The Reds get their man

It is official, Kenny Dalglish is going to continue on as Liverpool manager for at least the next three seasons. I think this is great news for the club and the fans. Dalglish was at the helm at the time of Liverpool's dominance in the 80s before they relinquished their top dog status to Manchester United. Since then Liverpool have been a shadow of their former selves, hiring average coaches and buying average players. While they have won memorable trophies such as the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup and the Champion's League in the last 20 years, they have not captured the Premier League title once since it's introduction back in 1992/93.

As of today, Liverpool have also lost their place as the most successful English club of all time to their great rivals, Manchester United. With the return of Dalglish, Liverpool's fans and board will hope that the rebuild of their massive club is well and truly underway. It will take time for sure but I guarantee that both the players at the club and the fans who flock to Anfield for every home game believe that they now have the right man in charge to try and bring back League successes.

Along with Dalglish, Steve Clarke also signed a three year contract which is more positive news for Liverpool. Clarke is one of the best coaches in the game right now and was one of the biggest reasons for Chelsea's successes during his time there between 2004 and 2008. Along with Dalglish, Clarke is also credited for turning Liverpool's season around.

Club captain and Liverpool native Steven Gerrard is very pleased with the latest news, “"Before he [Dalglish] came in everyone knew it was a difficult time as results were not going well, but sometimes all you need is a change. The last six months has been a lot more positive.”

Will 'King Kenny' make Liverpool a force once more?

The big question is, can Dalglish take the Merseyside club back to the top of English football? In his last tenure, Dalglish led the club to three league crowns - and fans will be desperate for him to add to that tally. I can see positive things in Liverpool's future but I can't see them winning the title in the next three years, not with Manchester City improving so rapidly and Manchester United still as dominant as ever. Even Chelsea and Arsenal are a little way ahead of The Reds right now.

They do have some fantastic talent at the club with Suarez, Carroll, Miereles, Reina and Gerrard, however Dalglish still has some catching up to do!

Can Carroll Power On?

Andy Carroll's brace against Manchester City could be the catalyst that takes him to the next level. Two very well taken goals that displayed Carroll's ability on the ground and in the air led Liverpool to a 3-0 win over The Citizens and he looked impressive throughout the game. He was a constant menace to City's back four and looks every bit the star striker we all know he can become. Built in the mould of a power forward, Carroll is helping to bring such players back into fashion like they were in the mid-to-late nineties.

Carroll can shoot, pass, head the ball, hold up the ball and has decent pace. We haven't seen a striker like that since Alan Shearer and the ultimately disappointing James Beattie.

Carroll's two goals on Monday night were his first two in a Liverpool shirt and were both very impressive. After a fantastic year in the Championship, where he scored 19 League goals to help Newcastle gain promotion back to the Premier League, Toon fans were hoping he would stick around and become their new talismanic number 9.

However, halfway into this Premier League season, after he had scored 11 goals, Liverpool came along and offered 35 million pounds for him. That is an offer that would be too difficult to turn down and off Carroll went. At the time I thought it was a bad move on Newcastle's part, but now I have had more time to think, I believe the move benefited all three parties.

Carroll with Suarez

Newcastle got the money they need to rebuild a squad that can challenge in the Premier League next season, Liverpool get a young striker full of potential and goalscoring talent and Andy Carroll gets to play in a fantastic squad alongside one of the best strikers in the world in Luis Suarez. It is the best place for him to be for his development into a world class player. 

Carroll already has his first senior goal for England and, for the first time since his return from injury, he looks set to power on and become a great player. It is important that Carroll stays in control of his emotions on and off the field and acts like a professional in the early part of his career so he can realise his potential. Too many young players are attracted to clubbing, drinking and pursuits off the field that can ruin their careers.

What do you think? Can he become the next Alan Shearer? England expects.

Transfer Deadline Day: EPL

The January transfer window slammed shut at 11pm last night but not before we had seen some huge transfers. Liverpool were arguably the busiest of all Premier League clubs as they try to re-build their squad. Chelsea were also fairly busy and both the blues and the reds spent a record amount of cash. West Ham managed to strengthen their side, as did Sunderland.

Over 200 million pounds was spent in January, which dwarfed the paltry 29 million that was spent at this point last year. Some of the biggest signings included Bent (£24 Million) from Sunderland to Aston Villa, Dzeko (£27 Million) from Wolfsburg to Manchester City, Torres (£50 Million) from Liverpool to Chelsea, Luiz (£21.5 Million + Nemanja Matic) from Benfica to Chelsea, Carroll (£35 Million) from Newcastle to Liverpool and Suarez (£23.5 Million) from Ajax to Liverpool.

Statistics of note:

Andy Carroll's transfer fee is the most expensive between Premier League clubs in history (for a British player) after he was sold to Liverpool by Newcastle for a princely 35 Million.

Fernando Torres broke the Premier League transfer record after signing for Chelsea for 50 Million

Darren Bent is has cost more money than any other player in Premier League history if you count the costs of all of his transfers. If you think that is an odd one, bear in mind that no striker (other than Rooney and Drogba) has scored more goals in the last 5 seasons than Darren Bent.

Winners:

Liverpool – Potentially gone from bad to good overnight with the additions of Suarez and Carroll. Could be a devastating partnership. If they had managed to secure the services of Charlie Adam then it would have been the icing on the cake.

Chelsea – Managed to bag a fantastic young talent in David Luiz and finally got their man in Torres who we all know is an excellent player. Torres and Drogba up front? Terrifying.

Aston Villa – They have paid a lot for Bent, maybe too much, but they have a bona-fide goal scorer now and that is what they needed more than anything else. They should be OK.

Tottenham Hotspur – 3 Million for Pienaar? What. A. Steal.

West Ham United – Robbie Keane and Wayne Bridge bring plenty of talent and experience to a side that desperately needs it.

Losers:

Newcastle United – The 35 Million will help ease the pain but Newcastle have lost their best player and future talisman. With Ameobi as their best back-up striker, things might become very difficult for the Toon. Staying up is more important than ever now so that the 35 million can be put to use in the summer to bolster this team.

Everton - Losing Pienaar for such a small return is going to sting. They didn't pick anyone up to replace him either.

Stoke City – Stoke haven't really lost here, but fans of the Premier League have. John Carew's arrival at Stoke can only mean more of the same boring long ball, physical football that we have come to expect from Tony Pulis' side. Let the yawning commence.

Well that's all folks from an exciting transfer deadline day. It could be the biggest transfer period for a long time as well with those new rules coming in for the 2012-13 season so I hope you enjoyed it.

Did your team win or lose during the window? Let's hear some of your thoughts!

My New Year Wishlist...

As we have reached the halfway point for the Premiership, League One and NHL seasons, I thought I would post up where I think the teams I support need to strengthen.

Southampton: Centre Back, Left Back, Right Back

While they have a great squad that looks impressive going forward and some quality young players, Southampton have been prone to defensive inconsistency this season. Jose Fonte has been a brilliant signing and has looked solid at centre back all year but has yet to strike up a great partnership with anyone else and while Rahdi Jaidi has a tonne of experience, he is starting to show his age.

Daniel Seabourne has been less than assured, as have Dan Harding and Ryan Dickson. Frazer Richardson has been ok when called upon but I can't say that any of these defenders (other than Fonte) could cut it up in the Championship. A couple of big signings for Saints at the back would do wonders for their promotion push.

Newcastle United: Centre Back, Attacking Central Midfielder, Winger, Striker

Newcastle have barely made any changes to the squad that won them the Championship title last season. They have two quality goalkeepers in Tim Krul and Steve Harper and a quality striker in Andy Carroll. While some of the players are coping in the Premiership, such as Carroll and Jose Enrique, many are not, such as James Perch, Wayne Routledge, Danny Guthrie and Danny Simpson.

Newcastle need strengthening down the spine of their team. A quality centre back, with Premiership experience, to play alongside Williamson or Coloccini would be beneficial as Sol Campbell looks too slow these days and Steven Taylor is still largely unproven.

While Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan and Cheik Tiote are playing well for Newcastle in the centre of midfield, they are all devoid of creativity and flair. I guess Hatem Ben Arfa could fill the position of attacking midfielder when he returns from injury, but Newcastle will need to dip into the transfer market for a winger as Routledge looks lost in the Premiership and Gutierrez, while full of effort and running, doesn't seem to know what he wants to do when he gets the ball.

Another striker would also be a great buy for the Mags. Andy Carroll has been playing very well for Newcastle this season and certainly looks like he could be a great player in the future. However, you do worry for the Toon should he get injured at any point this season. There is no-one else even remotely good enough to play in Carroll's position up top so the need for another goal-scorer is paramount in the transfer window.

Phoenix Coyotes: Defenseman, Sniper

The Coyotes have been massively inconsistent this season and have been very frustrating to watch at times too. While they have improved on their offensive game since last season, they seem to have taken a couple of steps back defensively. They have been allowing far too many shots on Bryzgalov and do not seem to be skating with the same effort that served them so well last season.

What they need is an injection of pace in their defense and someone to score 30+ goals a season up the other end of the ice. First of all though, they need to re-sign Bryzgalov and Yandle to lengthy deals, as those two have been the standout players of the season for the 'Yotes and both need to stay in Arizona for the franchise to get better.

With a new owner in place and a secured financial future, the building blocks are in place for the Coyotes to push forward. I am certainly looking forward to this year's trade deadline.

Premier League Review: Boxing Day

Boxing day football carries with it a great tradition. Over the years we have seen some great games and this year was no different. There were some big results that concerned both the top and bottom of the table.

Manchester City managed to keep pace with Mancester United at the top of the League with a 3-1 away win at Newcastle. Both teams had plenty of chances but it was City, and Tevez, who proved to be the more clinical on the day. With City 2-0 up, Andy Carroll  did bring Newcastle back into the game in the 72nd minute, however, Tevez restored City's two goal advantage against the run of play 10 minutes later to take all three points.

The Red Devils picked up three points against Newcastle's big rivals, Sunderland, at Old Trafford. A routine win in which United dominated meant that Sir Alex's men are still unbeaten this year and sit at the top of the Premier League, two points clear of City, with two games in hand.

At the bottom end of the table, West Ham managed to come back from a goal down to beat relegation rivals Fulham, 3-1, at Craven Cottage. Quite how they managed that is certainly open for discussion as Fulham dominated the game for most of the 90 minutes. After opening the scoring, Fulham looked to be coasting to a sure-fire win before they conceded two very weak goals just before half time. West Ham climb off the bottom of the table following the win and Fulham joined them in the relegation places.

Tottenham and Aston Villa provided us with a great game at Villa Park. The 2-1 win for Tottenham keeps them in fourth place, only one point behind London rivals Chelsea and two points behind London rivals Arsenal. The loss was another bitter pill to swallow for a faltering Aston Villa side who had shown so much promise in recent years but seem to be losing their way under Gerrard Houllier.

Bolton continued their very impressive season with a 2-0 win over surprise act West Brom. The Wanderers are certainly playing some decent football this year under Owen Coyle, who has yet to spend big in the transfer market. With the addition of a great finisher and some creativity in midfield, Bolton could even challenge Tottenham for that last Champion's League spot.

A full list of the results can be found below.

Sunday 26^th December:

Fulham 1 - 3 West Ham

Wolverhampton 1 - 2 Wigan

Newcastle 1 - 3 Man City

Bolton 2 - 0 West Brom

Aston Villa 1 - 2 Tottenham

Blackburn 0 - 2 Stoke

Man Utd 2 - 0 Sunderland

Arsenal v Chelsea: Preview

Wenger looks for a massive win tonight

Chelsea and Arsenal play a massively important game tonight (27^th December) at 20:00 GMT. One of these teams needs to win to keep pace with Man United (a draw helps neither side) and I would prefer it to be Arsenal. Wenger is the best manager in the Premier League, even if he is a little close minded about the weaknesses in his team. His ethics and playing style are far better than his managerial rivals at the top of the table and his team are an absolute joy to watch on their day. I'm hoping for a 2-1 home win, but Chelsea are a very strong side and could upset the Gunners tonight at the Emirates.