spencer

Our form turned down with the injury to Agger. Our form returned with the arrival of Skrtel. Could be a coincidence but having at least one CB with pace and ball skills makes a big difference to how we can play.

Orignally the qtrs and semis were to be seeded based on performances in the group and first knockout stage but I see on Bert Kassies site that he has spotted that UEFA changed the rules in December and there will be no seeding now. This is good news for us since we would have been one of the bottom seeds because of our poor group performances - Bert still has the seeding table as it would have stood: http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/seedcl2007.html scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Well I'm going to start backing him to score. Our corners will be better now that Alonso is taking them (never understood why Stevie G. kept taking them anyway - about the only thing he's not good at) and Skrtel has shown that he will attack the ball in the area (unlike the rest - bar Sami - who stand around like tailor's dummies hoping the ball will come to them). Skrtel is another one of Rafa's January gems - he and Agger will be a formidable pairing next season.

Normally he's interviewed for the 6 o'clock slot on LFC TV, so it'll be interesting to hear what he says then (if anything).

I assume it was introduced to avoid dead rubbers like our Gala game last year. Personally I think it's an unfair system - it's bad enough qualifying from a tough group but you will almost certainly pick up fewer points and end up with a lower seeding as well.

Don't know how the draw will be made - I'd guess two pots of 4, like you say.

By the way, I noticed someone mentioned fielding a weaker side if we qualified early, like last year. This is unlikely to happen because the quarter-finals and semi-finals are seeded based on performances in the group stage and last 16 phase. Every point is worth competing for. If you go to Bert Kassies site, you can already see the seeding table in play. http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/seedcl2007.html

Can't come up with enough superlatives for Torres tonight - a joy to watch; great to know he can't be kicked out of a game too. Don't know about partnering Torres with any of our other forwards, I think Gerrard would be setting him up all night if he played behind him.

Funnily enough, there's a piece on Skyscapercity about this: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.p...309&page=34 A long-awaited council proposal to bring the historic structures back to their former glory is expected to get the go-ahead within days. It is connected to Liverpool FC’s £300m plan to build a 60,000-seater stadium in part of the park, which is awaiting approval from councillors and the government. Council officials insisted on the refurbishment of the grade II-listed green space’s rundown buildings, so the community would gain something in return for the loss of a section of the park to the stadium. Now the project, which was first proposed several years ago, is due to be backed by councillors next week. It would see the £25m restoration of: The Isla Gladstone conservatory, built in 1899 to house exotic plants but derelict since the 1980s. The bandstand next to the conservatory, including a new roof. The red sandstone east, west and central pavilions, with replacement roofing and repairs to stone walls. The boathouse plinth, once home to a Victorian boathouse but now earmarked for a viewing platform. Five bridges, including the stone structure running between the two existing lakes in the north-west corner of Stanley Park. The work is understood to cost about £25m and will be paid for by a European grant and money from the government’s neighbourhood renewal fund. City planners say the work at Stanley Park, designed by Edward Kemp, the creator of Sefton and Birkenhead parks, should be approved. Communities secretary Hazel Blears will have the final say, if she decides the plan requires further scrutiny. Anfield councillor Andrew Tremarco said: “This is a fantastic scheme and it will turn Stanley Park into the jewel in the crown of north Liverpool again. “Because of funding deadlines, this work must be completed by December next year, so the park will be restored long before the stadium is finished.” The Friends of Stanley Park have raised concerns about parts of the scheme, such as the decision not to rebuild the boathouse and some restoration details. But council officials believe the proposal is appropriate and will improve the park’s character and setting. After submitting redrawn stadium plans, Liverpool FC hope to start work on the stadium by the end of the year, opening in time for the 2010 season. Working glasshouse THE Isla Gladstone conservatory will become north Liverpool’s equivalent of the Sefton Park palm house if restorations plans are approved. The Grade II-listed structure, made of cast iron and glass, was built in 1899, designed by McKenzie and Moncur as a plainer version of the Sefton Park structure. It was created as a working glasshouse to grow exotic plants and was last used as a pub and restaurant in the 1980s.

"Errr ... if all you're concerned about is how well the team is playing in the first month of the season then of course everything is rosy" Thank you for that patronising remark. Of course I'm concerned about the future of the club but I am not prejudiced against the new owners like you and your ilk are. So far they have done everything right for the FUTURE of the club: Kept Rafa Signed all the key players to new long-term contracts Brought in great new signings Replaced the 60k bog-standard new stadium with an iconic 80k design Brought in a commercial director etc How can you say they are not looking after the future of the club? If you want to take a pessimistic view, go ahead but don't claim that optimists like myself are idiots.

Re the 'seven year conspiracy myth' this was what the FT reported back in Jan: "Advisers to the club were adamant that the board did not seek a higher offer from DIC. The board, which has been meeting Mr Gillett in Liverpool and London in the past few days, was said to be surprised by DIC's withdrawal. But board members are thought to have been impressed by the speed of Mr Gillett's due diligence in the past few days, compared to the slow progress of DIC's inspection, and were concerned about reports of a seven-year exit strategy planned by DIC... In contrast, Mr Gillett was said to have emphasised his was a long-term investment and that unlike the decision-making process in DIC he and his family would be able to make decisions for the benefit of the club quickly" Certainly the board believed the leaked memo regarding the 7 year strategy was legit and no-one can argue that the board's belief in how quickly the Americans would operate has not been justified. Gillett and Hicks have moved swiftly in every respect. The doom-and-gloomers have been waiting for an opportunity like this to get the razor blades and start slashing their wrists but I couldn't be happier with the current situation. Great buys, great football, great new stadium to look forward to - and top of the league, How can you not be happy at the moment|

The big difference between us and United, as others have said, is the potential for future profits. How much further can the Glazers go? The stadium is at maximum capacity and there aren't many untapped markets for them - basically upping ticket prices seems to be their main approach. As for us, we are nowhere near reaching our potential, not just in terms of the ground, but also in terms of merchandising, naming rights, sponsorship etc. I don't know if Tim has any figures on our estimated future revenues at the new ground compared to now but I imagine the difference is huge - not just from attendances but also corporate income (those bunkers will be prime locations). All this will be happening at a time when the club is surely destined for more success on the pitch. The future still looks very rosy to me.

Firstly the proof of the pudding etc........so far, everything Gillett and Hicks have done has been spot on, in my opinion. When that changes, then I'll start to worry. Secondly, what are the alternatives. Moores could not carry on - so it could have been DIC, Thaksin Shinawatra, Steve Morgan or who? The status quo was not supportable and we'd already been loking for three years for investment, something had to be done. And maybe a word of praise for Parry's foresight - he turned down Gillett originally because he didn't think he had deep enough pockets - and clearly we are better off having two wealthy families behind us in this current market than just one.

DIC were planning to sell us on after 7 years, remember? And the way they threw the dummy out out of the pram when Parry invited Gillett back shows we were very lucky not to get them in the end. Anyway, whatever our potential borrowing problems, you can at least be happy that it's far worse at OT. http://www.redcafe.net/showthread.php?t=170058 If the credit crunch continues in the States, things could very interesting for the Glazers.

Since January we have added Arbeloa, Mascherano, Voronin, Torres, Babel and Benayoun to the main squad. None of those was guaranteed to be a success but all have turned up trumps straightaway - no wonder we've moved up a level. The pace, movement and technical ability of the squad now is a joy to behold.