile fans of the Anfield outfit who were not very enthused with Gillett and Hicks are optimistic about the takeover. The club needs an infusion of funds that will enable investment in key players who could get the Merseysiders back to winning ways.

However, a group that calls itself the Share Liverpool FC group is not very enthusiastic about the sale. The group, organized with the aim of attracting 100,000 fans to own the club jointly, is the brainchild of Dr Rogan Taylor.

Dr Taylor does not believe that the club has reached a point of no return, and stresses that any prospective owner must necessarily understand the culture of football as played in Britain.

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Ian Callaghan - Liverpool FC Legend

Ian Callaghan was born in Liverpool in 1942, he supported Liverpool as a child and went on to play for Liverpool. During his eighteen years at the club, Ian Callaghan made a record 857 appearances for Liverpool, a record that still stands today and is unlikely ever to be broken.

Callaghan signed for Liverpool as an apprentice and made his first team debut during the 1960 season, when Liverpool were playing in the second division, he began to play regularly in the first team from 1961 season onwards. The 1962 season saw Liverpool win the second division championship and gain promotion back to the first division.

Nick-named 'Cally' Ian Callaghan became the backbone of the Liverpool team which embarked on a journey from second division mediocrity, to English and European football supremacy.

The 1963-64 season saw Liverpool win the first division league title and again in 1965-66, winning the FA Cup against Leeds United in 1965.

Ian Callaghan was known as a true gentleman, and he was only booked once during all his appearances for Liverpool. Initially employed as a 'winger' Callaghan was renowned for his pace, stamina and accurate passing, from which he created many goals for strike partnership Ian St John and Roger Hunt.

Later in his career Callaghan assumed a midfield role, after a career threatening injury during the 1970-71 season, from which he fought his way back into the team, and many say he played better in that role than he had done before.

Many believe that the 1973-74 was Callaghan's best at Liverpool, when he again helped them to win the FA Cup and he was awarded the football player of year award, and subsequently awarded an MBE for his services to football.

Callaghan's career at Liverpool was still far from over, at the age of 34 he helped Liverpool win the league title and UEFA Cup in 1976, and the following season win the league, and the European Cup for the first time in Liverpool's history.

Ian Callaghan was to play one more season for Liverpool, and the 1978 season saw Liverpool retain the European Cup. In the Autumn of 1978 Ian Callaghan finally left Liverpool, when he joined Swansea City, after an incredible 857 appearances and 69 goals. A true Liverpool legend.

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Premier League Preview - Birmingham Vs Liverpool

Birmingham City are scheduled to host Liverpool at their traditional venue of St Andrews in the Premier League, in an afternoon kick-off, on Sunday.

In their debut season, last year, Birmingham did brilliantly, finishing at 9th on the points table. Ordinarily, there would be anticipation of the second season syndrome kicking in. But the Blues' early form has belied any such fear.

Having recorded identical 2-2 draws against Sunderland and Bolton, and a 2-1 win over Blackburn have ensured that there has not been any sign of that happening, so far, in three games played.

Stuart Parnaby's hamstring injury worry is likely to prompt team manager Alex McLeish to subject the right back to a late test. Sebastian Larsson who hurt his knee in the Bolton game is certain to miss out.

The Blues have an excellent record at home. They have not lost a match at St Andrews' in their last 16 games here. Against Liverpool, head to head, in 49 home games, Birmingham have won 21 and lost 15, with the remaining 13 ending without result.

The last time Liverpool beat Birmingham here was in 2006, in the FA Cup, when they delivered a 7-0 walloping. That said, the last Premier League loss at home for Birmingham came still farther back, in 2004.

Liverpool haven't had a dream start to their campaign. Once giants of English football, Liverpool's 1-1 draw at home against Arsenal was far from convincing. They went a step or three worse losing to Man City, in the Eastlands, before managing to salvage some pride in a home win of 1-0 against West Brom.

In fact, the game against the Baggies was hard won, with the Hawthorns side the more proactive on the pitch, on the day.

Dirk Kuyt's shoulder and N'gog's Hamstring are likely to keep them out of Liverpool's starting eleven, against the Blues. Joe Cole will also be missing, with this game the last of the three match suspension awarded with the first ever red card of his career.

Left-back Paul Konchesky, a deadline day import from Fulham, and midfielder Paul Meireles, are both likely to begin their campaigns with the Reds.

Gerrard has a penchant for scoring against the Blues, with six goals to show for nine appearances against them.

Birmingham's likely starting eleven could comprise: Foster, Johnson, Ridgewell, Carr, Dann, Gardner, Bowyer, Larsson, Fergusson, Jerome, McFadden

Liverpool's likely starting eleven should include: Reina, Skrtel, Johnson, Konchesky, Carragher, Meireles, Poulsen, Gerrard, Maxi, Torres, Jovanovic.

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Premier League Preview - Liverpool Vs Sunderland

Following their loss to Manchester United, Liverpool play host to tough rivals Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts cannot afford another bad result, as that would seriously dent their hopes of a top four finish this season.

However, Roy Hodgson's squad have not found Sunderland very difficult rivals to handle. In the last matches between the two sides, Liverpool have emerged winners on as many as seven occasions, with two wins for Sunderland, both in their own backyard.

The drawn match was hosted at Anfield, which was also the venue of the last match beteen the sides. Liverpool won that match 3-0.

In their last five Premier League matches, Liverpool have had a solitary win, with two draws and two losses. In these matches, the Merseysiders have scored just four goals while conceding seven.

Two of those goals came against Manchester United last week, in a creditable performance with Liverpool coming from 2-0 down to level the score, before the Red Devils prevailed 3-2, on the back of a third goal from Berbatov.

But Roy Hodgson should be justifiably worried about his squad's 16th place in the Premiership points table, after their fifth match of the season. Ironically, Fulham, the club Hodgson left to join Liverpool are nine places ahead of the Anfield side, on the points table.

Liverpool's midfielders have not been creative enough, this season, and that could be the root of the problem. While Meireles, a recent signing, has given a good account of himself, his midfield partners Lucas and Poulsen have been reluctant to go forward, and have failed to act as a foil to the three-pronged attack line of Gerrard, Cole and Torres.

Cole in particular could be the man to turn things around, compensating for the lack of midfield flair.

Sunderland have had a fairly impressive run, this season, with a win against Manchester City the high point. Last weekend's 1-1 draw against Arsenal made possible by Darren Bent's injury time strike (his third goal of the Premiership season) ensured that Sunderland took a point from a top team.

Nitpickers looking for a weakness could focus on the Black Cats' inability to score goals. They have scored just five in five matches and conceded as many. Sunderland will be looking to the recently signed Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan to rectify that deficiency.

Liverpool's past record against Sunderland should hold them in stead, in what is likely to be crucial to the Merseysiders fortunes, this Premier League season.

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Kenny Dalglish - Liverpool FC Legend

Never mind Elvis, as far as Liverpool fans are concerned Kenny Dalglish will be remembered as the true King, and for many Liverpool fans, 'King Kenny' will be remembered as Liverpool's greatest ever player.

Kenny Dalglish began his professional football career at Celtic in 1971, and quickly established himself in the first team and becoming a great goal scorer for the club, and securing several major honours for Celtic.

In 1977 Bob Paisley bought Dalglish to Liverpool for a fee of £440,000 which was a British record at the time. Dalglish was remain at Anfield for the next thirteen years, and was part of the most successful team ever at Liverpool, as the went on to win seven league titles, five domestic cups and three European cups.

Dalglish was brought to Liverpool to replace hero Kevin Keegan, who'd moved to Hamburg, and fears that he wouldn't be able to live up to the huge gap left by his predecessor were quickly laid to rest, Dalglish immediately fitted into Liverpool's playing style and finished his first season as Liverpool's top goal scorer with thirty-one goals.

Kenny Dalglish was obviously a prolific goal scorer, skilful and had a great 'first touch' but was described as having a great 'footballing brain' his ability to read the game, spot openings and his great passing ability bamboozled teams across England and Europe alike.

Liverpool signed Ian Rush in 1980 and after he established himself in the first team the following year, Rush assumed the role of main goal scorer, many of these being the results of 'assists' from Dalglish, between them they became the most potent strike force in English football.

Dalglish was crowned as 'Footballer of the Year' in 1983 which had followed a similar accolade that he achieved in 1979. During his first three seasons at Liverpool Kenny Dalglish didn't miss a single league game Liverpool, needless to say that he was 'hero worshiped' by the fans.

Kenny Dalglish became player-manager at Liverpool after the retirement of Joe Fagan in 1985, many worried that this would signal the end of his playing career but he played twenty-one games that season as Liverpool won the League and the FA Cup, and he scored the goal against Chelsea that secured the title.

As player manager Dalglish went on to win the League title in 1988 and 1990, with another FA Cup win in 1989.

Inevitably Dalglish was to make fewer appearances as a player and he made his final appearance in May 1990 at the age of forty. In total Kenny Dalglish made 515 appearances and scored 172 goals for Liverpool and many fans were stunned by his shock resignation in 1991.

To this day many Liverpool fans consider Kenny Dalglish to be Liverpool's greatest ever player.

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Premier League Super Match Preview - Manchester United Vs Liverpool

Liverpool travel to Old Trafford this Sunday for a lunch-time kick off against traditional rivals Manchester United.

Liverpool's Record at Old Trafford:

This hasn't been the friendliest venue for Liverpool, in terms of match results. In 18 visits, the Merseysiders have won just four, while the Reds have won 10, with the remaining four games ending without result.

The Red Devils trump the Anfield squad in the number of goals scored, too. Against 27 goals scored by Sir Alex's squad, Liverpool have only managed to find the back of United's net on 15 occasions.

Manchester United's Record at Old Trafford:

United have had a brilliant home record, against all comers; in 77 matches played at Old Trafford, they have won 37, and only lost 15, while scoring 127 goals against just 70 conceded.

Liverpool's Current Premier League Season:

Liverpool haven't conceded a goal in their last two Premier League games, against West Brom and Birmingham. But they have only the solitary win in four matches this season.

United's Premiership Record:

United have not lost a match in their last nine Premiership games; they have won six and drawn the rest.

But if the Old Trafford side are feeling the strain of being four points behind Chelsea on the Premier League points table, the frustration was only compounded in their goalless draw against Rangers in the Champions League, on Tuesday. The Red Devils could yet rue the leads they threw away in the Fulham and Everton games; Evra and Evans in defence were to blame for lapses in concentration.

With Rio Ferdinand's return, Sir Alex will breathe a sigh of relief. Ferdinand has already gone through the paces staying the entire duration of the Rangers game, but the true test of his match fitness will be in the way he stands up to Torres, against Liverpool, on Sunday. I expect Evans to start, with Ferdinand coming in as a second half substitute, late in the game.

United's Team Selection Factors:

Sir Alex chose to rest many of his players in the Champions League game against Rangers, giving players like Smalling, Da Silva and Gibson a start. As a result, players like Scholes, Evra, O'Shea, Berbatov and Vidic who missed that match should find themselves well rested.

So the squad for Sunday's match should be more or less the same as that in the Everton game, last weekend. Wayne Rooney who missed the match at Goodison Park should be back in Premier League action.

A piece of good news for United is that Rio Ferdinand is set to play his first game of the Premiership season. Owen and Hargreaves are not fully recovered from their injuries, and Anderson is also a doubtful starter owing to a knee injury.

United will miss Carrick's ability in pacing and finishing a game. In another jolt to United, they have also lost Valencia to a broken ankle that he sustained in the Rangers game. The Ecuadorian has had the knee operated on, but is likely to be out of football action at least until February.

This would mean greater pressure on Nani, during this season. The Portuguese player should relish the challenge, as he has begun to gel with the squad.

Liverpool's Team Selection Factors:

The Merseysiders will be without Kuyt, Aurelio and Fabio. Gerrard and Torres, who were absent from the Liverpool side that beat Steaua Bucharest in the Europa League game on Thursday, are certain to start.

Joe Cole has served out his three match suspension after his first ever red card in Liverpool's opening match of the Premiership against Arsenal, and will also return to action against Fergie's men.

Red Devils Vs Merseysiders, Last Season:

Last season, the sides shared a game each, both home games going to the hosts. In the Old Trafford match, United prevailed 2-1, on the back of Park Ji-Sung's winning strike. In the Anfield match, Liverpool were more decisive, winning 2-0.

Game Plan for Manchester United:

Vidic and Evans will play a crucial role in the back-line. Berbatov is sure to start, according to Sir Alex, and should partner Rooney at the spearhead.

Alternatively, United could choose to go with Berbatov the lone striker, allowing Rooney to play a deeper role, in which he proved so effective in the recent Euro qualifiers. In such case, Park could be shunted to midfield, with Giggs manning the left flank.

Game Plan for Liverpool:

Gerrard should start with Poulsen in midfield with the flanks manned by Maxi and Jovanovic. Lucas Levia is an alternative available to Hodgson, if he is so inclined. The key for Liverpool is Torres. If he fails to impress, Hodgson could opt for Ngog, on the hour. Ngog who added a second goal to Torres' first in last year's home game against the Red Devils, at Anfield, is in great form this season.

Starting Elevens:

Possible starting eleven for Manchester United: Van der Sar, Evra, Evans, Vidic, Neville, Park, Fletcher, Scholes, Nani, Rooney, Berbatov

Possible starting eleven for Liverpool: Reina, Konchesky, Carragher, Skrtel, Johnson, Meireles, Poulsen, Jovanovic, Gerrard, Maxi, Torres

Sir Alex Ferguson Vs Roy Hodgson:

Interestingly, Sir Alex and Roy Hodgson have a personal rivalry going, in which Hodgson has had scant success, with the team under his stewardship winning in just two of nine Premier League meetings with Manchester United.

Prediction:

With the Anfield side recording just one win in their last 11 games, and finding the rival net just eight times during their last 14 matches, it is hard not to go with the Old Trafford side, in this one. United have rarely gone three games without a win. Liverpool would do well if they got away with a draw.

The Last Word:

Rivalries don't get any fiercer in sports than that between Manchester United and Liverpool. Don't miss this potentially explosive match between two teams that will never bury the proverbial hatchet.

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English Premier League - Liverpool Maintains Its Lead by Beating Blackburn

The 18-time champion of the Premier League, Liverpool, vindicated its leading position on the table this past Saturday by beating Blackburn Rovers 3-1 on the road in an amazing way. The game was well-played by the two teams but the consistency and determination of the Reds were higher than the Rovers in the second half, when they had trouble on their defense in various occasions.

The Reds for their part, played with conviction and its tactical plan was one that gave positive results to Benitez and his players at the end of the game. The Reds did not score any goals in the past two Premier League matches that finished in draws against Fulham and West Ham, but their effort in this game to find their winning strategies, gave them what they deserved, the victory.

This lost was the 5th consecutive for Blackburn in the Premier League, which remains in the relegation zone with only 13 points. Its coach Paul Ince is trying to find the way to win but some injuries on his key players and the clueless tactical plans in the matches have not helped to get a triumph, even when his players are playing hard.

On the other hand, Liverpool is working hard to maintain their pole position at the table and add more points to achieve their big ambition; winning their 19th title of the Premier League. However, we have to mention that Liverpool has also had struggles and difficulties, but even so they have managed to remain at the top.

In Saturday's game, Blackburn started with more chances than Liverpool during the first 10 minutes of the match, but they couldn't convert due to the fact that "Pepe" Reina was amazingly saving all of the Blackburn's attempts. Even so, the Reds didn't have any clear-cut opportunities during the first 45 minutes and the team's frustration started to show.

Nevertheless, in the second half things turned around for the Reds, who entered more aggressive and with more conviction than ever. Gerrard and Xavi were doing a great job in the midfield to create spaces and convert opportunities of goals. So at minute 68, Xavi Alonso opened the score with a great goal by an assist from Gerrard. Only 11 minutes later, Benayoun scored again for Liverpool placing a 2-0 in the scoreboard. Then at minute 86, Roque Santa Cruz scored the only goal of the match for Blackburn. Finally, to close the game at minute 90, Gerrard wrapped up the victory by scoring the final goal for Liverpool, finishing 3-1. This victory gives Liverpool a total of 37 points in the table, just one point ahead of Chelsea.

Moreover, Benitez was delighted with his team performance, as even when things were not completely on their side; his team took every chance to win. "We know we can play a lot better than we have been but what gives me confidence is that we can come to places like this and get results, even when we are not at our best," expressed the Spaniard Coach. "Clearly it was an important three points for us. We are in a very good position and we want to stay there."

Benitez also stated that players like Mascherano and Gerrard will improve with the time and that key players like Torres and Skrtel will be back to the field soon. That could help to balance the team and given them more support in the attack. The next match of Liverpool will be against Hull City on December 13th at home.

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EPL Team Profile - Liverpool

The formal name of the club is Liverpool Football Club, or Liverpool FC.

Known popularly by their nickname of the Reds, Liverpool's home venue is Anfield, with a capacity of just over 45,000. Founded in 1892, Liverpool have won the most league titles, 18 in all, a record that's jointly held with Manchester United, although none of those titles have come in the Premier League.

Liverpool have American owners in George Gilett and Tom Hicks; their chairman is Martin Broughton, and the manager, Roy Hodgson. Last season, the Reds finished at 7th place in the Premier League rankings.

In three matches played this year, the Anfield outfit have a win and a draw, apart from a 3-0 loss to Manchester City, one of Liverpool's rivals for a top four spot.

Pre-season Review:

The pre-season began for Liverpool in an atmosphere of intrigue. It all started with the departure of manager Rafa Benitez, from the squad. Thereafter, several stories played out as the headlines and rumours were kept alive.

Roy Hodgson took over as the Merseysider's new manager. One of Hodgson's early signings was Joe Cole on a free transfer. Steven Gerrard chose to stick on with the club. Fernando Torres belied rumours of his imminent departure. And the American owners put up the club for sale.

The Merseysiders comprise the following players: Reina, G Johnson, Agger, Carragher, Skrtel, Gerrard, Lucas, C Poulsen, Torres, Jovanovic, Kuyt, Jones, Kyrgiakos, Kelly, Maxi, Spearing, Pacheco, and Babel.

Rafa Benitez did not favour wingers. But having arrived from Chelsea, Joe Cole can give the Merseysiders the additional zing of flank attacks. Liverpool's atatcks have recently been uni-dimensional, in that they have through the middle of the park.

In an early summer signing, Charlton Athletic's Jojo Shelvey was welcomed to the squad. If he could make it to the starting eleven, 18 year old Shelvey would want to emulate his form in League One.

Standard Liege's Milan Jovanovic, an early signing who was spotted by Benitez, has arrived, and his inclusion in the Anfield squad means additional attack options. Glasgow Rangers' Danny Wilson is another promising sign up. Among departures, Albert Riera and Yossi Benayoun are most significant.

There is no pressure of expectation on Roy Hodgson, after the poor showing by the Reds in the 2009-10 season, and the change at the helm can only do good for the team. And if Hodgson has been lucky in retaining Torres and Gerrard, he cannot hope to hang on to Javier Mascherano, and must work on getting a replacement, ASAP.

If they play to potential, Liverpool are capable of doing better than they did last season, but I cannot envisage the Merseysiders finishing any better than 5th.

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Premier League Preview - Manchester United and Liverpool

There have been a number of transfers which have affected the top four - either to there advantage or disadvantage. The player who will be misssed most from the Premier League is none other than Cristiano Ronaldo who joined the Spanish club Real Madrid for a record fee. Manchester United will feel the loss of the great player but if Hargreaves, who missed the last season, makes himself fit the loss will be minimised to a certain extent. Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping that his new signing Antonio Valencia can fill Ronaldo's boots but those are really big boots to fill. Manchester United also lost Carlos Tevez but have signed Michael Owen so it wont affect them much. With the likes of Giggs, Scholes, Vidic, Ferdinand, Carrick, Rooney, Owen, Hargreaves and the rest, Manchester United will once more be in the hunt for the title once more and will be looking for a hatrick.

The Premier League's runners up Liverpool will be hoping they can do it this time with Ronaldo and Tevez absent from Manchester United but Liverpool themselves have lost one of their key playes. The Spanish giants Real Madrid recently signed Xabi Alanso from the Reds and that would have weakened Rafael Benitez's squad. But Liverpool has a very strong squad and if they gel well, the title could be theirs this season. Gerrard is absolutely brilliant and can turn any game on its heels and play makers like Torres, Riera, Macherano, Kuyt, Carragher and the rest will only make the opponents fears rise even more.

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Liverpool Football Club - It's Time to Relive the 80s!

The English Premier League has become somewhat of a spectacle in recent times. Thanks to intense media coverage and vast quantities of money paid to the league for broadcasting rights it has surpassed every other league in Europe. The biggest names in the world are lured over to the Premiership with the promise of money, glory and success. If you look at the Champions League competition over the last couple of seasons it has been dominated by the English teams. This shows the strength of the English sides and the power of the Premier League. As with all leagues the Premiership has a select group of teams that are a cut above the rest and one of the sides representing the cream of the Premier League is Liverpool FC.

Liverpool are one of the most decorated teams in England posing 18 league titles, 6 European titles and have many other trophies to their name. The 1980's were dominated by Liverpool. But unfortunately they have not won their domestic league title since. In 2005 Liverpool won the UEFA Champions League title coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win on penalties against AC Milan and since then have really made this competition their own. The likes of Manchester United and Chelsea have outgrown Liverpool and it has been a while since they have gone anywhere near the Premier League trophy. In 2006 the current owner of Liverpool football club David Moores decided it was time to move on. He wanted to sell the club to someone that had capital to invest in the club on both players and a new stadium. After much thought and negotiation he agreed to sell to two American businessmen, Tom Hicks and George Gillette.

Hicks and Gillette promised to make the purchase of Liverpool FC with their own money and no debt would be involved. They were all for current manager Rafa Benitez and said that they would allow him to look after the team decisions. A new stadium was to be built directly after the takeover but this has been put on hold due to the current economic situation. Since the takeover the club has plundered further into debt and the relationship between Hicks and Gillette and manager Rafa Benitez has become somewhat strained. This became most apparent during the Gareth Barry saga that went on over the summer of 2008 where Benitez implied that he was allowed no control over his team. The fans as you would expect have taken sides with their manager. Hicks and Gillette have been falling out with each other of late which can only hinder the team's performance. The two have extra police protection on rare visits to the ground due to the fans discontent.

But things are looking up for Liverpool. Over the last few seasons they have brought in some top signings during the transfer windows. After a successful start could this be the season where Liverpool football club relive their glory years? Only time will tell.

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The First Championship - The History Of Liverpool Football Club

After winning the Lancashire League in the first year of existence, Liverpool FC was elected to the Football League Second Division for the 1893-1894 season.

As was the case with the previous season, Liverpool FC was extremely successful in their second season as well, and won the Second Division by a good margin, suffering no defeats in the process. As a result they were promoted to the the highest level of English football at the time - the first division!

As you would expect, Liverpool FC didn't just go on to win the league in their first season, but started a building up period with the aim to win the league, as well as the domestic cup competition. The first seed of success was sown in 1896, when Liverpool FC signed Tom Watson to manage the team.

Tom Watson was the manager of Sunderland AFC, and had a proven track record, since he had guided Sunderland AFC to the title 3 times in 4 seasons, and remains their most successful manager to this day.

Over the next 5 years he built a strong squad around players like Alex Raisbeck, Bill Perkins, Billy Dunlop, Jack Cox and Sam Raybould. The Liverpool FC team that started the 1900-1901 was considered to be their strongest team yet.

To give you an idea of the time this took place, this was when handlebar mustaches were in high fashion, the players travelled to the away games by train and/or horse and carriage, Queen Victorias reign was coming to an end and goats would be grazing on the grass-covered terraces of Anfield during the week.

The season got off to a perfect start with a 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers, in front of a crowd of 20,000 at Anfield, followed by a 2-1 win away at Stoke City, before West Bromwich Albion had to suffer a 5-0 defeat by the Anfield outfit.

Fourth game of the season was the first so called Merseyside Derby, an away game against Everton FC at Goodison park. Liverpool FC came from behind to claim a 1-1 draw, ending their 100 percent record. Things went worse the next week, when their unbeaten run was brought to an end by title favorites Sunderland AFC, who came away from Anfield with a 2-1 win.

Manager Tom Watson wasn't most pleased to lose out to his former club, but in the end he and Liverpool FC would have the last laugh.

Liverpool FC would have to go through testing times first though, and by the turn of the year even the most optimistic supporter wouldn't have believed the team would go on to win the league that year. Further damage was added to the campaign and their confidence through further defeats, and by mid-February Liverpool FC found themselves in 8th spot in the league table.

With nine points difference to the top team of the league, Nottingham Forest, things looked bleak. However, Liverpool FC turned things around in what was to become a trademark of the clubs title winning teams, so before the last game of the season against an already relegated West Bromwich Albion site, they were level with Sunderland AFC in the title race.

West Bromwich Albion was no pushover though, fighting for honour and pride. Liverpool FC was fortunate to be in the lead by one goal to nil at half time. After a hard fought second half, Liverpool FC managed to hang on to their lead, and as a draw would have sufficed their first league title was a reality.

Coming back on the train from the midlands, the newly crowned champions were met by a large crowd at the central station, and team captain Alex Raisbeck was carried shoulder high through the streets to the tune of 'The Conquering Hero'.

On returning to Anfield, the League Championship trophy was proudly placed in the trophy cabinet for the first time. It wasn't to be the last time this happened though.

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