Reds in the burgh – Liverpool Fans in Edinburgh

Which ones did you buy and more importantly still have?

Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva has spoken out in support of Premiership counterparts Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

The Brazilian international has urged supporters to get behind the England pair as they prepare to face Estonia in a crucial Euro 2008 qualifier in Tallinn on Wednesday night.

“The fans should support these players instead of making criticism about them and saying that they can’t play together,” Gilberto told Terra Brazil.

“It’s necessary to let them gain confidence because that’s the only way in which they can show what they can do. They are excellent players, especially Gerrard.

“All the players need to be calm during a game. We aren’t on a pitch to be judged by journalists, supporters and in some cases by the coaches. We all try to do our work in the best way possible.”

Although being the worst fans in Europe, doesn’t mean we are poor losers and can’t see the funny side of these pictures from the Guardian.

Oh, if like me your fuming about UEFA report, read Nicky Campbell’s bit from his blog on the Guardian.

What you can learn in a cab ride with a Uefa bigwig

On the day after the Champions League final, I had a fortuitous meeting. In the mayhem of Athens’ perpetual rush hour and teeming acid rain, a taxi from hotel to airport was looking unlikely. Then I saw a smooth, young go-getter grab one and I asked where he was going. “Airport.” A problem shared is a fare halved.

We chatted about the final and it emerged he was a Uefa big nob on the way back to Geneva. “Did you see the three wise men giving away the trophy?” he asked with an impressive sneer. “Berlusconi, Blatter and Platini? My God, what a collection. Platini? We call him Platter at HQ. Says it all. Blatter would never have been welcome when Johansson was in charge. They loathed each other and Blatter hates the whole Champions League anyway.”

I asked him about the ticketing problems and Uefa spokesman William Gaillard’s assertion that it was all the fault of the Liverpool fans. “Gaillard? We’ll see how long he survives. What an embarrassment. Not a clue.” Then he added: “Let me tell you something else. Our promotions company had 46 tickets stolen the night before the game and when some were found we sent a secretary down to identify them and she was held in custody for 10 hours.

“The Greek police are useless. With the fans, they see behaviour they don’t understand and they completely over-react.” I suggested the corporate world got too many tickets.

“No, they don’t get enough. When you consider the money the sponsors put in, they should get a lot more”.

There was a conversational lull when we entered a long, dark tunnel. He craned his neck from the front seat to look at me. “What do you do?”

“I’m a journalist.” There was another silence. “Well, you didn’t hear any of this from me.” Can I just say, I didn’t hear any of this from him. I’ll tell you something else: we both got charged full fare.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/05/31/i_bet_the_great_shankly_would.html

Last night San Miguel gave myself and Hasen McCock a pop quiz question, that we couldn’t answer. Here it is?

Who currently plays in the premiership, has played in the World Cup, the Conference, 3rd, 2nd and 1st division and won the Champions League and the FA Cup?

Any ideas?

• Liverpool are in talks with Juventus about selling midfielder Momo Sissoko to the Turin club for £12m (Star on Sunday)
• Liverpool fans have been condemned as the worst in Europe in a scathing Uefa report, following violent scenes at the recent Champions League final against AC Milan (News of the World).
• Tottenham’s search for a left-winger has prompted them to make moves for Liverpool’s Harry Kewell and Martin Petrov (Star on Sunday)
• Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez wants £35m to spend on Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o (News of the World).
• Manchester United are set to beat Arsenal, Liverpool, Bolton, Valencia and Real Madrid to the signing of Barcelona’s Argentine striker Javier Saviola, for a cut-price £7m (News of the World).
• Former Liverpool forward Robbie Fowler is set to join Celtic in a deal worth £30,000 a week. (Daily Star)
• Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is willing to use all of his £35m transfer kitty to land Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o. (The Independent)
• Villa boss Martin O’Neill says he will not be held to ransom by Liverpool over a fee for striker and new Wales captain Craig Bellamy. (Scum)
• France international midfielder Florent Malouda has begged Lyon not to price him out of a move to Liverpool. The French champions want £17m. (Mail)
• The Cottagers are set to raid neighbours QPR for Lee Cook and Roy Jones. They have opened the bidding with a £1.5m combined offer. (Various)
• And they want to sign Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson. (Mirror)
• Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez will stay at Anfield after clear-the-air talks with owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. (Daily Mirror)
• Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez wants to make £12m Valencia winger David Silva his first summer signing. (The Scum)
• The Reds are ready to offer Djibril Cisse in part-exchange for Benfica winger Simao Sabrosa. (Daily Star)
• Liverpool hope to make Lyon midfielder Florent Malouda their first signing. (The Guardian)
• Wigan hope to convince Sami Hyypia to leave Anfield for the JJB Stadium. (The Independent)
• Liverpool will make a £10m bid for France and Lyon winger Florent Malouda. (Daily Mirror)
• Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov, who has been linked to Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, will sign a new contract within the next fortnight after team-mate Robbie Keane penned a fresh £10m deal on Monday. (Daily Mirror)
• Portsmouth have launched a £10.5m double swoop for Lyon’s former Liverpool midfielder Alou Diarra and Rennes striker John Utaka. (Daily Mirror)
• Newcastle, Fulham, Reading and Wigan are fighting it out to sign Liverpool centre-back Sami Hyypia. (Mirror)
• Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard has urged the club to re-sign Newcastle striker Michael Owen. (Telegraph)
• Meanwhile, Liverpool forward Peter Crouch has been told he does have a future at the club. (Telegraph)
• Carlos Tevez believes Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid are battling it out to sign him from West Ham. (Scum)
• But Craig Bellamy insists he has no intention of quitting Liverpool if boss Rafa Benitez plots to use him as bait to land Tevez. (Scum)
• Steven Gerrard has welcomed David Beckham’s return to the England fold and believes it will be a big boost to the squad. (Scum)
• Liverpool have tabled a £5m bid for Portsmouth midfielder Matthew Taylor but face competition from Tottenham, Fulham and Aston Villa. (Sunday Mirror)
• Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez wants West Ham striker Carlos Tevez and is willing to offload forward Craig Bellamy to raise part of the likely £25m asking price. (The People)
• Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is keen on signing Valencia midfielder David Silva. (News of the world)
• Robbie Fowler may sign for Rangers after being released by Liverpool. (Daily Star Sunday)
• Liverpool’s Jermaine Pennant was devastated to find that Real Madrid’s David Beckham, Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon and Blackburn’s David Bentley were given the chance to play on the right wing for England by being included in the squad for the matches against Brazil and Estonia. (The People)
• Liverpool’s American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have held emergency talks with Rafael Benitez after the manager expressed concern over the direction the club was taking. (Sunday Mirror)
• Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o would love to play for Liverpool, not least because of their “fantastic fans”. (Sunday Mirror)
• Liverpool’s Momo Sissoko wants showdown talks with the club after losing his first-team place. (News of the World)
• Juventus are preparing a £17m bid for Chelsea’s Frank Lampard. Juve also want Ajax’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Bayern Munich’s Claudio Pizarrro. (Express)
• The Italians are also keen on Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso and his Anfield team-mate Mohamed Sissoko. (Times)
• Liverpool’s summer transfer hitlist includes Samuel Eto’o, Carlos Tevez, Daniel Alves and Gabriel Milito. (Scum)
• Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia’s move to Fulham has fallen through over his wage demands. (Daily Mirror)
• Liverpool will listen to offers for Craig Bellamy – who is wanted by Aston Villa and Blackburn. (Daily Express)
• Liverpool failed with a last-ditch bid to sign defender Sylvain Distin, who has joined Portsmouth after leaving Manchester City as a free agent. (Various)
• Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admitted “my heart is in two pieces” after Liverpool lost 2-1 at the hands of AC Milan in the Champions League final. (Daily Mirror, Daily Express, The Independent and The Times)
• Liverpool are in talks with Juventus about selling midfielder Momo Sissoko to the Turin club for £12m (Star on Sunday)
• Liverpool fans have been condemned as the worst in Europe in a scathing Uefa report, following violent scenes at the recent Champions League final against AC Milan (News of the World).
• Tottenham’s search for a left-winger has prompted them to make moves for Liverpool’s Harry Kewell and Martin Petrov (Star on Sunday)
• Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez wants £35m to spend on Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o (News of the World).
• Manchester United are set to beat Arsenal, Liverpool, Bolton, Valencia and Real Madrid to the signing of Barcelona’s Argentine striker Javier Saviola, for a cut-price £7m (News of the World).
• Former Liverpool forward Robbie Fowler is set to join Celtic in a deal worth £30,000 a week. (Daily Star)
• Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is willing to use all of his £35m transfer kitty to land Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o. (The Independent)
• Villa boss Martin O’Neill says he will not be held to ransom by Liverpool over a fee for striker and new Wales captain Craig Bellamy. (Scum)
• France international midfielder Florent Malouda has begged Lyon not to price him out of a move to Liverpool. The French champions want £17m. (Mail)
• The Cottagers are set to raid neighbours QPR for Lee Cook and Roy Jones. They have opened the bidding with a £1.5m combined offer. (Various)
• And they want to sign Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson. (Mirror)
• Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez will stay at Anfield after clear-the-air talks with owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. (Daily Mirror)
• Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez wants to make £12m Valencia winger David Silva his first summer signing. (The Scum)
• The Reds are ready to offer Dj
  ibril Cisse in part-exchange for Benfica winger Simao Sabrosa. (Daily Star)
• Liverpool hope to make Lyon midfielder Florent Malouda their first signing. (The Guardian)
• Wigan hope to convince Sami Hyypia to leave Anfield for the JJB Stadium. (The Independent)
• Liverpool will make a £10m bid for France and Lyon winger Florent Malouda. (Daily Mirror)
• Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov, who has been linked to Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, will sign a new contract within the next fortnight after team-mate Robbie Keane penned a fresh £10m deal on Monday. (Daily Mirror)
• Portsmouth have launched a £10.5m double swoop for Lyon’s former Liverpool midfielder Alou Diarra and Rennes striker John Utaka. (Daily Mirror)
• Newcastle, Fulham, Reading and Wigan are fighting it out to sign Liverpool centre-back Sami Hyypia. (Mirror)
• Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard has urged the club to re-sign Newcastle striker Michael Owen. (Telegraph)
• Meanwhile, Liverpool forward Peter Crouch has been told he does have a future at the club. (Telegraph)
• Carlos Tevez believes Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid are battling it out to sign him from West Ham. (Scum)
• But Craig Bellamy insists he has no intention of quitting Liverpool if boss Rafa Benitez plots to use him as bait to land Tevez. (Scum)
• Steven Gerrard has welcomed David Beckham’s return to the England fold and believes it will be a big boost to the squad. (Scum)
• Liverpool have tabled a £5m bid for Portsmouth midfielder Matthew Taylor but face competition from Tottenham, Fulham and Aston Villa. (Sunday Mirror)
• Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez wants West Ham striker Carlos Tevez and is willing to offload forward Craig Bellamy to raise part of the likely £25m asking price. (The People)
• Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is keen on signing Valencia midfielder David Silva. (News of the world)
• Robbie Fowler may sign for Rangers after being released by Liverpool. (Daily Star Sunday)
• Liverpool’s Jermaine Pennant was devastated to find that Real Madrid’s David Beckham, Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon and Blackburn’s David Bentley were given the chance to play on the right wing for England by being included in the squad for the matches against Brazil and Estonia. (The People)
• Liverpool’s American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have held emergency talks with Rafael Benitez after the manager expressed concern over the direction the club was taking. (Sunday Mirror)
• Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o would love to play for Liverpool, not least because of their “fantastic fans”. (Sunday Mirror)
• Liverpool’s Momo Sissoko wants showdown talks with the club after losing his first-team place. (News of the World)
• Juventus are preparing a £17m bid for Chelsea’s Frank Lampard. Juve also want Ajax’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Bayern Munich’s Claudio Pizarrro. (Express)
• The Italians are also keen on Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso and his Anfield team-mate Mohamed Sissoko. (Times)
• Liverpool’s summer transfer hitlist includes Samuel Eto’o, Carlos Tevez, Daniel Alves and Gabriel Milito. (Scum)
• Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia’s move to Fulham has fallen through over his wage demands. (Daily Mirror)
• Liverpool will listen to offers for Craig Bellamy – who is wanted by Aston Villa and Blackburn. (Daily Express)
• Liverpool failed with a last-ditch bid to sign defender Sylvain Distin, who has joined Portsmouth after leaving Manchester City as a free agent. (Various)
• Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admitted “my heart is in two pieces” after Liverpool lost 2-1 at the hands of AC Milan in the Champions League final. (Daily Mirror, Daily Express, The Independent and The Times)
• Reds manager Rafael Benitez says missed chances led to his side’s defeat in Athens. (The Scum)
• Benitez was furious that the referee did not play the full three minutes of injury time at the end of the match. (Daily Star)
• Liverpool boss Benitez has pledged a drastic overhaul of his side following the defeat by AC Milan. (Daily Mail)
• Benitez has called on Liverpool’s new American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks to provide the financial muscle to propel the club forward. (The Independent)
• Former England coach Don Howe said of Liverpool’s performance in Greece: “They might have played quite nicely but they never really looked like they would score from open play because, for a start, they just weren’t creative enough.” (Daily Telegraph)
• Benitez was furious that the referee did not play the full three minutes of injury time at the end of the match. (Daily Star)
• Liverpool boss Benitez has pledged a drastic overhaul of his side following the defeat by AC Milan. (Daily Mail)
• Benitez has called on Liverpool’s new American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks to provide the financial muscle to propel the club forward. (The Independent)
• Former England coach Don Howe said of Liverpool’s performance in Greece: “They might have played quite nicely but they never really looked like they would score from open play because, for a start, they just weren’t creative enough.” (Daily Telegraph)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/default.stm

The Long Good Friday meets Alan Sugar

My final thoughts on Athens

End Game