FROM THE KOP END

Word is the MANC players are gonna be at FTV Sandton tonight, so any of you want to catch a glimpse FTV Sandtons the place to be

Interesting article i recieved via email from A KOP lad MR Gani

Should Liverpool Fans Be Worried Or Optimistic?

Will this summer’s uncertainty mean Liverpool remain poor relations of the 'Big Four'?
Certainly for Liverpool fans, this has been a summer which has promised much, yet delivered little. One with precious little to cheer besides watching their star striker Fernando Torres score the winner for Spain in Euro 2008.
For the notoriously success-starved Scousers this summer must be a bitter pill. Last season was meant to be their year, with a squad supposedly packed with stars ready to triumph over their rivals Manchester United and Chelsea. Yet last season was perhaps even more disappointing with the Reds once again proving to be the poor relations in the top four, well off the pace in the League and, though defeating Arsenal - having been outplayed through much of the first leg - falling in the semi-finals of the Champions League. So now questions have to be asked as to whether Liverpool are really in a position to improve on last season, or if they will once again fall back.
Transfer Inactivity
Aside from the signing of some young players, manager Rafael Benitez has largely been restricted in what he can achieve. Boardroom unrest has meant that any outgoings must be recouped through player sales. As such, Benitez has been hamstrung and unable to spend the big money which he did last summer on players such as Ryan Babel and Fernando Torres, with his transfers limited to three players - the Italian left-back Andrea Dossena (£8million from Udinese) right-back Phlipp Degen, a Swiss international who arrived on a free transfer from Borussia Dortmund, and £3million Brazilian goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri, who will provide cover for Pepe Reina.
Dossena says of his style of play: "I do consider myself an aggressive player and sometimes I have been sent off for certain tackles, but I also like to play with the ball and, as long as the balance of the team isn't disturbed, I like to go forward."
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez describes Degen as "an offensive player with great energy and a winning mentality. His strength is going forward and I am confident he will be prove to be a quality addition to our squad."
Cavalieri intends to challenge Reina hard for a starting role, and said when unveiled as a Red: "My confidence has got me where I am today and maybe people are aware of what I did at Palmeiras in Brazil. I am sure that one day I can get the No 1 position, but that will only come with hard work."
Notwithstanding the promise of the three newcomers, moves for two higher-profile players, Gareth Barry and Robbie Keane, seem largely dependent on the sale of Xabi Alonso, a move which has stalled, and so for the foreseeable future, Liverpool’s two main summer targets will prove unobtainable unless Benitez can sell some more of his squad players.
Squad Strength
One of the reasons that Liverpool went into last season so full of optimism was that they had a large number of established quality players to cover positions across the pitch. However, twelve months on, questions must be asked. A disappointing season has led to question marks over a number of players, with Jermaine Pennant, Xabi Alonso and Steve Finnan among those who have seen their reputations decline over the past year. Of those who have gone, John Arne Riise and Scott Carson have effectively been replaced, but Harry Kewell, Peter Crouch and Danny Guthrie have not as yet. This raises question-marks over a number of key positions.
Liverpool still lack an appropriate foil for Fernando Torres who is a genuine striker (Steven Gerrard is a midfielder so doesn’t count in that respect), and their options on the right flank appear limited, with Benitez utilisng Dirk Kuyt wide on the right with only moderate success, and a central midfielder with intelligent distribution who can unlock the meanest defences still hasn’t appeared, and won’t unless Benitez sacrifices other squad members. So do Liverpool once again find themselves with a squad which is understrength and lacking in quality, having seemingly banished that question this time last year?
Boardroom Unrest
To complicate matters further, we have the problem of the two co-owners. Though relations seem to have improved between them, the pair will never entirely see eye-to-eye, and their differences are beginning to impact on the club. They have yet to substantially back Benitez with funds following Klinsmann-gate, and construction of the the stadium which was promised at the end of last season has only just begun. Contrast this with twelve months ago, when the two chairmen came to the club full of promises, sanctioned large-scale purchases and promised a new stadium to be built as soon as possible. A year on, the ownership of the club is still in the hands of a fragile alliance, and little has happened to allay the fears of many Liverpool fans.
Any Reasons To Be Cheerful?
Well, in terms of progress, we can be positive and say that a number of the younger members of the squad will have developed, and Javier Mascherano, Babel and Torres can only get stronger after their first full Premier League season. As well, Daniel Agger was sorely missed last season and his return, along with the impressive end-of-season showing of Martin Skrtel, will mean that Liverpool are perhaps as strong as any team in the centre of defence. As well, the exits of Kewell and Riise mean that some of the players who are in decline have been removed, and though as squad players they could be missed, they may yet be replaced by hungrier players keen to prove themselves from the youth set up - Emiliano Insua or Nabil El Zhar, for example.
Furthermore, the experienced players, such as Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, are now entering their footballing prime. The late-20s are when players supposedly reach their peak - and those two Scousers are ardent Liverpool fans who would like nothing more than to inspire their team to glory.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, if anything has changed most from last season to this season it is perception. Liverpool were perhaps so hyped up in the build-up a year ago that once they lost momentum they struggled under the pressure of what they were supposed to be. Tagged as favourites, they found the burden of expectation a heavy one to bear - in contrast to Arsenal, who were touted to fall out of the top four altogether, yet enjoyed one of their more promising campaigns of recent years. So for Liverpool, going into the new season as underdogs could well prove to be a blessing, removing much of the pressure of expectation from the team. With Liverpool fans still craving that first league title since 1990, could Benitez's squad, unburdened by the tag of favourites, just spring a surprise?
So what do you think? Are Liverpool fans right to believe that after this summer they will again be left behind? Or can the club rise from the gloom and really sustain a challenge for that long-sought after title?