Liverpool apologise to Fulham over Clint Dempsey tapping-up affair

Posted on December 12, 2012 by adminsports

EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool issue grovelling apology to Fulham over Dempsey tapping-up affair

UPDATED:

00:10 GMT, 12 December 2012

Liverpool have made a grovelling apology to Fulham over the tapping-up of Clint Dempsey in the summer.

A statement from Fulham, expected today, will confirm that in return the club have dropped their complaint to the Premier League over the affair.

The peace deal came only after a personal visit by Liverpool co-owner Tom Werner to Craven Cottage chairman Mohamed Al Fayed was followed up by a letter from Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre admitting that the club’s behaviour ‘was wrong’ and ‘simply never should have occurred’.

Centre of attention: Dempsey was courted by Liverpool in summer

The letter, sent last Friday, confirms that a meeting took place between Werner and Fayed, during which the former apologised for Liverpool’s actions regarding Dempsey last summer.

Fulham blame Liverpool for unsettling the player and creating the circumstances that led to his move to Tottenham on transfer-deadline day.

Ayre wrote: 'Please also consider this letter from me to be an additional expression of sincere regret and apology from our club to your club for our actions last summer. Our club can do better and we pledge that it will.'

Fulham’s official complaint followed a series of clumsy bulletins from Liverpool and their owners, the Fenway Sports Group. The first was an announcement on the FSG website that Liverpool had signed Dempsey from Fulham.

This was followed by an interview on the
Liverpool website with manager Brendan Rogers, in which he talked of
the USA forward in glowing terms.

Full apology: Ayre has expressed regret on Liverpool's behalf to Al Fayed

Finally, pictures of Liverpool's new strip with Dempsey's name on the back were published.

The 29-year-old had been on a summer break in America when the FSG announcement was made, and Fulham’s complaint to the Premier League intimated that their relationship with the player who was last season’s top scorer had not recovered from that point.

Dempsey did not officially go on strike, but told Fulham he wanted to leave.

The club considered he was becoming a bad influence in the dressing room and he did not play a game for Fulham before signing for Tottenham.

On target: Dempsey scored in the recent defeat to Everton

Luis Suarez won"t be sold, says Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers

Posted on November 19, 2012 by adminsports

We'll build squad round Suarez, says Rodgers as Liverpool boss says star won't be sold

UPDATED:

22:30 GMT, 18 November 2012

Three subjects have dominated Liverpool's peculiar season and they emerged again after the 3-0 dismantling of Wigan.

Luis Suarez's brilliance, the precocity of Raheem Sterling and what happens in January have been recurring themes, so it was appropriate chairman Tom Werner provided some answers after Liverpool's seventh undefeated Barclays Premier League game.

Without Suarez, whose double took his tally for the campaign to 13, Liverpool's prospects would be bleak and many will wonder how long he will stay if the club cannot provide him with Champions League football.

At the double: Suarez scored two goals in Liverpool's win over Wigan

Werner, however, made it clear Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool's owners, have no intention of trading in the crown jewels and they intend to back manager Brendan Rodgers in the new year with the funds to ease the goalscoring burden on the Uruguayan.

'Luis is a beautiful player to watch and, as a Liverpool fan, I hope I'm watching him for many years to come,' said Werner.

'Would we consider selling him Absolutely not.

'Our intention is to strengthen the squad but actions will speak louder than words. Hopefully, the fans will be pleased with what we accomplish.'

Suarez came under attack from Wigan manager Roberto Martinez who accused him of a 'stamp' on midfielder David Jones in the 63rd minute.

No action was taken by referee Kevin Friend but under FA regulations, because it occurred during play and was not an off-the-ball incident, it is considered as having been seen and no more action can be taken.

Liverpool are way off the pace thanks to Tom Hicks and George Gillett, says John W Henry

Posted on August 16, 2012 by adminsports

Anfailed! We're way off the pace thanks to Hicks and Gillett, says Henry

UPDATED:

23:23 GMT, 15 August 2012

Fantasy football 2012

John W Henry has spoken of the enormous financial challenge facing Liverpool as he admitted Fenway Sports Group are still paying the price of the previous failed regime.

It is almost two years since FSG took ownership of Liverpool following the acrimonious reign of Tom Hicks and George Gillett that ended with a High Court battle and almost saw the club going into administration.

When Henry and Tom Werner conducted due diligence on Liverpool in October 2010, they were left asking serious questions as to whether it was wise to spend 300million due to the parlous state of the books and the extravagant contracts that some players were being paid.

New regime: Brendan Rodgers has brought the likes of Joe Allen and Fabio Borini to Anfield as Liverpool attempt to challenge for a Champions League place

Given they have not had any Champions League revenue for three years, Liverpool have had no option but to streamline costs this summer and Henry has bluntly revealed that the task of restoring former glories at Anfield will not come easily.

‘The best analogy is that you can’t turn an ocean liner around like you can turn a speedboat,’ said Henry. ‘You could say it was a bigger challenge than (when we bought) the Boston Red Sox.

‘When you look back from this vantage point: the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United – Liverpool isn’t holding up its side of the rivalry.

Making his point: John W Henry (left), pictured with Tom Werner, has laid into Liverpool's previous owners

‘That is the way it was with the Red Sox and the Yankees. The Yankees were just completely dominant when we arrived here 11 years ago. We knew we could never be on an equal footing financially with The Yankees.

‘But we had to do everything in our power to get on a level footing with them on the playing field. That was a tremendous challenge. As we started to close the gap, they built a new stadium. That was a quantum leap forward. This is an even bigger challenge.’

When Henry became Liverpool’s principal owner, he made a point of saying “I don’t have Sheikh in front of my name” – a clear sign that he would not be ploughing his own fortunes into the team with little worry about getting a return.

Personae non gratae: George Gillett (left) and Tom Hicks left an indelible mark on Liverpool Football Club

Liverpool have made giant strides commercially since FSG came in and have just started a 25million a year kit deal with American firm Warrior but that is not a sign they have cleaned up the financial recklessness of the Hicks-Gillett era.

‘Looking back at the very first day, I was trying to make a point then about how much of a challenge it was going to be because of the issues we inherited,’ said Henry, who is an advocate of Financial Fair Play.

‘We had a lack of depth in the squad and some really high payrolls. We also had issues with the age of the players and so forth. We knew it was going to be very difficult. Tom and I went for a long walk and we had to make the decision “are we going to buy Liverpool”

Closing the gap: Liverpool begin the season in high spirits

‘We had to decide whether we really wanted to take this on, as we knew this was a huge challenge. A much larger challenge than any supporter could know. We had done due diligence and looked at how the situation was financially, with the player contracts and the youth system.

‘The further we went into it, the more sobered we were.’

Some Liverpool supporters have questioned whether Henry and FSG are serious about building for the future but when asked if they were here for the long-term, Chairman Tom Werner said: ‘Absolutely. I know there has been some speculation about that. We read that.

‘We feel that we have work to do. We feel that we are behind – but we are on it. Do we feel that it is possible to get on a level with (the top European) clubs Absolutely. We can close that gap and compete at the very highest level. Absolutely.’

Liverpool beaten 2-1 by Roma in Boston friendly

Posted on July 26, 2012 by adminsports

Rodgers suffers first defeat after Liverpool's youngsters are taught lesson by Roma

UPDATED:

00:52 GMT, 26 July 2012

Brendan Rodgers suffered his first defeat as Liverpool manager after
they were beaten 2-1 by their old Italian rivals Roma in Boston.

Liverpool have enjoyed great success against the Italians down the
years, beating them in a European Cup final in the Eternal City in 1984,
knocking them out of the UEFA Cup in 2001 en route to winning the
trophy, as well as recording a crucial Champions League success in 2002.

Crowded out: Liverpool's Joe Cole

Clearly the stakes were not so high here in Boston but for Rodgers, whose side will begin their Europa League campaign next week in either Belarus or Macedonia, this was an important workout and another opportunity for those on the fringes to impress Rodgers.

The Irishman, however, was left feeling slightly disappointed as second half goals from Michael Bradley and Alessandro Florenzi proving good enough to give Roma victory. Charlie Adam scored Liverpool's late consolation.

With Fenway Park, the iconic home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, providing a spectacular backdrop – there was a 37,169 capacity crowd and tickets for the game were commanding prices of $1500 – the occasion and match were a step up on last Saturday's 1-1 draw with FC Toronto.

There was also a higher profile presence in the crowd – aside from John W Henry and Tom Werner, the men behind Fenway Sports Group, the Liverpool-mad Daniel Craig, aka James Bond, made a flying visit to see his team in action.

Spectacle: Francesco Totti takes a free kick for Roma

Roma enjoyed the better start and Dani Osvaldo, their Argentine
striker, was a particular nuisance. He gave Jamie Carragher and Martin
Skrtel some uncomfortable moments, with one twisting run ending with a
shot being dragged just wide.

Gradually, however, Liverpool began to find a rhythm and they created
the best chances of the opening 45 minutes. Joe Cole was a particularly
prominent figure and he could have gone into the break having scored
twice.

His first chance came when Alberto Aquilani, a player who made his name
with Roma, hoisted a perfect ball into his path but Cole, after showing
neat control, got his angles slightly wrong, which meant his lob land on
top of the net.

Out to impress: Liverpool's Jonjo Shelvey (left) and Joe Cole (right)

Moments later Cole scurried into Roma's area after holding off a
challenge but, again, the former England international was left
frustrated as his attempted shot was parried by Roma keeper Marten
Stekelenberg.

Sandwiched in between those attempts was a good effort
from Jonjo Shelvey.

With Rodgers making the inevitable raft of changes during the interval,
Liverpool struggled to stay in the ascendance after the re-start and
mistakes started to creep into the game and it came as no surprise when
Roma profited from some slack defensive play to take the lead on 63
minutes.

As Liverpool's defenders stood and watched, Erik Lamela rolled a ball in
between Danny Wilson and Daniel Agger, which allowed USA international
Bradley to crack a well-place drive past Brad Jones, much to the delight
of the significant number of Roma fans in the stands.

Five minutes later, Roma had doubled their advantage and Lamela was
again involved. This time his powerful shot was parried by Jones but
Alessandro Florenzi was on hand to gleefully smash in the rebound from
eight yards.

If some of the defending would have failed to impress Rodgers, he would
at least have taken some solace from the way Liverpool responded and
Adam gave hope they might salvage a draw when he swept in impressively
from 20 yards on 80 minutes but it was not to be.

On the run: Roma's Rodrigo Taddei

Big fans: Liverpool legends Robbie Fowler and Ian Rush with James Bond star Daniel Craig

Roma's Nicolas Lopez (R) keeps the ball away from Liverpool's Jose Enrique

Brendan Rodgers will decide Andy Carroll"s future, says Tom Werner

Posted on July 24, 2012 by adminsports

Carroll sweats on Liverpool future as Werner reveals Rodgers will decide striker's fate

UPDATED:

09:09 GMT, 24 July 2012

Fantasy football 2012

Andy Carroll's Liverpool future will be decided by one man, manager Brendan Rodgers, insists chairman Tom Werner.

New Anfield boss Rodgers will consider offers around 20million but none of Carroll’s suitors this summer – West Ham, Newcastle and Fulham – have matched the price.

He has now flown out to join the rest of the squad on pre-season tour in the US with his five England colleagues, who were given a week’s extra rest after Euro 2012.

Life's a beach: Carroll had been on holiday with his wife before joining up with the Liverpool squad in America

But with his future still undecided, Werner has stated that Rodgers alone will decide if Carroll has a future on Merseyside.

'Brendan is clearly the leader here,' Werner told Sky Sports News. 'The only thing I can say is we will do what is best for the club.

'At the moment Andy is on the squad, he is an important member of the England team and he has a lot of talent. We will see what happens.'

Carroll is furious that his Anfield career could be curtailed by Rodgers and is determined he won't be pushed out of the club.

Yanks for coming: Liverpool are currently on tour in America

Any interested club will have to match his 65,000-a-week wages, but he will consider slightly reduced terms if he heads back to St James' Park.

And he believes he has a strong hand to play in negotiations with as he still has three years left on his contract.

Brendan Rodgers takes heart from Reading axe going into new Liverpool job

Posted on June 2, 2012 by adminsports

Reading axe made me more clinical, says new Liverpool boss Rodgers

UPDATED:

16:51 GMT, 2 June 2012

Brendan Rodgers believes the defining moment in his career so far is not getting the Liverpool job but losing the one he had at Reading.

After guiding Watford away from the npower Championship relegation zone he was head-hunted by the Royals but just five months into the season he left in December 2009 after a run of disappointing results.

It was not long before he was back in work, however, taking over at Swansea the following summer and the success he had there in taking the club to the Barclays Premier League earned him his chance at Liverpool.

Huge opportunity: Brendan Rodgers was unveiled as the new Liverpool boss

But the 39-year-old is far too realistic to believe he has made it as a top-level manager and still looks back on his ill-fated spell at Reading as a pivotal moment.

'I probably became more clinical after that,' he said. 'I went in there looking to change things too quickly.

'I went in thinking “right, the club want a new vision, a new philosophy” and I felt if I stripped it down quickly and let it build then that would be okay.

'But what I realised after that was you are still in the business of winning. You talk about football, creativity and invention, but you have to win games – as simple as that.

'That was something very important to me on reflection when I came away from Reading.

Put your shirt on it: Rodgers stands between managing director Ian Ayre and chairman Tom Werner

'When I went in to Swansea I knew very well I could still work with the same philosophy and identity but I would have to get to the end point quicker.

'That allowed me to round off everything I do and how I work with players and it brought me success at Swansea.

'That six months at Reading over the course of a nearly 20-year period coaching and managing has been great learning for me. Hopefully that will be the defining moment of my career.'

Rodgers has already demonstrated his strength of character in rejecting Liverpool's initial approach because he did not want to be another name in a long list of candidates.

He needed to know he was more than just a contender, he needed to be told he was the only contender.

Once he received that assurance from the Reds' second approach the decision to leave the Liberty Stadium, while difficult, was an obvious one.

Composed: Rodgers gave a polished performance on his media debut

And the Northern Irishman arrived at Anfield on Friday ready to go straight to work on turning around the club's faltering fortunes by trusting in the principles which have served him so well since he began coaching children at the age of 20 after a knee condition ended his playing career.

'I have an inherent belief in what I do and the way I work and I will fight for my life to get Liverpool back on track,' he insisted.

'For me it is simple. I have three promises I always take into a club and it will be the same here.

'First, my communication is open. I speak with players and I speak with people and I respect people.

'Wherever they sit in the hierarchy of a club organisation my door will always be open. Secondly I promise quality, quality in my work. I have studied nearly 20 years to be the very best I can and that has taken me through working with kids to coaching top players at Chelsea.

'My work will be quality, the players will enjoy the work and think that bit differently in how we play.

'The third thing I bring is ambition. The most important thing is the club's success. Of those three things I can give no more. If the club or anyone else needs anything else I can't bring it but I promise those three things.'

Unhappy Reading stint made me more clinical and want to win games, says Liverpool boss Rodgers

Posted on June 2, 2012 by adminsports

Short Reading stint shaped me and made me more clinical, says new Liverpool boss Rodgers

UPDATED:

12:33 GMT, 2 June 2012