FA GIVES ITS REASONS FOR SUAREZ BAN

The FA have given its reasons for Luis Suarez's eight match ban saying "He gave unreliable and inconclusive evidence in his hearing."

Here is an extract from the official report:

"The FA's case, in short, was as follows. In the goalmouth, Mr Evra and Mr Suarez spoke to each other in Spanish. Mr Evra asked Mr Suarez why he had kicked him, referring to the foul five minutes previously. Mr Suarez replied "Porque tu eres negro", meaning "Because you are black". Mr Evra then said to Mr Suarez “say it to me again, I’m going to punch you”. Mr Suarez replied "No hablo con los negros", meaning "I don't speak to blacks".
Mr Evra continued by saying that he now thought he was going to punch Mr Suarez.
 Mr Suarez replied "Dale, negro, negro, negro", which meant "okay, blackie, blackie, blackie".
As Mr Suarez said this, he reached out to touch Mr Evra's arm, gesturing at his skin.
 Mr Kuyt then intervened. When the referee blew his whistle and called the players over to him shortly after the exchanges in the goalmouth, Mr Evra said to the referee "ref, ref, he just called me a fucking black".

If I were Liverpool FC, I would be very careful about appealing this as their view of events show that the FA are clearly set against Luis Suarez in this case and Luis hasn't a hope of winning an appeal if this is how the FA see it.

Don't appeal it Suarez, the FA are out to make an example of you, they will not budge, accept the suspension and come back to us in February when we need you.

Happy New Year fans & others, lets hope its a good one...

LIVERPOOL TRIUMPH OVER NEWCASTLE

Two goals by Craig Bellamy drove Liverpool towards success against Newcastle at Anfield and returning Captain Steven Gerrard scored a delightful chip on 77 minutes to seal a 3-1 victory over a dogged Newcastle following an unlucky own-goal by Daniel Agger under pressure on 25 mins.

The game was more about the victory than the performance and Liverpool dug it out in determined fashion.

The main feelings now are of relief and joy as we move ahead of Pardew's team and Arsenal into 5th on 34 points along with Chelsea, for now.

Great to get the win and equaly good to see Stevie G back and amongst the goals.

Next up: Man City away in the League Tue 3rd, Jan.

                                

BEATING NEWCASTLE AT ANFIELD IS A MUST: POSSIBLE TEAM

Liverpool face a crucial match against Newcastle United tonight.

The two teams are only divided by a point in the League with Newcastles's Demba Ba scoring for fun (14 goals) while Liverpool boast the meanest defence in the League so far.

Luis Suarez is banned by the FA so expect Craig Bellamy to start up-front alongside Andy Carroll against their former teams.

Should be a tight one but I call it 2-1 to Liverpool

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NEWCASTLE WIN A MUST AT ANFIELD

With all the furore over Luis Suarez getting another ban, Liverpool getting a £20,000 fine over Jay Spearing's sending off and all the dismal draws instead of wins as we slide down the table, it is the same old story with Liverpool FC, failure to beat lower league opposition, failure to stay in touch with the Manchester teams and now Tottenham Hotspur.

Three good Managers in the last ten years as we enter 2012, yet its still the same old story, so near and yet so far.

From Houllier to Benitez and now King Kenny, its the same old story, the odd second place finish followed by capitulation.

Without Suarez on Friday Night v Newcastle at Anfield we have to pick a strong team to beat the Baggies, hear is my predicted team versus Newcastle:

Reina

Johnson Skrtel Agger Enrique

Gerrard Adam Spearing Maxi

Bellamy Carroll

Lets hope for a much-needed win with Carroll and Bellamy getting the goals against their former club Newcastle.





LUKAS PODOLSKI ON LIVERPOOL'S RADAR

With Liverpool in obvious need for a proven striker, especially with Suarez facing an eight-match ban in the near future, one possibility is German hitman Lukas Podolski.
The Polish native is playing for German side Cologne and has scored 14 goals in 15 appearances already this season.
He has also scored 43 goals in 95 games for his adopted Country, Germany in the past few years.
The sharp-shooter is still only 26 and would provide the ideal striker for a Liverpool side that has only scored 16 goals so far this season.
Damien Comolli has his eye on him and it is believed €20 million(£16.5 million) will be enough for Cologne to part with the player.

Its just a rumour at this stage, but I would love to see the player at Anfield.

TORRES MOUTHING OFF AGAIN ABOUT LIVERPOOL

That man Torres is at it again, criticising his former club when nearly 70% of Liverpool fans are willing to forgive and forget and welcome him back to Anfield.

Speaking to Spanish TV station Canal+ Liga, Torres said: “The Liverpool fans don’t know the truth about why I signed for Chelsea. The fans don’t even know half of what happened.
 They don’t know what the people in charge at Liverpool are like – they have a completely different perception of what they are like.

“They made promises that they didn’t keep and I left because I realised I didn’t have time to be part of a project that would take years. I have nothing against the Liverpool fans. I didn’t want to leave Liverpool the way I did but the club lied. I was let down and I don’t understand why the fans hate me.”



Why does FT keep having a go at his former club?
Since his acrimonious departure from Anfield, he has repeatedly criticised his former team.

As for branding John W. Henry and FSG liars, he is making a big mistake.
Our new owners have invested well in the club and will do so again in the January transfer-window, so how can you call them liars Torres?

Content yourself with the Chelsea subs bench and stop moaning about Liverpool FC.

I support the Liverpool players wearing Suarez 7 t-shirts at the Wigan game, I am not racist and neither is Suarez.

LIVERPOOL GAIN AN AWAY DRAW AT WIGAN

The cloud over Luis Suarez's EIGHT match ban seemed to weigh heavily on the player's shoulders as they were held scoreless at the DW Stadium.

With the players and Manager Kenny Dalglish all donning tee-shirts in support of Suarez, the team went all out for victory against Wigan away.

Plenty of chances went a begging and Charlie Adam missed a penalty.
Despite Liverpool dominated the game, they failed to break Wigan's defence.
The need for a top-quality striker was never more obvious as it is now.

OFFICIAL LIVERPOOL RESPONSE TO SUAREZ VERDICT

Official Liverpool Statement

Liverpool Football Club is very surprised and disappointed with the decision of the Football Association Commission to find Luis Suarez guilty of the charges against him.
We look forward to the publication of the Commission's Judgment. We will study the detailed reasons of the Commission once they become available, but reserve our right to appeal or take any other course of action we feel appropriate with regards to this situation.
We find it extraordinary that Luis can be found guilty on the word of Patrice Evra alone when no-one else on the field of play - including Evra's own Manchester United teammates and all the match officials - heard the alleged conversation between the two players in a crowded Kop goalmouth while a corner kick was about to be taken.
The Club takes extremely seriously the fight against all forms of discrimination and has a long and successful track record in work relating to anti-racist activity and social inclusion. We remain committed to this ideal and equality for all, irrespective of a person's background.
LFC considers racism in any form to be unacceptable - without compromise. It is our strong held belief, having gone over the facts of the case, that Luis Suarez did not commit any racist act. It is also our opinion that the accusation by this particular player was not credible - certainly no more credible than his prior unfounded accusations.
It is key to note that Patrice Evra himself in his written statement in this case said 'I don't think that Luis Suarez is racist'. The FA in their opening remarks accepted that Luis Suarez was not racist.
Luis himself is of a mixed race family background as his grandfather was black.
 He has been personally involved since the 2010 World Cup in a charitable project which uses sport to encourage solidarity amongst people of different backgrounds with the central theme that the colour of a person's skin does not matter; they can all play together as a team.
He has played with black players and mixed with their families whilst with the Uruguay national side and was Captain at Ajax Amsterdam of a team with a proud multi-cultural profile, many of whom became good friends.
It seems incredible to us that a player of mixed heritage should be accused and found guilty in the way he has based on the evidence presented. We do not recognise the way in which Luis Suarez has been characterised.
It appears to us that the FA were determined to bring charges against Luis Suarez, even before interviewing him at the beginning of November. Nothing we have heard in the course of the hearing has changed our view that Luis Suarez is innocent of the charges brought against him and we will provide Luis with whatever support he now needs to clear his name.
We would also like to know when the FA intend to charge Patrice Evra with making abusive remarks to an opponent after he admitted himself in his evidence to insulting Luis Suarez in Spanish in the most objectionable of terms. Luis, to his credit, actually told the FA he had not heard the insult.
© Liverpool Fc
Liverpool will fight this judgement tooth and nail.
They are unlikely to get the verdict overturned but they can hope for a reduction in the length of the ban, eight matches is extraordinarily harsh and will surely be resinded in due course.
We need Suarez in the team as much as possible and the obvious need for a new striker is now put into sharper focus.

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SUAREZ GIVEN 8 MATCH BAN BY FA

The FA Disiplinary committee has banned Luiz Suarez for EIGHT games and fined him £40,000 for using racist language against Man Utd's Patrice Evra.
Given the severity of the verdict, Liverpool are likely to appeal the decision, they have two weeks to do so.

Luis Suarez has tweeted a message following the ban:

Best of luck with the likely appeal Luis.

LIVERPOOOL TO OVERCOME WIGAN ON WEDNESDAY + BAR-CHART

Liverpool look to continue on their winning ways against Wigan at the DW Stadium on Wednesday.
Bouyed by their  comfortable win at Villa Park on Sunday, Kenny Dalglish's men will be looking to keep the pressure on Roberto Martinez side who lie near the bottom of the League.

Expect a comfortable win away at Wigan as we look to move up the table over the Christmas.

                            LIVERPOOL STATS

LIVERPOOL TOOK THEIR FOOT OFF THE GAS

Liverpool earned a valuable away win against Aston Villa with two early strikes by Craig Bellamy on 10 mins and a Martin Skrtel header five minutes later.

Villa were there for the taking, however Liverpool failed to press home their advantage.

True, Luis Suarez had two great shots hit the woodwork but mostly the reds played a subdued brand of football, unsure of whether to go all-out for the jugular and hammer home their advantage or to keep things tight and keep a clean sheet away from home.

I lost count of the amount of times Jordan Henderson passed the ball back to Martin Skrtel when he should have been looking ahead for passes to Bellamy, Adam and Suarez.

Apart from the bright opening 15 minutes, the game was a bit of an anti-climax.
 I suppose credit is due to Steve Clarke for instilling a determination not to concede a goal into this Liverpool team.
Also the fact that I am slightly disappointed after a good away win shows how far we have come.
I put Liverpool ahead of Arsenal because even though we are both level on points and goal difference, we have a better head to head record, having beaten the Gunners 2-0 at the Emerites earlier this Season.

Next up: Wigan away on Wednesday night.


         Premier League Table

TEAMS	PLAYED	WON	DRAWN	LOST	GOAL DIFF	POINTS
MAN CITY	16	13	2	1	35	41
MAN UTD	16	12	3	1	23	39
SPURS	15	11	1	3	13	34
CHELSEA	16	10	2	4	15	32
LIVERPOOL	16	8	5	3	7	29
ARSENAL	16	9	2	5	7	29

PREDICTED TEAM AGAINST VILLA

With Sunday's game against Aston Villa going ahead around 2pm, I can't help feeling that its a big test of our top four credentials this weekend.

Alex McLeish has got Aston Villa playing very well again.

But he has to do without Gabby Agbonlahor due to picking up five bookings so far this seasn.

This may give vetern Emile Heskey a start againt his old club at Villa park.

Stewart Downing returns in a Liverpool shirt today for the first time so he can expect a hostile reception from the home fans whenever he touches the ball, which isn't half enough for a £20 million pound signing as yet.

Lets hope for a win and a good performance against the Villa to move us up the table again.

WHY LIVERPOOL NEED ANOTHER STRIKER

With Liverpool currently sitting in 6th despite having one of the best defences in the Premier League, it is time to call on the club to buy a quality striker to aid Suarez upfront in the quest for a top-four finish this season.
Below is a table of our Premiership goal-scorers this season:

PREMIER LEAGUE	GOALS
SUAREZ	5
CARROLL	2
MAXI	1
ADAM	2
HENDERSON	1
GERRARD	1
BELLAMY	1
JOHNSON	1
SKRTEL	1
KELLY	1

True, lots of Liverpool players have been finding the net, but it is simply not good enough for a club of our standards.
Time to buy at least one quality striker to add to the team in the January transfer-window.

STEVEN GERRARD SET TO RETURN AGAINST NEWCASTLE ON DEC 30TH

Unconfirmed reports today have suggested that Liverpool Captain Steven Gerrard is recovered from his mysterious ankle infection and will be available for selection in under two weeks.

He has been pictured on Lfc.tv this week running with his team-mates as he looks to get over a very bleak year for him in the red of Liverpool.
He is now expected to feature in Liverpool's final fixture of 2011 against Newcastle United on December 30, which will end his injury-plagued year on something of a positive note.

This will be very good news for every Liverpool supporter as our talisman has been sorely missed for most of 2011 through injury.
Add in the loss of Lucas for the rest of the Season and its easy to see that now is the perfect time for Stevie G to return to the starting eleven.

We have missed his tough tackling in midfield, his surging runs into the box, his spectular goals, but most of all his influence in the team, he single handedly drives Liverpool forward time after time, even when the team looks lost he is the man who takes the game by the scruff-of-the-neck and wins the game for Liverpool.

Come back soon Steven Gerrard.

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THE MIRROR SAYS TORRES SHOULD COME BACK TO ANFIELD

Respected Daily Mirror columnist David Maddock wrote an interesting article about Chelsea's Fernando Torres during the week.


He explored the depths to which the once all-conquering Spanish and ex- Liverpool forward has sunken to of warming the bench for his present club when he could be scoring goals for fun at his old club Liverpool.
Here is some of what David said:

"The sight of Torres warming up along the touchline on Tuesday evening was one of those laugh or cry moments; his body language so appalling, his humiliation so apparent, you could actually feel some sympathy for a bloke whose annual salary equals the GDP of a small nation.

His move to Chelsea has been a disaster hasn’t it? Unmitigated, debilitating disaster. He left Liverpool in search of honours he said, in search of a more powerful team and the bright lights of big competition. He found the Carling Cup.
So I have a solution. They are a forgiving lot at Anfield, the fans quick to embrace an underdog and show the sort of love and affection that could just revive the career of Fernando Torres.
Sure, there are many who believe him a traitor of the highest order, those who would never forgive him, but there are many who feel it is a shame he never quite cemented the place in Liverpool legend he was on his way to achieving.
And Kenny Dalglish has a problem with strikers. Luis Suarez could find himself banned for a fair chunk of the holiday period, given his indiscretions of late, and in his absence, the Reds boss can’t fancy his alternatives too much.
Even if Suarez miraculously escapes a ban, Liverpool still have a problem up front. Suarez is a top class player, a true talent and a joy at times to watch, but he is not an out and out goalscorer. His conversion rate in front of goal is actually rather worrying, as his stats show the most shots in the Premier League, but only five goals.
What he needs is a goalscorer beside him. But so far, Andy Carroll hasn’t looked like a goalscorer either. He’s got plenty of talent, he’s contributed in terms of the team, but hasn’t looked much like finding the net on a regular basis.
When he was at Liverpool Torres was a goalscorer. And he’s clearly not wanted at Chelsea. So why not let him go back to Anfield for a bit, to see if he can rediscover his old muse? If there is one set of fans who will help him find it, then it is the Anfield support.
There is the small matter of course, that a rejuvenated Torres could score the goals Liverpool have been missing, and inspire them to a top four finish that may oust Chelsea from the Champions’ League party.
But what the hell, it’s nearly Christmas, it’s time for giving. And clearly, there are plenty of people at Stamford Bridge who’d like to give Fernando Torres something right now."
(c) Daily Mirror

When Torres left Liverpool for rivals Chelsea a year ago I was one of many to brand him a traitor for leaving this club that had helped ignite his career under Rafa Benitez where he broke many Liverpool goalscoring records including the fastest player to get to 50 goal at Anfield.

It is pitiful to see him flounder at Chelsea, he did say recently that he missed the intimacy of the City of Liverpool compared to the unforgiving metropolis of London.

Big question of the Week, would you have him back at Anfield or would you leave him to rot at Chelsea?

website polls

LIVERPOOL PLAYER RATINGS AGAINST QPR

Good to see Liverpool register a home win again after three draws at Anfield, thanks to a Luis Suarez header on 47 minutes.
It was a game where Liverpool threatened to run riot only for the goalkeeping of Cerny to keep it at 1-0.


Kenny Dalglish said after the game that "Liverpool played fantastic football but I would like to see them score an awful lot more goals."




Player Ratings:


Reina: 7/10: Had very little to do except palm away a QPR shot late in the game.


Johnson: 6/10 : Was fairly solid defensively, tried another 'Chelsea goal' but was high and wide.


Skrtel: 9/10: Totaly dominated the defence, cleared everything, even found time to go forward.


Agger: 7/10: Had a quiet game but kept QPR scoreless.


Enrique: 6/10: Stuck to his defensive duties well, blocking a Bradley Orr Header.


Downing: 6/10: Is still trying to find his true game at Liverpool, had a shot well saved by Cerny.


Adam: 7/10: Provided the cross for Suarez's goal, was a constant threat throughout the game.


Henderson: 6/10: Did well as a defensive midfielder, blocked alot of QPR's attacks quietly, tried a shot 1st-half.


Maxi: 8/10: Had four shots on goal saved or blocked by Cerny, great display, deserved to score.


Kuyt: 6/10: Is not having a happy time of it lately, works hard,as always, shot wide in the 1st-half.


Suarez: 8/10: Scored the winner and was a constant threat to a Rangers team who did not know how to handle him.


Man of the match: Luis Suarez

TIME FOR JORDAN HENDERSON TO STEP INTO THE BREACH

With Lucas out for the rest of the season and Jay Spearing suspended for the next three games, it is time now for £20 million Jordan Henderson to step up to the plate at Liverpool.

We face Neil Warnock's QPR at Anfield and its a game we simply must win to stay abreast of the top six in the Premiership.

Young Hendo, to be fair, has been played out on the right-wing so far for Liverpool.
The player himself has stated that he is better suited to central midfield and has played there to great effect with the England U-21's.

However, the cut and thrust of midfield battles in the Premiership is another step-up and the lad will have his chance to impress in there today at 3pm.

He will find himself up against Joey Barton (capt), Shaun Derry, Adel Taarabt in the midfield, so he will have be playing at his very best alongside Charlie Adam to dominate midfield.


                              Possible Liverpool Team:

Lets hope our depleted midfield can overcome QPR and get us a much-needed win in the League.

IS KENNY RIGHT ABOUT ROONEY'S BAN REDUCTION?

Liverpool Manager Kenny Dalglish surprisingly opened a can of worms at his press-conference on Thursday when he questioned the reduction of Man Utd's Wayne Rooney getting a three-game ban reduced to two games for next year's Euro Finals.

Kenny Dalglish was quizzed about his views on the FA's successful appeal that means Wayne Rooney's England ban has been reduced two-matches.

He said: "I don't think it sets a very good standard that they appeal against Wayne's three-match ban.

I think it calls into question their own disciplinary system.

"It's understandable because Wayne is a fantastic footballer, but it's not as if it was a 50/50 challenge he got sent off for, is it? If it's a straight red, it's three games (suspension), so I don't know how they justify diluting it.

"If they can justify diluting Wayne's, then everybody else that appeals for a similar sending off in a Premier League game would expect to have their ban reduced.

It's great news for England that their best player is going to be available for their last game, but I don't think it sets a very good precedent for everybody else."

Should Kenny have said this?

Will it stir things up between him and Ferguson, will there be a backlash from the FA and other Premier League clubs?

I hope not, what do you think?

MAN UTD & CITY OUT OF CHAMPION'S LEAGUE HA HA

Watching Man Utd crash out of the Champion's League Group stage has helped me get over Liverpool's defeat to Fulham no end.

It is great to see our fiercest rivals lose at any time but to lose such an important match is terrific.

Basel beat Utd 2-1 with Streller and Frei scoring for the Swiss side while Jones added a consolation on 89 mins.

I have no axe to grind with Man City yet but their billionaire owners must be counting their dollar-spend after they too crashed out of the Champion's League despite beating Bayern Munich 2-0.

So, its the Europa League for those two, the competition no team wants to be in.

I have a big smile on my face as I write this.

LIVERPOOL LOOSE AT FULHAM & BAR CHART OF RESULTS

An unfortunate defeat at Craven Cottage, 1-0 at the hands of Martin Jol's Fulham.




It was a very open game with lots of shots on goal by either team as both Pepe Reina and Mark  Schwarzer were kept busy throughout the match.

The turning point in the game was the sending off of Jay Spearing for a crude tackle which was deserving of a yellow card but the ref saw red and sent young Spearing off.

At home, Fulham became more dangerous and a Danny Murphy shot was parried into the path of Clint Dempsey by Reina and the Fulham man duly scored from close range.

A disappointing result away from home sees Liverpool fall further behind in the chase for fourth place.
  
               LIVERPOOL RESULTS 2011
                                  

LIVERPOOL 2011/2012 PERFORMANCES GRAPH

With the hectic Christmas period fast approaching, I thought it was time to assess our performances to date in the Premier League and the Carling Cup thus far.

We have played 17 games so far this season, winning ten, drawing 5 and losing only 2.
Reasonable results by any standard.

What is obvious to everyone is the fact that we are not converting enough of our chances into goals and wins.

I am sure Kenny Dalglish and Damian Comolli are looking closely at the quality players who will be brought in during the January transfer-window.
We need a temporary replacement fot Lucas and a quality striker who knows how to find the back of the net regularly.

We play Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday night, lets hope for a win, we are certainly good enough, even without Lucas.

SHOULD WE SIGN ANELKA & CAN KUYT REPLACE LUCAS?

Rumours abound that Liverpool may be looking to sign Nicolas Anelka in the January Transfer-Window, either on loan, or to buy him for around £4 million.

The former Liverpool striker, under Gerrard Houllier, is out of favour and soon out of a contract at Chelsea.
Since the arrival of Villas Boas and the purchase of fallen-Red, Fernando Torres, Anelka has found himself way down the pecking order, behind young Daniel Sturridge who is beginning to find the net quite frequently.

It might be a good bit of business if Liverpool did get him in January as we are very short on goals scored so far this Season.

The possibility of trying Dirk Kuyt in central midfield might seem a bit of a strange idea, seeing as how he is usually deployed wide on the right or upfront with Suarez.
It is Kuyt's defensive qualities that stand out, he never gives an opponent a second, he hassles and harries players all around the pitch and might just be worth a punt for the Fulham game on Monday night.

I fully expect either Jay Spearing or Jordan Henderson to replace Lucas in midfield for now.

Expect movement by Liverpool in the January window to improve the team and push on for the Champion's League spot this season.

LIVERPOOL'S CUP DATES ANNOUNCED AS LUCAS OUT FOR THE SEASON

Liverpool have announced the dates of their two-legged Carling Cup semi-final tie with Manchester City.


The first leg will take place at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 with kick-off scheduled for 7.45pm.


The BBC will televise the game live.

The return leg will be played at Anfield on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 (kick-off 7.45pm) and be broadcast live on Sky Sports.


Semi-Final Draw:

CARLING CUP	HOME	AWAY
JANUARY 11TH	MAN CITY	LIVERPOOL
JANUARY 10TH	CRYSTAL PALACE	CARDIFF
JANUARY 25TH	LIVERPOOL	MAN CITY
JANUARY 24TH	CARDIFF	CRYSTAL PALACE

The final takes place at Wembley on February 26th.

Also commiserations to Lucas Leiva who misses the rest of the season after scans revealed he has ruptured a knee ligament in the win at Chelsea, get well soon young man.