Precisely what I was afraid off what with him being not just an ambassador for the club, but a role model for children.

Having said that, I do still think that anything Suarez does is put under a microscope. I'm sure someone, somewhere has done a "Cantona", or a "Zidane" but no one reported it, or rather, no news agency thought it was worthwhile to report.

Same reason why I was all for Gerrard during the Gerrard-Lampard debate on who is the better player?

Tough being a Chelsea fan, having to support Rafa but in the end, the club comes first. Whoever wishes for the club not to do well just to get the manager sacked needs to be institutionalised. Some years back, we were rumoured to be considering Jose Mourinho. Although I did not like him, I respected him as a manager and like some posters here, I was actually looking forward to his appointment. So what if he was an old adversary who would constantly lock horns with Rafa? He was a man who stood by his players and injected huge dosses of confidence in his side. He was and is still cocky but he can back it up. That's what mattered to me.

On a more somber note, Jamie Carragher will be pulling on the red kit for the last time against QPR. I've witnessed his career from start to finish and though I never thought he'd amount to much, I became a fan of Carra not purely for his ability, but for his attitude. He never gives up and he's always putting his body on the line. My favourite Liverpool player, of my generation. Well done Carra. I'll learn Scouse for when you are on air.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1641034...te-one-club-man?

Some perspective.

Houllier (54 points)

Benitez (58 points)

Hodgson / Dalglish (58 points)

Rodgers (61 points)

1st season points tally. Why I firmly believe we should still persist with Rodgers and give him another season at least.

The Europa Cup was a long and grueling tournament and although we only reached the round of 32, we had played 12 games if you include the qualifiers, 3 games less than our Champions League winning season. This included harsh trips to Russia, Belarus and Switzerland. We also did this with the youngest squad on average in the league, indicating that we had to rely heavily on youth players whilst missing quality internationals in the likes of Xabi Alonso, Sami Hyppia, Dietmar Hamann and Steven Gerrard mk.1.

It just comes to show how other teams have improved, making our task of breaking back into the top four, that much harder. The league is more competitive these days so should we not be giving Rodgers more slack than we did the predecessors?

The way our central pairing play so high up the pitch and take up almost fullback positions, any central defender who doesn't have pace will struggle.

Kolo Toure will be available for free so it isn't a big risk. Makes sense to have cover in that position since Carra has retired and Skrtel is rumoured to be leaving back for Russia. We have Martin Kelly who can slot in but there is always the risk on injury.

I think we do need more bodies in that department but if anything I reckon we need a strong defender in the air. Toure isn't by any means a tall defender and we've conceded a fair number of goals from corners and crosses.

On the issue of David Moyes replacing Fergie, I actually think he'll do a decent job. He doesn't appear one to be phased by pressure and there will be a great deal of it what with them being reigning Premiership champions. In this time with Everton, Moyes has done a pretty good job with young players so much so that Jack Rodwell had a standout performance with City in their last game of the season. Let's not forget that it was he who groomed a young Wayne Rooney and did his best to ensure he would not suffer from burnout by not overplaying him.

Everton have been punching above their weight for awhile now despite having less resources than even Blackburn did before they got relegated. Losing Tim Cahill was a big blow to them but they coped well even in his absence. Losing Thomas Gravesan to Real Madrid some years back would set them back I thought but again, they coped. Ask any team and they'll tell you Goodison Park is not an easy ground to get 3 points from. They don't park the bus either and play positive football even in the face of bigger opposition. Fergie would not have retired if he didn't feel Moyes wasn't up to the task.

Moyes in my opinion has the steely determination and composure needed to manage a big club. I'd like him to fall on his face of course but to say I truly believe in that would be a lie.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: May 22 2013, 10:58 AM

Haangelaand had previously been linked with us. Don't bother listening to rumours unless it's from an official or credible source.

Some nice words from Henry Winter. It still hasn't fully sunk in that Carra has actually played his last game for us.

http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-new...jamie-carragher

Sammy Lee: "I will remember him as our No.23. Maybe the number should be retired. For me Jamie Carragher epitomises Liverpool FC at its best. I wouldn't like to say Mr Liverpool but whenever anyone talks about Liverpool Football Club in the future they will mention Shankly, Paisley, Dalglish, Souness, Rush and for me I'd have to say Jamie Carragher should be mentioned in the same breath. I can pay him no greater honour than that."

Tommy Smith: "Jamie reminds me a little bit of me to tell you the truth because I could not play a game of football without shouting at people! His performance in Istanbul - they will talk about that for years and years."

So says the Anfield Iron.

Good reason to root for Dortmund.

http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/brillian...ut-of-gladbach/

I don't quite agree that Sturridge has been inconsistent. His problem in the past is he wasn't a regular starter. I think he's been amazing since signing for us and he has maintained a level of consistency even coming off the bench or after missing a game. His goals to appearance ratio is evident of that. Strikers can not see the ball the entire game but what's important is that they score when the opportunity presents itself. I don't think a striker is the priority right now. We've scored a lot of goals last season. I think we need to first strengthen our options in defence and add some steel to our midfield.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: May 25 2013, 10:51 AM

I'm pleased at the notion that Begovic is in our crosshairs. Good young keeper with plenty of Premiership experience. I can't fault Reina for the majority of our goals and thus, I feel we need to focus on our central pairing especially now that we no longer have Carra to organise the backline. We have failed to pickup players on too many occasions.

My 2 cents

I've been an admirer of Carroll all this while but I do not think he is a CL quality striker. I think he is a good option to have though because the EPL is a physical league and having a battering ram up front is useful. Even in Europe, his aerial prowess will be effective against continental teams who do field smaller centrebacks, Barcelona being a case in point. One needs to remember that it wasn't BR who signed him and there isn't a point in forcing him into the team if he doesn't suit BR's needs. Chelsea spent big on Sheva and Torres because Abramovich decided to and look what happened when they were forced to play in a system that suited neither.

Football today isn't as direct though. Smaller centrebacks are quicker and more mobile allowing teams to play a high line, effectively nullifying the threat of big lumbering centreforwards. They become useful then only during setpieces e.g. Stoke. Carroll needs to work on his movement if he is to adapt to a more continental brand of football. If you look at the top sides, not many field traditional English type centreforwards. If they are big, they are also mobile.

We only signed Sturridge in the 2nd half of the season. Prior to that, Suarez was doing a pretty decent job at scoring by himself. Also, I think we're looking at formations too literally. Suarez may have often been the only recognised striker on paper but the likes of Downing, Sterling, Gerrard, Henderson, Shelvey have all been urged to get into the box to support him.

One stark difference is this. We've been giving ample playing time to young, untested players at the highest level. I say this is good exposure. It is a gamble of course but I'm all for developing young players. We have the youngest squad in the league on average. We have potential. Yes, we aren't at the level some of the top clubs are but we are getting there. The young lads have largely flourished and this includes Sturridge and Countinho.

Inconsistency has been our biggest rival in recent years and I think that the best way to battle against it, is through perseverance. Changing the team up every season often holds back progress, unless we're bringing in the best players in the world, which we cannot afford at the moment. I say persist with the young lads and see them blossom.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: May 27 2013, 01:27 PM

Lol. Good spot.

If a player is playing well, what's wrong with giving him more opportunities? Gerrard was overused as well this season by that reckoning. Sterling was dropped when his performance took a dive. In attack, we've used Suso, Sterling, Downing, Borini, Suarez, Sturridge, Countinho, Gerrard and even Shelvey (false no.9). That's more than most teams. We had to compensate for injuries and non-performance of course.

Suso was ever present early in the season but seldom produced.

If we do part with Carroll it will be cutting our losses and if BR doesn't see a fit for him, there is no point in having him on the bench. May as well spend that money to reinforce the team. Based on his contribution so far, it won't be too difficult to find a replacement. This isn't to say that he will not amount to something, just maybe not with us. We can't change the way an entire team plays to accommodate one player unless he's in the mold of someone like Stevie.

Said before that Reina had look unhappy for awhile now. His interviews are indicative of that. If Barca come a knocking, there is nothing the gaffer can do. An opportunity to go home and play for one of the biggest clubs in the world is too good to pass off.

Begovic hasn't been a no.1 for all that long but at 25, he's still young for a keeper. I vaguely remember a number of games where he pulled off some really good reflex saves. Appears to be a rather good shot stopper and he's done well to displace then Danish no.1 Thomas Sorensen. I see comments attributing his form to Shawcross and Huth but neither for me are outstanding defenders. One could then argue that Reina had the likes of Carra, Hyypia or Agger playing in front of him at one point or another. He may not be a marquee signing but he's got potential and he's been in the league a long time.

I wonder if criticism of Begs is aimed at his ability, or merely his lack of fame? If it's the case of the latter, I doubt many knew who the likes of Sander Westerveld, Jerzy Dudek, Brad Friedel, Pepe Reina or even Bruce Grobbelar, whose early days with us resulted in numerous errors, were.

From what I can gather the fact that we aren't linked to any marquee players is a source of frustration because it shows a lack of ambition.

We'll go about in circles arguing why we feel FSG should or should not splurge on big names. It comes down to whether or not we agree with their policy of buying young players with the potential to yield high returns in the future. The club has also constantly reiterated that they will not indulge in negative spending so if we are hoping to sign a hallmark player, we'd need to first improve our cash flow. Will it happen this season? I don't know. Let's wait for the club to release its annual report.

In the case of Begovic, I do not think that the majority of critics have anything against his ability. In the times I've seen him play, he looked steady and reliable. I think it's only fair to criticise or praise him if you've seen him play regularly and weighed him against other more attractive names from abroad. There are a number of highly rated, young and tall German goalkeepers but they'll cost some serious money. I don't know if he'll turn out to be world class but from what little I've seen, I'm keen to see him have a go. If Reina does stay, at least we'll have competition for that position. Jones is a nice bloke but looks far from being a top keeper as does Gulasci. We also now have highly rated Welsh youth international, Danny Ward as backup. Hope he'll turn out to be a Neville Southall.