10 Coolest Soccer Balls in Soccer History | Bleacher Report

1. Adidas Tango España | 10 Coolest Soccer Balls in Soccer History | Bleacher Report:

'via Blog this'

Shylocks

It’s been some time since Liverpool toured South-East Asia and from all accounts, it was quite successful. On the surface, it would have seemed the ultimate experience for me, a life-long Red (if you count life starting at 14 back in ‘74) fan, to see my heroes playing in my home. But I had felt misgivings and second guesses abounded from the time the tour was announced, and became stronger as the day approached to see them in the flesh. Why did this happen? I will try to put my feelings into words, although something as intangible as one’s love for the club is hard to formalize accurately.

                In the past long time ago, it felt that the players were a part of the community and you felt you knew them and felt for them, even if you were geographically displaced, like me. But then, in the 90’s, commercialism came along as a means of survival, initially, and later, as a mark of success. Now the players are hauled off at each opportunity to appease the sponsors, who, indirectly, pay for them. The Shylocks want their pound(s) of flesh. The team has become less and less a part of the community and more a part of a business. This was abundantly clear to me close up in Kuala Lumpur. The players and staff had their movements scheduled by the whims of corporate clowns, and every opportunity grabbed for crass promotion of their products.

                I am not sure that supporting this club with some ridiculously paid players, in the words of some, “mercenaries”, can fulfil the primitive urge of belonging anymore. Once again borrowing from geographical vocabulary, there has been erosion. Of support, feeling and belonging. Granted, this may be the way to go to guarantee long-term success for the club, which would then translate into trophies, which is what we all want. But at what price?

                I think that Liverpool Football Club has to rethink their role with their fans and maybe pull back a little. Rather than every moment being counted in fiscal terms, some time has to be given to connecting with the human side. Come this Saturday though, the next generation of Liverpool Football Club supporters and their dad will be in front of the LED screen, being as passionate about the club as before. Nevertheless, the doubts still linger.

Hanif Khan

Malaysia

How Liverpool's new-look midfield may line up | Gregg Roughley | Football | guardian.co.uk

How Liverpool's new-look midfield may line up

4-3-3

With Liverpool having a £15m bid rejected for the Aston Villa left-winger Stewart Downing there is an obvious lack of width in Kenny Dalglish's squad. To get around this a central three of Steven Gerrard (fitness permitting), Charlie Adam and one of Lucas Leiva or Jordan Henderson could sit behind Luis Suárez, Andy Carroll and Dirk Kuyt, with the Uruguayan offering width on the left and the Dutch forward naturally drifting out to the right. With Lucas, who was the Liverpool fans' player of the year last season, the most likely option as the trio's holding player, it would make sense for Adam to play slightly in front on the left, with Gerrard occupying the same position on the right. Adam's ability to spray long-distance passes from central midfield to either flank was one of Blackpool's major weapons last season and will go some way towards offering Liverpool a range of passing that they have lacked since Xabi Alonso's departure. This formation would also put the onus on the left and right full-backs to attack more. Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly are both equipped to do so. If Liverpool do not sign a new left-back before the season starts Johnson may switch to left-back with Kelly beginning the season on the right, where he was impressive for Liverpool last season.

4-4-2

If Liverpool want to accommodate all their new signings as well as their captain then Jordan Henderson may have to play as a right midfielder in a more traditional formation. From right to left at home: Henderson, Gerrard, Adam, Raul Meireles. From right to left away: Henderson, Lucas, Gerrard, Adam. These two varied line-ups depending on the strength of opposition do not immediately look pacey, but whichever four Dalglish chooses would not lack invention. With teams perhaps having wised up to the threat and movement of Suárez is could be that having four players with the ability to play short, threaded passes in midfield instead of three could keep defences guessing and Suárez scoring. Henderson's crossing ability would still ensure Carroll was provided with the service he requires to be a threat in the air, with Suárez drifting left to provide the ammunition for the big centre-forward on that side.

4-1-3-2

It may be that Meireles is sold before the season starts, along with Alberto Aquilani and Joe Cole. But having improved dramatically under Dalglish's stewardship the Portugal international is the one player who is most capable of playing the one-touch football that Dalglish's Liverpool sides of yore were capable of – and it may be that Liverpool's owner, Fenway Sports Group, is not willing to cash in its chips just yet. If Liverpool really want to cut loose at home and go for teams it could be that Dalglish overlooks Lucas and selects Meireles, Gerrard and Henderson as a midfield three, with Adam sat behind as a footballing equivalent of a quarterback. Meireles would be the player expected to get forwards and support Carroll and Suárez, using his clever movement to offer himself as a third forward, perhaps running into the space vacated by Suárez when the forward drifts left. Henderson, again, would drag his marker out to the right freeing up space for Gerrard (who is looking increasingly likely to play a more conservative role in his 30s) to direct things from the middle.

Joe Fagan was more than a co-pilot, he validated the Liverpool Way | Gregg Roughley | Football | guardian.co.uk

Joe Fagan was more than a co-pilot, he validated the Liverpool Way | Gregg Roughley | Football | guardian.co.uk

On the 10th anniversary of his death, Gregg Roughley argues that Liverpool's second European Cup-winning manager should be more widely appreciated

Joe Fagan celebrates Liverpool's 4-2 penalty victory over Roma in the 1984 European Cup final at Rome's Olympic Stadium. Photograph: Popperfoto.com

It's 10 years to the day since the former Liverpool manager Joe Fagan died aged 80. And while the brief but brilliant contribution of winning the League Cup, the league title and the European Cup in his first of only two seasons might be forgotten outside Merseyside, on the Kop it is cherished, affording him the hallowed status of the club's more famous fathers.

When Bob Paisley retired in 1983 the then Liverpool chairman, John Smith, had enough confidence in the burgeoning bootroom ethos to give Fagan the job. Despite having absorbed the managerial genius of Paisley, to whom he was assistant manager and Bill Shankly, whom he worked with as a coach in almost 30 years at the club, Fagan's only previous experience as a manager was long behind him at non-league Nelson in the 1950s.

That Fagan accepted the job is something for which Liverpool fans should be eternally grateful. The straightforward 59-year-old Scouser may have appeared to be the natural successor, but he was a reluctant one, saying of the Anfield job: "It's lonely up there." At only two years Paisley's junior, he was hardly a long-term option and admitted to feeling more at home enjoying the banter with players in training at Melwood than the rigours of succeeding a manager who had just won six league titles and three European Cups in only nine years, a record not even Sir Alex Ferguson has matched.

A 31-year-old Kenny Dalglish may have had the innate ability to cope with managing Liverpool but, in 1983, he was still busy terrorising defences with Ian Rush. Whether Smith ever considered the possibility of recruiting an outsider is not known, but that Fagan understood it was his duty to "wearily climb the steps", as Dalglish once said of Fagan's promotion, is. His remarkable success in his first season (1983-84) would do more than justify Smith's faith, it would also play a huge role in validating what has since become known as the Liverpool Way.

To his detractors Fagan was nothing more than a glorified co-pilot keeping an unstoppable machine pointed in the right direction. But that does the man a disservice. Liverpool's dressing-room was a strong one, with the experience of Graeme Souness, Phil Neal and Dalglish accompanied by some old-headed younger players such as Alan Hansen, Steve Nicol and Ronnie Whelan. Fagan was not merely brought in as a cheerleader, he was appointed because he was respected by a group of players of whom many had been used to getting what they wanted on and off the field for the best part of a decade. To walk into such a situation and have the strength of character to make telling decisions was not easy. The league campaign was a fiercely contested one. Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, Southampton and QPR ran Fagan's side close.

An embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Coventry City in the first half of the season could have sown the seeds of doubt in Fagan's mind that he was nothing more than a No2 and not up to the task, but by the turn of the year Liverpool were top by two points and heading towards a 15th league title. Using the much-maligned Michael Robinson as a third attacker was a shrewd move too, keeping the formation fresh and giving the young striker the experience he would need to deputise for Dalglish who missed nine weeks of the run-in with a shattered cheekbone caused by the elbow of Manchester United's Kevin Moran.

Fagan also dropped Dalglish in his two-year spell. Perhaps it is this painful memory that prompts the Scot more than any other Liverpool player or manager to recite the old adage that no player is bigger than the club, another vital component of the Liverpool Way. Liverpool's remarkable run in the European Cup, in which they did the rarest of things at the time and tore apart the Portuguese champions Benfica at the Stadium of Light, winning 4-1, culminated in a final against Roma at their home ground, the Stadio Olimpico .

A baying atmosphere made it feel like an away match for Liverpool, but they were 1-0 up after only 13 minutes when Phil Neal pounced on a fumbled cross by Franco Tancredi. Roberto Pruzzo's equaliser before half-time led to a cagey second-half and extra time, finally culminating in penalties. Despite 70,000 hostile Romans willing Liverpool to miss every kick, it was the 'home' side who suffered. Fagan's quiet word with Bruce Grobbelaar, instructing him to do what he could to put off Roma's penalty-takers, worked a treat. The eccentric goalkeeper's spaghetti legs routine gave Francesco Graziani the wobbles, forcing him to shank Roma's fourth penalty over the bar, allowing Alan Kennedy to secure Liverpool's fourth European Cup.

Fagan did not allow Liverpool's players to celebrate for long. "Here are the Championship medals. If you qualified for one, take one," he told his squad after their short summer break. "The trophies we won last season, the European Cup, League Championship and League Cup are gone. In the past. We start again. We're European champions. We have to defend our title."

He quietly replaced Graeme Souness with Jan Molby, arguably the finest passer of a football to wear a red shirt (Xabi Alonso included). It was a signing that would benefit Dalglish as manager more than Fagan, but showed that he had a keen eye for a footballer and was more than just a coach.

Perhaps it was because Fagan, who never actually played for the club, was so steeped in the Liverpool Way that he resigned in May 1985. "Second is nowhere", was Shankly's motto. That's where Liverpool finished in the league (to Everton) following his treble-winning season. His decision was taken in the days leading up to the horrors of Heysel, in which 39 Juventus fans died after Liverpool fans caused a wall to collapse during fighting before the match. Liverpool lost the final in Brussels 1-0. Not that it mattered after what had gone before.

While the red half of the city was paralysed by guilt, Fagan showed his strength of character, It was he who spoke for the football club at a memorial service at Liverpool's catholic cathedral when others could not. "We pray for their families and friends who have suffered through bereavement," he said in his warm Liverpudlian lilt. "We pray that the sporting spirit, so treasured on Merseyside, may never be lost to violence or bitterness." Perhaps it is because Dalglish learned from Fagan that the responsibility of being a football manager sometimes goes beyond making football decisions that he was able to hold the club together so bravely in the aftermath of Hillsborough.

That Fagan's glorious cameo should end on such a sombre note is a crying shame. But his work at Liverpool was done. His success emboldened the board to once again recruit from within: a decision that is still benefiting the club to this day.

Inside King Kenny's court: How Dalglish put the fighting spirit back into Liverpool | Mail Online

Inside King Kenny's court: How Dalglish put the fighting spirit back into Liverpool | Mail Online

PASS AND MOVE

Those three short words are ingrained in Anfield culture and provide a reminder of what Liverpool teams are expected to do. Under Hodgson, though, they were predictable and pedestrian, never threatening to bamboozle opponents with sharp, incisive interchanges. 

A number of players had become disillusioned with the way Liverpool were set up under Hodgson, so news of Dalglish’s return was gleefully received as those who had grown frustrated knew he would ask them to play football as it should be played once again.

That, clearly, has been the case. A 31-pass move led to the final goal in the 3-0 win over Wolves on January 22, Luis Suarez showed glimpses against Stoke City of what his manager expects and Liverpool were much the more accomplished side on the ball against Chelsea.

Put it there: (from left) Sammy Lee, Steve Clarke and Kenny Dalglish celebrate Liverpool's success at Chelsea

UNITED FRONT

Rewind the clock 12 months and this was the scene that confronted Anfield observers: the owners were barely on speaking terms; the managing director and the manager
were deeply suspicious of each other; the squad lacked harmony and the supporters were fed up with everything. 

The atmosphere around Melwood, to put it mildly, was wretched and only when Liverpool were forced to travel to their Europa League semi-final in Madrid by train did you get a feeling the players were happy to be in each other’s company.

Things improved towards the end of the year — evidence of this came when a number of senior players organised a team meal in a city-centre Japanese restaurant — but there was always the feeling that it could be better again. Enter Dalglish.

Idolised by supporters, respected by the squad he has inherited and revered by Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group, Dalglish has brought a club that had  splintered in so many different directions back together again. 

As Dirk Kuyt observed: ‘He is a legend to us all.’

Happy campers: Dalglish has brought smiles back to his Liverpool squad

21ST CENTURY BOOTROOM

Dalglish wasted no time in appointing Steve Clarke as his assistant and, day by day, that is proving to be a shrewd move — already the former Chelsea and West Ham assistant is being spoken of by many in the squad in the most complimentary terms.

Clarke is a quiet, unassuming figure but there is no doubt he has made an impact and, strange though this may sound, his addition to the backroom staff makes Liverpool’s dug-out seem a much more professional set-up. 

Hodgson failed in his attempt to make Sami Hyypia his No 2 and, at times, it looked as if he was on his own on the touchline. Sammy Lee was on hand but Mike Kelly, the goalkeeping coach he brought from Fulham, would watch games from the directors’ box.

Now when Dalglish turns around during matches, he has the assiduous Clarke on hand to make observations, as well as the loyal servant Lee. 

Quick off the mark: £22.8million signing Luis Suarez opened his Liverpool account at Stoke

TRAIN TO GAIN

It is impossible to dispute that things at Melwood had become stale during the final weeks of Hodgson’s tenure. Gripes about the sessions which were put on became more widespread. Technically there was nothing wrong with what he was doing but it lacked imagination. Hodgson worked over and over again on drills but now training has taken a different course. 

Clarke is responsible for putting on sessions that players are finding more enjoyable and there is an onus on more small-sided games being played. There is also the added factor of Dalglish being around to offer words of advice. He might be the greatest player in Liverpool’s history but when he heads out on to the pitches each  morning, that daunting aura is stripped away and he is just ‘one of the lads’. 

Always on hand to share a laugh and joke, he makes players feel good about themselves, inspiring in a subtle way. That he speaks to each individual in hushed tones is also significant, as it makes those he is talking to listen carefully to every word he says. It was a tactic Bob Paisley employed. 

Steven Gerrard explained: ‘Training has been slightly different. We’ve had different coaches, with different ideas and methods. It has been very enjoyable and I think the lads have taken it out on to the pitch.’ 

Face off: Fernando Torres (left) and Steven Gerrard shake hands at Stamford Bridge

REJUVENATED RAUL

With four goals in five games, Raul Meireles has arguably been the biggest beneficiary of Dalglish’s return and the 3-5-2 formation which Liverpool have employed in the last two games has played to his strengths. 

Meireles, however, is not the only one who has come to life. Glen Johnson has left his abject early-season form behind, Martin Kelly is rapidly making a name for himself, Daniel Agger is back to the levels expected of him and Lucas has excelled. 

Finishing touch: Raul Meireles (second right) hits the winner at Stamford Bridge

CONFIDENCE

This is the biggest difference. Not only do the players have more belief, supporters implicitly trust whatever Dalglish decides to do, like pitching the inexperienced Jay Spearing into the Merseyside derby, playing Johnson as a left wing-back or using
Christian Poulsen. Nobody argues. 

Had Hodgson made those decisions, they would have been greeted with widespread derision. But Dalglish commands universal respect and that, in turn, creates the feeling that he is always making the right move. In Kenny they trust. 

Raui Merciless

Chelsea 0Liverpool 1

• Raul Meireles 69

• Sunday 6 February 2011

Photograph: Tony Marshall/Empics Sport

For many, the face of Roy Hodgson's rule at Anfield had been Paul Konchesky, the left-back brought in to plug the gap. Paul was loaned out to Nottingham Forest for the rest of the season last week. Coincidentally, Forest moved into the second automatic promotion spot in the Championship over the weekend with a fine win. It seems though, that what's becoming more and more apparent to all is that Roy may have made a huge contribution to this club by bringing Raul Mireles over. Yesterday's goal was the fourth in as many successive games, and enough to do the double over Chelsea this season, at the same time eclipsing the Torres debut. For this, thank you Roy. And well done Kenny, a fourth successive win and clean sheet.

No 9

Liverpool Football Club can confirm Fernando Torres is now a Chelsea player.

Andy Carroll has tonight completed his transfer from Newcastle United to Liverpool FC and signed a 5 and a half-year-deal that will keep him at Anfield until 2016.

The Club agreed a record transfer fee with Newcastle earlier in the day for the transfer of the England international striker. The deal was subject to the completion of a medical, which the player has now passed.

Andy Carroll will wear the No.9 shirt for Liverpool.

New chant on the Kop

His armband proved he was a red
Suarez, Suarez
You'll Never Walk Alone it said
Suarez, Suarez
He bought it from a lad in Spain
Sorry, we've forgotten his name
Luis Suarez, Liverpool's number 9

Luis Suarez

Liverpool Football Club announced this afternoon that they had agreed a fee of up to 26.5million Euros with Ajax for the transfer of Luis Suarez, subject to the completion of a medical.

Torres' recent good form had previously been attributed to Kenny's motivational ability, but it's now becoming apparent that there was a more sinister reason. I think Torres lost his will the day Rafa left. So did some others. Anything short of Mourinho would not have changed him and there's a sneaky suspicion that Chelsea have been in contact with him or his friends prior to this weekend. A valid and logical course of action would be to rebuild the team in Kenny's mould, so some extra quid would be very opportune and welcome. Sadly, Torres has turned out to be just another one of those young people with an opportunistic streak. Time to move on. The only course of action now open is to get as much money for him as possible.

Fernando shows his hand

"Fernando Torres tonight submitted a written transfer request, which has been rejected by Liverpool, Fernando is under long-term contract and the club expect him to honour the commitment he made to Liverpool FC and its supporters when he signed the agreement." 

This latest kick in the teeth to our team building efforts curiously occurred only 3 days prior to the transfer dead-line expiry. Could it be that Fernando’s head had been turned by the Chelsea bid, which in turn, only occurred after Manchester City’s completion of the Deko deal, thus, avoiding a bidding war. Or could this late bid be a consequence of behind-the-scenes efforts? The real head turner though, is Torres’ reneging of his earlier commitment to the club. All eyes now are on Chelsea’s next move and Kenny’s response. Personally, I think we’d be better off getting rid of him and avoid a sulking striker on the pitch.

How will Liverpool fare in the derby

Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher watched Liverpool lose to Blackpool again from the stands Wednesday night, and it was clear from their faces that they knew exactly what the team was missing: them. And next, the Reds have to play the Merseyside Derby without a Scouser in the lineup.

Carragher has been sidelined since the Nov. 28 defeat at Tottenham, and the defense has clearly missed his tenacity and leadership. The Reds are fortunate to have Daniel Agger fit again, but his partnership with Martin Škrtel has been shaky at best. Compile that with Glen Johnson's tendency to wander and the perpetual question mark at left-back, and it's no surprise the Reds have let in 12 goals in the nine games without Carra. 

Gerrard has two more games in his three-game ban after receiving a red card from Howard Webb (now he's giving reds?) against Manchester United, as the Reds went out of the FA Cup Sunday. Liverpool's midfield was easily out-muscled by Blackpool, and they struggled to keep the ball. When the Reds did manage to keep the ball and get to the 18-yard box, Milan Jovanavic was a poor replacement for Gerrard, as he could never quite find that incisive pass. 

Dirk Kuyt also had one of those nights when his touch just never came, so Fernando Torres was left all alone up front after he had given the Reds a dream start with a wonderful finish three minutes into the match. 

The Reds cannot afford to perform the way they did last night this weekend against Everton. The Toffees easily defeated their rivals back in October at Goodison in what was the first game under the new ownership of John Henry. Though results of late are no different than in October (a 2-1 loss to Blackpool at Anfield preceded the Derby), the Reds should have a different attitude. 

The fans are firmly behind Kenny Dalglish, but last night's result will have showed them that the squad is Liverpool's biggest problem. They won't have Carra to scream at them or Gerrard to rescue them on the pitch, so the Reds will actually have to play with real passion for the full 90 minutes. Or else, Everton could secure its first win at Anfield since Sept. 1999 and its first double over the Reds since 1984-85.

By 

Neri Stein 

(Contributor) on January 13, 2011 (Bleacher Report)

Roy goes

It's that time again at Anfield. 6 months on from Rafa, Roy has suffered the same fate. The official announcement states that it was by mutual consent, but let's not be fooled into believing that this is not a sacking. I suppose it had to come to this, considering the direction we were heading and the poor football being played. I can't help feeling sad for the sorry situation we are in. And for Roy. I can't help feeling also that this sacking was engineered by the players themselves more than anyone else. Only time will tell, starting tomorrow in Manchester. Also worried that things might not work out for Kenny this time around, and his crown might slip. In more ways than one, this will be a defining season for the club.

Dead Man Walking

Long time since I wrote due to time constraints. Things have certainly changed around the club and a dark cloud has settled over Anfield. I saw Roy putting some bags into his car at Melwood just now, so I fear the end is nigh for our latest saviour. It is a sad time for all connected with the club, and it is not how things were handled before, which makes it all the more disconcerting. Nevertheless, there just doesn't seem to be any other solution to this issue, as I feel the players have let him down, and we can't sack the players. In my opinion, the crux of the problem is the lack of backing for Roy from the playing staff. These players, especially the Spanish ones, owed allegience to Rafa, and they're just not interested at being at Anfield anymore, unless some big money is spent to bring in big names. The body language on and off the field shows how it is. Methinks a decision is forthcoming any time now.