Ian Ayre, the commercial director of English soccer club Liverpool, has paid tribute to the club's Spanish links, following the acquisition of the Spain Tourist Board as a sponsor and the success of Spanish driver Adrian Valles in the team's Superleague Formula motorsport franchise.
Turespaña, the Spain Tourism Board, signed a three-year contract with the club, which is managed by Rafa Benitez and has a number of Spanish stars including goalkeeper Pepe Reina and striker Fernando Torres. Click to continue reading...

Ian Ayre, the commercial director of English soccer club Liverpool, has explained the club's decision to back a racing team in the fast-growing Superleague Formula series.
Superleague Formula, which launched in 2008, features motorsport teams backed by professional soccer clubs, including the likes of AC Milan, Atletico Madrid and Flamengo. Click to continue reading...

This week the Premier League rejected a proposal by the Bolton chairman to include Celtic and Rangers in a two-tiered Premier League with the Guardian saying that 14 clubs voted against it.
There are two ideas here that want to handle separately. First is the Celtic and Rangers problem. Clearly, they have outgrown the SPL and its financial limitation, chiefly television rights fees. Click to continue reading...

Sad news out of Germany yesterday, as it appears star goalkeeper Robert Enke took his own life.
The 32 year old was apparently struck by a train. He is survived by his wife and their adopted daughter.
The impact of this one will be felt a while over there.
Now to some links:

• Irish dude rips Raymond Domenech.

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Liverpool FC secured its first trophy of the season in Spain at the weekend, but it was on the track rather than on the pitch.
A motorsport team backed and financed by the English soccer club won the 2009 Superleague Formula title, seeing off the challenge of Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool's driver, Adrian Valles, secured a fourth-place finish in the final race, won by Anderlecht, to take the series. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool, the English soccer club which signed a record shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered earlier this year, has agreed another lucrative partnership.
The club will be backed by 188Bet, the online betting company which already has partnerships in place with Aston Villa, Chelsea, Bolton and Wigan. Click to continue reading...

The city of Liverpool claims it would receive a £200 million (US$330 million) boost if it is a host city for the 2018 World Cup, should England win the rights to host the tournament.
The city is arguably the biggest heartland of English soccer, with both Liverpool and Everton having secured multiple trophies over the years. Click to continue reading...

While Michel Platini's plans for reform in European soccer may, at first glance, appear a serious threat to English soccer club Liverpool's future in European competition, the club's long-term future may be significantly brighter once the new measures are put in place.
Liverpool were one of the clubs namechecked by Platini when discussing his reforms in an interview with the Daily Telegraph newspaper, saying: "If Liverpool pay €60 million (interest) every year to the banks, it's a lot of money. Click to continue reading...

The Austin Aztex will announce today the hiring of Djorn Buchholz as Chief Executive Officer of the USL-1 franchise.

Buchholz, a 30-year-old Nebraska native, has been with the Minnesota Thunder for 6 years. He was hired as a sales and marketing manager and was promoted his second year to director of marketing.

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The Austin Aztex will announce today the hiring of Djorn Buchholz as Chief Executive Officer of the USL-1 franchise.

Buchholz, a 30-year-old Nebraska native, has been with the Minnesota Thunder for 6 years. He was hired as a sales and marketing manager and was promoted his second year to director of marketing.

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What is there to say? Destiny in their hands, playoff berth on the line, players playing against their old clubs on both sides, arch rivals, Rocky Mountain Cup. What more do you need? The only thing I am certain of is that CBS4 Denver will not be bothering to cover any of this game but will instead be focusing on Brandon Marshall's inane comments in a bye week. Click to continue reading...

Dean Windass, the Dick Trickle of English soccer, has retired, leaving a hole in the hearts of immature men (like me) everywhere who cannot help but giggle at the mere mention of his name.
There is hope for us yet though, as he is set to obtain his coaching badges and has his eye on management. Click to continue reading...

FA chairman Lord Triesman called Chelsea as "pioneers" in making English soccer more international.
He'll get no arguments from me. The Blues have made multiple trips to Seattle.
Of course, having more than a handful of the world's best and richest players also helps...
Forgive the poor photoshop attempt to put Carlo and Roman in the land of Davy Crockett. Click to continue reading...

Hey everybody, thought I'd let you know that I will be interviewing Fire Head Coach Denis Hamlett tomorrow, so if you have a question for him now is the time to ask. Try and get them in by 12:00 and I'll do my best to get them answered for you.And in other MLS-related news, League Commissioner Don Garber is in London to talk with the leaders of English soccer about introducing more financial responsibility into the European game.

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The Kuwaiti royal family, long since linked with a move to buy an English soccer club, attended Chelsea's match with Liverpool this weekend, which ended in a 2-0 victory for the London team.
Though Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is not believed to be seeking any investment in his team, the same cannot be said of Liverpool's co-owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, who have appointed Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Rothschild to advise on possible investments. Click to continue reading...

Jozy Altidore will hope to get into the starting line-up this weekend for Hull, while Tim Howard will be standing tall in goal at Goodison Park in weekend English soccer action. Click to continue reading...

Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah, a member of the ruling family of Saudi Arabia who claimed this week that he was close to agreeing a deal to invest in English soccer club Liverpool, has now spoken out about the ongoing tension between the club's American owners.
Liverpool and members of Fahd bin Abdullah's own company moved swiftly to distance themselves from his claims this week, with the club's owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, admitting that they have retained Bank of American Merrill Lynch and Rothschild to advise on possible investments but saying that any talks are in preliminary stages. Click to continue reading...

Are the American jokers soon to be on their way?

Portsmouth Vs Liverpool Tickets Still Available!

RIYADH (Reuters) A Saudi prince said on Sunday he was prepared to spend up to 350 million pounds to buy a 50 percent stake in English soccer club Liverpool, Al-Riyadh newspaper quoted him as saying.

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Standard Chartered, the bank that has signed a world record sponsorship deal with English soccer club Liverpool, has moved to explain the reasoning behind its move into soccer.
The bank will pay Liverpool more than US$130 million over the next four years as it seeks to increase its business. Click to continue reading...

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- The QPR Report Messageboard: Visit - and even post on - the combination quasi-blog and messageboard for additional up-to-the-minute news about QPR, mixed with QPR nostalgia and items of general football interest.
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
Watford Observer/Frank Smith -QPR's Heidar Helguson will have scan to see if he can make Reading
- Heidar Helguson will have an MRI scan tomorrow to see if there is a chance he can make this weekend's clash with Reading. Click to continue reading...

Tom Hicks, the co-owner of English soccer club Liverpool, has vowed that the club will not rest on its laurels after securing a world record shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered worth more than US$130 million over the next four years.
Hicks expects that deal - which will see Standard Chartered sell Liverpool shirts in its branches throughout Asia - to be worth more than it is at first glance, while the club's managing director Christian Purslow is spearheading a number of other commercial sponsorships, including one with outgoing shirt sponsors Carlsberg. Click to continue reading...

Tom Hicks, the owner of English soccer club Liverpool, has promised that some of the income from the club's world record shirt sponsorship deal will be given to coach Rafa Benitez to use in the transfer market.
Hicks and his co-owner, George Gillett, have received some criticism from the club's fans over the level of their investment, but Hicks insists the club will continue to spend as it seeks to capture the English title for the first time in nearly two decades. Click to continue reading...

We're going extra deep in this round, to places that soccer fans would almost never find themselves (unless you were looking for them), so bear with me. An intelligent friend of mine recently...

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Merrill Lynch has been instructed by Tom Hicks, co-owner of English soccer club Liverpool, to find a minority investor prepared to pay UK£100 million for a 25 per cent share of the Premier League team.
'It is understood the firm is now targeting businesses or wealthy individuals in the Middle East who would be prepared to buy a minority stake, allowing the Americans Hicks and (co-owner George) Gillett to retain majority control,' reports The Guardian newspaper. Click to continue reading...

The clubs in the Premier League have agreed to a new rule for next season that requires 8 players on the roster (out of 25) to be "home-grown". Â Basically, 8 players you recruited and trained yourself.

Now, I know I was going off the other day about the "Everton Way", but this is an interesting twist on the same idea.

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Tom Hicks, the co-owner of Liverpool FC, has praised Christian Purslow, the club's new managing director, has praised Christian Purslow, the club's new managing director, and hinted that the club has a number of new commercial deals ready to be announced.
Whether a new shirt sponsorship is one of those commercial deals remains to be seen. Click to continue reading...

Among the key games on TV Wednesday:
*11:30 a.m. Fox Soccer Channel Northern Ireland-Slovakia
*2 p.m. FSC Wales-Russia
*3:30 p.m. ESPN Classic Trinidad & Tobago-U.S.
*5:30 p.m. Telemundo Mexico-Honduras

In 2007 I watched at the Croatian Hall in San Pedro as England were knocked out of Euro 2008.

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Carlsberg, long-term sponsors of English soccer giants Liverpool and a number of other Premier League clubs, have extended their sponsorship of the Football Association, the governing body of English soccer, for the next four years.
While serious doubts remain about Carlsberg's future at Liverpool, the company has signed an extension to the partnership that sees it the official beer of both the England team and the FA Cup and the lucrative position as exclusive beer pouring partner at Wembley, the national stadium. Click to continue reading...

by Joseph Millar It's great to have the EPL back. The famous names and great teams have returned - Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool - as have the not-so-great and not-so-famous -...

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American businessman Tom Hicks, the co-owner of English soccer club Liverpool, says the team will not receive increased investment after he sells his Texas Rangers Major League baseball franchise.
More specifically, the proceeds of the sale - certain to be over US$500 million - will not go towards the financing of the club's proposed new stadium in Stanley Park, which is unlikely to be ready much before 2018.

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Both Mike Grella and Jemal Johnson put their names on the score sheets for their respective teams as only the lower divisions saw action in English soccer this past weekend. Click to continue reading...

At risk of getting any details wrong, I'll hand over to a respectable news source to explain the "Holy f**k!" news about Chelsea FC that broke a couple of hours ago. Take it away, Associated Press:
Quote: Chelsea was banned from signing any new players for a year because it encouraged a teenager to break his contract with a French team and sign with the English soccer power. Click to continue reading...

The financial concerns that have dogged English soccer club Liverpool could be a thing of the past if the club's co-owner, Tom Hicks, completes the US$600 million sale of the Texas Rangers, and focuses his interests on the Premier League.
Hicks, who dissolved Hicks Sports Marketing Group earlier this summer, was reportedly forced to depend on US$15 million from Major League Baseball to help pay wages at the franchise in August. Click to continue reading...

by Joseph Millar "A certain element smiled when West Ham and Millwall were drawn together, while the rest of football held its head in its hands. When those two teams meet it goes beyond football...

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