Click the auto-update button for the latest posts and email [email protected] with your witticisms. And for all the latest scores in the Europa League click here
A year ago to the day Yossi Benayoun was scoring Liverpool’s winner at the Bernebeu. How times change. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
5:57pm: An early victory for Liverpool as Steve Gerrard wins the toss – is there no end to Captain Marvel’s heroics? „I wonder if ‘sorry I’m late, the traffic was terrrible’ was what Paul Ince said to Duncan Ferguson after this exchange?” coughs Mac Millings. Apologising to Duncan Ferguson is always a wise option, I’d suggest.
5:55pm: „As i pondered the worst possible replacement for Rafa,” begins Connor Hurley. „Paul Ince ambled into the studio …”
5:52pm: TV has cut to commercial. The first one is for a car, which reminds of a question that I would like an answer to. Why do they say the price of the the car in digits rather than a complete number, ie. ONE FIVE NINE NINE NINE rather than fifteen thousand nine hundred and ninety nine pounds? Is it because they’re paying for the ad by-the-second and it’s quicker that way? Or is it because they think the first way makes it sound cheaper?
5:50pm: Rafa has just been interviewed on TV and disclosed that Glen Johnson will be back in action next week. He said some other things too but I’ve already forgotten them.
5:48pm: Paul Ince has arrived in an ESPN studio hitherto occupied by Ray Stubbs and Clive Allen. „Sorry I’m late,” he says. „The traffic was terrible.” Sort it out, Guv’nor!
5:40pm: „The worst possible replacement for Rafa?” muses Guy Miri. „That would be Sammy Lee.” Meanwhile, here are the line-ups from Ukraine.
Shakhtar Donetsk: Pyatov, Srna, Kucher, Rakitskiy, Rat,
Hubschman, Fernandinho, Ilsinho, Jadson, Willian, Luiz Adriano.
Subs: Tetenko, Lewandowski, Gai, Douglas Costa, Gladkyy,
Kravchenko, Ischenko.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Baird, Hangeland, Hughes, Kelly, Duff,
Murphy, Etuhu, Davies, Gera, Zamora.
Subs: Zuberbuhler, Nevland, Riise, Smalling, Greening, Elm, Marsh-Brown.
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (Norway)
Preamble:
Unirea have been hostile hosts in Europe this season – beating Sevilla and drawing with Stuttgart and Rangers – so chances are they will muster enough menace to at least stretch Liverpool and perhaps even force Rafa Benitez’s drones to tear off the straitjacket that has made them so boring to watch in recent games (at least). But Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun are starting so that’s positive and there is even the prospect of Fernando Torres being unleashed at some point, so there is ample reason to stick with us here. Honest.
If you’re still not sold after that spiel, then bear in mind that there’s also Fulham’s adventure in Shakhtar Donestsk of which to keep track, and I’ll be doing my best to do just that. The classy Ukranians have got to be favourites but there can be no denying that Roy Hodgson has excelled to haul Fulham this far and another surprising feat may not be beyond the Cottagers – in fact, if Rafa were to part company with Liverpool any time soon, Hodgson wouldn’t be the worst choice to succeed him. (It is interesting at this point to ponder who would be the worst choice – Graeme Souness? Howlin’ Mad Murdoch? Darren Ferguson?).
Teams:
Unirea Urziceni: Arlauskis, Maftei, Galamaz, Bruno Fernandes, Bordeanu, Paduretu, Paraschiv, Apostol, Onofras, Bilasco,
Frunza.
Subs: Tudor, Mehmedovic, Rusescu, Nicu, Semedo, Vilana,
Marinescu.
Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Agger, Skrtel, Insua, Babel,
Gerrard, Lucas, Mascherano, Benayoun, Ngog.
Subs: Cavalieri, Aquilani, Torres, Aurelio, Kyrgiakos, Kuyt, Kelly.
Referee: Stefan Johannesson (Sweden)
Read the article on The Guardian
Unirea Urziceni v Liverpool – live!
Click the auto-update button for the latest posts and email [email protected] with your witticisms. And for all the latest scores in the Europa League click here
A year ago to the day Yossi Benayoun was scoring Liverpool’s winner at the Bernebeu. How times change. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
5:57pm: An early victory for Liverpool as Steve Gerrard wins the toss – is there no end to Captain Marvel’s heroics? „I wonder if ‘sorry I’m late, the traffic was terrrible’ was what Paul Ince said to Duncan Ferguson after this exchange?” coughs Mac Millings. Apologising to Duncan Ferguson is always a wise option, I’d suggest.
5:55pm: „As i pondered the worst possible replacement for Rafa,” begins Connor Hurley. „Paul Ince ambled into the studio …”
5:52pm: TV has cut to commercial. The first one is for a car, which reminds of a question that I would like an answer to. Why do they say the price of the the car in digits rather than a complete number, ie. ONE FIVE NINE NINE NINE rather than fifteen thousand nine hundred and ninety nine pounds? Is it because they’re paying for the ad by-the-second and it’s quicker that way? Or is it because they think the first way makes it sound cheaper?
5:50pm: Rafa has just been interviewed on TV and disclosed that Glen Johnson will be back in action next week. He said some other things too but I’ve already forgotten them.
5:48pm: Paul Ince has arrived in an ESPN studio hitherto occupied by Ray Stubbs and Clive Allen. „Sorry I’m late,” he says. „The traffic was terrible.” Sort it out, Guv’nor!
5:40pm: „The worst possible replacement for Rafa?” muses Guy Miri. „That would be Sammy Lee.” Meanwhile, here are the line-ups from Ukraine.
Shakhtar Donetsk: Pyatov, Srna, Kucher, Rakitskiy, Rat,
Hubschman, Fernandinho, Ilsinho, Jadson, Willian, Luiz Adriano.
Subs: Tetenko, Lewandowski, Gai, Douglas Costa, Gladkyy,
Kravchenko, Ischenko.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Baird, Hangeland, Hughes, Kelly, Duff,
Murphy, Etuhu, Davies, Gera, Zamora.
Subs: Zuberbuhler, Nevland, Riise, Smalling, Greening, Elm, Marsh-Brown.
Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (Norway)
Preamble:
Unirea have been hostile hosts in Europe this season – beating Sevilla and drawing with Stuttgart and Rangers – so chances are they will muster enough menace to at least stretch Liverpool and perhaps even force Rafa Benitez’s drones to tear off the straitjacket that has made them so boring to watch in recent games (at least). But Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun are starting so that’s positive and there is even the prospect of Fernando Torres being unleashed at some point, so there is ample reason to stick with us here. Honest.
If you’re still not sold after that spiel, then bear in mind that there’s also Fulham’s adventure in Shakhtar Donestsk of which to keep track, and I’ll be doing my best to do just that. The classy Ukranians have got to be favourites but there can be no denying that Roy Hodgson has excelled to haul Fulham this far and another surprising feat may not be beyond the Cottagers – in fact, if Rafa were to part company with Liverpool any time soon, Hodgson wouldn’t be the worst choice to succeed him. (It is interesting at this point to ponder who would be the worst choice – Graeme Souness? Howlin’ Mad Murdoch? Darren Ferguson?).
Teams:
Unirea Urziceni: Arlauskis, Maftei, Galamaz, Bruno Fernandes, Bordeanu, Paduretu, Paraschiv, Apostol, Onofras, Bilasco,
Frunza.
Subs: Tudor, Mehmedovic, Rusescu, Nicu, Semedo, Vilana,
Marinescu.
Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Agger, Skrtel, Insua, Babel,
Gerrard, Lucas, Mascherano, Benayoun, Ngog.
Subs: Cavalieri, Aquilani, Torres, Aurelio, Kyrgiakos, Kuyt, Kelly.
Referee: Stefan Johannesson (Sweden)
Read the article on The Guardian
