Liverpool F.c.

[spot]

Thanks for the links mate -very much appreciated.

Both goals look great.

Gerrard is a genius!

I really think Torres looks the part.

Next game will be tougher.

Benitez needs to get his strongest team out for the first few weeks and bag some points before tinkering too much - he can then introduce some of the other players bit by bit without changing the flow too much.

Really looking forward to the season.

Charity shield tomorrow, so a good chance to see what we're up against.

[Penkoprod]

Benitez needs to get his strongest team out for the first few weeks and bag some points before tinkering too much - he can then introduce some of the other players bit by bit without changing the flow too much.

Really looking forward to the season.

Charity shield tomorrow, so a good chance to see what we're up against.

Benitez needs to stop his tinkering.....................full stop !!!!!!

Some of his decisions last year were bizzare to say the least, and this year i can see Crouch (wasn't he the top scorer last year?) getting, at best, splinters in his arse from spending too much time on the bench, or, at worst playing in the reserves, or loaned out to another club, before being tranferred at a loss

Penkoprod

[Jockstar]

Benitez needs to get his strongest team out for the first few weeks and bag some points before tinkering too much - he can then introduce some of the other players bit by bit without changing the flow too much.

Really looking forward to the season.

Charity shield tomorrow, so a good chance to see what we're up against.

Benitez needs to stop his tinkering.....................full stop !!!!!!

Some of his decisions last year were bizzare to say the least, and this year i can see Crouch (wasn't he the top scorer last year?) getting, at best, splinters in his arse from spending too much time on the bench, or, at worst playing in the reserves, or loaned out to another club, before being tranferred at a loss

Penkoprod

Whats going on there with Crouch? Strange?

[scousemouse]

Latest on the Heinze saga :

League steps into Gabriel Heinze row Aug 5 2007

by Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo

THE Premier League will adjudicate on the dispute between Manchester United and Gabriel Heinze next week – possibly paving the way for his move to Liverpool.

Heinze’s representatives wrote to league chiefs asking for their intervention as the Argentinian seeks a transfer from Old Trafford.

It’s now hoped a hearing will be arranged to determine the 29-year-old’s future.

The decision of an adjudication panel will determine if the letter signed by United chief executive David Gill, which says Heinze can join any club which pays a set fee, is legally binding or not.

Gill says a verbal agreement made it clear certain clubs, including Liverpool, would be an exception to this rule. However, this was not in the letter.

If the league rules in Heinze’s favour, he’ll then be free to negotiate a move to Liverpool, who’ve had a bid for the player rejected.

Liverpool are keeping their distance from the latest developments and will have no representation at any hearing.

This is seen essentially as a row between Heinze and his club.

Anfield officials have clarified today it was Heinze who wrote to the Premier League asking for an intervention, not Liverpool.

There will be relief at Anfield, however, the Premier League have taken the matter forward.

A resolution is now likely before the transfer window closes, although Heinze is expected to report back to training with United on Monday.

[scousemouse]

King Kenny , best player to pull on a Liverpool shirt , gives his predictions for the coming season.

But there must be some sort of mistake , he has the Manc above us .

A great interview though , we dont often hear of Kenny in the news lately ,........ enjoy .

MANCHESTER UNITED

Sir Alex did exactly what you need to when you are in a position of strength - go and strengthen even further. He may have had to pay a wee bit over the odds for all three of his big summer signings but I’m sure it will prove worth while He has the most exciting squad with Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo up front and in Paul Scholes just about the most effective mid-field player around. Their football is vibrant and entertaining and they set the standard for everybody.

LIVERPOOL

The club has spent big this summer and the new owners will want to see some return so the pressure is on at Anfield. But I am not sure whether the scoring record of those going in is any better than the ones they are replacing. I am a great believer in the theory that to win the title you have to beat or at least draw with your nearest rivals. Rafa’s record against United for instance is poor under Rafa. They had a poor start last season and were out of contention for the title after 10 games.

CHELSEA

They have not really spent much by their standards but they are going to be up there. That is not necessarily a bad thing. They are more or less up to strength squad wise though they never really compensated for Eidur Gudjohnsen. Andrei Shevchenko didn’t perform as expected. It will be interesting to see what formation Mourinho plays this season but they will be looking for more goals from Frank Lampard.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

It was a close call whether to put them fourth or fifth. Martin Jol is respected throughout the game for what he does. They love their centre-forwards and if Berbatov can repeat what he did last season. I feel they will achieve more points than they did last season but to overtake Arsenal they will have to do that. But they are the ones I think are capable of breaking the monopoly of the top four places.

ARSENAL

Without question one of the more attractive sides to watch last season and I like the brand of football they play. They have a young side with just a few old hands like Jens Lehmann, William Gallas and Gilberto but the question is whether with Thierry Henry gone, they will score enough goals. A lot will be expected from their new signing Da Silva and young Cesc Fabregas in midfield.

EVERTON

The one certainty with David Moyes in charge is that Everton will be well organised. He has one of two good young players coming through like James Vaughan and Victor Anichebe. He has a wealth of experience at the backs where Alan Stubbs came back to the club and did a great job for them. They lost Andy Johnson and Tim Cahill for a while through injury and if players stay fit they will have a good season.

WEST HAM

Obviously they are going to have to manage without Carlos Tevez but they have spent heavily in the summer. The loss of new man Julien Faubert with a broken leg is a blow but they should never has been in the perilous position they found themselves in at the end of last season. Alan Curbishley has assembled a stronger squad even though they have lost Beniyoun and Reo Coker. They won’t have to win seven out of nine of their last games this campaign.

PORTSMOUTH

Harry (Redknapp) has been his usual shrewd self in the transfer market and has brought a few players in who are bound to improve the side. They got off to a flier last season ands will be looking to do the same and not to tail off as they did in the second half of the campaign. The danger is if they decide they can be satisfied with last season’s position but with Harry that is unlikely to happen and they have sound senior players like Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin.

BLACKBURN ROVERS

My old club has done really well to scrape into the top 10 last seasons and I think they will improve on that. They could make the UEFA cup via the Inter-Toto, which could be financially rewarding though they may not want the extra games, which stretches your squad. Mark (Hughes) has done a great job there and he will produce a side that is fit, dependable and solid.

NEWCASTLE UNITED

Like Manchester City, the lateness in developments at boardroom level, Sam (Allardyce) has missed out on a few signings. He needs to know exactly where he stands in the transfer market for them to move forward. They got some decent young players who did well for Glenn Roeder. Steven Taylor is one of the best young central defenders in the country but he does need another centre-back. He may sell Kieron Dyer but it’s alright getting money in for players but you need to spend it.

The enthusiasm might wane if they can’t get themselves organised.

ASTON VILLA

They have let a few players go. They didn’t have the strongest squad last season and Martin needs to get busy this month to get his squad numbers right. He signed John Carew a week before the deadline in January and Shaun Maloney on the last day. But if they are to do anything he needs to get active in the next three weeks especially with Thomas Sorensen injured.

BOLTON WANDERERS

Tal Ben Haim moving to Chelsea is a big loss for them because he had a good last season. It will be interesting to see how wee Sammy (Lee) gets on in his first full season in charge, He has been brilliant in a supportive role for Liverpool, for Big Sam and for England. So he knows what it’s all about. He is a really football man and though they might not touch the heights Sam achieved. Keeping Nicolas Anelka could be important.

READING

What they achieved last season was refreshing and a pleasant surprise for football and the Premier League. They can be proud of that. Steve (Coppell) will be more than aware that the second season after promotion can be a lot harder than the first. They are no longer a surprise package. Leroy Lita has done well for them up front. Losing Steve Sidwell is a blow for them and I cannot see them bettering their finish of last season.

MIDDLESBROUGH

They certainly had a scare last year and they could find it tough this one having lost Mark Viduka to Newcastle. His replacement is Jeremie Aliadiare but if you look at their records there is no comparison. Aliadiare as only scored four goals last season all of them in the League Cup. Jonothan Woodgate needs to get fit and stay fit but I can see this being a tough season for Gareth Southgate.

MANCHESTER CITY

The first thing Sven Goran Eriksson has to address is the club’s horrendous goalscoring record of last season. Joey Barton obviously created a few problems last season off the pitch but on it he looked a sound player. They missed out on a few players because of the lateness of the takeover. They have to buy a few more to satisfy the City faithful. And they have been faithful. I like the two young defenders Micah Richards and Nedum Onuoha. They won’t go down but they do needs goal

FULHAM

Lawrie Sanchez has had a real sort out at Craven Cottage and has gone back to some of his Northern Irish international players. Chris Baird, David Healy and Aaron Hughes all played for him in the green jersey. You have to say that Lawrie did really well with the Irish side and this is an interesting challenge for him. He has to operate on limited resources but I do see them surviving again this time round.

BIRMINGHAM CITY

Steve has strengthened his squad with a glut of not so high-profile signings but has lost Nicklas Bendtner who they had on loan from Arsenal and who was influential for them last season.

If they get an even run with injuries they should have enough to survive for and consolidate their Premiership status. But they are unlikely to challenge the middle order.

SUNDERLAND

Roy Keane is an icon in the game and Sunderland a hot bed of football interest so it baffles me totally why he has not been able to persuade big players to go there. There is no obvious reason but if they don’t want to go there then there is no point having them anyway. It will be a struggle for them but if any team can cause a surprise then it will be Roy. He handled his first season extremely well.

DERBY COUNTY

I remember Billy Davies saying towards the end of last season that his side wasn’t good enough to go up and they managed it. That was a great achievement for them. The people he has bought have not had a great track record in the Premiership and it is a huge step up from the Championship. Billy has done a fantastic job for them but promotion has come a bit early for them and they will struggle to stay up.

WIGAN ATHLETIC

Chris Hutchings has his work cut out to keep Wigan as a Premiership club. It is going to be a tough baptism for him. Paul Jewell did well to keep them from relegation last season on the last day. They have bought a few players but I cannot see them keeping the club up.

[scousemouse]

<H3 class=entry-header>Jose and Rafa go head to head for Brazilian wonder kid</H3>

Chelsea and Liverpool are in the race to buy new teenage Brazilian star Luiz Marcelo Morais dos Reis, known as Lulinha. Real Madrid are also thought to be tracking the £5 million-rated attacking midfielder is on the books of Corinthians and recently scored 12 times in seven games in the Pan American Games, earning his nickname which means “the president of goal”. He is also being billed as “the new Kaka” as English scouts rush to watch him in this month’s Under 17 World Cup. ”I want to be better that Kaka and Ronaldinho, and am totally convinced that my future will be in Europe. But it depends on Corinthians,” he said.

[EastSaxCol]

I'd take 7th.

DALGLISH TIPS YOSSI TO SHINE FOR REDS

Paul Rogers 05 August 2007

Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool's greatest ever player, has tipped Yossi Benayoun to be the man to inspire a serious title challenge from the Reds this season.

Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel may have cost more money and created greater headlines on arrival than the former West Ham midfielder but Anfield's most famous No.7 believes that the Israeli international could prove one of Rafael Benitez's most inspired buys.

"My old club Liverpool have had a busy summer and boss Rafa Benitez has pulled off some big transfers," claimed Dalglish today. "Fernando Torres has come for a big fee and Ryan Babel looks full of promise but I believe their most impressive signing could turn out to be Yossi Benayoun, who gives them a dimension they have not had in midfield.

"If he can work his magic in midfield then the Liverpool punters will take him to their hearts. There was a question or two about how big an investment the new American owners at Anfield were willing to make but they have now put their money where their mouths are."

King Kenny's Premiership Top Prediction

1. MANCHESTER UNITED

2. LIVERPOOL

3. CHELSEA

4. T*tenham Hotsp*r

5. ARSENAL

6. EVERTON

7. WEST HAM

8. PORTSMOUTH

9. BLACKBURN ROVERS

10. NEWCASTLE UNITED

Edited 'cause I nearly forgot to employ the swear filter

[Phoenixred]

Feyenoord 1 - 1 Liverpool

I wouldn't go on describing the game as reports can be found in plenty in the internet.

My thoughts on this game are mainly on the brawl which took place towards the end of the game.

In the game, Alonso got his face slapped, we got a penalty given against us when the ball hit Arbeloa's face, Babel was brought down at any cost, each time the guys just carry on with minimal fuss.

Meanwhile, Drenthe was showing our guys how to be a pain in the arse. He was over-reacting and inciting our players throughout the game, similar to the likes of C.Ronaldick, Robben, Drogba would do. When he finally hacked down Gerrard mercilessly, received a tackle from Mascherano and the ball booted to his head by Agger, the inevitable brawl broke out.

In the past we'll have Hyypia smiling at the opponents and shrugging our many injustices off like a gentleman. From now onwards, please, NO MORE MR NICE GUYS. Enough of "We are Liverpool and we don't do this." When we are bullied, we should stand up to the opponents and show them we do not accept these nonsense.

Thank you Feyenoord for waking us up. Watch out Aston Villa!

[scousemouse]

Feyenoord 1 - 1 Liverpool

I wouldn't go on describing the game as reports can be found in plenty in the internet.

My thoughts on this game are mainly on the brawl which took place towards the end of the game.

In the game, Alonso got his face slapped, we got a penalty given against us when the ball hit Arbeloa's face, Babel was brought down at any cost, each time the guys just carry on with minimal fuss.

Meanwhile, Drenthe was showing our guys how to be a pain in the arse. He was over-reacting and inciting our players throughout the game, similar to the likes of C.Ronaldick, Robben, Drogba would do. When he finally hacked down Gerrard mercilessly, received a tackle from Mascherano and the ball booted to his head by Agger, the inevitable brawl broke out.

In the past we'll have Hyypia smiling at the opponents and shrugging our many injustices off like a gentleman. From now onwards, please, NO MORE MR NICE GUYS. Enough of "We are Liverpool and we don't do this." When we are bullied, we should stand up to the opponents and show them we do not accept these nonsense.

Thank you Feyenoord for waking us up. Watch out Aston Villa!

sawadee cap Phoenixred' , fair points on the Feynoord game mate. IMO , it was just another ref looking to make a name for himself and the fact he actually came from Feynoord say's it all.

I totally agree with your quote NO MORE MR NICE GUYS , nice to see the boys Macherano and Agger sticking up for Gerrard........get in their lads , more of the same please .

[Phoenixred]

Feyenoord 1 - 1 Liverpool

I wouldn't go on describing the game as reports can be found in plenty in the internet.

My thoughts on this game are mainly on the brawl which took place towards the end of the game.

In the game, Alonso got his face slapped, we got a penalty given against us when the ball hit Arbeloa's face, Babel was brought down at any cost, each time the guys just carry on with minimal fuss.

Meanwhile, Drenthe was showing our guys how to be a pain in the arse. He was over-reacting and inciting our players throughout the game, similar to the likes of C.Ronaldick, Robben, Drogba would do. When he finally hacked down Gerrard mercilessly, received a tackle from Mascherano and the ball booted to his head by Agger, the inevitable brawl broke out.

In the past we'll have Hyypia smiling at the opponents and shrugging our many injustices off like a gentleman. From now onwards, please, NO MORE MR NICE GUYS. Enough of "We are Liverpool and we don't do this." When we are bullied, we should stand up to the opponents and show them we do not accept these nonsense.

Thank you Feyenoord for waking us up. Watch out Aston Villa!

sawadee cap Phoenixred' , fair points on the Feynoord game mate. IMO , it was just another ref looking to make a name for himself and the fact he actually came from Feynoord say's it all.

I totally agree with your quote NO MORE MR NICE GUYS , nice to see the boys Macherano and Agger sticking up for Gerrard........get in their lads , more of the same please .

Sawadee cap ScouseMouse =) thanks for the replying. Yes I agree the ref had a bad game, by any standards. He's gonna to referee some CL matches this season so watch out for him

[Phoenixred]

Looks like England wants bottler to play.

England S.O.S for Carragher

Last updated at 23:02pm on 5th August 2007

Steve McClaren will try to persuade Liverpool's Jamie Carragher to come out of international retirement after John Terry was last night ruled out for the first month of Chelsea's season with damaged medial knee ligaments.

Terry sat out yesterday's Community Shield, which Manchester United won 3-0 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, having suffered the injury in training on Saturday. He fears he will miss England's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Russia next month.

The England skipper has already been ruled out of the friendly against Germany on August 22 and his absence from two crucial qualification games will cause huge concern in the England camp. There was some better news for McClaren, however, when Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce said Michael Owen could be fit for the Germany match after all.

But McClaren's priority will be to settle on his defensive line-up as he will definitely be without Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King against Germany. Although Rio Ferdinand will be fit, the Manchester United defender is the only senior centre half in the squad.

McClaren, who will speak to Terry about his injury today, has alternatives in the shape of Tottenham defender Michael Dawson, Manchester City's Micah Richards or Newcastle's Steven Taylor, but that will leave him short of experience.

The England coach has twice spoken to Carragher since he made his decision to quit international football and is hopeful that he can persuade the outstanding Liverpool defender to answer a crisis call for his country.

Carragher became disillusioned when McClaren forced him to play at right back against Brazil in May and was then left out of the team altogether when England travelled to Estonia in June.

The 29-year-old announced his decision to quit last month, but McClaren hopes he can engineer a U-turn and that Carragher will agree to come back against the Germans and then play alongside Ferdinand in the qualifiers on September 8 and 12.

Although Owen will miss the start of Newcastle's season because of a damaged thigh muscle, Allardyce said: 'Perhaps he won't be ruled out of the England friendly, which could be a good thing for us.

'He will be back in training this week and by the end of next week he could play a reserve game, get involved in a game with us and then get another game with England under his belt.'

---- I hope Carra will keep his decision to stay out. ------

[scousemouse]

Possibly the best keeper in the premiership ???? !!!!!!! :

Pepe Reina gets his hands on Barclays Golden Glove Award Aug 9 2007

by Nick Smith, Liverpool Daily Post

LIVERPOOL goalkeeper Pepe Reina is aiming to prove it’s not just outfield players who can net hat-tricks in the new season.

The Spanish goalkeeper will start the 2007-08 campaign on Saturday aiming to make it a third consecutive season as the Premiership’s top goalkeeper since joining Liverpool from Villarreal.

Reina has won the Barclays Golden Glove Award for the second season running after keeping 19 clean sheets last season.

His closest competition came from across Stanley Park, with Everton’s Tim Howard, who recorded 14 shut-outs.

Reina has kept 39 clean sheets in his 67 top flight games fir Liverpool and holds the club record for successive clean sheets since the Premier League began.

[scousemouse]

I've been thinking about who will be Rafa's first choice strike partnership for this season .

Obviously Torres is a dead cert to start but who will he pick to partner him ???. I reckon he'll play Crouch more in the premiership than in Europe and Kuyt vice-versa but starting a lot more games than Crouch , and Voronin as back up.

I just hope Crouch doesnt become disillusioned and leaves on the cheap in January , by then all the world class strikers are settled and it would be hard for us to find a suitable replacement.

Crouch has never scored a goal for Liverpool coming on as a substitute so the smart money would be to start him but we all know how Rafa likes to tinker .

We will soon find out who has the better understanding.... Torres / Kuyt or Torres / Crouch.

My money is on the former as Kuyt is a workhorse and can run all day which will suit Torres down to the ground.

[scousemouse]

Some encoraging words from Dirk Kuyt , and it looks like its only a matter of a few days untill Heinze joins us for 6 million squid :

Dirk Kuyt: I want to emulate great strikers

DIRK KUYT believes he can step into Robbie Fowler’s boots and become a consistent goalscorer for Liverpool.

The Dutchman scored 14 times last term, but the £9million striker aims to top the 20-goal mark this time around.

He said: “Players like Robbie and Michael Owen are known as some of the best strikers Liverpool has ever had, and it’s good for me to be able to have the chance to join those names.

“I want to be seen as a Liverpool goalscorer, and now I can’t wait to show it.”

http://' target="_blank">

Kuyt has potentially two new strike partners following the arrivals of Fernando Torres and Andriy Voronin, who have effectively replaced Fowler and Craig Bellamy, who both left Anfield this summer.

And Kuyt believes that having a full pre-season can only benefit his game, after his transfer from Feyenoord disrupted his preparations last year.

He said: “I’m sure I will get better this season. Last year I didn’t have a full pre-season or know the rest of the lads or the club so well.

“Now I’m more settled and any difficulties when starting at a new club are behind me. I can focus 100% on my football and I have a good feeling about this season.”

He added: “I scored a lot of goals in Holland, but England is totally different because it’s so much more difficult.

“I believe I can do here what I did in Holland, but I also think I can do more for the team than just score goals. It’s important for me to do whatever job is asked, working hard or making assists.

“Last season was different for me, getting used to different partners in attack and also playing against better defenders.

“The Premier League has some of the best defenders in the world and you need to get used to that, but I’m looking forward to this season even more than last.”

Kuyt also plans to become more adaptable given the varied playing styles among Rafael Benitez’s strikeforce this season.

He said: "Andriy and Fernando are different strikers to Robbie Fowler and Craig, so I may play in a different role.

"Fernando likes to come deeper for the ball, so if I play alongside him there’s the chance for me to play higher up the park, which I enjoy. That’s more how I was used to playing with Feyenoord."

Meanwhile, Gabriel Heinze hopes to have played his last game for Manchester United after sitting out their final pre-season preparations in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

A Premier League arbitration panel will sit in judgement on his proposed move to Liverpool on Tuesday, by which time United will have kicked off the defence of their Premiership title against Reading on Sunday.

But the Argentinian is unlikely to figure in that game after returning for pre-season with a slight muscle injury - meaning he won’t play again before his £6million move to Anfield is sanctioned.

[scousemouse]

Team news and stats ahead of tomorrow's game . . . . . . come on the reds

Aston Villa v Liverpool

Villa Park

Saturday, 11 August

Kick-off: 1715 BST

Coverage on the BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Five Live & highlights on Match of the Day

Stuart Taylor will start in goal for Aston Villa, with David Bevan on the bench, as Thomas Sorensen is injured.

Nigel Reo-Coker is set to make his competitive debut and Marlon Harewood, is set to be on the bench as John Carew partners Gabriel Agbonlahor in attack.

Liverpool have no injury problems, leaving manager Rafael Benitez with plenty of selection dilemmas.

Fernando Torres seems sure to make his league debut up front with Dirk Kuyt, while Yossi Benayoun could also start.

Aston Villa (from): Taylor, Bevan, Gardner, Cahill, Mellberg, Laursen, Bouma, Reo-Coker, Young, Petrov, Barry, Berger, Maloney, Osbourne, Carew, Agbonlahor, Moore, Harewood.

Liverpool (from): Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Riise, Benayoun, Gerrard, Alonso, Voronin, Torres, Kuyt, Itandje, Arbeloa, Hyypia, Pennant, Sissoko, Crouch, Kewell, Babel, Mascherano.

BIG-MATCH FACTS

Two of the seven remaining Premier League ever-presents go head-to-head.

Aston Villa, who ended last season as one of the 'form' teams, also got off to a storming start under new manager Martin O'Neill with three wins and six draws in a nine-match unbeaten run before that sequence was ended by Liverpool.

Liverpool have not won an opening Premier League fixture since defeating Aston Villa 0-1 at Villa Park on 18 August 2002.

A draw or better will see Liverpool become the fourth club to bag 1,000 Premier League points.

CLUB FORMASTON VILLA

Last season: 11th 50 points

1. One of five founder members of the Football League competing in this season's Premier League; the others are Blackburn, Bolton, Derby and Everton.

2. Have been crowned champions of England seven times, but not since 1980-81.

3. Were Premier League runners-up in the inaugural season of 1992-93.

4. Their average Premier League finish is ninth.

5. The Premier League draw specialists with 175 of their 582 fixtures finishing level. Indeed, the 2-2 stalemate at Bolton on the last day was the 1,000th draw in their league history.

6. Drew 48% of their league matches last term (17 of 38).

7. Started and ended the season with nine-match undefeated strings.

8. Arsenal were the last side to beat them; 0-1 at Villa Park on 14 March. Won four and drawn five of the subsequent fixtures.

9. Drawn their opening Premier League fixture in each of the last two seasons.

10. The 2-0 eclipse of Southampton at Villa Park on 14 August 2004 is their only opening day maximum in seven seasons. LIVERPOOL

Last season: 3rd 68 points

1. The Champions League runners-up secured third place in the Premier League for the second successive season with a 2-2 draw, home to relegated Charlton on the last day.

2. Been crowned champions of England an unmatched 18 times, although Manchester United are catching up fast (16 titles).

3. Yet to win the Premier League trophy. Their most recent title was 1989-90, under Kenny Dalglish.

4. One of 10 founder members of the Premier League competing this season.

5. Experiencing the third longest unbroken stint of top flight football of 46 seasons from 1962-63; beaten only by Arsenal (82 seasons) and Everton (54).

6. On an overall total of 999 Premier League points. Only Manchester United (1,232), Arsenal (1,081) and Chelsea (1,013) exceed that.

7. The only club whose players were not shown one red card in Premier League competition last season.

8. Drawn their opening league fixture for three seasons in a row.

KEY PLAYER NOTES ASTON VILLA

New signing Nigel REO-COKER was shown more yellow cards than any other player in the Premier League last season when wearing the West Ham shirt (13).

Another new import from West Ham, Marlon HAREWOOD, needs one goal to total 100 in his league career (Nottingham Forest, Ipswich and West Ham).

Olof MELLBERG was the only player to have started every one of Villa's league matches last season.

If he plays:-

Patrik BERGER will be facing a former club. The Czech Republic international made nearly 200 appearances for Liverpool between August 1996 and June 2003 and scored 35 goals for them, of which 28 were in the Premier League. LIVERPOOL

Peter CROUCH was Liverpool's leading scorer last season with 18.

CROUCH spent 18 months with Villa from March 2002, recording 43 appearances (37 in the Premier League) and scoring six League goals.

Dirk KUYT netted the club's highest number of Premier League goals (12).

Jermaine PENNANT made most appearances for the Reds (51).

HEAD TO HEAD

Aston Villa have claimed just four points from the last 27 available in home Premier League matches against Liverpool. They have not beaten them at Villa Park since Stan Collymore scored a brace in a 2-1 triumph on 28 February 1998.

Liverpool hold an 11 match unbeaten league record of seven wins and four draws over Villa - their last defeat being a 1-3 reverse at Anfield on 8 September 2001.

Home and away

League (inc PL): Villa 51 wins, Liverpool 77, Draws 36

Prem: Villa 8 wins, Liverpool 16, Draws 6

at Aston Villa only

League (inc PL): A Villa 37 wins, Liverpool 25, Draws 20

Prem: Villa 5 wins, Liverpool 6, Draws 4

LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME Aston Villa 0-0 Liverpool

13 March 2007 - Ref: Lee Mason

[Penkoprod]

They need to "hit the ground running" here

By the time the home game against Chelski comes round, they COULD be looking at both Chelski and Man Poo pulling away into the distance again

A draw isnt good enough

Penkoprod

[Jimjim]

Carson to Villa. And we've got a new back-up from France.

Also, check out this article on the fan site. ROTATION TALK IS MYTH

I always suspected that the criticizing of the rotation policy was bunk, and now it has been proved. Steve McMahon mentions it in his article right now on espnstar, and countless others have as well. The linked article by Tomkins explains with backable statistics and infallible math that Liverpool made exactly as many changes in the league last year as did Manchester United, the champions. So when McMahon and the hordes of others say Rafa makes too many changes and that it is costing them the league, they need to realize they are talking bullshit and have a look at the numbers. This article should be mandatory reading for all of those covering the Premiership this year. Too right.

The rotation policy Rafa has is no different than the top mananagers, so let's hope they put the talk to rest. Knowing the pundits, though, they won't do their research and will continue talking the same stupid line.

[spot]

Benitez needs to get his strongest team out for the first few weeks and bag some points before tinkering too much - he can then introduce some of the other players bit by bit without changing the flow too much.

Seems I'm guilty of it too. Apologies.

I guess that sometimes I'm just to lazy to check the stats myself, and I'm too trusting of sports journalists.

[Jimjim]

You're spot on, now.

I sent McMahon an email about it. I'll see if he responds. Probably not.

[Phoenixred]

------------------------------------- REINA -------------------------------------

FINNAN----------CARRAGHER----------------AGGER-------------------RIISE

PENNANT------------GERRARD--------------MASCHERANO-----------BABEL

-----------------------------TORRES------------KYUT--------------------------

Could we see this tonight?

Oh Mighty Reds PLEASE WIN!!!

[Phoenixred]

Confirmed lineup

Pepe Reina

Alvaro Arbeloa

Jamie Carragher

Daniel Agger

Steve Finnan

John Arne Riise

Steven Gerrard

Xabi Alonso

Jermaine Pennant

Dirk Kuyt

Fernando Torres

Subs:

Charles Itandje

Sami Hyypia

Andriy Voronin

Ryan Babel

Momo Sissoko

[scousemouse]

Villa 1-2 Liverpool.

Super Steven Gerrard does it again .

The only prediction I've got right so far , I'd be happy if it stay's the same all year !!!!!!.

[spot]

It's always good to get a winning start, and Torres and Kuyt looked good together.

Gerrard as ever came up with the goods.

Next week will be tougher, but the signs look good.

[scousemouse]

A really important win against Villa. After we gave the penalty away and they equalised I was thinking 'here we go again' , but then Steven Gerrard had the final say .

Torres looked a bit special and there will be a lot more to come from him , Babel came on and looked dangerous , Gerrard playing in the middle and with the likes of Benayoun , Crouch and Mascherano not even making the bench the signs look good for a strong title challenge.

I'm sure Rafa will use his squad and make a lot of changes for the champions league game in midweek against tolouse. Rafa needs to decide what is his number 1 priority , the premiership or the champions league. After the tolouse game thinks will become a lot clearer , we play chelski the following weekend.

[Torv]

The great thing about that game was that we weren't even playing that well, and we still won.

[spot]

Champions league:

The match against Toulouse is on very early (why is that?) today at 15.30 BST. Is it being shown anywhere here?

ESPN has a program called Champions league extra on for 2 hours around that time, but I guess that's a re-run of an old game.

5 live etc don't broadcast live football stuff internationally anymore - any alternatives?

Cheers.

spot

[Jared]

Tonight early kick off is due to the french fixtures clashing or something like that, i read it a few days ago and i cant quite remember the exact reason. There must be some way to watch tonights match. If worse comes to worse you can listen to it live from Liverpoolfc.tv but you have to sign up for an eseason ticket.

[spot]

Had to make do with the Guardian minute by minute report last night. From that, it seemed a dull match.

Doesn't matter though because we did the job away from home, and that's all that matters at this stage. The goal from Veronin sounded great - he's my tip to be one of the best buys.

Some reports that Gerrard might be out of the next game with a foot injury, hope it's not too serious.

[scousemouse]

Had to make do with the Guardian minute by minute report last night. From that, it seemed a dull match.

Doesn't matter though because we did the job away from home, and that's all that matters at this stage. The goal from Veronin sounded great - he's my tip to be one of the best buys.

Some reports that Gerrard might be out of the next game with a foot injury, hope it's not too serious.

Gerrard is 50/50 for the game on sunday at the moment .

Mclaren really wants him to play in the friendly against the Krouts on Wednesday aswell .

Fingers crossed , from the reports I've read it seems that it was just a hard bang on his right foot and is not that serious but he will be doubtful to be 100 % for sunday.

[scousemouse]

The latest on Gerrard :

RAFAEL BENITEZ saluted “revelation” Andriy Voronin’s magnificent matchwinner in Toulouse yesterday – but was handed an injury scare by Steven Gerrard.

The Liverpool skipper limped off after 65 minutes of the 1-0 win in their Champions League third qualifying round first leg tie.

Gerrard was left nursing his right foot after being caught by a late tackle from Toulouse midfielder Achille Emana.

Benitez moved to play down any concerns in the immediate aftermath of the game, which was settled by Voronin’s 25-yard screamer two minutes before the interval.

But Gerrard will have the damage assessed today with the problem a worry ahead of the Premier League visit of Chelsea on Sunday.

A Liverpool spokesperson said yesterday: “Steven had a kick on his toe and the medical staff will review the situation tomorrow at Melwood.”