By LFC Vancouver member Ste Speed, 3 February 07.

Saturday’s derby game at Anfield was quite possibly the worst I’ve ever had the misfortune to see. There have been a few nil – nil draws in derbies in recent years but at least those games had some exciting moments and incidents worth talking about afterwards. Recent examples include the 2002 Goodison derby which was Wayne Rooney’s first derby, when Steven Gerrard got sent off. Also the 2004 Anfield derby was goalless but was a fantastic game for the neutral with Nigel Martyn playing an absolute blinder for Everton.

Unlike previous scoreless draws however, the most recent game was pretty painful to watch. The gloomy weather & mist all around the ground set the tone perfectly for the gloomy performances unfolding on the pitch. There were a few nice individual performances, particularly from our forward line but the final balls into the area were often too high as Everton had too many defenders in the area and we just couldn’t break them down. Another annoying thing I noticed was that for a good percentage of the game Everton were winning the majority of the fifty/fifty balls and we were giving the ball away far too easily in midfield.

Everton are getting plenty of plaudits from the media for the way they defended but in my opinion, putting eight men behind the ball was too negative and it ruined any chances of this being a real game of football. The Bluenoses will be happy to have spoiled our chances of catching Chelsea and proved that they are not as good as Liverpool in the skill department. I was pretty angry at half time as it was looking very obvious what David Moyes’s tactics were and my frustration only increased as the second half progressed. Everton seemed to just be deliberately trying to defend and offered nothing creative or offensive in the hope that we would tire & get caught on the break. Such negative tactics completely ruined what had promised beforehand to be a cracking game.

Apart from a few free kicks that went close I can honestly only think of two clear cut chances in the entire game and both came in the second half. Andrew Johnson almost took advantage of some sloppy Liverpool defending and then right at the end Peter Crouch failed to properly control a nice pass from Robbie Fowler. Other than those two brief moments that was it as far as excitement went. The only positive I can think of to come from the derby is that at least Arsenal drew with Middlesborough so we will stay at least one point ahead of them in third place, even if they win their game in hand.

So where does this leave us with regards to the remainder of the Premiership season? We are now seven points behind Chelsea who beat Charlton one – nil and the chances of catching them seems a bit beyond us now, never mind catching Man Utd. This season, as far as the league is concerned, may not be unfolding in the way we had hoped it would back in August last year, but we should still finish in a Champions League spot and we definitely still have plenty to be positive about when thoughts turn to what may happen next season. Assuming the latest investment deal goes through, Rafa will have funds to strengthen the squad and bring in some top class players. The young players purchased during the January transfer window should seriously bolster our very promising youth and reserve sides and the future does look very bright regardless of the gloom of derby.

What do you think? Give Ste your comments at steSpeed [at] lfcvancouver.com.

By LFC Vancouver member Ste Speed, 6 February 07.

I know the title of this piece is a terrible cliché but in this instance I believe it is true. Today’s official announcement that Tom Hicks and George Gillett have bought Liverpool F.C is the best piece of news I have heard in a very long time. After listening to today’s interviews and the press conference with the two Americans, I have no doubts whatsoever that they are the men to bring the glory years back to our beloved club.

Both men have proven track records of success with their other sporting ventures and I have no doubt that will continue in the future. Work is due to begin on the new stadium within the next sixty days and both men have confirmed cash will be made available to buy players in the summer. No figures were revealed today but the amount that will be made available for players is believed to be around the 200 million pounds ($400 million) mark.

People may wonder how two Americans with no experience of English football will be able to succeed but Hicks made a great comment when he said the following. “I knew nothing about ice hockey when I bought the Dallas Stars and we won the Stanley Cup. Stability is important and we’ve got a long term strategy. We know what you want – you want to win, and so do we.”

It seems clear that both men respect the traditions of the Mighty Reds and are not about to start making any major changes. Hicks said in an interview with the BBC today “I didn’t get success by interfering.” Both men know that Rick Parry and Rafa Benitez know what they are doing and that they are steering us in the right direction and all they need now are the funds to realize theirs and our ambitions. Unlike Roman Abramovich at Chelsea, Hicks and Gillett will not be dictating to Rafa who he can and cannot buy and I believe Rafa can be trusted to buy wisely.

This is a momentous day for Liverpool F.C and all the millions of Reds around the world. I wish it was the summer already and the excitement is just going to build and build as we wait to find out who will come into the club in the summer. Next season could be absolutely huge as we can now compete financially with Chelsea and Man Utd in the transfer market and that should hopefully transfer onto the pitch.

What do you think? Give Ste your comments at steSpeed [at] lfcvancouver.com.

By LFC Vancouver member Ste Speed with a great contribution from LFC President Kevin Parnell, 5 February 07.

Today we are starting a brand new feature entitled “Ex Red of the Week” in which each week we will be profiling a former Liverpool player from yesteryear.

The first player to be featured is the clown prince of goalkeepers Bruce Grobbelaar. Brucie is well known over here in Vancouver thanks to his stint playing for the Vancouver Whitecaps from 1979 to 1981. Although he only played twenty four games, as he was second choice to Phil Parkes, Bruce became a cult figure in Vancouver due to his outrageous antics and colourful personality. One of my favourite stories about him during this time was when he turned up for his first ever press conference wearing an ‘old man’ horror mask.

From Vancouver he went on loan to Crewe Alexandra in the UK where his most famous moment was scoring a penalty in his final game. Bruce was spotted playing for Crewe by Liverpool’s head scout Tom Saunders & was signed as reserve goalkeeper in March 1981. When Ray Clemence moved to Spurs that summer Bruce had his opportunity. His first few months were tough and he made a few howlers letting in some dodgy goals, but after this dodgy start he soon cemented his position as one of the best goalkeepers around. Bruce ended up making 627 appearances for Liverpool until his departure to Southampton in 1994.

Despite the allegations of match fixing that tainted the remainder of his career Bruce is still fondly remembered by all Liverpool fans & will forever be one of the most popular players ever and a true Liverpool legend. His placing at number seventeen in the Liverpoolfc.tv feature ‘100 Players Who Shook The Kop’ is proof of his enduring appeal to all fans young and old.

There are so many great moments involving Bruce, his antics on the goal line during the penalty shoot out in the 1984 European Cup Final is one of the most famous moments of all time and was the inspiration for Jerzy Dudek in Istanbul. My personal favourite moment from him was an amazing save he made from Everton’s Graeme Sharp during the 1986 FA Cup Final. Bruce was caught out of position outside the area to the left of his goal & the ball went into the air perfectly for Sharp to head it into the empty net. Somehow Bruce managed to sprint back towards the goal and in an amazing feat of agility he somehow managed to tip the ball over the crossbar. It was an incredible save and I remember drawing lots of pictures of it for a long time afterwards. It’s still my favourite moment from that match and I look forward to it every time I watch the game on DVD.

To end the feature this week I have a wonderful story which will be told by LFC Vancouver’s very own Kevin Parnell, over to you Kev.

“I met Brucie back in 1982 at the end of his first fill season with Liverpool. I had only moved here to Vancouver just 12 months previously but I decided that I had to return home to watch the Reds in the final home game of the season against Spurs. This was a massive game for me because this was the day that we clinched the league title. It was probably our best ever comeback because we had been written off earlier in the season when we were in twelfth place at Christmas. Bruce had suffered a difficult first season at Anfield and had some very erratic performances causing a few embarrassing defeats.

Our greatest ever keeper, the legendary Ray Clemence was in goal for Spurs that day and as you can probably imagine he received an amazing reception from the crowd on his return. It was a fantastic day and a wonderful feeling as I watched us lift the league title trophy and it totally made the long trip home worthwhile.

A few days later Liverpool were playing at Bury’s ground Gigg Lane for a testimonial for in honour of their long serving player Keith Kennedy, the brother of Reds legend Alan Kennedy. Bury’s ground is only a few miles from my parents home so I just had to go and watch it, any chance to see my heroes in action has to be taken every time in my opinion.

I went to the game with a few good friends and we arrived early enough to go for a pint at the local boozer. We were just quenching our thirst with a nice drop of lager when Bruce Grobbelaar walked in the door. I almost spilled my pint all over myself when I saw the great man right there before my very eyes. In an amazing coincidence I just happened to be wearing my brand new Vancouver Whitecaps shirt so naturally Bruce came over for a chat. It was one of the most enjoyable pints of my entire life as Bruce and I had a cracking chat all about LFC, Vancouver and his time in the Rhodesian army. He was a great fella and just as funny and personable as he comes across on the TV. I still have the programme from that game; I just wish I’d got the great man to sign it for me at the time.”

For some great footage of Bruce in action and more great stories check out this link .

Next weeks featured ex Red will be another former Whitecaps player, Peter Beardsley. If you have any stories relating to Beardsley please forward them onto me, I’d love to hear them and they may be used in next week’s newsletter.

What do you think? Give Ste or Kevin your comments at steSpeed [at] lfcvancouver.com.

RTK: HOW LFC FANS CHANGED FOOTBALL FASHION - Reclaim The Kop

Liverpool supporters are famous for creating the best flags and songs in football but did you know they were responsible for kick-starting a multi-billion pound men's clothing industry?

More here.

Peter Crouch has visited the Nou Camp on a spy mission ahead of the Champions League second round.

More here.

A throwaway line from Rafa after the derby has caused a huge storm on Merseyside, as the blues have gone apoplectic.

More here.

They weren’t very good, but we loved them anyway. 10 Players Who Shook the Kop (with laughter) Following on from liverpoolfc.tv’s excellent 100 Players Who Shook the Kop, here’s a TLW run down of ten players who didn’t necessarily shake the Kop with their talent, but gave us a good laugh and will be remembered with a smile.

More here.

IT’S been more than a decade since we last had a proper spat between derby bosses.

More here.

RAFA BENITEZ today explained his thinking behind the comments which have infuriated Everton in the aftermath of Saturday’s derby.

More here.

Javier Mascherano is keen to establish himself at Liverpool and prove he can make an impact in the Premiership.

More here.

Left-back Fabio Aurelio has revealed he will never give up his dream of playing for the Brazil national side.

More here.

Alvaro Arbeloa's move to Liverpool has been backed by his former Real Madrid team-mate Raul.

More here.

IRISH businessman John Miskelly is preparing an approach to Steve Morgan in an attempt to rival the imminent American takeover of Liverpool FC.

More here.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez believes the club's new American owners have 'a clear idea' of how to make the Reds bigger and better.

More here.

And then there were three. Having spurned suitors from Thailand and Dubai, Liverpool have finally agreed a takeover and, after Manchester United and Aston Villa, become the third Premier League club to be acquired by American investors.

More here.

The arrival of US sporting tycoons George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks at Liverpool this week has raised many questions over the direction the club will now take.

More here.

More here.

Tony Barrett describes how club tradition was maintained on American Takeover Tuesday.

More here.

WORK should start on Liverpool FC’s new stadium within the next 60 days, say the club’s new owners.

More here.

A BRIGHT new era dawned over Liverpool FC today as George Gillett and Tom Hicks started their first day in charge of the Anfield club.

More here.

LIVERPOOL’S new co-owners have asked Rafa Benitez to provide a short-term business plan to take Liverpool Football Club to the brink of world dominati on.

More here.

WE’D rather you didn’t mention the F-word, please. You’re in Liverpool now.

More here.

A disappointing draw with Everton halted a surge of league form that would be worthy of a side about to be crowned league champions. Fortunately the below par performance from the Reds was quickly forgotten owing to a throw away comment from Rafael Benitez.

More here.

It was arguably the most momentous occasion in Liverpool's history as George Gillett and Tom Hicks were unveiled as the new co-chairmen at Anfield. Here's the historic pictures from an historic day.

More here.

Sam Lister looks at the impact of yesterday’s takeover on Liverpool’s planned new stadium

More here.

IN A WAY, the 115-year history of Liverpool FC has had at its heart a saga of broad intrigue and the necessity for a new ground.

More here.

Outgoing Liverpool Chairman David Moores stayed, as always, out of the spotlight yesterday as his beloved Reds were passed over to the new owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillet.

More here.

Liverpool should spend their megabucks on a world-class diver if they want to compete with Chelsea and Manchester United.

More here.

Liverpool's exhaustive search for a suitor had more to do with protecting the club's history than making a quick buck.

More here.

What would Shanks have said? That was the question older Liverpool fans must have been asking themselves yesterday as the club passed into American ownership.

More here.

Memo to George Gillett and Tom Hicks: In buying Liverpool Football Club, you have not acquired another "franchise", as you unfortunately described them yesterday.

More here.

In November 2004, five months into his new job at Anfield, Rafa Benitez watched an inexperienced Liverpool side, packed with talent from the club's academy in Kirkby, knock holders Middlesbrough out of the Carling Cup.

More here.

JAMIE CARRAGHER is hoping Manchester United and Chelsea’s dominance in the transfer market will now be seriously threatened by Liverpool’s American takeover.

More here.

LIVERPOOL FC’s new owners want to meet Reds fans face to face.

More here.

AS patriotic Americans, George Gillett and Tom Hicks will know the US constitution. But what do they know about the club they have just bought? To help them, Tony Barrett writes a Liverpool FC Constitution

More here.

George Gillett admits he is on a mission to win the respect of every Kopite in the world.

More here.

YNWA/JFT 96,
Andy Neumann

Standings as of 1 February 07.

Rank	Member	Points
1	Lance	23
2	Kevin	22
3	Ste	21
4	Dennis	20
4	Mark Aston	20
6	Andy	17
7	Keith	12
8	Glenn Whyte	10
8	Dave Curtis	10
10	Quentin	5
11	Glenn Whitt.	3
12	Chris Cole	1

To enter the members contest see the rules below.

RULES:

• Only open to paid LFC Vancouver Members.
• You list the names of the players you think will start the next LFC match.
• You must submit your list to lfcvancouver [at] gmail.com at least 12 hours before kick-off.
• This contest will include every match that LFC plays this season. Starting with Blackburn.
• The member(s) that correctly guess the starting XI will be awarded 5 points.
• At the end of the season the player with the most points will win the prize.
• What is the prize? It is a surprise!
• The standings will be included in each week’s newsletter.

Scoring System:

• 11 Correct picks = 5 points.
• 10 Correct picks = 3 points.
• 9 Correct picks = 1 point.
• 0-8 Correct picks = 0 points.

YNWA/JFT 96,

Andy Neumann