http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/ Luke Traynor has been following Liverpool for the past 30 years. His first major recollection is staying up way past his bedtime as a six-year-old to watch Alan Kennedy caress the ball into the net against Roma to record a fourth European Cup. Here he reflects on the highs and lows of the current Anfield order. en Copyright 2008 Tue, 13 May 2008 21:43:47 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss IF one player splits opinion among Reds fans, it's Xabi Alonso. After a mediocre season from the Spaniard, speculation has increased about a possible Anfield exit. For some supporters that would be transfer suicide; to others it would be a sound piece of football business.]]> http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/05/the_alonso_debate_1.html http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/05/the_alonso_debate_1.html Player Profile djbril cisse gerrard jan molby luton rafa benitez spaniard steve harper xabi alonso Tue, 13 May 2008 21:43:47 +0000 WHO are you supporting in Moscow? That's the agonising conundrum a fellow Red in the office put to me yesterday which pretty much left me defeated whichever way I thought about it. Ok, so neither is the obvious answer, but most of us will probably be watching the final and I'm sure we'll be secretly half-siding with one of the horrible lot, if only to pile the misery on the other. So who do we pick?]]> http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/05/the_dilemna_1.html http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/05/the_dilemna_1.html Misc LFC Ashley Cole Chelski Man Utd Moscow Rio Ferdinand Tue, 06 May 2008 21:51:27 +0000 We've faxed through a £10m bid for Gareth Barry. It's good to see that Rafa is deciding to get into the transfer market early, as we always leave our summertime wheeling and dealing far too late. But I'm not convinced that, as good as Barry is, he is what we need. ]]> http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/05/gazza_bazza_1.html http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/05/gazza_bazza_1.html Fri, 02 May 2008 19:12:00 +0000 THE dream is over. We won't be going to a third Champions League final in four years. But we went pretty damn close.]]> http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/05/euro_heartache.html http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/05/euro_heartache.html Match Reaction alonso chelsea drogba europe hyppia liverpool Thu, 01 May 2008 02:52:37 +0000 REMEMBER when Liverpool paraded around Wembley dressed in those ridiculous white suits before serving up that inept FA Cup final performance in 1996? Sorry to remind you all. I think we'd all agree that those days of a guffawing Ruddock in suit and shades trying to look like an Armani model are best left in the past. However, it looks like that if our new Swiss signing has anything to do with it, the souped up glamour could worryingly be heading back to Anfield.]]> http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/degen_the_spice_boy.html http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/degen_the_spice_boy.html Player Profile degen degendegen liverpool model pictures swiss Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:13:51 +0000 AS time rumbles on until the day of reckoning, Rafa has a few selection headaches on his hands. That last minute blunder at Anfield suddenly changed the Spaniard's thinking for the second leg, and ultimately, how the Reds might now line up. ]]> http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/formation_formation_formation.html http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/formation_formation_formation.html Pre Match anelka babel benitez drogba riise stamford bridge Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:56:22 +0000 FOOTBALL can be the cruellest of games sometimes. For 94 minutes the Reds bossed the game against a bullied Chelsea side and looked superior in every department. Yet somehow, we didn’t get the 2-0 that would have been easily deserved. ]]> http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/agony_at_the_death.html http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/agony_at_the_death.html Europe alonso champions league chelsea drogba joe cole kop riise Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:41:09 +0000 I GENUINELY believe that Liverpool are only a few top class players short of a title-winning squad. As the summer break lurches into view (admittedly we've got some huge games before that) our thoughts naturally turn to the kind of talent that could be brought into Anfield to bring that consistency in the Premiership that we all crave. ]]> http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/new_red_blood_1.html http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/new_red_blood_1.html Transfer Talk alves bentley berbatov cheyrou defoe diouf johnson quaresma Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:21:06 +0000 DESPITE the continuing tensions in the Anfield boardroom following more damaging revelations over the weekend, the side are still performing out on the pitch. After a turgid first half, the Reds, or Steven Gerrard to put it more accurately, stepped up to put a Blackburn side to the sword who hardly threatened.]]> http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/gerrard_pen_shouts_and_refs_1.html http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/gerrard_pen_shouts_and_refs_1.html Match Reaction alan wiley blackburn friedel gerrard jason roberts samba skrtel Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:37:04 +0000 ANOTHER sedate European tie at Anfield last night. Quite what they put in the water in L4 just before big Euro kick-offs is anyone's guess. Differences aside, both Liverpool and Arsenal should both be applauded for giving the competition one of the most thrilling matches the Champions League has seen for years. ]]> http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/another_sedate_european_tie_at_1.html http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/another_sedate_european_tie_at_1.html Europe Arsenal Centenary Stand Champions League Chelsea Diaby Liverpool Walcott Wenger Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:18:06 +0000 THE great Anfield strikers debate is one of most revisited of the last couple of years. The events at the Emirates on Saturday added more fuel to a well-trodden argument that still divides Reds everywhere.]]> http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/gunners_part_two.html http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/gunners_part_two.html Match Reaction Sat, 05 Apr 2008 18:57:00 +0000 STRANGE things happened at the Emirates last night. Dirk Kuyt put in a barnstormer, we forgot how to defend at corners and we had a Champions League ref who officiated with sense and maturity. Best of all, we've given ourselves a great chance to once again make the semi-final of the Champions League.]]> http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/dirk_delivers_1.html http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/dirk_delivers_1.html Referees Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:04:30 +0000 THE postscript to The Friendly Derby continues apace today. In the aftermath of the game, Benitez chastised Everton fans for their chants towards Steven Gerrard. It was swiftly followed today by Everton urging police to identify the Kemlyn Road fan who allegedly ‘punched’ and ‘spat at’ Phil Neville. Sadly, it seems that year on year, any lingering hope that Reds and Blues could once again act cordially towards each other is disappearing fast.]]> http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/its_only_a_gameisnt_it.html http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/04/its_only_a_gameisnt_it.html Fanzone chanting Everton Gerrard Heysel Hillsborough Lescott Liverpool Shields Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:15:44 +0000 SO, a deserved 1-0 to the Reds and city bragging rights to us for the second time this season. Truth be told, it should have been a lot more comfortable. I don't think 3-0 would have flattered us. ]]> http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/03/derby_the_verdict.html http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/03/derby_the_verdict.html Match Reaction Babel Crouch Derby Gerrard Skrtel Torres Yak Attack Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:10:50 +0000 LIVERPOOL and Everton approach this weekend’s Merseyside Derby with their tails somewhat between their legs. Some chastening draws or defeats have taken the wind out of the sails of barnstorming runs embarked on by both teams. But that shouldn’t hide the fact that this is one of the most important Red/Blue fixtures for years.]]> http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/03/derby_day_1.html http://luketraynor.merseyblogs.co.uk/2008/03/derby_day_1.html Pre Match Cahill Champions League Derby Lescott Lucas Mascherano Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:16:12 +0000