Liverpool now have five players in Roy Hodgson's England squad for the Euro 2012 tournament.
Following the late withdrawal of Chelsea's Frank Lampard due to a thigh injury, young Jordan Henderson has been called up the England Squad for the Championships.
This brings the Liverpool contingent to five: Captain Steve Gerrard, Glen Johnson, Stuart Downing, Andy Carroll and Henderson.
While Liverpoool had a poor Season in the Premier League, former Red's Manager and new England boss Roy Hodgson believes in these players and he will start the majority of them in their Group containing France, Sweden and the Ukraine.
New Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers will be hoping that all the Liverpool players on duty for England this Summer do well and none of them come home with injuries.
Swansea's Brendan Rodgers will certainly now be the next Liverpool Manager.
Huw Jenkins, the Swansea chairman, said on the club's official website: "I was contacted by Liverpool last night and they expressed their wish to speak to Brendan regarding their vacancy.
I had a discussion with Brendan to talk about their interest and his views on whether he wanted to speak to Liverpool."
He expressed his wish with me to do that and he has spoken to Liverpool today.
Following on from discussions with Liverpool's owners, Brendan has informed us that he would like to take up their offer to manage Liverpool."
At the moment we are currently in talks with the owners to agree compensation.
We are trying to finalise that within the next 24 hours.
Personal terms are being agreed and Liverpool are prepared to pay a compensation fee of around £5m to release Rodgers from the three-and-a-half year contract he signed at the Liberty Stadium in January.
It is still not clear what kind of managerial structure will be put in place at Anfield.
Louis van Gaal has been approached over becoming the club's new sporting director but, with the Dutchman wanting sizeable high level of control at Liverpool, that idea may be diluted as part of the agreement with Rodgers.
"Although we are very disappointed to lose such a talented, young British manager, we didn't wish to stand in his way," Jenkins added.
As always at Swansea City, we want people working here who are fully committed to the task ahead.
We wish Brendan every success in the future."We will always remain good friends and we thank him for all his hard work and passion at this football club over the past two years.
We shall now refocus and quickly start the process of finding his replacement to continue the great work Brendan has carried out at this football club."
Liverpool Managerial target, Roberto Martinez has tonight stated that he will only take up the vacant Liverpool supremo's job at Anfield if he has "complete control over the football club".
This would presumably rule Louis Van Gaal out of the running as Liverpool Director of Football, should the Dutchman decide to take it.
Fair enough, any new manager would want full control over the signings in and out of Anfield in order to make his imprint on the club.
It does appear now to be a dilema for FSG having gone down the road of attempting to appoint a new Director of Football in Luis Van Haal,
will they accede to Martinez' demands or will they appoint the Dutchman regardless.
Roberto Martinez has emerged as the favourite to succeed Kenny Dalglish in the Liverpool hot-seat as he has jetted into Miami to undergo talks with John W. Henry on becoming the new Liverpool Manager. It is believed he will be offered a 3 year-deal with £30 million as a transfer budget and the goal is to get into the much-coveted Champion's League places.
Meanwhile rumours continue to surface that former Dutch Supremo, Luis Van Gaal will be offered the role of Liverpool Sporting Director of Football at Anfield, though the 60 year-old Dutchman would prefer a direct coaching role at the club, still a Coaching Supremo role at Anfield might appease the Dutchman, where he would work alongside Martinez on the training ground on a daily basis.
However with Wigan losing 18, drawing 10 and winning just 11 of their games in the Premier League Season just passed, I don't see any major Liverpool renaissance coming too soon.
Liverpool's increasingly frantic search for a new Manager have them focussed on André Villas-Boas. According to many reports in the media this weekend, FSG have zoned in on AVB as their choice to succeed King Kenny at Anfield.
On his arrival yesterday at the Portuguese Cup Final between Academica and Sporting, the 34-year-old said: "I'm still choosing the right project and that decision will take the necessary time."
Despite his failures at Chelsea where he won 19 but lost 11 games and was given the sack by Roman Obramovich earlier this Season, the former Porto has an impressive CV.
The former Porto Manager won a Treble with the club in 2010/11 where he won the League, their FA Cup and the Europa League all in one Season, quite a feat for one so young.
His leadership skills and success alerted one Roman Obramovic Of Chelsea and he was appointed Chelsea Manager in January 2011 after paying Porto £11 million in compensation to secure the Porto manager's hand.
Just over a year later with ten defeats and 11 draws in all competitions as Chelsea boss, he was gone, sacked, paid-up and shown the door by the Russian Oligarch.
The fact that Di Matteo has come in and won the FA Cup and famously The Champions League Final 2012 has shown up AVB's short-comings.
In his short time at Chelsea:
He failed to connect with his players.
Lost control of the dressing room.
Presided over some poor results.
Lost the faith of his employer, Abramovic.
So, if FSG decide to offer the Liverpool job to this man, I will sink to my knees in despair, John W Henry seems to have developed a ruthless streak in mediocrity lately.
So King Kenny has been sacked and it was done in a very unedifying way. Commanded by Fsg to board a plane to Boston to be held to account over Liverpool's season by John W Henry.
It has since emerged that Kenny knew his fate before boarding the plane to the States by telling Liverpool stalwart Jamie Carragher: "Its Kenny now, not Gaffer".
An appalling way to dismiss the Manager summoned from abroad to be sacked from a job that he loved doing.
Now we have the open search for a new manager being played out in public in minute detail.
The world and his wife know that Liverpool had approached Roberto Martinez of relegation warriors Wigan, have been rejected by lowly Swansea's manager Brendan Rodgers, rejected by Jurgen Klopp of Borrussia Dortmond and are now hoping to persuade Didier Deschamps of Marseilles to join the club.
Never mind the fact that FSG are looking to Pep Guardiola (no chance), and Jurgen Klinsman, God give me strength!
Sky Sports News, the BBC and every little website out there are reporting these developments, its a bit too much to take.
Liverpool FC used to have a tradition of doing their dealings behind closed doors, in house, away from the public glare, now its being run like a public auction.
FSG this is not the way to do things.
Be more circumspect and make the right decisions behind closed doors or risk running the wrath of the fans.
With the sad departure of Kenny Dalglish from Liverpool today, Liverpool's owners FSG are looking to appoint a new Manager as soon as possible.
Among the early candidates are:
Roberto Martinez of lowly Wigan.
Paul Lambert of Norwich.
Brendan Rogers of Swansea.
Rafa Benitez, former Reds boss.
Fabio Capello, highly successful manager.
While it is sad to see Kenny Dalglish go, he is, to some extent, the author of his own downfall. The failure to bring in a quality forward in the January transfer window when the team badly needed one is possibly the biggest mistake in his 18 months in charge. He persevered with Andy Carroll at the cost of goals, wins and points that would have guided Liverpool up the table and would have kept Dalglish in his job.
The fact that Carroll, belatedly found his form is of no consequence to Kenny now.
Anyway, looking to the next Liverpool Manager, the 4th in 2 years, I would go for Fabio Capello.
His CV as a manager is impeccable, he has won the League title with every club he has managed. He won 4 Seria A titles with AC Milan and a Champion's League v Barcelona in 1994. He joined Real Madrid and they won La Liga in his first season there. He then went to AS Roma and won them their first League title in 18 years. He won the League twice with Juventus. He returned to Real Madrid and they won the League again in 2006.
He has amassed Seven Titles in 16 years around Europe and said only last week that he would love to return to England and manage in the Premier League again.
So John and Tom, if you are watching, sign Capello up to the Liverpool job as swiftly as possible.
As Liverpool's seasons problems in the term just gone were clearly in not scoring enough goals, a ready-made solution may lay in the shape of Huddersfield Town hot-shot, Jordan Rhodes.
The 22 year old is scoring goals for fun with 60 in 105 games for Huddersfield in the last two seasons.
Indeed, the lad scored his fortieth goal of this Campaign against the MK Dons in last night's play-off semi-final against MK Dons to go through 3-2 on agregate 3-2 to the League One final against Sheffield Utd.
Rhodes’former manager Lee Clarke said: “The goals have always been there but his general play is now of an international class player. He’s definitely going nowhere. I hope the director’s box and the stands are full of scouts because rest assured, no matter how much money is offered he will not be going anywhere.”
Current Huddersfield Manager Simon Grayson might have no option but to sell his star striker though.
That will not deter the likes of Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal or Man City from poaching him from the League One side.
It is Liverpool, in particular, who would benefit most by gaining a natural goalscorer as we were badly lacking such a player last season.
Aged just 22 and likely to cost around £2 million or so, the lad is well worth every penny, I would even go so far as to say we should break the bank to sign him as a consistant goal-scorer is what Liverpool are crying out for.
The European 2012 Championships are just around the corner, beginning in June, so what is always an enthralling and memorable Tournament should feature plenty of Liverpool's players at this year's competitionEuro 2012 Bettinglets hope for good performances from the men from Liverpool in the Euro's.
Liverpool players appearances and goals:
LIVERPOOL PLAYERS
CAPS
GOALS
STEVEN GERRARD
90
19
GLEN JOHNSON
35
1
STUART DOWNING
33
0
ANDY CARROLL
3
1
JORDAN HENDERSON
1
0
JAMIE CARRAGHER
38
0
DANNY AGGER
44
4
PEPE REINA
20
0
It is clear to see that Steven Gerrard, Liverpool's Captain is by far the best player we have in terms of games played and goals scored, 19. There is intense speculation that he will be made England Captain under new England boss and former ill-fated Reds manager Roy Hodgson.
The new England Manager will announce his squad and Captain on Wednesday onBBC Sport .
So Gerrard, Downing, Johnson and now Andy Carroll will surely make it into England's squad. Lets not forget Pépe Reina of Spain and Daniel Agger who will be representing his home country of Denmark at the finals.
England play The Ukraine, Sweden and France in their group, which isn't bad when you compare Ireland's group including Spain, (the holders), Italy and Croatia.
After watching his home-town club win their second Europa League Trophy in two years, former Liverpool striker, Fernando Torres must be regretting his decision to ever leave Spain.
The player, disillusioned by years of failure at Athletico Madrid, where he was made Captain in his teens, moved to Liverpool, England in 2007 for £26 million.
He hoped for instant glory with Liverpool under Rafa Benitez when the Reds were in the hunt for the Champion's League and the Premier League.
However, he failed to gain any silverware in his time at Anfield, througfh no fault of his own, when he scored 46 goals in 56 appearances for the Reds, again, without a trophy.
Once Xabi Alonso, Mascherano and later Rafa Benitez all left Liverpool, Torres in his pursuit of glory signed up with Abramovic at Chelsea in a £50 million transfer in January 2011.
Meanwhile, his home club went about winning the Europa League by beating Liverpool, minus an injured Torres & then Fulham in the 2010 Final with his replacement Diego Forlan scoring in the semi against Liverpool when he was injured & the final itself.
With Torres poor form in front of goal at Chelsea since he joined them, (8 goals so far I think), he must be agonising over his choice to leave Madrid in the first place.
True, he now has an FA Cup medal in his locker, silverware at last, but he never got on the pitch in the final.
And after Chelsea's drubbing at the hands of Liverpool on Tuesday night, in which he hit the crossbar but his team lost 4-1, he must be regretting his decision to leave Liverpool aswell.
Finally, with his boyhood club winning the Europa Cup again thanks to goals by Falcao (2) and Diego, Torres must be cursing his luck in his adopted England.
If selected, he might score in the Champion's League against Bayern Munich later this month, if selected.
Hard luck Nando, former Red, you made several bad career decisions, but you will get no sympathy from Liverpool fans!
Revenge was in the air tonight at Anfield. Kenny Dalglish's team were determined to make Chelsea pay for the FA Cup Final defeat at Wembley last Saturday.
The home side attacked Chelsea from the start, a big change in approach from the weekend, and it paid off after 19 minutes when Luis Suarez ran into the box from the right and crossed the ball which Michael Essien deflected into his own net to give Liverpool the lead.
Six minutes later John Terry slipped to allow Jordan Henderson run through to score his second League goal of the Season with a crisp drive past Ross Turnbull.
Liverpool's Carroll and Suarez were tormenting the Chelsea rear-guard and Andy Carroll headed on a corner to Daniel Agger to head home his first Premier League goal of the Season on 29 minutes, to leave Liverpool 3-0 up after half an hour.
The Reds totally dominated the first half and should have made it four after Andy Carroll was fouled in the box by Ivanovic to concede a penalty. Strangely, Stuart Downing stepped up to take the kick in injury-time, and he duly blasted the ball against the bottom of the upright with Turnbull going the other way.
The second-half began brightly, but it was Chelsea who scored with that man , Ramires scoring from a Chelsea corner to send a few shivers up Anfield spines on 50 mins.
However, Liverpool continued to charge forward and a disasterous kick by Chelsea goal-keeper Ross Turnbull fell to Johnjo Shelvey 30 yards out and he made no mistake with a great volley into an empty net for his first Premier League goal for Liverpool on 61 minutes making it 4-1 to the home-team.
Liverpool continued to make all the running defending well, dominating midfield and putting the Chelsea defence under all sorts of pressure refusing to their opponents a chance to get back into the game.
Kenny Dalglish made two substitutions in the 83rd minute; Kuyt replaced Downing and young Raheem Sterling came on for Maxi, who graciously waved goodbye to the croud as he came off, the Argentine showing that he will be moving on at the end of the season.
17 year-old Sterling nearly came up with his dream-goal but his snap-shot flew high and wide.
There was still time for Andy Carroll to get the goal his all-round display deserved, but he shinned a great cross by Glen Johnson wide.
So, 4-1 it ended infront of the Anfield crowd and even though we are only eighth in the League, it is nice to be able to report on a great performance by Liverpool!
"I'm not quite sure what to make of Saturday's game; the right team won on the day but the officials got the Carroll decision wrong - footage of the header will show that there was no view of the incident from directly on the goal-line, but fractionally in front of it.
Getting down to it, it is surely time for Reina to pack his bags; your correspondent has never been a huge fan of his(as the editor of this blog will testify). Ramirez's goal was just a collective howler involving the Liverpool rearguard and goalkeeper. Enrique had a poor game on Saturday, but he was far from alone. Spearing at least showed plenty of spirit and will improve. Downing was nervy, but did reasonably well when he got going. Henderson was in and out, and really needs to improve; personally, I think he should be shown the door as he is just not up to scratch. He could maybe keep the door open for Charlie Adam on the way out.
Should Kenny Dalglish follow Henderson and Adam out the door? Not yet; he should be given another season, and if there is still no improvement in league form, then his contract should then be terminated. It's funny that many of those who opposed Roy Hodgson's appointment as Liverpool manager are now turning their backs on Dalglish.
Hodgson, as any rational person will tell you, didn't have a prayer as Liverpool manager, much less time to settle in to the job. And now, with delicious irony, he has become the new England manager, and he will not disgrace himself.
There is a lesson for those Liverpool fans who are currently disgruntled with Dalglish - be careful what you wish for. Benitez for a return to the High Temple of English Football? I'd rather ask Fergie to amputate my hands with a Stihl saw..
Liverpool came within milli-metres of drawing with Chelsea in today's FA Cup Final.
However, it was the negative team selection and cautious tactics in the first half that handed the initiative to Chelsea and they duly took advantage with Ramires easily beating Pepe Reina after mistakes by young Jay Spearing and the out-of-form Jose Reina.
Liverpool were ponderous and lethergic in the first half with Suarez isolated up-front as the lone-striker. Meanwhile Gerrard, Spearing and Henderson were all sat too deep to support Suarez in any meaningful way.
It took a second goal for Chelsea by Didier Drogba to finally change the tactics and personnel with Andy Carroll coming on for Spearing and the Liverpool team instantly looked more threatening.
Carroll soon got Liverpool back in the match with a well-taken goal on 64 mins and was less than an inch away from an equaliser when his header was somehow stopped right on the line by Cech.
That was as close as it got for the Reds who lost 2-1 to Chelsea. Yet they can take great comfort in their second half performance when they totally dominated Chelsea and deserved extra-time, at least.
If only Kenny had started with Carroll and Suarez upfront and didn't start the game so defensively.
Under-performing Liverpool face over-achieving Chelsea in a mouth-watering FA Cup Final at Wembley today.
The Reds face an uphill task against an ever-improving Chelsea under Roberto Di Matteo at the refurbished old ground in London.
With both Suarez & Torres scoring hat-tricks for their clubs in the Premier League last week, all eyes will be on these two men in the Final.
Luis Suarez has scored 15 goals in all competitions for Liverpool this Season,including a glorious hat-trick against Norwich despite an unfair eight-match ban.
While Fernando Torres, who ditched Liverpool for Chelsea in January 2010 has scored just 7 goals in the League, including a recent hat-trick against QPR.
It could be argued that both strikers are hitting a rich vein of form at just the right time for both clubs, but which team will triumph at Wembley remains to be seen.
As long as Liverpool pick the right team, plays to its attacking strengths and defends resolutely then we have to believe that Liverpool will beat Chelsea 2-1 or more, I hope!
Ahead of Saturday's FA Cup Final with Chelsea, Manager, Kenny Dalglish opted to give a run-out to some of the squad members for the game against Fulham at Anfield.
In came Doni, Coates, Kelly, Shelvey, Maxi and Aurelio.
After Captain for the night, Martin Skrtel's unfortunate own-goal, the game never really got going.
Liverpool never dominated the game and even though they did have alot of posession, they never really looked liked winning the game which I tried to watch on the internet, as painful as the performance.
Dalglish did not mince his words afterwards: "Our attitude and approach was wrong, our desire was poor. One or two did well but it was not a good night for us." said the beleagured boss, "We gave everybody an opportunity for Saturday, maybe I was wrong" added the downbeat Liverpool Manager.
Dalglish must now try to pick up his players for the Season-Defining showdown with a rampant Chelsea side who will crush any weaknesses in Liverpool's team.
Liverpool's Premier League Home results 2011/2012:
LIVERPOOL
WON
DRAWN
LOST
HOME
5
9
4
Teams we Beat;
Bolton 3-1
Wolves 2-1
QPR 1-0
Newcastle 3-1
Everton 3-0
Shocking stats, new players need to be brought in for next season.
Liverpool now have five players in Roy Hodgson's England squad for the Euro 2012 tournament.
