Liverpool Football Club in the Media (Linked Articles Only)

CCSC_STRIKER20 · Nov 19, 2008

Flap Over Liverpool's Liverbird

The owners of Liverpool Football Club have applied to register the Liver Bird as their trademark, prompting the city council to take legal advice.

The club has applied to the UK Intellectual Property Office to register the image for £450.

Bosses hope it will stem the tide of counterfeit Liverpool merchandise bearing the famous Liver Bird emblem.

But Liverpool City Council said the club had "no right" to claim the bird as its own.
Deputy council leader Flo Clucas said the council was taking legal advice over the trademark application.

"I have some very real concerns over it," she said.

"They do already have their crest trademarked, but they have no right of ownership to claim the bird, or any version of the bird, as their own.

"The Liver Bird, not only does it appear on the Royal Charter for the council, but it is also used by local businesses and schools.

"It belongs to the city and nobody has a right to claim it exclusively as the own. It's a symbol for the city."

She has also raised concerns that if the club was successful in registering the image, it could start charging for its use in future.

"The club also says they have no intention of charging organisations that want to use it.

Mythical bird

"But there is no guarantee in future that the people of the city will have the right to use that without having to pay for it."

A statement from the club said: "Liverpool Football Club is seeking to trademark only its own specific version of the Liver Bird, to combat its use in counterfeit merchandise.

"This does not extend to other versions of the Liver Bird, such as the city council's or those used by other commercial or charity organisations.

"We have absolutely no intention of challenging that usage of the Liver Bird.

"We are simply trying to stop people lifting our rendition of the Liver Bird out of the official club crest and applying it to fake Liverpool FC merchandise."

The Liver Bird is a mythical bird, similar to a cormorant, which as legend has it could often be seen flying alongside the River Mersey with seaweed in its beak.

Two statues of the birds stand atop one of the city's most famous buildings, the Liver Building.

The bird is also used on logos by several businesses, including the Liverpool Echo, which shows the bird carrying a newspaper in its beak.
Click to expand...

Mascherano Captains Argentina to a 1-0 win over Scotland

"It's difficult to compare different managers," Mascherano said. "When you start to play with a new manager, the motivation is so different. Maybe it's a little bit extra when you see Maradona on the bench."
Click to expand...

All Spanish Reds Play, Torres Scores, Spain Wins 3-0 over Chile

Spain: Iker Casillas (Pepe Reina, 46), Raul Albiol, Joan Capdevila, Carles Puyol (Carlos Marchena, 46), Sergio Ramos (Alvaro Arbeloa, 61), Xabi Alonso, Albert Riera, Marcos Senna (Santi Cazorla, 46), Cesc Fabregas, Xavi Hernandez (Fernando Llorente, 72), David Villa (Fernando Torres, 57).
Click to expand...

Babel Plays, Kuyt Scores, Holland Wins 3-1 over Sweden

Dirk Kuyt headed in Tim de Cler's cross in injury time to wrap up the win.
Click to expand...

Argentina - Reds Around The World

Two months ago I moved from Southport in Merseyside to the small town of Unquillo in the province of Cordoba, which is right in the middle of Argentina.

Teaching English in local schools here as part of my gap year is hard work, but very rewarding - and following Liverpool's recent ascent up the Premier League from a remote part of South America is nothing short of unique.

Even though it is usually quite easy to catch the games here, it can also be a very surreal experience - and sometimes very frustrating.

You feel very detached from the action and atmosphere, which can be a real struggle. This will make my next visit to Anfield all the more special, or just watching the match in the pub with my fellow Redmen will be just as good if I can't get my hands on a ticket.

Liverpool's first match after I arrived in Argentina was one of our biggest games of the season.

Manchester United were the opponents and although the 2-1 victory should have been a joyous occasion, it turned out to be one of the most frustrating games I have ever experienced.

Argentina is four hours behind England, so that meant the game kicked off at 8.45am over here. I got up in plenty of time, made some breakfast, switched on the TV and proceeded to watch the events at Anfield unfold.

All was going well until Carlos Tevez scored in the third minute, but then Wes Brown's own goal gave us an equaliser and lightened my mood.

But the TV went dead on the 70-minute mark - I was experiencing my first power cut in the Argentine outback.

I couldn't check the score over the internet, so ran into the town to try and find an internet cafe. I just wanted anything to give me some idea of what was happening thousands of miles away in Liverpool, but everywhere had been affected and the power was down for miles around.

To make matters worse, I couldn't even get a phone line out of here to call England and find out what was going on.

So I had to wait. For four long, agonising hours until power had been restored.

After frantically punching in the computer password and clicking the Internet Explorer icon enough times that ten different windows opened, I saw what I had pictured in my mind over and over again for the last four hours: 'Liverpool 2-1 Man United, Babel Nets Winner at Kop End.' Watching Liverpool this season has certainly been nerve-wracking.

The passion for football here in Argentina is immense and overwhelming.

The derby between Boca Juniors and River Plate in Buenos Aires is called 'El Superclasico'. It grips every corner of the nation for days before and after the match.

The fans of the winning team dance in the street and car horns blare. It was a similar story when el Diego was recently announced as the national team coach.

When I first arrived here, one of the first questions the kids I teach asked me - the others being what do I think of the Falklands War? and do I like Maradona? - was which football team do I support?

But my reply disappointed them, because most Argentines prefer the wrong English team - Manchester United.

So my biggest challenge in the teaching arena has not been the language barrier, verb tenses or teaching the intricacies of the English language, but trying to curb the worship everybody has here for Carlos Tevez.

That means almost everyone supports the old enemy Man United. Everywhere you go there are Red Devils shirts, fake and real, with 'Tevez 32' scribbled across the back, both printed and in permanent marker, or T-Shirts with his face on the front. Here they call him 'Carlitos Tevez', meaning 'little Carlos Tevez'.

To counter this, I try to proclaim our very own Javier Mascherano as the leading Argentine, especially seeing as he is being touted as the next Argentina captain.

But they are having none of it. It doesn't help that Tevez, like Maradona, once played Boca Juniors, the most popular team here, whereas Mascherano used to turn out for River Plate, who are their fierce rivals.

In a bid to inspire some of my class to adopt Liverpool FC as their club, one day I decided to play them 'You'll Never Walk Alone' on the CD player.

But they were disappointed with the exercise and after about a minute I could tell that they really weren't enjoying it.

Most of them were shouting for a Robbie Williams song and had never heard of our famous anthem, but I suppose it was worth a try.

So far, I have only been able to convert one Argentine, a local friend called Maxi (pictured above). I have taught him some of the songs, and he has learnt most of the words, although he is still coming to terms with some of the more difficult pronunciations.

My favourite Liverpool players at the moment are Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. Original, I know. Gerrard, simply because he is Captain Fantastic - he has dug the team out of massive holes time after time and has scored some of the best goals I have ever seen.

Torres is simply brilliant - I don't know a Liverpool fan who doesn't like him. The commentators call him 'Nino Torres' over here, which I think is a nice gesture.

And even though he hardly ever played for the club, I was also a massive fan of Antony Le Tallec, while Neil Mellor was another favourite of mine after his heroics against Arsenal and Olympiacos.

I think Robbie Keane has a great future at the club too, he is very exciting to watch and looks like he could score every time he gets the ball.

Liverpool Football Club is a special club to support. It is an exclusive bond which brings fans together from all different walks of life in a way that I don't think any other club in the world does, because the support is genuine and from the heart.

All of this is summed up by our famous song 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. I think if any Argentines learn and feel what it is like to be a Liverpool fan while I am here, it will be more valuable to them than any of the English I could teach them - I will keep trying.
Click to expand...

CCSC_STRIKER20 · Nov 20, 2008

Fabio - Rafa Can Make The Difference

"There are similarities with what happened at Valencia in terms of the rotation of the players," Aurelio told Liverpool's official website.

"Rafa knows when to rest players and back in 2002 we were fresher than other teams at the end of the season because he'd rested players at the right times.

"Of course Rafa has experience of winning titles so he knows how to keep focused, but also how to keep the morale high within the squad.

"He and (assistant manager) Sammy Lee are good at motivating the players."

Aurelio, though, has warned his Merseyside colleagues that they must keep their feet on the ground.

"We have a good opportunity to do something great for the club this year, but there is still a long way to go and we have to keep focused," he added.

"We are in a really strong position at the moment and we have to keep it going.

"This is the best squad I've been part of at Liverpool. The relationship between the players is good and everyone knows they really have to fight for their place. We are all working as hard as we can in every training session to do the best possible job and that shows the mentality within the squad is right.

"It's similar to when we were at Valencia in that we had been waiting so long to win the title and I can definitely see the same qualities in this team as we had back then.

"We're up against tough competition though with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal, but we know we can compete and we know we can do it. It's a difficult competition but we are confident."
Click to expand...

Rafa Rubbishes Skrtel Exit Rumors

"These sort of stories always tend to come out during an international week," Benitez told the club's official website.

"I was talking with Martin at Melwood yesterday; and it was clear that he is very happy and just wants to get back playing.

"He is working very hard to get himself fit again and he is very settled at Liverpool - both in the city and at the club."
Click to expand...

Spain Goal Delights Torres

"I've returned to scoring after that goal in the final and I'm very happy,"
Click to expand...

International Reds - A Complete Review

Xabi Alonso and Albert Riera played the full 90 minutes in El Madrigal, while Spain's new boss made a host of substitutions and introduced Pepe Reina, Alvaro Arbeloa and Fernando Torres in the second half.

Just like Casillas before him, Reina came had a quiet evening between the sticks, while Arbeloa also put in a steady display when he came on for Sergio Ramos on 61 minutes.

But Torres made the biggest impact out of all the subs and gave Spain fresh impetus to put the match beyond reach.

El Nino, who also took the captain's armband from the departing David Villa, had only been on the pitch for ten minutes when he made space for himself and turned his man before firing into the bottom left-hand corner to score Spain's second on 67 minutes.

Dirk Kuyt also scored in the dying seconds as Holland cruised to a 3-1 victory over Sweden in Amsterdam.

Liverpool's number 18 headed home Tim De Cler's cross from the left flank after Robin van Persie scored a brace.

Israel skipper Yossi Benayoun put in an impressive display during their 2-2 draw with Ivory Coast in Ramat Gan.

The utility man set up both goals for Israel before Ivory Coast clawed their way back in the second half to steal a draw.

Javier Mascherano captained Argentina for the first time in their 1-0 victory over Scotland at Hamden Park.

The tough-tackling midfielder played the full 90 minutes in Diego Maradona's first match in charge and nearly got on the scoresheet with a swerving shot from 20 yards before Maxi Rodriguez scored the decisive goal eight minutes into the match.

Nabil El Zhar also starred for Morocco in their 3-0 home win over Zambia, but it was a frustrating evening for Sami Hyypia and Daniel Agger, who played the full 90 minutes in defeats for Finland and Denmark respectively.

Hyypia could do nothing to stop Reto Ziegler's 84th-minute wonder goal giving Switzerland a 1-0 home victory over the Fins in St Gallen, while former Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy scored the only goal for Wales 13 minutes from time to down the Danes in Copenhagen.
Click to expand...

Remember this week is still Steven Gerrard Week at the Official Site. Lot's of good articles there.

CCSC_STRIKER20 · Nov 21, 2008

Rafa Wants Yossi To Stay

"If you are asked if you want to play more, you say yes.

"But I have been speaking to Yossi and he's happy. If he stays here until the end of his contract, I'll be pleased."

"He's a player I like - he can change games, scores goals and he has a lot of assists.

"If he does not want to stay here, OK, we will find a solution to the problem. But now he is OK and ready for playing. I will not want to see any offer for him."
Click to expand...

Kinnear Hints At January Transfer Targets

Following Kinnear's substantial clue about a Roma player, one man who has been heavily linked is John Arne Riise.

The 28-year-old Norwegian, a Liverpool player for many years, left Anfield for Italy over the summer in a deal worth £4m.
Click to expand...

Torres Ready To Go

Fernando Torres is set to start at Anfield for the first time in almost two months when Liverpool host Fulham on Saturday.

The last Anfield game he started was against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on November 1 before he was hit by a hamstring problem on international duty.

It is clear that sharp words from Rafael Benitez had some effect on the Spain management team this week, with Torres used only for the final 31 minutes of the 3-0 win over Chile.
Click to expand...

Maradona Lauds Captain Mascherano

"Beside Mascherano, no one has a position assured, whatever his name may be,"
Click to expand...

Skrtel Happy With Reds

"I am very happy here at Anfield," Skrtel told the club's official website.

"It was always my dream to play here in England and I'm with one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"I spoke to my friend in Russia and we talked about Zenit. I have great friends there, but I never said I am not happy here, and I never said I didn't like the city.

"I didn't say the city is boring. That's just not true and I'd like to repeat I am very happy here.

"This is a special club and a city with a lot of history. I have been made to feel very welcome here at Liverpool."

"The Liverpool fans are one of the best in the world.

"When I'm out in the city they always come up to me to shake my hand and wish me all the best in my recovery.

"I just want to get back as quickly as possible to help the team win trophies and repay the supporters faith in me."
Click to expand...

Gerrard - It's Liverpool For Life

"I have two and a half years left on my contract and hopefully I will sign another one and stay for the remainder of my career," he told Liverpool's official website.

"I don't know what's going to happen over the next ten years but certainly for the next five or six I hope I'm playing in Liverpool's first team."
Click to expand...

Bellamy - Agger Just Like Hansen

"Agger is outstanding. I have watched Liverpool a lot over the years and for me he is the closest thing I have seen to Alan Hansen.

"That's the best compliment I can give him. When he gets possession he can move confidently into midfield, he joins in the passing.

"He is comfortable on the ball and has really impressed me," Bellamy added. "I liked him a lot as a person, he is down-to-earth and level-headed.

"Nothing fazes him, nothing gets on top of him...he is an outstanding player."
Click to expand...

Gerrard - The Secret Behind The Armband

According to Gerrard, "There's no better way to lead by example as a captain than by hitting the back of the net," and he recalls some of his best goals. No prizes for guessing what his all-time favourite is. (If you need a clue, it was a header, and it wasn't at Anfield).

Lavishly illustrated throughout with a host of iconic action and personal images, My Captain's Book also includes a challenge on how to be a captain like Gerrard.

Steven Gerrard: My Captain's Book (208 pages) is published by Sport Media, Trinity Mirror North West, and priced at £14.99.
Click to expand...

Benitez Pre-Match Press Conference

"We know that it can be more difficult after an international break, and Fulham have a lot of players with quality and energy, so it will be a difficult game for us," Benitez told the club's official website.

"They have two strikers who are doing well, they have a lot of positive things going for them so that is why they are doing well."

Benitez reserved special praise for their been around the block boss Roy Hodgson: "He is a good manager and he is doing well there. I could tell he is a clever manager from the first time I met him last season."

But Benitez warned: "We have a lot of confidence, so if we can keep playing well, I am sure we will continue winning games.

"The only way to keep winning is to keep the team focused for every game."

Regarding the fitness of Steven Gerrard who missed England's international friendly with Germany in Berlin, Rafa said: "Gerrard is not fit - he cannot play tomorrow so that is the only thing that is important for me.

"I think that the best thing now is that we don't have any international games until March, so I am happy with the situation now and I am happy to concentrate on my team.

"I have said before that the squad is better now, and Steven is an important player for us, but we have different players with different qualities and we can manage with them."
Click to expand...

Stevie's Top 5 Teammates - Reina, Carragher, Fowler, Owen, Torres

More Steven Gerrard articles at LFC.tv

Twenty26Six · Nov 22, 2008

500 posts and done. Great job on this stuff, CCSC.

Continue here: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=855405