by Adam Bate

What a return it has been for Kenny Dalglish. Only Cardiff City now stand in the way of Liverpool lifting the Carling Cup at Wembley later this month and thus securing the club's first trophy in six years. King Kenny has brought the buzz back to the city. And thankfully, whatever the dramas off the field, everyone at Anfield appears to be pulling in the same direction once again.

Zamora and Cissé Can they keep QPR in the Premier League? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Mark Hughes was very active on transfer deadline day, signing ex-Liverpool front man Djibril Cissé from Lazio and re-uniting himself with Bobby Zamora from Fulham. Castrol EDGE Performance analysis shows that with an impressive shooting accuracy of 57% and the ability to create a chance for his teammates every 40 mins, Zamora looks set to play an important role in QPR's battle to avoid relegation.

Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry has sent a strong message to the club's doubters, asserting that for all the criticism over their massive spending spree and unproven title credentials, the Citizens have delivered on the promises made to him.

Speaking ahead of the decisive leg of City's Carling Cup semifinal against Liverpool tonight, Barry revealed that he strongly considered moving to Anfield in 2009 before choosing the Eastlands based largely on a commitment to build for the future.

The January transfer window is half way through, and, after the past two windows saw Liverpool one of the most active participants, it's been surprisingly quiet for a side lacking both midfield steel and finishing touch who before the season began set a return to Champions League action as the minimum requirement.

Classy AVB needs time, not a spending spree

Roman Abramovichis one of the richest men in football, but the one thing Andre Villas-Boas needs more than anything right now won't cost Chelsea's owner a single penny. Of course, a £50million transfer kitty to spend in January wouldn't do AVB any harm.

"I don't agree [that I need help.] I don't solve problems on my own; I solve problems with my group of people and my group of players.
Says Andre Villas-Boas, who apparently is already under pressure in his role as Chelsea manager.
True, they face a fight to stay in the Champions League and the premier league odds have drifted to 14/1, but it is still a ludicrous suggestion, but one that is symptomatic of the Abramovich era at Stamford Bridge.

John Terry has outdone himself, even by his own pathetically low standards. We have a saying in America: three strikes and you're out. Well, John Terry first shagged teammate Wayne Bridge's significant other a few years ago. Strike one. This past weekend, he allegedly uttered a racist comment at Anton Ferdinand.

Manchester United 1:6 Manchester City
Scorelines don't come much more amazing than Sunday's Mancunian derby, but was there really much reason to celebrate, however many records tumbled at Old Trafford?
With a few days' recuperation from that shellshock of a final score, can the result be deemed a welcome riposte to or even wholescale power shift from the hegemony of moneybags Chelsea and Manchester United, or another symptom of the obscene, out-of-control spending in the English top division which is upsetting its natural order of competition?

Arsene Wenger went on a last minute spending spree at the end of the transfer window, and although the new players are taking their time integrating into the Arsenal squad, Wenger is convinced that he now has the strength in depth to challenge for all trophies, and also to cover for the usual long injury [.

Liverpool are reportedly set for another spending spree in January as Kenny Dalglish is being linked with moves for Chelsea's Salomon Kalou and Manchester City's Adam Johnson.

The Reds have had a mixed start to their campaign, with some impressive outings being overshadowed by a humiliating 4-0 defeat at Spurs, which followed a disappointing 1-0 reverse away to Stoke.

After a largely inactive summer, a late spending spree sanctioned by new owner Tony Fernandes has done wonders for Queens Park Rangers' squad by giving Neil Warnock a much deeper and talented pool of players to work with.

This new-found quality in the team has turned QPR from a likely relegation candidate to a side that can perhaps push into the mid-table region and cause a few upsets along the way.

Manchester City have revealed plans for an 80-acre training centre in the shadow of their Eastlands Stadium.
The Blues, riding high in second place in the Premier League, are looking to consolidate their arrival in soccer's rich list, a new era begun when the Abu Dhabi United investment group purchased them three years ago.

Throughout the summer, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been busy defending his transfer policy and denying a deliberate effort to avoid spending major sums on transfers.

In one of his most recent interviews at the club's official website, though, Wenger took the discussion on this topic to a whole new level by insisting that he is more than willing to spend big on the transfer fee and wages of players such as the Gunners' five deadline day signings, as long as the expenditure is justified.

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Ten Years Ago Today: RIP: All the people who came from all over the world, who were killed at the World Trade Center in New York, aboard Flight 93 which crashed in Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon in Virginia on September 11, 2001.
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- Throughout the day, the QPR Report Messageboard has news updates, comments and perspectives - even links to other board comments of interest re QPR matters (on and off the field) along with football (and ONLY football) topics in general.

Arsenal left-back Andre Santos has wasted no time in noting that the club's six-year trophy drought must come to an end following a much-awaited spending spree at the Emirates that saw manager Arsene Wenger add multiple other signings in addition to the Brazilian international.

The former Fenerbahce player celebrated guiding the Turkish giants to the domestic title last season, only to have the glory taken away due to a major controversy that the club is currently embroiled in.

Is the only criteria that matters that the club now appears to have owners who aren't interested in bleeding it dry? How much of a damper does the last minute sucker punch of Meireles to Chelsea alter things? And are you too deliriously happy that Philipp Degen is finally gone to think straight?

Certainly the club went hard for their targets early on—Henderson, Adam, and Downing—but opinion on the particular costs and merits of each of the trio remains somewhat less than universal.

Liverpool are reportedly considering a move to snap up Tottenham pair Vedran Corluka and Niko Kranjcar as Kenny Dalglish looks to continue his summer spending spree. Harry Redknapp is keen to bring in funds from the sale of squad players to help finance White Hart Lane additions and may consider offers from the Anfield side for the duo.

Liverpool and Aston Villa are believed to be leading the chase for Manchester City's James Milner.
The midfielder has been put of favour since City's latest spending spree saw Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri brought for a combined total of £62m and chances of first team football appear slim. With Adam Johnson, Gareth Barry, and Nigel De Jong also ahead of him in the pecking order, a move before the transfer window closes is highly likely.

Easy Liverpool win over Bolton shows Kenny Dalglish is on right track

• Manager's spending spree pays quick dividends • Luis Suárez shows his worth once again When asked the difference between this Liverpool side and the one that stumbled to victory over Bolton on New Year's Day, Owen Coyle replied it was £110m.

Liverpool owner John W Henry is baffled by criticism of the club's summer spending spree and believes critics have been hypocritical.
Since taking over the club in October 2010, Henry has sanctioned big-money signings such as Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing for a combined figure in the region of £71million.

Henry questions transfer critics

John W Henry is baffled by criticism of Liverpool's spending spree and believes critics have been hypocritical.

View the full story here: Sky Sports

A news article on 2011-08-27 14:54:18 from: Sky Sports

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Marco Borriello is set to be sold off by Roma, despite the striker only signing for the Italian giants in June with Liverpool interested, according to reports in Italy.
Following a loan spell with the club last season, Borriello put pen to a deal worth €4.5 million per year at the Olympic Stadium.

Nasri leaves for £24M, to add to the departures of Cesc £35M, Eboue £4M and Clichy £7M. That is £70M so far, with Bendtner (£9M), Arshavin (£7M) , Squillaci (£1M) and Almunia (Free) to follow. Arsene's total sales could generate nearly £87M. Yes Arsenal fans look at that number £87M generated through sales this summer.

It has been a quiet summer transfer window in the Bundesliga. Except for Bayern's usual trophy-less hangover spending spree, there really hasn't been much to report. Most teams were content to add a fresh batch of unknown youngsters, while trying to get some of their older personnel off the wage list.

Clint Hughes/Getty Images(Bleacher Report)Although the Reds have splashed some serious cash in the January and Summer windows respectively this year, it appears there is no end in sight at the moment with the owners pushing for a Champions League or bust campaign this season.
The extra time to focus on the league and domestic trophies will allow them more time for honing their strategy with so many new faces, but some believe it is hampering their ability to attract top talent to the club.

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas is lining up a bid for Raul Meireles as an alternative to Tottenham's Luka Modric.
The Stamford Bridge club is considering making a third offer for the Croatian playmaker, after bids of £22 million and £27 million were turned down earlier in the summer.
Villas-Boas, who knows Meireles from his time at Porto, has not ruled out bringing both players to Chelsea as he regards the Portuguese international as a perfect foil for Modric's creativity.

It has not been a good start to the season for Steven Gerrard.
Already frustrated by a groin injury which has delayed his start to the campaign, the Liverpool captain's attempts to rally his team-mates ahead of the Sunderland match fell on deaf ears.
"Today the real action begins," wrote Gerrard in his column in the match program for the opening game.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish is set to continue his summer spending spree and is lining up a move for Celtic winger Paddy McCourt, according to reports in the Daily Star.
Dalglish has been one of the busiest Premiership managers in this summers transfer window with the likes of, Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing, Doni, Jordan Henderson and Jose Enrique.

Dalglish: Owners Want to Keep Spending

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish says the club's owners are supporting his continued efforts to strengthen the squad, amidst reports that his summer spending spree was over after funds started to dry up. The Liverpool boss has spent big on the likes of Luis Suarez, Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing amongst others since FSG took over, but the squad is still a little way off competing with the likes of both Manchester sides over the course of a season.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish is set to step up his pursuit of a centre back and has made a move for Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross, according to reports in the Daily Mail.
Dalglish has been one of the busiest Premier League managers during the summer transfer window and has already brought in the likes of, Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing, Doni, Charlie Adam and Jose Enquire on top of January signings Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez.

Latest odds: WBA v Manchester United Manchester United start their league campaign later this afternoon afternoon at the Hawthorns. The champions saw rivals' Liverpool and Arsenal drop points at Anfield and St James Park, with both games ending in stalemate. Liverpool's pre-season optimism following Dalglish's £50m spending spree will no doubt have been tempered, and worryingly perhaps for their

Jose Enrique's transfer has brought Liverpool's spending spree to an end, despite rumours linking the Reds with Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain.
Spanish left-back Enrique completed his £6 million move from Newcastle United on Friday morning to become the fifth major arrival at Anfield this summer.

Kenny Dalglish insists Liverpool's £105m spending spree is justified

Kenny Dalglish has launched a staunch defence of Liverpool's summer transfer policy and insisted his five major signings represent value for money.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-08-12 21:43:25 from: The Mail

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Tom Werner says Liverpool will keep investing but backs finance rules

• Liverpool chairman wants to restore 'lustre' to club • Tom Werner says financial fair play essential for 'competitiveness' Tom Werner, the Liverpool chairman, has said Fenway Sports Group will continue to invest in restoring "the lustre" of the club but insisted Uefa's financial fair play rules must be enforced to enhance the competitiveness of the Premier League.

Russian midfielder Andrei Arshavin has moved quickly to end the rumors linking him with a move away from Arsenal. There have been a plethora of rumors about departing Arsenal players this summer, and with Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri heading out the exit door Arshavin is adamant that he will be staying.

Kenny Dalglish hails support of Liverpool owner John W Henry

The boss has paid homage to the club's American owner following their £100 million spending spree since the turn of the year, which has included the signings of Carroll and Suarez

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-08-04 06:35:00 from: Goal

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Premier League preview No8: Liverpool | Andy Hunter

Extravagant spending has raised expectations at Anfield that a return to Champions League football can be attained Guardian writers' prediction 4th (This is not Andy Hunter's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips) Last season's position 6th Odds to win the league 10-1 The voice of reason is often muted at Liverpool pre-season by improbable title predictions (except when the club stares into the financial abyss and asks Roy Hodgson to steady the ship) and this summer's extravagant spending has fuelled a revival.

Kenny Dalglish defends 'responsible' Liverpool's record spending spree

• Manager insists Liverpool have acted responsibly on transfers • Dalglish pays tribute to 'fantastically supportive' owners Kenny Dalglish has defended this summer's lavish recruitment drive at Liverpool by saying the club have acted "responsibly" in the transfer market and that the principal owner, John W Henry, has dispelled any doubt over the level of financial support from Fenway Sports Group.

Kenny Dalglish's Anfield spending spree

In pics: Kenny Dalglish unveils Liverpool's summer acquisitions.

View the full story here: The Telegraph

A news article on 2011-08-03 17:04:33 from: The Telegraph

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

With Liverpool's summer spending spree fading into memory, and with the club appearing largely content with its current personnel despite that the vast majority of said spree was dedicated to bolstering one of the club's strongest areas while ignoring positions most everybody agreed they were weak at, much of the attention now turns to those who could be on their way out.