It is now time to switch to a new Money AM football blog as the world cup is now over and we all look to the future.....World cup 2010 is over, Bravo Espana, and Forlan, once again and bring on the new season !.....I never expected the last thread to be such a success...thanks all.... so this new one might go on for years without the need to edit the title...we shall see...

Graeme Souness looks as if he is about to be sick!

Aye, Shanks will be turning in his grave.

As Shanks said, "It's not a matter of life and death, it's much more important than that".

By Paul Hayward, Chief Sports Writer Anfield
9:00AM BST 23 Oct 2014
Liverpool's £16m gamble on Mario Balotelli, which seemed reasonable at the time, has rebounded and Brendan Rodgers is left with a problem

The irresistible brilliance of Real Madrid’s front six was more than Liverpool’’s great European tradition could withstand. More than Mario Balotelli could be bothered to fight against. More than Brendan Rodgers’s team can cope with at this point in their redevelopment.

Ripped apart by three Real Madrid goals in 29 minutes after a boisterous start, Liverpool were in a lower solar system: one measured by individual match-winning talent and sheer weight of money. England’s most successful European Cup club are building, building, towards a future without Luis Suárez.

But resigned is the only way to describe the Anfield crowd as their heroes sought sanctuary in the dressing room and Balotelli chose the most inflammatory moment to swap shirts with Pepe.

The £16 million gamble on Balotelli, which seemed reasonable at the time, has now rebounded on a team in desperate need of Daniel Sturridge, who was missing again with injury. The less than Super Mario began his Liverpool career with an industrious performance at Spurs but that promise has fizzled out.


Against Queens Park Rangers and again here, he constructed his own private universe, away from toil, away from engagement with his colleagues, free of passion and intensity. Against Real Madrid (against QPR for that matter), a striker simply cannot afford to stand around like Mr Micawber, hoping something will turn up.

At half-time he was gone, with only a Pepe shirt as consolation. It sums up the perversity of Balotelli’s outlook, you might say, that he ended up with the jersey of Real’s least glamorous player. The result for Liverpool was that Raheem Sterling was pulled away from his best position – though the centre – to take up the No 9 position, with Adam Lallana in support.

By the interval, the chests of Liverpool’s players were heaving as they found respite at last from the side-to-side rhythms and knifing runs of Real’s attackers.


Madrid are not settling for their décima of European titles. They were not going to allow the 5-0 aggregate defeat of five years ago to pass unavenged. Ronaldo was not stopping on 69 Champions League goals. Europe’s champions were not content with seven straight victories and 32 goals.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team were not playing the PR game of two great institutions clashing in a cathedral. They came to wipe out Premier League opposition, however it dressed, however proud it was.

At the kick-off Ronaldo was already ahead of Liverpool’s whole team on goals scored this term. He led 19-17. Within 22 minutes he had moved one behind Raul’s all-time Champions League record haul of 71, with an exquisite lift past Simon Mignolet. It was a kind of velvet finish: soft cruelty, which told Ronaldo’s team-mates that the deluge was on.

Surely Liverpool had never faced such a stockpile of global talent. The term “front six” is chosen carefully. With Xabi Alonso now in Germany, Real felt sufficiently emboldened to jog out here without a specialist defensive midfielder. Many back fours would resent such an imbalance of creative players. This one can rest easy, at least against the Premier League’s fifth best team.

Even without the world’s most expensive footballer, Gareth Bale, Real could send out the world’s No 1 player, Ronaldo, in a terrifying six-man pack in front of the back four. Even Luka Modric, the most nominally ‘defensive’ of the bench, can thread and poke dangerous passes. Weaving patterns is how he made his name.

Alongside him in central midfield stood Toni Kroos, a World Cup winner with Germany and the best young player of his type. To the right roamed James Rodríguez, one of the sensations of Brazil 2014, Golden Boot winner and an €80 million (£63 million) purchase this summer. Not forgetting Benzema, who has 40 goals in 68 Champions League appearances and has reached his prime alongside Ronaldo.


Without Bale, Madrid were still able to whistle up Isco, a €30 million (£23.6  million) signing with amazingly adhesive and quick-working feet. Isco tackles like a super-powered crab. And his dribbling, not the quickest, is deceptively incisive. Of the big names in this Real side, only Rodríguez is still struggling to find his role: a product, inevitably, of finding himself in the court of the sun king, Ronaldo.

For Rodgers the Balotelli problem now sits at the top of his in-tray, as he admitted here. Lacking faith in Rickie Lambert at this level, Liverpool’s manager is bound to face dressing room unrest. No group of major players is willing to go carrying passengers.

As the first half hour wore on, resentment seemed to gnaw at Liverpool’s midfielders as Balotelli strolled back towards the action. Sterling, especially, seemed less than keen to involve him in the work the rest of the team were doing.

This is a big season for Rodgers: his Champions League graduation year. To his left stood one of only two coaches to win three European Cups: Ancelotti, one of six to have also won it as a player. The only other manager with three titles is well known in these parts: Bob Paisley, the reluctant genius, as he was known, who maintained a fine tradition of striking fear into Liverpool’s European visitors.

There was no fear in Real after 15 minutes. By the end we saw Ronaldo saved for this weekend’s Clásico, and a hush descend on Anfield. Real Madrid, who might have pressed for five or six, settled increasingly for three, except on intermittent counter-attacks, where Ronaldo seemed to enter the nervous 70s before being taken off.

The gulf in class was consistent with Liverpool’s current form and Real’s glittering array of artistry. And the ordeal has not passed. Liverpool must face them again, in the Bernabéu. Reality has another slap in the face to deliver.

Everton fans 'hit with tear gas' in Lille before Europa League game

That happened last night skinny. Everton fans were attacked outside (20) a pub by a French gang,riot police turned up and laid into the Everton fans typical. 7,000 Everton fans expected today. Let's see how brave the French Txxxs are then.. Kick off 6pm live on ITV4.

The French police don't mess around, it only takes one idiot to throw a bottle and it all goes haywire.

Is the match on Sky?

Just read your post Chris, ITV4.

Everton warn supporters to avoid Lille’s main square after police use teargas
• Trouble flares after man is arrested in Grand Place
• A number of Everton fans suffered injuries on Wednesday night
• Barkley’s return puts skids under Aston Villa
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Guardian sport
theguardian.com, Thursday 23 October 2014 14.33 BST
Everton Lille
Trouble flares in Lille as French riot police attempt to disperse Everton fans. Photograph: Francois Lo Presti/AFP/Getty Images
Everton fans in Lille have been caught up in further trouble in the build-up to Thursday’s match between the two clubs, with gas being used against them by French police.

It is understood the latest incident was triggered when plain-clothed French police officers went to arrest a Toffees supporter among the large crowd of Everton fans that had gathered in the city’s Grand Place square around Thursday lunchtime.

That led to an altercation between the officers and a number of fans, which escalated, and riot police subsequently arrived on the scene and used gas to disperse the crowd.


Merseyside Police have been in touch with their Lille counterparts and confirmed that, while gas was used by the French police, rubber bullets were not.

Everton sent out a message on Twitter on Thursday afternoon, which said: “We advise Everton fans in Lille to avoid the main square in the city centre.”

Images also appeared on Twitter of supporters having congregated en masse at the square prior to the trouble, and of the French police then arriving and gas having been set off. It is understood the police later withdrew from the area and the atmosphere in the square became relatively harmonious once again.

It comes after two fans were hospitalised following an attack on Everton supporters by a group of men at a bar in Lille on Wednesday night.

A statement issued on Everton’s official website on Thursday morning said: “The club has been made aware of an isolated incident in a bar in Lille on Wednesday evening in which a number of Evertonians were attacked by a group of around 50 local men.

“The club understands that two Everton fans suffered minor facial injuries and were taken to the local hospital and that this was the only incident in what was otherwise a good-natured evening in the city centre.

“The club are in continual contact with Merseyside police officers who are in Lille today and the city’s police representatives.

“Supporters travelling to tonight’s match are advised to utilise the travel information provided on the official website where updates on any safety matters will also be provided.”

In their statement on that incident, Merseyside Police confirmed the fans taken to hospital had since been discharged.

They also emphasised their officers had already been in Lille, as is common practice, to “support the police operation” for Thursday’s game, and were unable to comment on reports of metal chairs being used in the attack or French police using gas on that occasion in a bid to deal with the trouble.

A doorman for the bar, who said the attack had been unprovoked and suggested the group instigating it consisted of up to 100 people, told the Liverpool Echo: “In the evening they (the Everton fans) watched the Liverpool (v Real Madrid) game and towards the end of that match it happened. It was bad.

“The Lille hooligans just appeared from the Place Louise de Bettignies across the road, from a side street, and just ran at the pub.

“There were some Everton fans outside smoking and they got caught cold.

“The hooligans picked up chairs we had stacked up outside and attacked them, while others used them to smash windows and try to get inside.

“We had to try and stop the Everton supporters inside from getting out to help because it would have got far worse. I went out to try and drag them in.

“I saw one older English guy being punched by about three Lille hooligans. His face was bleeding badly. I am so sorry for what happened.”


Regarding the French police, the doorman added: “Some of the Everton fans were trying to explain. They were saying ’there are children inside’ but the police were swearing at them and wouldn’t listen.

“I saw them spray one Everton fan for no reason. He was just trying to reason with them.”

At least 5,500 Everton fans will be in attendance at the Stade Pierre Mauroy for the Europa League Group H match.

Everton fans
An Everton supporter holds a blue burning flare as others stand behind him after gathering on the Grand Place. Photograph: FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP/Getty Images

Yep db, build up now KO 6pm

Everton on channel 24 ITV 4.

ohhhhhhhhhh they do look a bunch of bonny boys.

Is that Scottish lingo - "bonny boys"! Strachan is good as a pundit and so is Jenas.

Jaghihelka.........so slow.

Frenchies look good.

Everton fans what a disgrace last night and earlier today. Hooligans. Just shown them on ITV.

Talk of trouble after match aswel.

Sorry sight for British fans.

Thought that had gone 15 years ago.

On the field Barklay needs to stop posing and start playing.

Just ignore him Chris - oops, I forgot that you have him on filter anyway! !

Wouldn't expect anything else db, ask him who United are playing in Europe tonight :0)

Lol ! I would except that I can't be bothered with him.:-)

Well that was forgettable, Lukaku changed the game. Barkley clearly not fit yet. Still job done, clean sheet top of the group.