A strange lull has fallen over the Premier League at the moment. Almost eerie. I can feel it, and I know a lot of my fellow Liverpudlians can too. Blame Real Madrid I suppose. And Carlos Tévez. If it wasn't for that amalgamation of characters, chancers and crackpots, we wouldn't have this feeling.

You "win nothing with kids", as television pundit Alan Hansen once famously said, but, in Italy, the leading teams of the Serie A appear to have taken the idea a step too far.

Now I don't mean to rip off the idea Dexy, but this whole best XI business somehow got my mind racing. It got me thinking about those past and present who have been our eyes, ears and experts on the game, and just what we think about them. Who do we appreciate (see below) and who are best forgotten (see David Pleat, Mark Lawrenson, John Barnes, etc.

Now I don't mean to rip off the idea Dexy, but this whole best XI business somehow got my mind racing. It got me thinking about those past and present who have been our eyes, ears and experts on the game, and just what we think about them. Who do we appreciate (see below) and who are best forgotten (see David Pleat, Mark Lawrenson, John Barnes, etc.

Picking Liverpool's greatest ever XI is a nigh-on impossible task, especially given the sheer volume of fantastic players in the club's glorious history. In my personal greatest XI, skill and leadership ability are the defining characteristics, and I believe that the side I've chosen would pulverise any team in world football - past or present.

Last week I posted what I believed to be Rafa Benitez's 10 biggest transfer blunders. This week, as promised, I take a look at the 10 best signings during the Boss's 5 years in charge. And there have been some absolute corkers!
When you think back to the squad Rafa inherited (Traore, Biscan, et al), it is clear that our squad is now superior in almost every way.

Richie Jones returns to View from the Terraces with a loving tribute to Jeff Stelling.

LIVERPOOL
Manager: Rafa Benitez
Last season in the Premier League: 2nd, 86 points (25 wins, 11 draws, 2 defeats)
Summer moves
In: Glen Johnson (Portsmouth, £18m), Alberto Aquilani (AS Roma, £20m).
Out: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid, £30m) Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid, £3.

Some notes and conclusions:
• Not a single draw in the opening round of fixtures! That hasn't happened in the top flight since 1980, stat fans. So Sunderland, in 10th place, have opened up a handy three-point gap on... everyone below them.
• All five London-based clubs won!

Paper asks for predictions. Remember how you liked Kenny Dalgleish as a player and how Alan Hansen was a good lad in the pub at the Euros last year. Remember how Rafa masterminded the most incredible European Cup comeback in the history of humanity. Ignore how Rafa Benitez has a questionable transfer record and can get his tactics completely wrong (and find himself three down in the most

Darren Fletcher is a really, really good football player. He is competitive, runs hard and is above average in possession of the ball. And he has so far this season made an extraordinary jump in his level of play.
Alan Hansen recently referred to the midfielder as "the unsung hero of Manchester United" and "the player that sums up the difference between [Man Utd] and [Arsenal]".

Liverpool legend Alan Hansen believes the Premier League champions Manchester United are not the same proposition minus the attacking threat of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez, who left Old Trafford in the summer to join Real Madrid and Manchester City respectively.
Hansen told footballpools.

Good morning, a fine start to a new week for many of you. Round these parts there aren't too many Sp*rs fans. I play football with one on a Tuesday and when I told him I was going over for the game he said 'Oh dear, you've just wasted your money there'.

Oh dear indeed. So he'll get some tomorrow night but I can imagine those of you returning to work today who live in much closer quarters to fans of that persuasion will have a jolly good morning engaging in 'banter', you might say.

Jobs for the boys from the Beeb Since new Newcastle United manager Alan Shearer has poached fellow BBC pundit Iain Dowie to be his assistant, OTP decided that plans could be afoot to move all of the Beeb#8217;s football team to St James#8217;s Park. We thought we would help Shearer out by creating a few positions [.

In the last few weeks there has been vehement criticism of Rafa Benítez's youth policy since he took over the club in 2004. There is much evidence to support the argument that Benítez has overlooked those in the youth team; However, there is also ample evidence pointing to the opposite.
There are a number of factors to consider when evaluating the youth policy of the club since Benítez took over.

Alan Hansen's Picks On Footballpools.com

Legendary Liverpool centre half and punditry veteran Alan Hansen has been making his picks on Footballpools.com's Premier 10 games: "Tottenham are not the easy touch they were so I would cover a Manchester United home win with a draw just in case.

Rafa Benitez deserves a lot of credit for getting Daniel Agger's future sorted out because there was a time when it looked like he could end up leaving Liverpool.
Contracts are never easy to agree, particularly in the modern game.
It's very rare these days that a deal will be struck really quickly in the way that Steven Gerrard's was, but the situation with Agger was becoming increasingly worrying because there didn't seem to be any real signs that an agreement would be reached.

Last night was a lesson for Arsenal and supports what Alan Hansen has been saying for years, you can't win with a team of boys. There is no doubt that the youngsters Arsenal have are very talented...
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So then you think you know your football, right? Well now is the time to prove it by joining my Daily Telegraph Football Fantasy Super League aka the "League of Gentlemen". Don't miss this opportunity to pit your wits against some of the UKs top football brains (and Alan Hansen). My Super League has attracted the attention of a former National Football Fantasy League winner, so expect the

Jamie Redknapp believes his old club, Liverpool, will win this season's Premier League title and end two decades of hurt on Merseyside.
The Reds have not won the domestic title since the days of Alan Hansen, John Barnes and Peter Beardsley in the 1980's, but Redknapp is convinced his former side have what it takes to usurp rivals Manchester United as champions.

It seems with football at the moment there is an unhealthy obsession with youth, quick exciting and potential filled youth. If the media articles and fan opinion circling the internet is to believed then only players under the age of 25 are capable of delivering a team success. Perhaps professional footballers should start looking nervously towards retirement or a diminished role within their team once they reach 26, maybe their only hope is to accept the Stannah Stairlift of professional football and take on the role of an impact substitute.

Alan Hansen on Match of the Day gave credit to Fulham. And deservedly so. But at the same time he took away credit from Arsenal. He said on another day Fulham would have won, but Stoke never looked like winning against Utd. Which for me translates as Utd were solid, Arsenal by comparison were weaker.

The FA Cup Final, May 1989 was contested by Everton and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium. It became one of the most memorable FA Cup Final in terms of excitement, emotions and tension. John Aldridge had put Liverpool 1-0 up after four minutes but Stuart McCall equalised in the 89th minute to force extra time.

Alan Hansen believes Liverpool will surprise the rest of the Premier League by beating Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.
The former Anfield stalwart concedes his old club have been in terrible form but suggests it is almost unthinkable Rafa Benitez's side will lose their fifth straight game.

Any Liverpool fan would remember the skills and talent of Danish turned honorary Scouser, Jan Molby. Voted in at no. 16 on the list of 100 Players Who Shook The Kop, he was a player with as immense a talent as was his waistline. Before the elegant Xabi Alonso, Liverpool fans marvel at the sublime passing skills and long range shooting of Jan Molby.

Like sex, football sells. For the good, but usually for that bad as you will see in 10 swift steps. Please take into consideration that there are thousands more, but for now there is one question I need to ask you What's the French for Va, Va Voom?

10.

Fresh from the Premier League triumph against Portsmouth, the Carling Cup is next for Manchester United. Last season's beaten finalists, Tottenham Hotspur are the designated opposition and are likely to provide a stern test for the boys in red.

Expect a much-changed side from the weekend's Premier League fixture at Fratton Park.

As part of his latest shot at rehabilitation, Paul Gascoigne appeared as a special guest on Match of the Day 2 on Sunday.
I sincerely hope Gazza doesn't go the way of George Best, though I wouldn't bet money against it. Indeed, while Best remained mentally sharp until his dying day, Gazza – who was, let's not forget, as "daft as a brush" to begin with – now slurs his words horribly.

Kenny Dalglish today paid glowing tribute to the long list of legends and celebrities who have pledged to turn out at Anfield next week for the Hillsborough 20th Anniversary Memorial game.
World boxing great Joe Calzaghe will be among a host of famous names to appear at Anfield next Thursday night, including Robbie Fowler and Paul Gascoigne plus a long list of former Everton and Liverpool greats.

One of the amazing things about the Premier League today is thanks to advancements in technology and its rapid growth in worldwide popularity a match can be enjoyed not just by the 40,000+ people in the stadium, but millions across the world in pubs, clubs and front rooms.

Whether it is in the middle of the night, early in the morning, tea-time or lunchtime, It doesn't seem to matter, devoted fans of EPL clubs will make sure they catch all the action, be it via dodgy internet feed, cable TV, their local pub, or the ground itself.

Liverpool's former captain Alan Hansen reckons this will be the year that the Reds finally reclaim the title.
"I believe that this will be Liverpool's year," Hansen told Liverpool's official website.
"Draws at home against lesser teams cost Liverpool last season, but I think manager Rafael Benitez has learned how to play against them," he added.

Putting the bux in buxom, say hello to the love of Gary Lineker's life (after Alan Hansen and golf, of course). She looks a bit like Catherine Zeta Jones (a fellow Welsh lass) crossed with Cheryl Cole. That is not...

Much is made of Alan Hansen's infamous quote 'you won't win anything with kids' at the start of the 1995-1996 season, with our lads going on to win the Double in May.

In the squad on the first day of the season were 20-year-olds David Beckham, Gary Neville, John O'Kane, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, and 18-year-old Phil Neville.

The latest video flashback takes us back to the second season of the Premier League for a massive match between Blackburn Rovers and Manchester United.

The video features the opening to Match Of The Day (MOTD) featuring presenter Des Lynam and pundits Alan Hansen and Trevor Brooking.

Rafa needs to sort this out and quickly!

Portsmouth Vs Liverpool Tickets Still Available!

"When you talk about Liverpool for the title, all of a sudden they've got frailties, and I don't think that bodes well.

"Liverpool have lost nine goals in six matches, which is far too many.

Coming from a long-time Arsenal fan, this article is not easy to write; but at the same time, if any fan of football today chose to watch Arsenal vs West Ham, you would have seen a pattern like this:

Arsenal take the lead through an attacking move with less than 6 passes (the most common move of scoring a goal, as stated in Inverting The Pyramid) and partly due to an error by the England first-choice goalkeeper, Robert Green.

Arsenal surrendered a two goal lead against a spirited West Ham side who did well to deny Arsenal much fluency in central midfield.
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At 2-0, Alan Hansen said Arsenal could only beat themselves and as it was, the Gunners contrived to concede two late goals.

Arsenal have won nine and drawn two of their last 11 games in all competitions.
Arsenal have scored 32 goals in their 10 Premier League games this season.
Arsenal beat north London rivals Spurs 3-0 at the weekend - and manager Arsene Wenger claimed: "We should have scored more.

Pepe Reina is the "tower of strength" that has already prevented Liverpool's season from heading into oblivion.
That's the verdict of Alan Hansen, who believes the Spain international is now challenging Ray Clemence for the title of the club's greatest-ever goalkeeper.
Liverpool entertain Manchester City on Saturday having suffered a run of just one win in nine games to slip to seventh in the Premier League standings.

COS's newest contributor is a lifelong Tottenham fan and understandably rather happy this evening!

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OK so just got back from White Hart Lane and I am obviously buzzing with excitement and before I delve into the latest internet mutterings linking us with every footballer in the known universe I have a few things to impart about today's game.