06 Jun 2020 15:11:29
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Rivalries 2: Brighton v Palace
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Barcelona News 30 May 2020
By The Numbers - Part 1: Liverpool
4 FA Youth Cup wins, the first coming in 1996 with a team featuring Michael Owen and Jamie Carragher. The last in 2019 on penalties over Manchester City.
1892 The year of the club's birth, after Everton had a dispute with Anfield landlord John Houlding and went off to play across Stanley Park. Houlding set up Liverpool to play at the now empty Anfield.
41 The club's oldest ever player was Ted Doig, who was 41 years and 165 days old when facing Newcastle United in 1908.
41 It was also the number of goals Roger Hunt scored in the 1961-62 season.
18 He was known as 'Supersub' for a reason. David Fairclough notched up 18 goals for Liverpool as a substitute.
38 At the age of 38 years and 55 days the great Billy Liddell became the oldest player to score for Liverpool. Liddell was so important in his time that the club were nicknamed Liddellpool while he played for them.
35 The club's first transfer record was the £35 paid for Scottish left back William "Billy" Dunlop from Paisley Abercorn.
1959 A crucial year in the history of the Reds as Bill Shankly was appointed to replace Phil Taylor as manager. Shankly had previously been turned down for the role as he had wanted too much control for the Liverpool board's liking. It was an appointment that changed history.
114 Liverpool's most capped player is Steven Gerrard with his 114 England caps.
16 The youngest ever players was Jerome Sinclair who was just 16 years and 6 days old when he faced West Bromwich Albion in 2012.
17 Gordon Hodgson managed to notch up 17 hat-tricks while playing for LFC.
42 Taking penalties was just about the only time Jan Molby seemed to move out from the centre circle and he scored 42 of those during his Liverpool career.
1 Lancashire League titles before joining the Football League.
6 European Cups, the most of any British team.
18 Reserve Division One Championships. At one time the reserves actually meant more than just a way to get first team players fit.
1964 The arrival of the all-red kit appeared in November of this year. Shanks felt it made the team look more intimidating.
15 Charity/Community Shields, though 5 of them were shared with their opponent on the day.
5 In the 1961-62 season Roger Hunt scored this many hat-tricks for the Reds.
417 Phil Neal managed to set a record for most consecutive appearances between October 1976 and September 1983.
20 Mr Consistency Phil Neal also managed to win 20 trophies in his time with Liverpool.
346 The most first team goals is a record held by Ian Rush. 39 of them in the FA Cup and 48 in the League Cup are also club records.
75,000,000 The club's record transfer fee which was spent on Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk.
1974 The end of an era as Bill Shankly handed over the reins as Liverpool manager to Bob Paisley.
245 Roger Hunt has more league goals than any other Liverpool player.
1 FIFA Club World Cup, taking until 2019 to lift it, despite taking part a number of times as defending European champions in the past.
21 The club's longest serving player was Elisha Scott, the goalkeeper serving the club for 21 years and 52 days between 1913 and 1934.
4 The number of different managers who won the European Cup with Liverpool. Bob Paisley, three times, Joe Fagan, Rafael Benitez and Jurgen Klopp.
1901 The year of Liverpool's first league title.
18 Or should that be 19? The number of league titles won by Liverpool.
7 FA Cups have ended up going up to Merseyside.
41 Steven Gerrard was the man to look to in Europe, as his club record total of 41 European goals shows.
17 Liverpool's youngest ever goalscorer was Ben Woodburn aged 17 years and 45 days when he scored the second goal in a win over Leeds United in 2016.
1977 The year of Liverpool's first European Cup win.
78 Ian Rush's 78 League Cup appearances are a club record.
8 League Cups, 4 of them in a row in the early 1980s.
3 UEFA Cups under three different managers, Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Gerard Houllier.
1977 It was a big year for Anfield as the King arrived to take his place on the throne. Kenny Dalglish cost what now seems the paltry fee of £440,000 from Celtic and went on to become a legend on and off the pitch for the Reds. Initially he was wanted as Kevin Keegan's partner, but Keegan's desire to move on saw the Scot end up replacing him on the pitch and in the hearts of Liverpool fans.
857 Ian Callaghan holds the record for the most first team appearances with 857 in total. He also holds records for most league appearances, with 640, and most FA Cup appearances with 79.
2015 October of this year saw Liverpool take a huge step forward as Brendan Rodgers was sacked on the 4th and Jurgen Klopp brought in to replace him on the 8th.
4 UEFA Super Cup wins, 3 after European Cups and 1 after a UEFA Cup victory.
150 With the increase in European games, Jamie Carragher was able to create a new record for appearances in Europe.
4 Division Two titles. The Reds were not always a top flight team and won the second tier of the English Leagues 4 times.
20 Jurgen Klopp is Liverpool's twentieth manager in their history.
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30 May 2020 13:57:33
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, By The Numbers: Liverpool
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Barcelona News 26 May 2020
Top 10 Left Midfielders/Wingers/Forwards
10. Lorenzo Insigne - SSC Napoli
Small in stature though he is, Insigne has been a giant for Napoli over the last few years, prior to the arrival of Sarri anyway. Fast and tricky, Insigne is a skilled winger who can give a defender nightmares when on song. It is his consistency that is a problem.
9. Memphis Depay - Olympique Lyonnais
A few years ago, Depay's career looked to be a complete flop after his time at Manchester United turned out to be a mess. It does seem like that move just came too soon, as many said at the time, and he was just not ready to join a club the size of United. Since leaving he has turned around his career and you can see the player they wanted has finally emerged.
8. Heung-min Son - Tottenham Hotspur
It is a tough one to decide where he plays best and that versatility has cost him a place higher up the list. A brilliant player, on the left, on the right or up front, but struggles to hold down a position on a permanent basis just because he can play so well in those positions.
7. Gerard Delofeu - Watford
Pacey and tricky, Delofeu can be unplayable on his day. If he can just learn consistency, then he will be moving up the list. He has already improved from being a one or two times a season superstar to being a one in two performer. Playing for a club that expects more from him and that needs him has done him good.
6. Diogo Jota - Wolverhampton Wanderers
The Portugese has been a breath of fresh air this season, pace, skill, workrate and scores goals too. Jota grew in stature as the season went on and is one player who would particularly be disappointed by the interruption caused by the virus. It is no wonder the media link him with all the big clubs around Europe.
5. Neymar - Paris Saint-Germain
The talent he has should put him miles ahead of the rest but his attitude holds him back badly. Playing in a weak French league does not help his case either, but it is solely down to him and him alone that he is not top of the tree in his role. It is nothing short of embarrassing watching him cheating his way through games and is such a waste of incredible talent.
4. Eden Hazard - Real Madrid
His move to Madrid should have been the catalyst for a step up, but instead it has been a struggle for Hazard as he failed to get himself into the shape that he should have and his lack of fitness caused injury problems early in the season. Once he did get himself fit and in the first team, Hazard did begin to show the qualities Chelsea fans adored.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo - Juventus
Still a great player but he has long since settled in as a striker only for him to be mostly used on the left this season by Sarri. As a result, it was not a great season for him and he finally showed signs of decline.
2. Raheem Sterling - Manchester City
Sterling, despite the media hatred, has improved massively over the youngster that left Liverpool, learning to use his skills for the benefit of the team, while mostly mitigating his weak striking technique. The pace and workrate he has is a genuine problem for opponents and he usually causes the opposition to alter their match plan to counter him.
1. Sadio Mane - Liverpool
There is so much good to talk about with Mane, his workrate is incredible, often popping up in full-back areas and showing an ability to defend one-on-one that very few modern full-backs display. The acceleration he shows is insane, his skills and first touch are incredible and he scores and creates goals. Plus he is good in the air. Mane is fast becoming the complete player.
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26 May 2020 12:00:49
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Top 10 Left Midfielders/Wingers/Forwards
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23 May 2020 10:39:11
Hey Ed.
I saw on the Chelsea page that you said Ter Stegen could end up in England. I was just wondering if you could tell which clubs might be interested in him? In my opinion he's one of the three best keepers in the world, and I think he would be the best keeper in the league, perhaps tied with Alisson, if he came :)
{Ed002's Note - That is not what I said.}
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23 May 2020 14:06:20
Okay, I must have misunderstood then - sorry for wasting your time :)
Hope you're well!
{Ed002's Note - It is not a problem.}
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Barcelona News 07 May 2020
Top 10 Right Midfielders/Wingers/Forwards
10. Ismaila Sarr - Watford
Sarr makes such a significant difference to the Hornets' results that he has to be in here. He never looks particularly outstanding, if anything he looks clumsy, but he gives full-backs nightmares. Pace, power, skill, added to youth and enthusiasm, Sarr looks like a huge talent on the rise.
9. Jadon Sancho - Borussia Dortmund
While I am not convinced he is as wonderful as the hype makes him out to be, a lot of the defences he faces are, at best, woeful. Sometimes it is embarrassing watching how the defenders panic and jump out of his way without him having to actually do anything. However, his stats demand inclusion no matter how poor the defences are Sancho has to be good enough to take advantage of their shortcomings.
8. Federico Chiesa - Fiorentina
Chiesa is just 22 himself, another youngster, but he is established now as a key player in Serie A. What he needs now is better players around him to make the most of his talents. Something which did look likely to happen this summer before a virus changed the footballing transfer outlook.
7. Hakim Ziyech - Ajax (Deal agreed to sign for Chelsea in the next transfer window)
When he has his head in the game, Ziyech is top class. The problem he has is attitude. In the past he has squabbled with team-mates and coaching staff and ended up left out of the team as a result. On his day Ziyech can be a real handful for any defence and his attitude has shown improvement recently.
6. David Neres - Ajax
Despite being lightweight, the Brazilian is a lightning-quick tricky winger with real quality. The only thing he really needs to learn is to be more consistent and involve himself in games more. With Ziyech leaving that will give him the chance to solidify his place as first choice right winger at the Amsterdam club.
5. Riyad Mahrez - Manchester City
On his day the Algerian can be simply magical, with tricky fast feet and a wonderful left foot. However he is too inconsistent to move higher up the list. There are a lot of days when he is not even playing and when he does, Mahrez can often try too hard and do too much, losing possession. In large part that is down to being in and out of the side, but he has begun to show signs of adapting over last season.
4. Serge Gnabry - Bayern Munich
It is hard to remember him now as a raw, but promising, winger at Arsenal, because Arsene Wenger was oddle reticent to use him, despite him regularly looking like he had something to offer. Much more than many first team players that he was unable to displace. Since moving to Germany, he has not only lived up to the promise he showed at Arsenal, but exceeded it.
3. Adama Traore - Wolverhampton Wanderers
There is just one weakness left in Traore's game, end product. If he can produce a more consistent end product, rather than running into blind alleys regularly, then he will be unstoppable with his insane acceleration and pace. He is more than just fast though, he has great skill too. If Traore continues to improve at the rate he has, then he will be pushing the top 2 next season.
2. Mohamed Salah - Liverpool
The only reason he is number 2 is because of the long-term consistent brilliance of the number 1. Salah has been sensational for Liverpool from wide areas, producing numbers from wide areas that only Messi can compare to. Though Messi regularly faces much weaker sides than Salah does, so the gap is much smaller than it might seem. One thing that particularly impresses is Salah's workrate, something that is a clear edge over Messi in recent years.
1. Lionel Messi - Barcelona
In recent years he has stopped working for the team and it is showing in Barca's performances of the last few years. However he is still on top of the pile, in large part for his years of brilliance for the team. His age is beginning to show and he is clearly not the player he once was, though still good enough to be on top of the pile.
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07 May 2020 16:12:57
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Top 10 Right Midfielders/Wingers/Forwards
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03 May 2020 23:21:31
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Football Comparisons 6 - Rio v Vidic
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03 May 2020 13:58:15
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Transfer Flops 1: Jo From Moscow To Manchester
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29 Apr 2020 15:12:46
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new podcast entitled, Listen With Mother
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27 Apr 2020 07:22:05
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new podcast entitled, Ask The Ed
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25 Apr 2020 16:58:10
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new player profile about, Lionel Messi
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25 Apr 2020 21:43:04
Thanks for the profile on my favourite player Ed, just love watching him play. Definitely agree with you saying it's a waste of his finishing the more he drops deep, i think he's become frustrated with the club's transfers in recent years aswell. Talk of them selling Arthur which would be stupid.
He's definitely the best i've ever seen, you say you prefer Ronaldo now because he presses but do you actually see Ronaldo pressing much?
Also, how are you holding up?
{Ed001's Note - no but Ronaldo makes the most of his talents, Messi is strolling through games. That annoys me when a player only does just as much as they have to, rather than gives their all.
I am good mate, be glad when things are back to normal though! How are you? Things good there?}
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25 Apr 2020 23:11:06
That is true, might just be saving himself aswell?
Good to know, things aren't really too good in all honesty, seems as if the public is beginning to ignore the lockdown, road traffic is on it's increase, more people are outside with the good weather we're having and the daily death numbers are still around the 800 mark.
{Ed001's Note - I know he is saving himself but that is only worth doing when your team is on top and he doesn't think to work back when they aren't.
800 a day? Wow. There have not even been 100 in total here!}
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26 Apr 2020 00:54:47
Unbelievable right? Total is now 20,000 deaths not including those in care homes, estimated to be around 8000. Massive lack of preparation from the government considering the virus had already 'entered' mainland Europe a few weeks before.
{Ed001's Note - it is sad that so many needless deaths are happening. }
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26 Apr 2020 11:19:29
Very unfortunate, sadly think we're still around 2 or so weeks away from seeing the daily death numbers actually drop instead of fluctuating.
{Ed001's Note - that is scary!}
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24 Apr 2020 14:44:26
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, A To Z: Kaizer Chiefs
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20 Apr 2020 12:44:59
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Football Comparisons 5 - Alisson v Ederson
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05 Apr 2020 23:58:33
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new podcast entitled, See You Next Quarantine
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03 Apr 2020 19:24:06
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Top 10 Central Midfielders
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03 Apr 2020 23:50:54
Love reading the 'Top 10' lists Ed001. Funnily enough, i was thinking Utd should go for Aouar instead of wasting a high fee on Jack Grealish, technically brilliant. Also agree with you on Arthur, Barcelona look much better with him in the team though he does seem to never complete 90 mins.
Finally, what do you think of Thiago of Bayern Ed? Haven't really able to figure him out. Excellent technically, touch, close control, dribbling but doesn't seem to actually stamp his authority on a game, seems to pass him by at times.
{Ed001's Note - thanks mate. I would fully agree on both Aouar and Grealish. Thiago clearly has ability but you are right, he lacks decisiveness. That is why he is not in there, it is like watching Gini Wijnaldum, fabulous player, but so often he ghosts through games not taking it by the scruff of the neck. You know they are capable of doing it, but they never do so. In Gini's case it is because he is too laid back, from what I have seen of Thiago he seems the same on pitch. Not enough fire and drive. They are players that would benefit from picking up more yellow cards, odd as it might seem. They need to put their foot in more and get in opponents' faces.}
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31 Mar 2020 10:40:45
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new podcast entitled, See You Next Self-Isolation
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30 Mar 2020 01:50:57
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new podcast entitled, See You Next Self-Isolation
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29 Mar 2020 16:23:57
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new podcast entitled, And Finally... Feb 2020
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