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The crowning glory of Tom Hicks and George Gillett’s ill-fated takeover plan at Liverpool was the promise to relocate the club to a new ground in Stanley Park. Fast forward five years, and the plan for the ground remains just that, a plan. However that may be for the best in the short term, as the Reds look to improve their ailing form and establish, once more, a place in the UEFA Champions League.

The visions of the new 60,000 seater stadium excited fans upon their release in 2007, with its futuristic design seen as what could be a catalyst for the club to push on and become title challengers. However financial issues surrounding the American duo, and the Fenway Sports Group’s takeover have pushed the blueprints into the background.

Although this could be seen as a negative around the club, perhaps a few lessons should be learnt from Arsenal’s move to the Emirates Stadium, as they looked to keep pace with Manchester United and the Roman Abramovich backed Chelsea. Anybody who has been to the North London club’s new home will testify of it’s quality, yet the economic implications have held the club back somewhat over the past few years. The project cost an initial £390 million, with a significant sum coming from bank loans, denting the clubs financial situation. The increased income created from a larger stadium will eventually see it fund itself, yet the short term impacts can have a negative effect on performance levels of the team. Although Arsenal’s issues may have stemmed from the end of the ‘golden generation’s’ reign, the failure to spend top dollar in replacing them was surely influenced by the budget adjustments caused by the stadium development.

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To relate this to Liverpool, success in the short term is what is needed. There would be very little point in building a large ground, without top level European football. The club would more than likely fill the ground to a significant level through the season, such is the size of their loyal fan base, yet to maximise income the pull of Champions League football, and the increased level of revenue from gate receipts, would be needed. It’s clear to see that the club need to spend once more this summer, with a long term replacement for Steven Gerrard and a genuine goal-scorer top of Kenny Dalglish’s wish-list. Players of sufficient quality will likely cost in the region of £20-£25 million each, and with no big money sales looking likely, the investment, alongside any potential stadium plans would put a strain of the club’s bank balance.

As well as this, Anfield will always be the spiritual home of Liverpool, and a move from the site may result in a different atmosphere. I’m not saying that the fans will lose their passion, but there wouldn’t be that magical ambiance which is ever present at their current home. The ideal situation would be to extend the ground, which would be significantly cheaper than relocating, and will also keep the Anfield magic alive.

Eventually Liverpool will need a larger home, if they are to move up to the level of United, Arsenal, and Manchester City. However in the short term, the club need to establish on-field success, and the allocation of finances should be tailored toward this. Liverpool simply cannot spend another five or six years treading water.

Do the Reds need a new ground to keep pace? Or should they invest in the squad? Comment or follow @Alex_Hams to have your say

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If you have a spare 5 mins then why not watch the latest ‘Football Coffee Break’

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Everton have stated that they are working with police to find the identity of fans who threw objects onto the Goodison Park pitch on Saturday, and have pledged action against the culprits.

Liverpool players Luis Suarez and Craig Bellamy were the subject of the abuse, with coins and plastic bottles being thrown at them during the Merseyside derby at the weekend.

The Premier League club have stated that the indiscipline is not acceptable, and anyone found guilty will be dealt with in an unerring manner.

“We are fully aware of the incidents which occurred during Saturday’s derby game,” Everton director of communications Ian Ross told the club’s official website.

“We are currently working with Merseyside Police on collating and analysing all available CCTV footage of the incidents.

“If we can identify any supporter who threw anything – and we mean anything – on to the pitch on Saturday we will take immediate firm and far-reaching action.

“This behaviour is totally unacceptable and will be rightly condemned by all right-thinking Evertonians – and that is 99.9 per cent of our fan base,” he concluded.

Jack Rodwell was sent off in the first half of the match in controversial fashion, and Everton have appealed the dismissal, with a decision to be made in coming days.

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By Gareth McKnight

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All eyes will be on Joey Barton who will face his former Newcastle United side on Monday, less than two weeks since joining Queens Park Rangers. Barton will be just one of the many new faces on show as Warnock spends the money provided to him by the new owner to ensure QPR remain in the Premier League.

Barton could be joined in the game by new arrivals Shaun Wright Phillips, Anton Ferdinand, Armand Traore and Luke Young although Young is a doubt due to a groin injury. Kieron Dyer remains sidelined with a foot issue and Bradley Orr and Heidar Helguson also look set to miss out.

Newcastle have made a brilliant start to the season, collecting seven points from games against Arsenal, Sunderland and Fulham and Alan Pardew will be hoping to continue this form at Premier League newcomers QPR. Two goal hero Leon Best and Peter Lovenkrands started up-front in the victory over Fulham and they look to continue on Monday with Demba Ba struggling since his move from West Ham. Newcastle new boy Davide Santon is unlikely to go straight into the starting XI for Monday’s trip to QPR after spending time on international duty since completing his move. Steve Harper, Danny Guthrie, and Shola Ameobi could all feature after they returned to training after respective injuries.

In what should be a real competitive game I think Loftus Road will be bouncing with anticipation but Warnock will need to get the new arrivals to gel which could take some time. A draw seems the most likely result for two improved teams.

Key Players

Joey Barton: It will be interesting to see what reaction he receives from the Newcastle faithful at the game and there is no doubt that he will be determined to make an impression with all the cameras firmly placed on him.

Jonas Gutierrez: The Argentinean winger performs a key function for the team, not only supporting the players upfront but also regularly helping out in defence.

Verdict: 1-1

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To see the Premier League round-up and preview the weekend fixtures – download the excellent ESPN Goals App

In light of the launch of the new football gaming phenomenon that is ‘Goaldash’ I decided to look at the six greatest Premier League Games of all time.

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Over the past 19 years the Premier League has delighted us with some absolutely cracking matches. We have seen so many classic encounters from topsy-turvy battles to epic comebacks, that are forever etched in our memories. Here are 6 of the greatest Premier League games of all time:

1. Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle 

Often cited as the best and with good reason. There were massive stakes on the game, as Newcastle could have drawn level with Man United in the title race, and Liverpool were third and not far behind either. The game had it all: a goal in the second minute, one in the last, and pretty much everything else in between. Stan Collymore’s final blow sealed it for the reds.

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2. Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham

An absolutely classic north London derby.  It was Harry Redknapp’s first official game in charge of Spurs, with the club languishing at the bottom of the table. The match had it all: classic goals-including the 40-yarder from David Bentley-goalkeeping howlers, defensive mistakes. Just as you thought it was over, something else would happen. Arsenal led 4-2  with a minute remaining, but Spurs somehow came back, and the match was a key moment for Harry in turning Spurs around.

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3. Man United 4-3 Man City

This match took place shortly after City’s takeover, and their hopes and expectations were sky high, as they thought they would square things in Manchester. Mark Hughes faced off against the old master, but it was Fergie who came out on top. Man City came back from 3-1 down and looked to have secured a fantastic point, however Michael Owen came up with a dramatic stoppage time winner to hand the points to the red side of the city.

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4. Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal

A classic Premier League encounter between two of the big boys. A 4 goal haul from Andrei Arshavin looked to have sealed the points for Arsenal in this back and forth encounter, but Yossi Benayoun was to snatch a draw for Liverpool as he scrambled the ball home in stoppage time.

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5. Tottenham 3-5 Manchester United

This match truly epitomised the saying a game of two halves. Spurs were up 3-0 at half time, yet Manchester United never gave up, and came out firing in the second half capping a remarkable comeback to take the match 5-3 and leave Tottenham stunned.

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6. Newcastle 4-4 Arsenal

Arsenal raced into a 4-0 lead and looked to be coasting, as the signs looked ominous for Newcastle. However, after Diaby was sent off, Newcastle finally got going, and produced a stunning comeback to shock the title hopefuls.

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So what is Goaldash all about then?

Bored of playing the Lottery? Failing every week on the Pools? Then why not give ‘Goaldash’ a go – a football gamble with a difference.

‘Goaldash’ is a fabulous concept which fuses the Lottery format with pre-chosen football fixtures. Whereas you may use birthdays or your own favourite numbers to pick your six numbers, with ‘Goaldash’ you need to use your foresight of the Beautiful Game to select the six teams that are likely to score the quickest in the pre-selected 24 fixtures.

 It only costs £1 a pop to enter and you have the chance to win a million pounds, every given week.

All you have to do is scour the 48 teams and pick out the 6 teams that are likely to score the quickest on the Saturday afternoon. The matches are chosen from the Premier League, the Football League, as well as the Scottish divisions therefore you will have plenty to work out and strategise before you make your selections.

Playing the Lottery has just got fun, especially as your odds are a damn sight greater.

Fancy your chances? Fancy winning £1million pounds? Why not give it a go!

Porto president Pinto da Costa has given a candid interview stating that Andre Villas-Boas left the Portuguese side too early in his career, and that Chelsea players’ are undermining him due to continued contact with Jose Mourinho.

The young Stamford Bridge trainer has come under scrutiny as his side battle to try to qualify for the Champions League, with the club currently in fifth place.

Da Costa has confirmed that he feels that his former coach will be successful in the long run, but the situation at the London club currently is not ideal.

“He will be successful with Chelsea because his contract isn’t just for one year,” the executive told Gazzetta dello Sport, translated to English by The Daily Telegraph.

“He needs time to mould his own team and he can’t do that as long as there are players, as I’ve heard, who exchange text messages with Mourinho. And Roman Abramovich knows this.

“He left thinking that Chelsea was a unique opportunity, but I believe that was a mistake because there would have been others.

“If he were to leave Chelsea, I am sure he will become the next coach at Inter. He has the right personality to coach the Nerazzurri. In the past, I said the same thing about Mourinho,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Over the past weeks I’ve read and heard a lot from the “holier-than-thou” London-centric media about how Liverpool have set a bad example supporting Suarez and for wearing “those t-shirts” during the warm-up prior to the Wigan game. How Dalglish and Liverpool should have simply (read meekly) accepted the decision of the FA ’s independent commission (they hadn’t got the guts to make a decision on their own), apologize and move on. That Liverpool should have taught Suarez, and all overseas players, about what and what is not acceptable to say to another player in the heat-of-the moment and so and and so forth.

What utter “let’s print this crap so we can sell more newspapers” journalism this truly is. Are we supposed to respect this kind of preaching from those who a few months ago were happily tapping some innocents mobile? I didn’t think so.

What the football media have totally underestimated is just how strong the Liverpool family really is and always will be. When injustice is served up cold, as Liverpool have had to endure again and again over the decades, it unites Liverpool supporters and the team even more strongly. When Liverpool came running onto the field wearing Suarez shirts I couldn’t have been prouder of my team and of Kenny for making a stand against the flawed justice they had been handed down to Suarez.

What the band-wagon media failed to recognize, or acknowledge, was that Liverpool and their fans are totally against racism. Always have been, always will be. Liverpool is a multi-cultural, multi-racial club and proud of it. Just ask the likes of John Barnes who has stated that the FA are guilty of crucifying Suarez.

To say I love Liverpool is an understatement, however, that doesn’t mean I blindly support or condone anything a player may do that is out-of-order i.e. if Downing did indeed hit his ex-girlfriend then he needs to get what’s coming to him, both personally and professionally.

So Liverpool have taken the high-road and decided to accept the decision of the FA’s independent commission. I’m disappointed but respect it but let’s be clear, Liverpool are not the London media’s, or the FA’s, favourite football team and never will be. The media never questioned the hypocrisy of the FA fighting UEFA to reduce Rooney’s violent conduct 3-match ban versus Liverpool’s right to question Suarez’s 8-match ban. And if Terry is found guilty of racism will we see the same level of justice meted out? Don’t hold your breath.

Article courtesy of Barry Ringstead from Live4Liverpool

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With all the fascination surrounding Luis Suarez’s arrival at Liverpool last January; his spearheading of the revival at Anfield under Kenny Dalglish and the genuine ‘superstar’ status of one of Europe’s most coveted strikers, it appears that some of the admiration is a little lost when it comes to Manchester City’s latest acquisition Sergio Aguero. At the very least, the excitement was short lived.

It’s hard to understand whether Manchester City and the Premier League truly understand the kind of player they have in ‘Kun Aguero: a player who almost single-handedly put Barcelona to the sword a couple of seasons ago and one who managed to lead Atletico Madrid to the Europa League final and win the competition, now has given City a genuine reason to forget Carlos Tevez and all the needless baggage that comes with the ever-distracting Argentine.

Of course who wouldn’t be impressed by Suarez, a player who continued the fine tradition of breath-taking goal scoring records at Ajax but, unlike his predecessor Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, has managed to quickly adapt to the rigors of a far superior European league.

Players of Suarez’s quality come about very rarely and for the transfer fee in the region of £24 million, he represents a real bargain in a time of reckless spending by the oil-rich powerhouses of City, Chelsea and now CF Malaga.

But almost similarly, one could argue that the sale of Aguero left Atletico with the short end of the stick. A player who quite comfortably formed one of the three best players in La Liga last season outside of Barcelona and Real Madrid, is now one who we should be hoping is not just using Manchester City as a stop-gap to Florentino Perez’s Madrid.

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The introduction of these players into the Premier League may be just what England needed to ensure they catch up with the far superior technical ability of their Spanish counterparts. Well under 6ft tall and with the ability to offer so much more than just a target up front, Aguero and Suarez represent the type of footballer that should be present in an elite league that is maybe yet to catch up with the evolving nature of football on the continent.

‘Kun Aguero was at times a name put forward to replace the restless Wayne Rooney of a year ago at Manchester United. Understandably, Sir Alex Ferguson sees a player who is similar in build to Rooney, with the ability to play across a number of positions in attack and, foremost, a player who any club could build their team around.

Just as he stepped in to the shoes of Fernando Torres and helped Atletico back in to the Champions League, Aguero will now take up the position of the soon to be departing Carlos Tevez and take them onto that next level of Champions of England.

Will Suarez have a similar effect in Liverpool? At this stage it’s hard to see, primarily due to the supporting cast at City and the form of Aguero’s team-mate David Silva.

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But there is so much to admire about the two players who share so many similarities; coming into a faster, more physical league and showing starry-eyed onlookers why they are of the elite in their position.

Click on the banner below to win a pair of tickets to Liverpool v City!

Tottenham made it seven wins from their last eight games with a 3-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday, despite not have Harry Redknapp’s stewardship from the bench.

The Spurs manager is still recovering from a heart operation, and Kevin Bond led the side against their London rivals.

Gareth Bale opened the scoring for the visitors on ten minutes, and Aaron Lennon made it two on the stroke of half-time. Younes Kaboul gave the Cottagers hope by scoring an own goal just before the hour mark, but Jermain Defoe sealed the win for Spurs late on.

The victory brings the White Hart Lane outfit level on 22 points with Chelsea, with a game in hand.

Brad Friedel made a number of excellent saves to ensure Spurs held onto their lead, but feels a pressurised last 20 minutes wouldn’t have helped Harry Redknapp’s health.

“I always think that it is easier being involved in it and here on the day, rather than watching it on the tele,” the United States international told Sky Sports.

“I don’t know how much he would have enjoyed the second half until Jermain Defoe’s goal at the end.

“There were a couple of scary moments at the end, but we’ll take the three points.

“From the first minute of the second half they were on top of us, but great credit to the lads, we defended really well today, even Luka [Modric] saving things off the line, so what a great win,” he concluded.

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Aston Villa are next up for Tottenham at White Hart Lane, whilst Fulham travel to take on Sunderland next Saturday.

By Gareth McKnight

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Manchester United forward Javier Hernandez will be sidelined for ‘a couple of weeks’ after spending a night in hospital due to concussion.The Mexico international was injured during training prior to United’s 4-0 win over the Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Stars in their friendly clash on Wednesday.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed the 23-year-old, who scored 13 goals in his debut English Premier League season last campaign, had spent the night before the game in hospital.

“He got concussion in training and we dealt with that,” he said.

“We took him to hospital, he had a scan. It was all clear. He is back in the hotel. He is in his room and will be out for a couple of weeks.”

The setback rules Hernandez out of United’s friendly against Barcelona on Saturday, but Ferguson said he would not have taken part anyway due to a heavy schedule that saw him help Mexico to the CONCACAF Gold Cup title in June.

“He would never have been available for Barcelona anyway because he has just come back from his break after the Gold Cup,” Ferguson said.

“He will travel with us though. He is okay for that.”

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Ferguson’s team hammered the MLS All-Stars 4-0 thanks to goals from Anderson, Park Ji-Sung, Dimitar Berbatov and Danny Welbeck.

United finish their tour of the US with a re-match of the UEFA Champions League final, which Barcelona won 3-1.

Here is a list of the ten greatest footballers that God ever managed to make. He was having a fantastic day by his standards because these guys are just so good. It is a list of by far the best players who’ve ever graced the completely unworthy Premier League. The turf should be sealed off after they’ve played and turned into a pilgrimage site. Or so they think.

In reality this is a list of the biggest egos in the Premier League. The ten players who cannot handle being substituted and storm down the tunnel in a fit of rage, the players who kick out in disgust at water bottles and throw their shirts to the ground really really angrily. These are the players who scream at their teammates when they don’t get the ball but would never dream of passing if they had a chance from 40 yards.

All these players genuinely believe they are the best, they believe that taking them off is a stupid mistake and leaving them on the bench is pure lunacy. They are God’s gift to the game and to their team and to ignore God you must be a fool. In fact you’re all fools anyway, you just can’t comprehend their talent.

Managerial authority means absolutely nothing, the idea that somebody would tell them how to play when they have already mastered all there is to know is laughable. ‘Leave it to me and we will win’ they think, ‘who is this old goat who thinks Jermaine Jenas can replace ME! He must be mad!’ Cue strop.

In football, whole squads can be described as egos, particularly the most expensive ones. The Chelsea and Manchester City managerial jobs in particular require masterful ‘mass-ego management skills’ but that is a story for another day. Today we’re going to focus on the individuals, just as these players would want. It’s all about me, me, me. So here are 10 of the best.

Click on Drogba and Ronaldo below to see the Top TEN

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