Hats Off To Havant

26 Jan 2008 Liverpool 5-2 Havant & W'looville - FA Cup

BBC - Liverpool had to come from behind twice to beat Havant & Waterlooville and reach the FA Cup fifth round - Richard Pacquette's header put Havant ahead before Leiva Lucas equalised for Liverpool with a superb 25-yard curler. Alfie Potter restored the part-timers' lead with a deflected effort, but Yossi Benayoun made it 2-2 from 15 yards. Benayoun drove in just after the break and stroked home from a rebound to complete his hat-trick before Peter Crouch tapped in to make it 5-2.

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The Guardian
Jamie Collins, Havant and Waterlooville captain
Monday January 28, 2008

"I had my eye on getting Steven Gerrard's shirt at the end of the match on Saturday - skipper's perk and all that - but I was beaten to it by "Harry" [Alfie] Potter. But I am a West Ham supporter and was delighted to come away with Javier Mascherano's shirt in the end."

"...my mind has been concentrated on getting back home in time for work on Monday morning. I have to be at Yeading at 9.30 to continue my other life, which is that of a football coach. And if I don't make it I will be in trouble. It's back to real life for everyone now, the bin man and the cabbie, the courier and the builder and the plumber. Anything you want done in your house we can get done. So if anybody needs any work done they should give us a call and we will get it sorted. "

"And when it comes to football we will have to take our minds off cup glory and concentrate on the Blue Square South. We have a play-off place to win and we have a backlog of matches to play, because of our cup run, which we need to win to get ourselves back up the table and challenging.
But whatever we're doing, either at work or playing non-league football, none of us will ever forget our unbelievable weekend in the north-west. And I just hope our supporters feel the same way."

[Read Full]

Same Old Story

21 Jan 2008 Liverpool 2-2 Aston Villa - EPL

BBC - Peter Crouch earned Liverpool a draw against Aston Villa as the Reds failed to move back into the top four - Reds fans held up banners throughout to show support for boss Rafa Benitez and criticise their American owners, though there was no mass protest as suggested. They took the lead when Yossi Benayoun stabbed in at the second attempt, but Marlon Harewood's overhead kick and a Fabio Aurelio own goal put Villa ahead. Substitute Crouch volleyed home with two minutes left to earn a point.

Carra's 500th

15 Jan 2008 Liverpool 5-0 Luton - FA Cup

BBC - Steven Gerrard's hat-trick sank Luton and lifted the spirits of embattled Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez - Ryan Babel's powerful finish broke the deadlock in first-half injury time, with Gerrard heading home from close range after 51 minutes. Sami Hyypia turned in Gerrard's corner six minutes later before the captain slid in his second from 14 yards.

THE HAT-TRICK

Gerrard: "The manager called me over and said he was about to take me off. I pleaded with him to give me five minutes more because I wanted to get my hat-trick. I'm made up he let me because it's always nice to get three goals."

CARRA'S NIGHT

"It was definitely Carra's night. Nothing anyone was going to do was going to take it away from him and rightly so because to play 500 games for Liverpool is a fantastic achievement. It was an absolute pleasure to hand the armband over to him and he deserves all the accolades that are coming his way. He's worked so hard from day one to establish himself in the first team and he really deserves to have reached 500. The sacrifices he makes off the pitch and the effort he puts into every game and training session means he deserves all the accolades he gets. Even now, if he never played another game again, he is a legend. He's won the treble, FA Cups and a Champions League. He's sweated blood and guts for this club."

Stop Dropping Points!!

12 Jan 2008 Middlesbrough 1-1 Liverpool - EPL

BBC - The lacklustre Reds went behind after failing to deal with a Stewart Downing cross and Jeremie Aliadiere nodded back for George Boateng to turn in. Downing later had a shot tipped on to the post by Pepe Reina before Fernando Torres equalised with a rasping strike. Liverpool duo Ryan Babel and Steven Gerrard went close with long-range efforts but Boro held firm for a point.

New Boy Martin Skrtel

I got a feeling that he and Agger would be good friends....

Liverpoolfc.tv - 10 things you never knew about Martin Skrtel:

1. Skrtel was a competent hockey player and could have followed a career in the sport until his passion for football took over and - fortunately for us - he opted to ply his trade in the world of the beautiful game instead.

2. He has already had a taste of what it means to play football on Merseyside having featured for former club Zenit St Petersberg in a 1-0 UEFA cup defeat against Everton on December 5, 2007.

3. At the age of 23 Martin is already an established international with Slovakia. He has 15 caps to-date and scored his first and only goal for his country in a Euro 2008 Qualifier when he netted the opener in a 6-1 win at home to Cyprus.

4. A move to Liverpool has left him so excited he has had trouble sleeping. He said: "I have realised that in all likelihood a new era of my life is beginning. I struggled to get any sleep on Saturday night, and I normally have no problems sleeping."

5. The 6ft 4 defender came second in the list of the best football players named by Slovak Football Union and newspaper 'Pravda' in December 2006.

6. He was a key member of the Zenit side that clinched the 2007 Russian League title - their finest achievement since winning the USSR Championship in 1984.

7. If Liverpool qualify for next season's Champions League he could well come up against his former teammates as a result of their title success.

8. He becomes Liverpool's most expensive defender, with the fee surpassing the previous record for Daniel Agger in January 2006.

9. Martin was born on December 15, 1984, on the very same day as guitarist Joshua Third, of cult rock band The Horrors.

10. He rose through the ranks at Slovakian outfit FC Previdza and also played for FC Trencin before leaving his homeland for Zenit in 2004. He played 113 matches for the Russian side, scoring five goals in total.

6 Jan 2008 Luton 1-1 Liverpool - FA Cup 3rd Round

BBC - Embattled Luton put in a superb display against a weakened Liverpool to earn an FA Cup third-round replay at Anfield on Tuesday week - The League One side were the better team in the first-half but could not convert their pressure into goals. But Peter Crouch's simple finish gave Liverpool a second-half lead under the gaze of England manager Fabio Capello. Yet Luton fought on and were rewarded when John Arne Riise bundled into his own goal from Drew Talbot's cross.

2 Jan 2008 Liverpool 1-1 Wigan - EPL

BBC - Titus Bramble struck a late equaliser to take Wigan out of the Premier League relegation zone and further dent Liverpool's faltering title hopes. Bramble struck with a 20-yard strike after a poor defensive clearance by Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard. Fernando Torres had earlier put the home team ahead with a precise finish while Chris Kirkland made several excellent saves to deny Gerrard.

30 Dec 2007 Man City 0-0 Liverpool - EPL

BBC - Manchester City survived a second-half onslaught to prevent Liverpool ending 2007 with three league wins in a row - Fabio Aurelio came closest to scoring in a cagey first half, his long-range strike tipped over by City's Joe Hart. Fernando Torres squandered two good chances and Hart palmed away a fierce effort from Yossi Benayoun as the Reds poured forward after the interval. Dirk Kuyt had a glorious opportunity in the 87th minute but Hart and Richard Dunne combined to clear his header.