Monday 23rd January 2012 16:05

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Lucas: Recovery is progressing well

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Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has returned to the club to continue his rehabilitation from a season-ending knee injury.

The 25-year-old has spent the past six weeks in his native Brazil, where he underwent surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament damage suffered in the Reds’ Carling Cup quarter-final win at Chelsea in November.

Lucas, who is walking with the aid of crutches, will still miss the remainder of the campaign but believes his recovery is on course.

He told the club’s website: “I am still a long way away, but the knee is getting better and the rehab is going well.

“I have to make sure I complete a perfect rehab and be back as soon as possible.

“The next stage is to get the knee moving and in the next few weeks I’ll start to walk again.

“Hopefully in a month’s time I’ll start in the gym and my programme and be able to work with weights.

“When you’re on crutches you cannot do too much, so I can’t wait to start my programme and get in the swimming pool and things like that.

“The physios and the doctors have told me the rehab is going well and progressing well. I am doing everything I can to help my knee recover.”

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Monday 23rd January 2012 16:04

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Hamann: Believes Reds need cup success

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Former Liverpool star Dietmar Hamann believes winning the Carling Cup would represent a major step forward and put the Reds “back on the map”.

Kenny Dalglish’s team take a 1-0 lead into Wednesday’s semi-final second leg at Anfield against Manchester City, another of the ex-Germany international’s sides.

The Merseysiders have not won a trophy since their FA Cup final victory of 2006 and a draw in midweek would secure their first appearance at Wembley for 16 years.

Hamann knows how significant winning the league cup can be as he was part of the side which beat Birmingham in Cardiff in 2001 on the way to a famous treble as they also lifted the UEFA Cup and FA Cup.

“I think it is very important for them because the club has not won a trophy for six years now and we all know what an impact it can have,” the German, speaking about the Carling Cup at an event at Football League headquarters, said.

“In 2001 we got off on our way to a memorable season with the league cup and I’m not sure whether we would have won the UEFA Cup or FA Cup finals had we not beaten Birmingham on penalties.

“To go to the final and win would be a major step forward for Liverpool.

“It puts them back on the map. We all know the longer you don’t win the harder it gets the next year.

“A victory is very important because if breeds confidence and belief and faith in the other players and I think it gives them a better chance of finishing in the top four.

“They won’t win the league this year because there are stronger teams but in cup competitions you only have to win six or seven games so that is why Dalglish has played strong sides.

“But other managers have identified that as well because if you look at the winners of the Carling Cup in the last few years apart from Birmingham they are all big teams.

“It is all about winning trophies and the Carling Cup was seen as the fourth cup a few seasons ago but has grown in importance the last few years.”

A 3-1 defeat at Bolton at the weekend was the worst possible preparation for Dalglish’s side but they will have drawn some comfort from seeing City let slip a two-goal lead against Tottenham yesterday, even if they did snatch a late 3-2 win.

Roberto Mancini’s side were poor in the first leg but Hamann does not expect to see a repeat performance and believes Liverpool cannot afford to sit back and defend their lead.

“They (Liverpool) have had six years to get a monkey off their back and they have a golden opportunity this year,” added Hamann.

“They have put themselves in a great position with a 1-0 win in the first leg and they have every chance.

“It is a big game for Liverpool on Wednesday because I am not sure whether they can shut them (City) out again.

“If Liverpool want to go through they have to score and this is where the problem lies because they find goals hard to come by at the moment.

“It will be a tight and interesting game but Liverpool are probably just marginal favourites because they won the first leg.

“And if they were to get to the final you would fancy them against a Championship side (Crystal Palace and Cardiff contest the other semi-final).

“It would do their confidence the world of good because it makes them believe more and if you have come out of a final successful it gives everyone an extra boost.”

After leaving Liverpool Hamann moved down the M62 to City, where he played for three seasons.

He accepts the Carling Cup may not be top of Mancini’s priorities but expects to see City come out fighting on Wednesday.

“The league and the Carling Cup are their best two chances of winning trophies,” he said.

“Last season they tasted success (winning the FA Cup) and once you have won one you want to win another and they will do everything they can to put another trophy in the cabinet.

“They are missing the Toures (Yaya and Kolo) and Vincent Kompany but I expect a strong team and performance.

“I was disappointed with them in the first leg but I don’t think we will see as disappointing a performance as that again.”

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Monday 23rd January 2012 16:05

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Lucas: Recovery is progressing well

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Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has returned to the club to continue his rehabilitation from a season-ending knee injury.

The 25-year-old has spent the past six weeks in his native Brazil, where he underwent surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament damage suffered in the Reds’ Carling Cup quarter-final win at Chelsea in November.

Lucas, who is walking with the aid of crutches, will still miss the remainder of the campaign but believes his recovery is on course.

He told the club’s website: “I am still a long way away, but the knee is getting better and the rehab is going well.

“I have to make sure I complete a perfect rehab and be back as soon as possible.

“The next stage is to get the knee moving and in the next few weeks I’ll start to walk again.

“Hopefully in a month’s time I’ll start in the gym and my programme and be able to work with weights.

“When you’re on crutches you cannot do too much, so I can’t wait to start my programme and get in the swimming pool and things like that.

“The physios and the doctors have told me the rehab is going well and progressing well. I am doing everything I can to help my knee recover.”

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The January transfer window here so stay on top of all the latest news and rumours here, plus on weekdays, you can watch Darren Lewis, the Football Spy himself, give you a run down of this morning’s biggest transfer stories in the video below.

And don’t miss The Top 10 transfers we expect to happen in the window and the Football Spy guide to the January transfer window.

Transfer stories from today’s Daily Mirror

EXCLUSIVE: Bolton in race to secure African star

West Brom put £8m price tag on Odemwingie

Lyon enter chase for unwanted Spurs defender

Villa boss plots raids for Jamaican and Australian

PSG ready to break bank for Tevez

Live stream videos at Ustream

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Andy Carroll 460

FORMER Liverpool FC midfielder Dietmar Hamann has questioned striker Andy Carroll’s desire to be a success at Anfield.

The Reds’ record £35million signing once again struggled in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Bolton.

Carroll has scored just six goals in 34 appearances for the club since his move from Newcastle United a year ago and is without a league strike since October.

Hamann insists the time has come for the big frontman to start giving Liverpool a return on their huge investment.

“Has Andy got that hunger and that desire to succeed?” Hamann said. “Does he want it badly enough?

“He gets all the help from the club and the fans he can, but at the end of the day it’s down to him.

“I know players are not machines and that some find it harder to adapt than others but he’s not a foreigner, he’s an English player who knows what’s required in the Premier League.

“The club has showed faith in him. Newcastle asked £35m. They could have waited until the summer and got three players for that price.

“Kenny Dalglish and the fans have showed tremendous faith. Now it’s time to deliver.”

Hamann was left infuriated by Carroll’s performance after coming off the bench against Stoke at Anfield recently.

“The reception he got when he came on against Stoke was great. You would have thought Steven Gerrard was coming on,” Hamann said.

“But changing his boots like that annoyed me and the punters. He came on for 30 minutes and he slipped three times and then he changes his boots – so he’s on the touchline for two minutes.

“This is a lack of professionalism. It’s unacceptable. That’s how people get negative. When he comes on he’s got to make sure he’s got the right footwear. I had steam coming out of my ears.

“He’s got all the ingredients; a good touch for a big man, rocket of a left foot, very good in the air – what more do you need?

“Liverpool fans are very knowledgeable and they see the potential in him, otherwise they may have given up the ghost. But if the fans turn he may find it even harder to score.

“If he does start performing it could be a trip to the Euros with England. If he wants it he’ll go. But does he? I don’t know.”

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Kenny Dalglish shouts to his Liverpool FC players during the 3-1 loss to Bolton

FURIOUS Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has demanded an instant response from his players at the start of a crunch week in the club’s season.

The Anfield chief slammed the Reds’ poor attitude in Saturday’s humiliating 3-1 defeat at lowly Bolton and says a repeat won’t be tolerated.

Dalglish assembled his squad at Melwood yesterday as preparations began for Wednesday night’s Carling Cup semi-final second leg with Manchester City.

Manchester United await in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday and the manager expects a major improvement following the inept display at the Reebok.

“I was annoyed and disappointed, more so about the attitude, the commitment and the approach to the game – that wasn’t us,” Dalglish said.

“All season we’ve been very complimentary about the way the boys have gone about their work but I don’t think you could say that on Saturday. Their approach to the game was poor.

“Whether they had their minds on the next two games, I don’t know. But every game we play is a very important game.

“If they want to get any success at this football club, they have to understand we respect every opponent we come up against. We were never going to be able to just turn up and get a result.

“If you have pride in yourself and in the football club that reflects in the effort you put in. I don’t know where that attitude came from but it needs to go quickly.

“Saying how well Bolton played is the easy option for us. We made it difficult for ourselves. Collectively, we just never played.”

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Paul Rice, Spirit of Shankly

LIVERPOOL FC’S footballing and business communities today paid tribute to a stalwart of both who passed away this weekend after a brave battle with illness.

Paul Rice was a founding member and vice president of LFC supporters’ union Spirit of Shankly (SOS) where he played an important role in the battle to rid the club of former US owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

He was later elected as the Official LFC Supporters’ Committee representative.

In the business community, Paul was chief executive of Liverpool’s Commercial District Partnership, promoting the city’s business district.

Paul, 54, died in his sleep at 11am on Saturday at the Marie Curie hospice in Woolton.

He had undergone a bone marrow transplant last year as he fought leukaemia but had then been hit by “donor versus host” disease.

Liverpool FC managing director Ian Ayre said: “I was fortunate to have known Paul personally and he was a true fan, and also an excellent businessman.

“Paul was a leading figure in the representations between the club and the fans in our ownership issues some time back and I had huge respect for the way he conducted himself in my dealings with him. He will be sadly missed.”

SOS committee member and The Farm singer Peter Hooton said: “I knew Paul from when he was working in the anti-drugs unit for the city council in the 1980s and he was always an inspirational person.

“When Liverpool fans were objecting to the former American owners he reluctantly chaired the first meeting of different groups of fans after I asked him to.

“It was very volatile at the beginning and I thought that Paul was the only person capable to chair it and he was brilliant at it.

“He brought in a lot of young Liverpudlians and he made them more confident because he believed in them.

“The average age was about 25 and he said that I can only see leaders around this table. He was a great mentor to them and he gave them a lot of confidence.”

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Kenny Dalglish 300

WHEN Kenny Dalglish accuses Liverpool FC’s players of being “disrespectful” to the club, you know something has gone badly wrong.

In terms of this particular Reds performance, ‘badly wrong’ was an understatement. Liverpool were that bad.

The perception this season has been that the Reds’ troubles lie in two main areas; their home form and their attacking impotence. Fourteen dropped points at Anfield, and a propensity for wasting chances have been the key themes of the season for Dalglish’s men.

It was those two issues, most felt, which would ultimately undermine their bid for Champions League qualification.

What was the excuse here, then? Liverpool were playing away from home, and they didn’t waste any chances, because they didn’t create any.

Having seen Chelsea squander points at Norwich, and Newcastle handed a shellacking at Fulham, the chance was there to take a significant step up the table.

They wasted it.

The statistics will say that Liverpool had more than 60 per cent of possession. They will tell you they managed 16 attempts on goal, five of which were on target.

Don’t let them fool you.

Liverpool have now won just one of their last six league games. They have dropped points against three of the Premier League’s bottom four, and Bolton more than merited their victory here.

Owen Coyle’s men started this game bottom of the table, boasting the worst home record in English football. But they were the better team from start to finish, and in truth the margin of victory could have been greater.

So while Coyle celebrates only a second Reebok win of the season, for Dalglish, the inquest will already be in full swing.

The Reds boss hinted afterwards that his players had lacked professionalism in their approach, revealing that he had had reservations even before the game had kicked off.

It was an incredible statement. One can only wonder what he had seen on the team bus, or in the dressing room beforehand, to make him feel that way.

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Bolton vs Liverpool at Reebok Stadium. Liverpool players show their frustration after conceding for the second time at the Reebok..

THE empty seats evoked memories of another desperate night for Liverpool FC in Lancashire.

By the time referee Kevin Friend finally put the Reds out of their misery at the Reebok on Saturday, the away end was virtually deserted.

Most of the 4,500-strong travelling Kop had long since headed for the exits, having suffered enough on a bitterly cold winter’s evening.

The last time Liverpool finished a game with so few of their supporters watching on was at Ewood Park on January 5 last year. A pitiful 3-1 defeat at the hands of a struggling Blackburn side sounded the death knell for Roy Hodgson’s sorry reign.

The Reds had fallen lower than a snake’s belly and Kenny Dalglish was handed the task of transforming the club’s fortunes.

Progress was initially swift but now it has stalled. Worryingly, Saturday was a throwback to a past fans thought they had left behind. This was the darkest 90 minutes for the club since Dalglish returned to the Anfield hot seat a year ago.

Forget the 4-0 mauling at Spurs back in September. The margin of defeat may have been heavier on that painful afternoon in North London but there were mitigating circumstances. Liverpool only trailed 1-0 before they were reduced to nine men and unsurprisingly were then overrun by a talented side with title aspirations.

On Saturday there were no excuses. This was a Bolton team with the worst home record in English football.

Owen Coyle’s men had taken just four points out of 30 at the Reebok and had been stuck in the bottom three since October. This was a team with the top flight’s worst defensive record and coming to terms with the departure of centre-back Gary Cahill to Chelsea.

Yet somehow Liverpool conspired to make them look like world beaters.

Supporters can tolerate most things. Misplaced passes, wayward shots and defensive errors happen. Everyone has an off day. But what they will never accept is a lack of effort, passion or commitment from anyone who pulls on a Red shirt.

At the Reebok they paid up to £35 for the privilege of watching a performance so spineless that it almost defied belief.

The only saving grace for those fans as they headed for home was that Dalglish didn’t attempt to defend what was a humiliating defeat.

Over the past year the manager has always been fiercely protective of his players, always sheltering them from criticism. Not any more.

A furious Dalglish accused his side of preparing badly, lacking focus and disrespecting Bolton. There was also the threat of getting rid of under-performing stars unless they buck their ideas up.

Loyalty is a two-way street. Dalglish has backed his players to the hilt but too many of them are failing to repay that faith.

It wasn’t just on Saturday. Liverpool have only taken six points out of the last 18 on offer from games against Wigan, Blackburn, Newcastle, Manchester City, Stoke and Bolton.

That’s a woeful return which has left the Reds cut adrift in the race for a Champions League spot.

The idea that Liverpool had one eye on games against more illustrious opponents on the horizon is baffling.

Of course this is a potentially season-defining week for the Reds. A first trip to Wembley for 16 years is the prize at stake when Manchester City travel to Anfield for the second leg of the Carling Cup semi-final on Wednesday night. Then Manchester United are the visitors in the fourth round of the FA Cup next Saturday.

But a top four finish is just as important as ending a six-year wait for silverware. The financial rewards and pulling power of Champions League football makes qualification paramount to hopes of restoring the club to former glory.

With Chelsea and Newcastle having dropped points earlier in the day, Saturday represented a glorious opportunity to close the gap but fans have got used to seeing Liverpool blow gilt-edged chances this season.

A lack of firepower has been an issue all term and Luis Suarez’s eight-match ban has certainly intensified the problem.

Dalglish has at least been able to rest easy in the knowledge he has got a rock-solid backline but not on Saturday. Liverpool served up a shambolic defensive display as former Reds striker David Ngog was allowed to wreak havoc.

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Liverpool FC manager Kenny Dalglish lets rip

KENNY DALGLISH accused his Liverpool FC players of being disrespectful in their approach to the game after seeing*his team*slump to a 3-1 defeat at Bolton Wanderers.

Liverpool FC*were well beaten by Owen Coyle’s struggling side, who had began the game bottom of the Premier League table but scored first-half goals from Mark Davies and Nigel Reo-Coker, and a second-half strike from Gretar Steinsson.

Craig Bellamy’s goal offered little consolation for the visitors, who served up arguably their worst display of the season.

Liverpool FC remain six points adrift of the Champions League places after this defeat, and now face a Carling Cup semi-final second leg clash with Manchester City at Anfield on Wednesday, before an equally-vital FA Cup tie with Manchester United next Saturday.

A livid Dalglish, however, accused his players of playing against Bolton with one eye on those games, admitting they had been taught a lesson by Coyle’s effervescent side.

“I was disappointed with the result,” Dalglish said. “But the most disappointing thing for me was that I don’t think we were ready to play the game.

“I don’t think the approach was correct, I don’t think the way we went about our work was correct. The foundations of the football club have always been built on respect for other people, and on the philosophy that the next game is the most important one, not the one that is two or three down the line.

“If they (the players) needed a lesson to be taught to them, then today was it. If they think they can just turn up and get a result and not be competitive or match the opposition for effort and commitment, then they’ve got their lesson today.”

Dalglish, who has been fiercely protective of his players since his return to the Anfield hotseat a year ago, claimed seeds of doubt about his players’ attitude had been sown in his mind even before kick-off at the Reebok.

“It was before the game,” he raged. “We have to make sure we are ready to go before we start the match, and I don’t think we were, which is probably why we lost a goal in four minutes.

“I never asked the players what they were thinking of (before the game), but I would assume that (from the performance) people would have that (the forthcoming cup games) on their mind, and if that is the case then it is not correct, and it is not the right way to go about representing this football club.

“There’s nobody that has been at this football club who hasn’t had respect for other people, and if that is what the problem was – that they thought this game wasn’t as important as the next one – then fine, but they won’t be here.

He added: “If they’ve learned, then fine. But without taking anything away from Owen (Coyle) and the way Bolton played, we have to look at ourselves and see what we can do to try and prevent it happening again in the future. That’s what we will do.”

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