Thank you, Kenny

The announcement after days of speculation and the news spread quickly amongst the football world: Kenny Dalglish actually sacked as Liverpool manager.

Kenny proudly shows off his love for Liverpool,
and we are proud to call him royalty.
The 2011/12 season has been a mixed bag for many fans. The form in the league was shockingly bad. New signings such as Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam failed to live up to Anfield standards. And the club still hasn't seemed to have fully been able to shake off the effects Luis/Evra scandal.

However there was still things to be proud about. Not all the signings were gloomy as Jose Enrique walked onto the pitch in the Red shirt as if he had been born in it. And probably greatest of all, the three trips to Wembley, in which Liverpool won two and brought back home a cup after a six year drought.

But according to FSG, it was not enough. The league form simply could not be ignored, and Kenny has now parted ways with the club.

Fans have already shown this has absolutely no effect on Kenny's legendary status. King Kenny will always be just that...a King. And a saviour. He came to our rescue at a time of need, cutting his holiday short to save the rest of the season in January 2011. Suddenly the cloud of gloom that seemed to have leered over Anfield for awhile broke. Spirits were lifted of the players' and fans' alike and it showed. He had (and still has) respect from everyone.

The King has managed to leave him mark a second time on the club. Results may not have been ideal, but he came to bring hope back to the club. Although many are feeling down now about his departure, King Kenny will always be football royalty. His service and love for the club has made a positive impact. Nothing can change that.

Thank you, Kenny.

Swansea v Liverpool match report

The last game of the 2011/12 season was not ideal for Liverpool as they lost at the Liberty Stadium against Swansea, one nil.


There were a few changes for Liverpool. Steven Gerrard and Martin Skrtel were out with injury while keeper Pepe Reina was out due to Illness. Doni would replace him between the sticks.

Andy Carroll, who has been impressive in the last few games, also started alongside Luis Suarez.

A series of sloppy passes early on almost gave Swansea the lead. Swans’ Joe Allen took the ball off Jonjo Shelvey and hauled it across the pitch. He attempted a shot with Danny Graham close to goal, but Allen failed to shoot on target and Graham was unable to reach the ball in time to get it in the net at point blank range.

Later, another mistake where Doni picked up a ball passed by Carroll turned into an indirect free kick for the Swans. It was blocked but then turned into a corner, where it was then cleared by the Liverpool defence.

Carroll and Ashley Williams got into a scuffle when Williams became the blame for Carroll’s fall. They both received a yellow card just before halftime.

In the 56th minute, Carroll had his shot at an amazing goal but it was blocked by the Swans’ keeper Michel Vorm. 76 minutes in, Carroll tried again but it went directly into Vorm’s hands.

But Swansea sealed all three points in the final minutes. Graham took advantage of a well taken cross and put the ball past Doni in the 87th minute. Any last minute efforts were fruitless, including Daniel Agger trying to make use a corner, but the ball went terribly wide.

Unfortunately it summed up Liverpool’s season as the Reds of Merseyside finish in eighth place on the Barclay’s Premier League table for the 2011/12 season.

Swansea v Liverpool match preview

Liverpool today travel to Swansea in their last game of the Premier League. Kick off is 3pm. Liverpool midfielder Maxi Rodriguez is expected to start in what could be could be his last game for the club. Signed in 2010 Maxi has played 72 games for Liverpool with 17 goals to his name. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard could miss this game as Euro 2012 looms. He also missed out the win over Chelsea with a minor back problem. When the clubs first met this season it finished 0-0. Liverpool have only won 14 Premier League games this season out of 37.

Liverpool v Chelsea match preview

Liverpool play their last home match of the 2011/12 season against the last team they probably want to see atthe moment...Chelsea FC.

The Reds met Chelsea at Wembley last Saturday for the FA Cup final, inwhich Chelsea walked away with the trophy winning 2-1.

Andy Carroll came on in the second half of that match and changed the pace after scoring the Reds' only goal. There is hope that the Geordie will start tonight at Anfield. Overall, it is expected to be the same squad with few changes.

Chelsea could make a few changes themselves. Fernando Torres might start in his first return to Anfield since his departure last year. There is a chance Didier Drogba would be on the bench.

Because there is nothing left to lose this season, Liverpool are only looking to get revenge for Saturday and be putting in all their enegry to win in their last home game, while Chelsea will be still chasing Newcastle on the Barclay's Premier League table. A top four finish for them is still a slight possibility.

We're sure manager Kenny Dalglish will be giving it all for the fans tonight after that dismal display over the weekend. Chelsea beware.

LFC news round up

Alberto Aquilani
On-loan midfielder Aquilani looks set to return to Liverpool after reports in Italy that AC Milan are not willing to make a deal. AC Milan are reported to not want to pay the mandatory £5million clause if Aquilani plays 25 games. Already this season he has played 21 domestic appearances. Also Joe Cole could be set to return to Liverpool if Lille cannot find the cash to buy him.


They are currently paying his high wages of around £90,000 a week and are third in the league. Lille president Michel Seydoux has already voiced his concerns that money could be a problem and that a Champions League place would free up some money to buy him.


Steven Gerrard
Liverpool FC captain Steven Gerrard is set to make a come-back against Norwich on Saturday. Gerrard was left out the squad in the 0-1 defeat by West Brom at Anfield due to a hamstring problem. There was fears that Gerrard would face quite some time on the sidelines but Liverpool manager Dalglish has rubbished those rumours expecting to be ready for the Norwich game and also the home game against Fulham.


Liverpool confirm American tour


Liverpool Football Club have announced details of a summer tour of North America starting with a friendly game in Canada. Liverpool will face Toronto FC which is also the home of Toronto Blue Jays baseball team. 

Liverpool v WBA Match Report

Roy Hodgson’s return to Liverpool proved to be positive for him as his team West Brom Albion won over Liverpool at Anfield one-nil.

The first half of the game was painful for both sides as no goals were scored, but Liverpool continued their run of bad luck at home with many chances but having none converted to goals.

Enrique tried early on but the defender kicked it well over the bar. Another chance came from a corner kick, but Daniel Agger was also not able to grasp the chance well enough. Andy Carroll’s header was also over the bar.

The chances did not just come for Liverpool. West Brom also tried to open the scoring and kept returned keeper Pepe Reina plenty busy. Liam Ridgewell had a ball bounce off him towards the direction of the Spaniard but Reina quickly stopped it. And Peter Odemwingie tried a long ball effort that went wide of the goal.

The second half did not get any better. The Reds hit the woodwork twice. First, Jordan Henderson had his shot bounce back, and Dirk Kuyt’s ball also hit the post low and narrowly missed out.

In the 66th minute, chaos ensued when a throw in started the sequence of three clearances in succession at the West Brom goal.

Odemwingie finally put the Baggies one up ten minutes later. He sent Reina the wrong way after picking up a ball from a poor clearance by Glen Johnson.

Though the team did push on the defense for awhile, the Reds seemed to have fizzled out hope in the final minutes, letting Hodgson and the Baggies head back home with all three points.

Blackburn v Liverpool Match Report

It was a crazy night at Ewood Park when Liverpool defeated Blackburn 3-2 in the final minutes.


Manager Kenny Dalglish made several changes to the previous line-up in anticipation of the upcoming FA Cup semi-final at the weekend, including resting captain Steven Gerrard, but the side did not seem weak in the slightest.

After 13 minutes, Maxi Rodriguez proved just that. Martin Skrtel picked out Craig Bellamy, who then crossed it beautifully to the Argentinian. Maxi easily put it past Rovers keeper Paul Robinson.

It only took a couple minutes later for Maxi to repeat it, putting the Reds two up after both Andy Carroll and Jonjo Shelvey were denied their chance to be on the scoresheet.

All seemed well until a messy back pass from Jon Flanagan caused stand in keeper Alexander Doni to fumble and take down Blackburn’s Juinor Hoilett in the process. Doni was shown an immediate red card, and Brad Jones stepped up take his place. Jones was able to save Yakubu’s penalty as his first touch.

In the 36th minute, Blackburn scored their first goal of the evening from a free kick by David Dunn that was then headed into the net by Yakubu.

The Rovers were granted a second penalty 61 minutes in when Jones pushed Yakubu in the box and was given a yellow. This time, he would make it past Jones, granting the home side some hope for a draw.

It looked to be a draw when the game came into extra time, but Carroll saved the day and claimed all three points for the Reds. Daniel Agger passed the ball high into the box where Carroll was able to gain control and put it past Robinson, claiming victory for the Reds after a long drought.

Liverpool v Aston Villa Match Report

Unlucky Liverpool managed just a point at Anfield against Aston Villa with a 1-1 draw.


Striker Dirk Kuyt was all over Villa from the beginning, giving keeper Shay Given a startle early on but he grasped onto it, denying the Dutch international.

But Villa found the back of their goal first. Barry Bannan passed the ball to James Herd, who then put it past stand-in Red keeper Doni.

Before the halftime whistle was blown, Liverpool called for two penalties but both were denied by the referee including a potential handball and Luis Suarez being fouled inside the box. Instead the referee saw the foul as a dive and the Uruguayan saw a yellow card.

The biggest blow of the evening was when captain Steven Gerrard crossed the ball into the box, but Kuyt missed his chance at point blank range and somehow the ball went over the net instead of in it.

Given definitely saw more threat from Liverpool in the second half. First he had to stop a header from Suarez, and then he came under pressure from substitutes Craig Bellamy and Daniel Agger.

With only eight minutes to spare, Liverpool levelled the score. Agger attempted to head the ball into the net from a corner, but it was salvaged by Suarez from two yards out and put past the Villa keeper.

Liverpool’s spirits were obviously lifted after that, and they spent the last few moments putting pressure on, including a last minute effort by Gerrard. Villa were able to hold on though, and both teams walked away with a point each.
Creative Commons Licence
sports by anfieldtalk.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.anfieldtalk.com.