Bloody hell. It finally all comes down to this. After today, we're done.
CAF
Egypt vs. Algeria
12:30 EST
Khartoum Stadium, Khartoum, Sudan
Preview
Preview II
Battle for final African spot at fever pitch
UEFA
France vs. Ireland (1-0 agg.)
3pm EST
U. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool legend John Aldridge claims that his old side have not been aggressive enough this season, and believes that this is the cause for their recent run of one win in nine games.
The Scouse-born Irishman is of the opinion that the Merseysiders have been sloppy in defence, and has pointed a finger at the back four's handling of set-plays. Click to continue reading...

The vast majority of Liverpool fans are still right behind Rafa Benitez and rightly so.
There is enough instability at the club with the owners and the debts, and the last thing we need is to be looking for a new manager.
One win in nine games isn't great but you don't turn into a bad manager overnight. Click to continue reading...

I am Back !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After a long hiatus , I have finally decided to restart my blog. At first, I thought will I be able to find the time to maintain a blog , but then I thought and thought more and said What the Hack !!! :) . Let's give it a try once more. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has said that he does not believe an early European exit for the club would be a complete disaster.
Reina knows that his side must win their two remaining games and hope already-qualified Lyon can do them a favour against Italian side Fiorentina, but maintains that the Reds' rich European history makes up for this season's woes. Click to continue reading...

Xabi Alonso will never regret joining Liverpool in 2004, despite having the option to join his current club Real Madrid.
The Spanish international was coveted by the La Liga giants prior to leaving Real Sociedad, but chose to join the Premier League side instead.
The midfielder has great memories of his time at Anfield, and admits the fans will always hold a special place in his heart. Click to continue reading...

It always feels good to see Spurs lose, especially if we're the one that beat them

If Arsenal were to win anything this season, Robin Van Persie's contribution to it would be very very vital. If Fabregas is the fulcrum of the side and the player others look for the ammunition, then RVP will the one looking to be at the end of those supplies.

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"There would be something quintessentially Spurs about doing all the hard work and then gifting away the game on a plate, through one moment of madness."

-AANP, yesterday

And sure enough...

It's easy to forget that honours were fairly even in the early stages, as misplaced pass was matched by misplaced pass in a midfield absolutely jam-packed with bodies.

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Liverpool full-back, Emiliano Insua, 20, is looking to add to his midweek goal - a sensational long-range volley struck against Arsenal in the fourth round of the League Cup at Ashburton Grove.
The burgeoning Argentinean, who has one international cap, was delighted to ripple the net in the first half, despite his side going on to lose 2-1 due to a second half Nicklas Bendtner effort. Click to continue reading...

By 1970's GoonerIt's simply not good enough. To have blown away a lead once and then to go and do it again a few days later, in the same manner is beyond belief. Don't tell me that we need to go three up to feel safe because this is what it looks like it at the moment.It was really pathetic, going 2-0 up in the first half and not being able to close the game out. Click to continue reading...

New coach Quique Sanchez Flores would have looked at this with wild eyed disbelief .Or is it the team that has lost all belief in itself ? The opposition ( Mallorca) were down to 9 men thanks to two red cards in the game.They were playing at home.They were winning 1 - 0 at long last.

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Liverpool's dynamic full back Glen Johnson is relishing Sunday's showdown with Manchester United, and insists the regional rivalry as well as the added pressure for Rafael Benitez's Reds, are just two of the reasons why he was determined to join the Anfield outfit.
"This type of game is everything I have worked for," Johnson explained to the club's official website. Click to continue reading...

Ssshhh!
We need to keep our voices down.
My lover is not very happy.
4 losses on the bounce for his beloved Liverpool.
He has been out of love with Rafa for a while now.
Ever since the Robbie Keane debacle.
But he did have some belief in him. Click to continue reading...

Kenny Dalglish has given his full backing to Liverpool FC manager Rafa Benitez following the club's worst run of form for 22 years.
Dalglish is currently employed by the club as a roving ambassador as well as the director of Liverpool FC's academy. He was appointed in the summer at Benitez's instigation. Click to continue reading...

by CARL ELDRIDGE HOW close are we to a takeover bid from Stan Kroenke? Well this afternoon's AGM was always going to shed some light on the American billionaire's intentions wasn't it. Er, no. That doesn't appear to be the case, the latest reports from the meeting suggest.

For it seems Kroenke has maintained his silence at the AGM, when questions were directly raised as to his plans for further investment in the Gunners.

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Jamie Carragher has vowed Liverpool will stick together as they prepare for a crucial period that could decide their season.
The Reds saw their title hopes suffer a further blow on Saturday after going down 1-0 to Sunderland, thanks to a fortuitous goal from Darren Bent.
It was Liverpool's fourth defeat in the Premier League and their third in a row in all competitions as they prepare to tackle Lyon in the UEFA Champions League before league leaders Manchester United make the trip to Anfield next weekend. Click to continue reading...

It was a moment we will have probably forgotten in a year from now, but at the time, it felt like one of the worst moments of the decade.

The return of Carlos Tevez to Old Trafford had been built up beyond belief, with some sections of the press claiming he should be greeted warmly, whilst others recognised that he was deserving of the abuse he would receive.

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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insists defeats to Manchester United and Manchester City were an "accident".
Wenger feels his young side have shown great character to produce such a response.
"I think this year, more than ever, those two defeats were an accident," the Arsenal manager said. Click to continue reading...

Albert Riera has become the latest victim of Rafa Benitez's regrettable habit of dropping players after they score goals. How long is this damaging trend going to continue?
After being stuck on the bench for most of the season, Riera started the 6-1 thrashing of Hull and had a fantastic game. Click to continue reading...

Nicky Butt has talked to day about the need to appoint Chris Hughton as the permanent manager, and has opened the lid on how loud the dressing room is for the Newcastle players. Nicky Butt - talks about manager and music Butt told the Evening Chronicle today: "The team is showing there is belief here, and [. Click to continue reading...

I noted in a recent post that so often, goals from set pieces can be the difference maker in Premier League games.
And at half time last night this looked to be the case. Two very evenly matched sides in terms of personnel and outlookwere seperated by a Richard Dunne (didn't you know it) header from a corner. Click to continue reading...

Fernando Torres has pledged to never join Manchester United out of respect for Liverpool fans.
Although the Premier League's top scorer is only 25, the Spanish striker admits he is already contemplating ending his career at Anfield, having firmly settled in on Merseyside since his £20million arrival from Atletico Madrid in 2007. Click to continue reading...

Morning all,

another week has flown by, here we are on Friday looking ahead to the weekend's game against Blackburn. There's mixed news regarding the team. Eduardo is out having aggravated his thigh muscle in his cameo against Olympiacos on Tuesday night. It's a bit of a worry as, according to the manager, it's a recurring problem so fingers crossed we can get that sorted sooner rather than later.

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- The cutting-edge QPR Report Messageboard: Visit - even post on - the combination quasi-blog and messageboard for additional up-to-the-minute news about QPR, combined with QPR nostalgia and occasionally, general football items. Links to items on other QPR boards, always welcome!.... Click to continue reading...

by CARL ELDRIDGE Arsene Wenger is set to become the longest-serving manager in Arsenal's history and this morning's papers feature our leader to some degree.

The Sun reports that Wenger will break George Allison's record of 4,748 days at the helm from June, 1934, to May, 1947 on Thursday.

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After seven games, things all look very rosy. I certainly would have taken 15pts and 4th place in the table at this stage if you had asked me at the start of the season. We can't stop scoring and our only defeats have been to arguably the best two sides in the country. We are certainly improving and very much going the right way under Harry but for me there are still five teams in the league that are better than us and I don't see what we can do about that.

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When Arsenal won against Standard Liege, having come from 2 goals down, the performance was poor but I thought the way we won the match was important. We played poorly and managed to produce a comeback from a couple of goals down. Every team needs games like that to give them the belief they can salvage something when things are going wrong.

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David Ngog's second strike of the season has "catapulted" us into the 4th round of the League Cup, and is a welcomed boost for our season. A lot of people, myself included, believe that ANY cup must be won this season to keep belief in the progress at the club, and the League Cup would [...] Click to continue reading...

Morning Insiders we survived match day one coming back from two goals down to snatch a win last night in Belgium. We have taken the best bits from the papers today. Comments are invited as always below.

The Sun - Kneesy does it
EDUARDO dived in to save Arsenal from a Champions League disaster last night.

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Make no mistake, todays win was an important one.
With eyes upon us, and an air of expectation around the stadium we turned in a result and performance that suggested this side could be ready to achieve something.
With a more defensive formation, we managed to combine both endeavour and an attacking threat to come away with all three points when at one stage we may well have been facing a defeat. Click to continue reading...

Tottenham are probably better equipped to beat Manchester United tomorrow than they have been at any point in the last ten years. I have no doubt Spurs are more than capable of beating Utd at White Hart Lane on Saturday and I think they just might.

Personnel aside, the difference between the current Tottenham squad and those of years gone by is belief.

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George Burley's future as Scotland manager may be hanging in the balance but Ally McCoist believes the national team's problems date back much further than the current regime.

The former Scotland striker always had faith in his nation's ability to compete against the best in the world and that belief was reinforced when he took his seat alongside the Tartan Army at Hampden and watched Burley's men match the might of Holland.

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I haven't had a chance to see the play and knowing Honduras, a foul in the penalty area isn't beyond belief but Courtney Campbell has for the third time in three matches involving Mexico awarded Mexico a penalty kick. In each match, the game was tied 0-0 at the time of the call. This time it was a 73d minute penalty kick in Mexico's World Cup Qualifier with Honduras.

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This time last year, I think during another dull international break, I had a look at the reserves and which players will make an impact, albeit in the Carling, on the First Team this season. I thought I would do that again as the only news out of the club at the moment is the scheduled injury to an important back up centre back (Johan Djourou for those who are unaware)

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by Usman Azad, Football Perth Editor
WELL, FP is back for another day - after spending a few hours yesterday with his cousin trawling through Perth like a couple of wizened tourists.
Though FP was playing the role of the embarrassed tour guide, his cousin was genuinely fascinated by the city. Click to continue reading...