+Liverpool F.C - The Kop Team

[AK0N]

LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB
'THE KOP TEAM'

-------------------------------------------------------------------
BEFORE I START -I would like to take this opportunity to welcome to my thread, on my loyal club Liverpool FC. Myself is from Crewe, about an hours drive from Merseyside, however, my dads side of the family is all scouse, so I'm not a glory hunter, I just happen to support the best team!

Commenting + Rating
I am chuffed to receive comments at any time, whether they're nice or not. I am open to any criticism at any time, as long as you don't take it too far. Remember, this is my thread, so don't be too horrible if I make a mistake or what not. Make your criticism constructive, maybe help to point out where I've gone wrong and how I can improve. Also; rating the thread; I would prefer you not to start rating until I have finished my reserves. And please do not give me 1* for no reason. If you do give me 1*, please comment why. Don't rate 5* for the sake, although I would be happy to receive a 5* vote.

Spam
I, along with many other writers, do not want their thread being spammed. If you spend ages on an update, next thing you hear: "What did you have for tea?” is annoying. I don't mind the odd off subject comment; however, I will try and keep control of spam.

Graphics
The bottom line is: I can't make graphics. Simple as. So, if you can make graphics for me, I would be very happy. Please PM me if you can supply graphics, thanks.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

When you use the terms ‘English Football’ the first thing that comes into your mind is Liverpool Football Club. Who are the on paper greatest club since football was a known word in England. They have a history like no other. The club holds the English record of European cups with five victories in the final, meaning old ‘Big Ears’ is there’s to keep which can be visited at the Anfield Museum. They also hold the record for league titles, with a staggering eighteen trophies over the years.



Liverpool Football Club was formed in 1882 and never hesitated to make its mark in English Football, winning five league titles in its first half century of existence. However, after 1947, Liverpool went through what would seem to be it’s ‘Dark Ages’ as it spent the late 1950’s in the Second Division (Nowadays known as the Championship). This soon changed as they appointed the great Bill Shankly.



Under the management of ‘Shanks’ Liverpool recorded their most successful era of history. He is known as Mr Liverpool and is the believed greatest manager of all time. The Reds won many trophies under Bill, including the European Cup, UEFA Cup, FA Cup and the League Title. [More on Shanks in a Reserve]

BRIEF INFORMATION [** = Covered In Reserve]
Full Name: Liverpool Football Club
Nick-Name(s): The Reds
Founded: 1892
Owner(s): **
Manager: **
Stadium: **
-------------------------------------------------------------------
KITS

-------------------------------------------------------------------

HISTORY

In 1882, formed Liverpool Football Club, following an argument between John Houlding, who owned Anfield over rent and Everton Football Club. Houlding wanted to increase the rent of Anfield from £100 to £250 per year for Everton. However, the club rejected and moved to GoodisonPark. John founded Liverpool FC on the 15th March 1892 who would play at Anfield on Anfield Road. The name was originally going to be Everton Athletic; however, it was changed to Liverpool FC by the Football Association (FA) who refused to recognise the club under Everton.

The club began in the Lancashire Association League with John McKenna in charge of the team. McKenna had been one of the men who stayed and sided with Houlding in the split. Liverpool’s first game came on September 1st 1892 against Rotherham and Liverpool won 7-1. This first team saw the eleven players all arriving following a trip north of the border by McKenna who has Scottish connections in Glasgow. One year on from formation McKenna again applied for election to the Football league and this time was accepted. Their first game at Anfield in the league saw them dispose of Lincoln 4-0 In fact Liverpool went through the season unbeaten and following a knockout competition they beat one Newton Heath in the final to get there place in the top division. However a disappointing second season saw them bottom of the league and lose the knockout competition to be relegated. A tough fighting spirit at the club though saw them promoted back again the following season. They stayed in the top division for eight years and in season 1900-01 Liverpool won the first of their championships. Two seasons earlier, Liverpool had ridded themselves of their blue and white quartered shirts in favour of the now famous red shirts.


In 1914, they reached their first FA Cup final, however, Burnley beat them 1-0. Following back-to-back titles in 1921-22 and 1922-23, LFC went on a trophy drought. And didn’t get any more silverware until 1946-47, when they brought home their fifth league championship. In 1950, they lost to Arsenal in the FA Cup final, and then went on a poor run. The club got relegated into the second division and stayed here until the appointment of the ‘to be’ legend Bill Shankly as manager from HuddersfieldTown in 1959.


‘Shanks’ released a massive 24 players on his join and started his quest to reshape the squad. Shankly is nowadays known as the greatest manager in history, he made other managers who were good; look rubbish! “I heard someone say that football is a matter of life and death. Well I am very disappointed at that person, because, I can assure you it’s a lot more than that.” – Bill Shankly. He won the first league title in 17 years in 1963-64, following promotion just a year before. They won their first FA Cup, and the season after won the league again in 1965-66, the year of England’s famous World Cup win. He found unknown talent like no other, and hated Everton more than words can describe! “At my time at Liverpool, there was two good teams in the city, Liverpool and Liverpool Reserves.” – Bill Shankly.



He also influenced a kit colour change, as the team changed to an all red kit. Ian St John’s biography read: ‘He thought the colour scheme would carry psychological impact—red for danger, red for power. He came into the dressing room one day and threw a pair of red shorts to Ronnie Yeats. “Get into those shorts and let’s see how you look,” he said. “Christ, Ronnie, you look awesome, terrifying. You look 7ft tall.” “Why not go the whole hog, boss?” I suggested. “Why not wear red socks? Let’s go out all in red.” Shankly approved and an iconic kit was born.’ Shankly had a lot of self-belief, and always believed his players were himself. As when Tommy Smith consulted Shanks that he couldn’t play next week due to his injured knee, Shankly said: “Take that poof bandage off, and what do you mean your knee? It’s Liverpool’s knee.”





When Shankly retired, another legend stepped up as manager, his assistant Bob Paisley. During the nine seasons Paisley managed the Reds, Liverpool won a massive 21 trophies. This included: 3x European Cup, 1x UEFA Cup, 6x League Title, 3x League Cups. He never however won the FA Cup. Paisley then retired in 1983.



With two massive managers in Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley, you would have thought there can’t be any more legends to come. Well, we were proved wrong, as (as Paisley did to Shankly), Bob’s assistant Joe Fagan stepped in as first team manager. Liverpool became the first English club to win three trophies in one season, as in Fagan’s first season they won the League, League Cup and European Cup (which is not the treble). They reached the European cup final again in 1985, however, following a before kick-off disaster involving a big 39 tragedy, the Reds lost 1-0 to Juventus. English clubs were banned from European competitions for 5 years, Liverpool 10 years, which was later reduced to 6.



Joe Fagan resigned after this disaster and was replaced by player-manager Kenny Dalglish. During his reign, the club recorded yet another three league titles, and two FA Cups. Liverpool’s great success was brought to a storming halt when the Hillsborough Disaster occurred in the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest on 15 April 1989. This is the worst day in many Liverpool fans life, as a staggering 94 fans died single-handedly that day. The 95th died in hospital four days later, and the 96th died nearly four years later without regaining consciousness. Following the disaster, the government plotted that every top-division club were to have all-seater stadiums.



Dalglish resigned in 1991 due to the disaster to be replaced by former player Graeme Souness. Souness didn’t achieve much and was replaced by former ‘Boot Room’ member Roy Evans. He only got one trophy though which was a League Cup victory in 1995. Gerard Houllier was appointed as co-manager in the 1998-99 seasons however he was left alone in 1998. In his second season, he achieved ‘The Treble’ with a League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup. In 2002, Houllier went through major heart surgery, however, the team still finished second place behind Arsenal.



Following another season, he was replaced by Spanish coach Rafael Benitez. In his first season, Liverpool finished in a poor 5th place, however they did win the European Cup for the 5th time, this time for keeps! Rafa’s boosting half time team talk boosted the Reds as goals from Gerrard, Smicer, and Alonso cancelled out AC Milan’s 3-0 lead. Jerzy Dudek became a hero in the penalty shoot-out as he did the famous Bruce Grobalaar knee wobbling and high clap (a.k.a ‘Easy’). He saved Andriy Shevchenko’s penalty and the Reds won old ‘Big Ears’ for keeps 3-2 on penalties. Rafa also bought big names including the likes of Spanish sensations Xabi Alonso, Pepe Reina and Fernando Torres. Also he won the FA Cup for the seventh time on penalties versus West Ham in 2006.

[AK0N]

LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB
STADIUM - ANFIELD


Liverpool Football Club has played its home games at Anfield Road since their birth as a club in 1892.
The story of the ground stems from the growth of football in the city back in 1878. The then named St.Domingo's team played its games in StanleyPark. The games though were played on a pitch where anyone could turn up and watch. As more people started to watch the games a decision was taken to move on and find a ground whereby the club could charge an entrance fee.

A member of the team, by now renamed Everton, called Cruitt made an offer of a field next to the current StanleyPark pitch. Cruitt it was who owned the field and a suitable area was built on for dressing rooms and a stand. As time wen by crowds began to increase at such a rate the Cruitt reconsidered his offer and the team were to become homeless again.

By 1884 when the club lost use of the field offered by Cruitt they were facing the prospect of returning to play its football on StanleyPark. However, the club's chairman John Houlding had a chat with his brewing friend John Orrell and as a result an enclosed field on Anfield Road was suggested as housing the team. Members of the club, based in the Sandon pub nearby helped to make the ground more suitable for football by putting fences around the pitch and a stand was built. Orrell did specify some conditions to the use of the ground though which were to later cause Everton to leave. The conditions included not annoying Orrell during play, keeping the surrounding walls in good condition and of course paying rent.
The first ever game played on the Anfield pitch saw Everton beat Earlestown 5-0 in 1884. By 1886 crowds had started to increase so much that Houlding decided it was a good idea to build a new stand. At the cost of some £64, local builder George Rutherford built the stand on the Kemlyn Road side of the ground. A covered stand was built on the opposite side of the ground. More groundwork continued towards the end of the 1880's with two stands built behind each goal. The ground was now one of the best in the country and even housed an England international game.

It was in 1892 though that the major development in terms of a team occurred. Following an increase in the rent for the ground, Everton decided to up sticks and find a new ground which they have now stuck with across StanleyPark at Goodison. They will soon leave here for a new home. John Houlding was now left with a ground capable of housing many fans but no team to play in it. In May 1892 Liverpool Association Football Club was formed and a team was now available to play at Anfield once again. The ground did require much work to it however when they came to playing their first games. After the rent dispute many Everton members removed the fittings of the ground such as the turnstiles.

On 23rd September 1892 Liverpool FC played their first competitive match at Anfield. They faced local side Higher Walton and ran out winners on the day 8-0 in front of some 200 fans. In the first days of Liverpool playing at Anfield the Sandon pub was the dressing room for the Liverpool team. They then had to walk down the road to the pitch and play before returning along the road to the dressing rooms.

In 1894 following some early success the club decided to build a proper main stand which would incorporate dressing rooms. The stand was built and cost a total of £1,000. The stand was made of timber and remained relatively unmodified until the 1970's when it was to become as it is in modern times. The stand was at the time considered extremely good for the football ground. In the middle of the stand roof was a mock semi-circular gable in red and white. A large plaque was later place on this area reading 'Liverpool Football Club'. Today though the only thing left of it are photographs as the original itself was lost in development of the stand. It is likely to have been placed in a builders skip.
The stand at the Walton Breck Road was also extended at the time of the main stand development and two years later a stand was built on Anfield Road itself. The stand contained a standing area for fans and was made in similar style to the main stand. The stand was built rather low so as to not affect the general view in the area.

In 1906 the ground underwent its next transformation which was to become legendary across the world. John Houlding and club secretary John McKenna decided after the clubs second championship win that the fans deserved a better enclosure behind the goal at the Walton Breck Road end. Archibald Leitch was brought in to design the layout of the new ground.

The Kop stand was built upon a huge bank of ash and rubble. Crush barriers were built on to the steps of the embankment and the now legendary Kop was born. The new stand at that end though was not the only improvement at the time. The pitch was raised up slightly and a paddock was introduced around it. The new stand however was the main development and it was later named the Spion Kop by local newspaper writer Ernest Edwards. This was after the battle of the Speonkop hill during the boer war in 1900. Many local soldiers died in the failed battle to secure the hill. The new design to the ground meant that the club could now host some 60,000 fans.

In 1921 the ground was considered so good that one of that years FA Cup semi finals was played there between Wolves and Cardiff. It wasn't the first time such a semi-final had been played there but what made this one significant was for the attendance of King George V and Queen Mary.

In 1928 came a great engineering feat when the Spion Kop was covered. It became the largest covered terrace in the country as a result. The roof was supported by a series of stanchions across the terrace but not too many so as to obscure many views which is what made the engineering feat all the better. At this point in time both the main stand and Kemlyn Road stand were made longer so as to reach up to the Kop stand. The Kop was officially opened by John McKenna on 25th August 1928.

There was one last building feat to take place in 1928. The addition of a flagpole for the club was erected at the corner of the Kop and Kemlyn Road stands. It is today known to many as flagpole corner. The flagpole also has a history to it. The pole is made up of the mast from one of the first ever iron ships called the Great Eastern. The ship first set sail in 1860 but some twenty years later had been abandoned to rot across the Mersey at Rock Ferry. The mast which had survived was bought by the club and was taken across the Mersey to Liverpool before being hauled up EvertonValley by horses.

The Anfield ground then stayed pretty much untroubled for thirty years except for minor repairs. In 1957 the reds installed floodlights at a cost of some £12,000. They were first used in a Floodlight Challenge trophy game with Everton on 30 October 1957. The reds incidentally also played a similar match at Goodison to coincide with their floodlight introduction.

With the Anfield ground not changing much over thirty years parts of it were beginning to go stale and conditions for all were not the greatest. This all changed when the great Bill Shankly arrived in 1959. He was livid at the conditions and said that the ground was not good enough for the fans who supported them each week. After his reign began, the reds started to improve Anfield and after promotion was gained in 1961-62 season the Kemlyn Road stand was demolished. A huge new cantilever stand was built in its place at the cost of some £350,000. The one big issue that was not resolved at this time was the sunlight allowed through to the houses on Kemlyn Road and as a result the roof sloped towards the pitch rather than upwards.

The next upgrade to the ground was at the Anfield Road end of the ground. At the end of the 1964-65 seasons the stand was removed and a huge brick terrace was installed instead. Finally it was the main stand that was to be developed but this didn't take place until th seventies. The main stand was expanded rather than demolished altogether to include seats and better facilities for the players and also the inclusion of a proper TV gantry. The stand was officially opened in March 1973. The new stand also saw the loss of the four floodlights in the corners of the ground. Instead the ground was lit up by a series of floodlights along the main stand and Kemlyn Road stand. Today there are 163 floodlights in the ground giving superb light for the players to play under.

The next main additions to the ground were seats. The paddock in the front of the main stand was converted to seats in 1980 whilst in 1982 the Anfield road end was altered to accommodate seats. Under soil heating was introduced at this point too. 1982 was to prove a changing year for the ground on the outside too as the Shankly gates were unveiled. Bill Shankly's wife Nessie unlocked the superb set of gates for the first time on 26 August 1982. Sadly they were not erected before his death.

In 1985 the Heysel tragedy claimed 39 Juventus fans' lives and a change were brought about to football. Anfield changed two years later with a more 'at-home' ground made. The Kemlyn Road stand was given a fresh look with coloured seats and a police-room was built. In 1989 after the Hillsborough disaster the Taylor Report stated the all grounds in the country would be all-seater. This recommendation in itself led to the demolishing of the most famous stand in the game - the Kop.

The last sets of major changes that have taken place have all occurred in the nineties. The Kemlyn road stand was finally demolished and re-built as a huge double Decker cantilever stand. The plans to build the stand had been made much earlier but two old ladies living in Kemlyn Road refused to move out of their house and the plans were put on hold. When one of the old ladies died the other finally moved out and the plans were put into action. The stand was officially opened on 1st September 1992 by Lennart Johansson and named the Centenary stand. The stand includes executive boxes and function suites as well as some 11,000 seats.

The Kop was rebuilt in 1994 after the Taylor report and became all seated. It was the end of an era for Anfield although in the circumstances a move that had to be made. Today the Kop holds just over 13,000 seated fans and can on occasions produce a similar noise to that of years ago. It may never be the same again but the legend lives on.

The last change to the Anfield stadium came in 1998 when the new two-tier Anfield Road end was opened. Original plans for a huge double Decker stand were forced to be scaled down. The stand that was built was not as high as planned and was, like the centenary stand a long cantilever one. It is not the only problem though that the stand has encountered and at the beginning of the 2000 season a series of poles had to be brought in to give extra stability to the top tier of the stand. During Ronnie Morans testimonial against Celtic many fans complained of movement of the top tier. Investigations found that the frequency of the construction wasn't high enough and the stanchions were inserted. At the same time that these were inserted the executive seating area was increased down a couple of rows in the main stand to the detriment of the fans in the paddock.

Nowadays, the club is pushing for a new stadium known as StanleyPark. The new ground will be bigger and has achieved planning permission and is scheduled to open in August 2012 with a capacity of 70,000. This project will cost around £350,000,000.

[For more on Anfield Click Here + More on Stanley Park Click Here]

Stanley Park

SONGS FROM THE KOP!


I have picked out five of the best Kop chants/songs...

You'll Never Walk Alone
When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm
Is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on walk on with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone
Walk on walk on with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone

The Fields Of Anfield Road
Outside the Shankly gates
I heard a Kopite calling
Shankly, they have taken you away
But you left a great eleven
Before you went to heaven
Now is glory round the fields of anfield road

All round the fields of anfield road
Where once we watched the King Kenny play.
We had Heighway on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
Of the glory round the fields of anfield road

Outside the Paisley gates
I heard a Kopite calling
Paisley, they have taken you away
You led the great eleven
Back in Rome in '77
And the red men they're still playing the same way

All round the fields of anfield road
Where once we watched the King Kenny play
We had Heighway on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
And the red men they're still playing the same way

All round the fields of anfield road
Where once we watched the King Kenny play
We had Heighway on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
And the red men they're still playing the same way

Poor Scouser Tommy
Let me tell you the story of a poor boy,
Who was sent far away from his home,
To fight for his king and his country,
And also the old folks back home

So they put him in a higher division,
Sent him off to a far foreign land,
Where the flies swarm around in their thousands,
And there's nothing to see but the sand.

Now the battle it started next morning,
Under the radiant sun,
I remember our poor Scouser Tommy,
He was shot by an old Nazi gun

As he lay on the battlefield die-die-dying,
With the blood gushing out of his head (out of his head)
As he lay on the battlefield die-die-dying,
These were the last words he said:

Oooooh, I am a Liverpudlian,
and I come from the Spion Kop,
I like to sing, I like to chant,
I go there quite a lot.

Support a team, that plays in red,
A team that we all know,
A team that we call *Liverpool*,
To glory we will go.

We won the league, we won the cup,
We've been to Europe too,
We played the Toffees for a laugh,
And left them feeling blue (5-0)

1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4, 5-0!

Rush scored one,
Rush scored two,
Rush scored three,
And Rush scored four ...

We've Won It Five Times
We won it at Wem-ber-ly
We' won it in *** Paris
In 77 and '84 it was Rome

We've won it five times
We've won it five ti-i-imes
In Istanbul, we won it five times

When Emlyn lifted it high
He lit up the Roman sky
Thommo in Paris and Souness did it as well

We've won it five times
We've won it 5 ti-i-imes
In Istanbul, we won it five times

At Wembley we won it at home
Took 26,000 to Rome
20,000 to Paris when we won it again

We've won it five times
We've won it five ti-i-imes
In Istanbul, we won it five times

Stevie G's eyes lit up
As he lifted the European Cup
21 years and now its coming back home

We've won it five times
We've won it five ti-i-imes
In Istanbul, we won it five times

Fernando Torres
His armband proved he was a red, Torres, Torres,
You'll never walk alone it said, Torres, Torres,
We bought the lad from sunny Spain,
He gets the ball, he scores again,
Fernando Torres, Liverpool's number nine.

MANAGER - RAFAEL BENITEZ


FULL NAME : Rafael ''Rafa'' Benitez Maudes
NATION : Spain (Madrid)
DATE OF BIRTH : 16 April 1960 (Age 4
HEIGHT : 5'10''
PLAYING POSITION : Midfielder
PLAYING CLUBS [APP-GLS] : Castilla CF [247-73]
AD Parla [124-28]
CD Linares [34-17]
MANAGERIAL CLUBS : 1986 to 1989 Castilla Youth B
1989 to 1991 - Real Madrid Youth B
1991 to 1993 - Real Madrid Under 19's
1993 to 1995 - Real Madrid B
1995 to 1996 - Real Valladolid
1996 to 1997 - Osasuna
1997 to 1999 - Extremadura
2000 to 2001 - Tenerife
2001 to 2004 - Valencia
2004 to Present - Liverpool

Rafael Benítez Maudes (born April 16, 1960, Madrid, Spain) is a Spanish football manager. Also referred to as Rafa Benítez, he has been manager of Liverpool F.C. since 2004. He has previously managed Valencia CF, CD Tenerife, CF Extremadura, CA Osasuna, Real Valladolid and Real Madrid B. Benítez became the most successful Valencia CF manager in their history after just three seasons in charge. In 2002 he led the club to their first La Liga title since 1971 and in 2004 he led the club to a La Liga/UEFA Cup double. In 2005 he guided Liverpool F.C. to victory in the UEFA Champions League and the European Supercup and in 2006 he led them to victory in the FA Cup.

Benítez became only the third manager, after Bob Paisley and José Mourinho, to win the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League in successive seasons and he is the first manager to achieve this with two different clubs. He became the second Liverpool manager, after Joe Fagan, to win the European Cup in his first season in charge. Throughout his career Benítez has also won several individual awards. He was awarded Manager Of the Year titles by both Don Balón and El País in 2002 while at Valencia CF and was named Madrid Coach of the Year for 2005 by Seven Stars Sport.

Benítez has developed teams where the defenders go forward and the forwards defend. Observers have also noted his ability to turn a promising squad of individuals into an efficient team of winners. He has achieved success at both Valencia CF and Liverpool with mainly inherited squads. Of the fourteen players used in the UEFA Champions League final, twelve were at Liverpool when Benítez arrived. He has also developed an eye for spotting talented players such as Mista, Curro Torres, Luis García and Mohamed Sissoko. Benítez also favours a strict rotation policy to keep his side fresh and the players on their toes.

OWNERS - TOM HICKS + GEORGE GILLETT

Tom Hicks [Right]
DATE OF BIRTH : ??/??/1946
PLACE OF BIRTH : Dallas, Texas, USA
WORTH : $1.3Bn [According to Forbes Magazine 2008]

George Gillett
DATE OF BIRTH : 22/10/1938
PLACE OF BIRTH : Racine, Wisconsin, USA
WORTH : $1.1Bn [As of November 2007]

R.I.P HILLSBOROUGH

[AK0N]

LIVEPROOL FOOTBALL CLUB SQUAD




STARTING ELEVEN




--Reina--
--Arbeloa--Carragher--Agger--Aurellio--
--Kuyt--Mascherano--Alonso--Riera--
--Gerrard--
--Torres--

#25 Pepe Reina
Position : Goalkeeper
Nation : Spain
Foot : Right
Age : 25
Weight : 203 LBS
Height : 6'2''
Market Value : £3,500,000
Overall : 84
Rafa's Comment : "Reina will be yet again our number one goalkeeper for the season ahead. He is just great. I will also try and push him to the next goalkeeper and give Casilas some competition for the shirt in Spain."

#17 Alvaro Arbeloa
Position : Right Back
Nation : Spain
Foot : Right
Age : 25
Weight : 167 LBS
Height : 6'0''
Market Value : £1,500,000
Overall : 78
Rafa's Comments : "Alvaro isn't the best of right backs. However, he is something I can work on. Me and him born and bred in Spain, I beleive I can get him up their to a superior defender."


#23 Jamie Carragher
Position : Right Centre Back
Nation : England
Foot : Right
Age : 30
Weight : 172 LBS
Height : 6'1"
Market Value : £6,700,000
Overall : 85
Rafa's Comment : "Jamie has been great for me, he's never missed a game unless due to injury for me. Still my number one defender on the team sheet. He yet again will be a key part of our season."


#5 Daniel Agger
Position : Left Centre Back
Nation : Denmark
Foot : Left
Age : 23
Weight : 174 LBS
Height : 174 LBS
Market Value : £3,000,000
Overall : 82
Rafa's Comments : "Danny Agger is a great defender, however, he will have to challenge for his shirt this season. With Martin Skrtel and Sami Hyypia looking for a place, he will have to work very hard to earn his spot."


#12 Fabio Aurelio
Position : Left Back
Nation : Brazil
Foot : Left
Age : 28
Weight : 163 LBS
Height : 5'10''
Market Value : £1,200,000
Overall : 76
Rafa's Comments : "Fabio is another who will have to challenge for the position. He has tough competition in Andrea Dossena, so I might rotate every now and then to keep the team fresh and on their feet."


#18 Dirk Kuyt
Position : Right Midfield
Nation : Netherlands
Foot : Right
Age : 28
Weight : 183 LBS
Height : 6'0''
Market Value : £5,000,000
Overall : 82
Rafa's Comments : "With Pennant at Pompey, Dirk is my number one right-midfielder. He can play alongside Torres if needed, and we have good back up in the likes of Yossi Benayoun."


#20 Javier Mascherano
Position : Right Centre Midfield
Nation : Argentina
Foot : Right
Age : 24
Weight : 187 LBS
Height : 5'9''
Market Value : £7,200,000
Overall : 85
Rafa's Comments : "Javier is great, he is one of those players that hardly ever score, but he is up their with the best midfielders in the world."

#14 Xabi Alonso
Position : Left Centre Midfield
Nation : Spain
Foot : Right
Age : 26
Weight : 174 LBS
Height : 6'0''
Market Value : £3,900,000
Overall : 83
Rafa's Comments : "Xabi is another that I'm speechless for, he's just great. His lovely pinpoint passes are subject to many goals. And he can score as well, great midfield player."

#11 Albert Riera
Position : Left Midfield
Nation : Spain
Foot : Left
Age : 26
Weight : 183 LBS
Height : 6'2''
Market Value : £3,500,000
Overall : 81
Rafa's Comments : "Albert is another born and bred from Spain, he is something to work on. However, another that will have to put every last bit of work in for his place, with Ryan Babel on the bench raring to go as always."


#8 Steven Gerrard (Captain)
Position : Centre Forward
Nation : England
Foot : Right
Age : 28
Weight : 174 LBS
Height : 6'0''
Market Value : £12,000,000
Overall : 88
Rafa's Comments : "Number one on the team sheet. My skipper, Stevie G. Yet again Gerrard will be the key part to success this season. He will keep on doing what I want him to do and that's scoring the goals and getting back helping the defence and midfield."


#9 Fernando Torres
Position : Striker
Nation : Spain
Foot : Right
Age : 24
Weight : 172 LBS
Height : 6'1''
Market Value : £16,000,000
Overall : 88
Rafa's Comments : "Fernando is my top striker. With Keane and Crouchy gone we haven't got much backup. I will look to try and find him a companion in the summer."

SUBSTITUTES

#1 Diego Cavalieri

Position : Goalkeeper

Nation : Brazil

Foot : Left

Age : 25

Weight : 189 LBS

Height : 6'3''

Market Value : £860,000

Overall : 75

# 37 Martin Skrtel

Position : Centre Back

Nation : Slovakia

Foot : Right

Age : 23

Weight : 178 LBS

Height : 6'4''

Market Value : £3,100,000

Overall : 81

#2 Andrea Dossena

Position : Left Wing Back

Nation : Italy

Foot : Left

Age : 26

Weight : 174 LBS

Height : 5'11''

Market Value : £1,200,000

Overall : 75

#21 Lucas Leiva

Position : Centre Midfield

Nation : Brazil

Foot : Right

Age : 21

Weight : 161 LBS

Height : 5'10''

Market Value : £1,300,000

Overall : 76

#15 Yossi Benayoun

Position : Centre Attacking Midfield

Nation : Israel

Foot : Right

Age : 28

Weight : 134 LBS

Height : 5'9''

Market Value : £2,900,000

Overall : 78

#19 Ryan Babel

Position : Left Wing

Nation : Netherlands

Foot : Right

Age : 21

Weight : 161 LBS

Height : 6'1''

Market Value : £4,700,000

Overall : 81

#24 David N'Gog

Position : Striker

Nation : France

Foot : Right

Age : 19

Weight : 174 LBS

Height : 6'3''

Market Value : £330,000

Overall : 71

RESERVES/YOUTH

--Itandje--
--Degen--Hyypia--Antwi--Insua--
--El Zhar--Plessis--Palsonn--Puterill--
--Pacheco--Eccleston--

#30 Charles Itandje
Position : Goalkeeper
Rating : 71
Age : 25

#41 Martin Hansen
Postion : Goalkeeper
Rating : 59
Age : 18

#27 Philipp Degen
Postion : Right Wing Back
Rating : 75
Age : 25

#32 Stephen Darby
Position : Right
Rating : 60
Age : 19

#4 Sami Hyypia
Position : Centre Back
Rating : 76
Age : 34

#43 Godwin Antwi
Position : Centre Back
Rating : 62
Age : 20

#34 Martin Kelly
Postion : Centre Back
Rating : 51
Age : 18

#45 Mikel San Jose
Position : Centre Back
Rating : 56
Age : 19

#22 Emiliano Insua

Position : Left Wing Back
Rating : 73
Age : 19

#28 Damien Plessis

Position : Centre Defensive Midfield
Rating : 72
Age : 20

#36 Jay Spearing

Position : Centre Midfield
Rating : 59
Age : 19

#35 Ryan Flynn

Position : Centre Midfield
Rating : 51
Age : 19

#36 Steven Irwin

Position : Centre Midfield
Rating : 54
Age : 17

#42 Victor Palssonn

Position : Centre Midfield
Rating : 60
Age : 17

#48 Lauri Dalla Valle

Position : Centre Attacking Midfield
Rating : 48
Age : 16

#31 Nabil El Zhar

Position : Right Wing
Rating : 67
Age : 21

#52 Daniel Pacheco

Position : Striker
Rating : 63
Age : 17

#47 Vitor Flora

Position : Striker
Rating : 63
Age : 18

#39 Nathan Eccleston

Position : Striker
Rating : 64
Age : 17

#40 Ray Puterill

Position : Left Wing
Rating : 58
Age : 18

[AK0N]

Reserved - Fans/Blogs

[AK0N]

Reserved - History of MM

[AK0N]

Reserved - Timeline

Post

[Valo]

Good luck.

[Cahill4]

Great start

[tevez.]

Nice start

[kingcarra23]

good luck

[Nino]

good luck mate

[nzgangster]

good start once again akon.

[SBFC-Chris]

good start - and good luck

I will not rate yet

[Bayern]

nice start mate

[Jeppie SA]

Good luck mate!

[FifaForumKing]

Good start

[Jeppie SA]

Somebody voted 1* I just voted 5* to equal it out

[SBFC-Chris]

1 star voter

is it ok if I vote 5* to get it up?

[AK0N]

Yep thanks Done Anfield + Kop Chants, working on Rafa+Owners

[SPEKZ]

Looks nice KIU

[SAFC_Broady]

Class start mate

[GUNNERS_MIKE]

nice start mate and a very good OP! stick to it

[AK0N]

INTERVIEW WITH RAFAEL BENITEZ COMING! [When I've finished the reserves]

What are your questions for the Spaniard?

[SAFC_Broady]

Your badge says Liverpool, but what does your heart say?

[SBFC-Chris]

What are your aims for this season?