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Liverpool set the transfer ball rolling this week with the £20m capture of Jordan Henderson. Damien Comolli insists that the spending at Anfield is not going to stop here and the Reds fans can expect plenty of new additions in the coming weeks.

At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of blogs that include why Charlie Adam could cause Kenny a selection headache; a transfer pattern emerging at Anfield and 4 reasons why Liverpool will make the top four next season.

We also look at the best Liverpool articles around the web this week.

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Caption Competition: Carroll and Rooney provide a snap for the album

An unnecessary signing for Liverpool FC?

Liverpool’s Greatest ‘Foreign XI’ of all time

£5m move to Liverpool could revitalise his career

To those who think Liverpool shouldn’t sign him, think again

Liverpool’s transfer activity and player development (Hybrid Moneyball)

A transfer pattern is emerging at Anfield

4 reasons why Liverpool will replace Arsenal in the top four next season

Transfer will cause a real dilemma for Kenny

Why I don’t understand the outcry over Liverpool fee

Why £20m duo would be money well spent by Kenny

*Best of WEB*

A Surprising Fact that Comolli wouldn’t have Failed to Notice – Live4Liverpool

Liverpool’s seven summer signings – Our Kop

Liverpool FC: England’s Answer To Barcelona? – Tomkins Times

Why FSG are wise to invest in the future, but should never overlook quick success – This is Anfield

Perhaps selling him is not as ludicrous as many seem to think – Live4Liverpool

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Click on Wayne Bridge’s lady below to unveil our WAG XI of the season

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Last season’s Championship Player of the Year and QPR’s prize asset Adel Taarabt has been subject to intense speculation about his future. The Moroccan playmaker was a sensation in England’s second tier last season and such fine form has seen Taarabt heavily linked with a move to France and Paris St Germain.

If you had asked many QPR fans which players they would have wanted to stay for their first season back in the Premier League, I would expect many would have said their captain Taarabt. But the midfielder’s brilliance is too often out-weighed by sparks of petulance. During a game with Hull last season Taarabt argued with team-mates, sulked and then asked to be substituted in the first half, a display that reportedly ended Manchester United’s interest in the player after a scout was present. With a huge task facing QPR next season and a possible relegation fight on their hands, would they be better off to let Taarabt leave for a good price?

Despite dominating large parts of the Championship last season, QPR face the same problems of all promoted teams when competing in arguably the toughest league in the world. Promoted teams best chances are often based on strength, organisation and consistency. The past ten years has been littered with a few examples of how best to stay in England’s top flight, including Bolton back in 2001/02 and more recently Stoke in 2008/09. Roy Hodgson’s turnaround at West Brom last season changed them from the ultimate yo-yo team to a solid, strong team unit capable of fighting to stay in the Premier League.

There is no doubting Taarabt’s skill and talent; there were times last season where he stood head and shoulders above the rest with ability that could have graced any league in the world. 19 goals and 16 assists from midfield rightly earned him the Championship Player of the Year and Neil Warnock worked hard to get the best out of Taarabt.

But is he a risk in the Premier League? At times QPR will not be able to play their attractive football based around the skill of Taarabt, many games against the top clubs and those around them will require hard work and compact displays where Taarabt may not see as much of the ball. He would have to be willing and able to adapt his game in the Premier League.

QPR teammate Shaun Derry has spoken about his surprise that Taarabt is still with the club, going as far to label him a “liability”.

“Last year he was incredible for us, he was absolutely fantastic at times and at other times he was terrible and that sums him up in a few words,” Derry told talkSPORT.

QPR can ill-afford liabilities and such a description from an experienced and important figure from within the club like Derry raises serious questions about how Taarabt’s temperament would suit the Premier League.

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The influential midfielder does look to edging closer to a move away for a figure thought to be around £13.5million, especially after he was left out of their pre-season tour.

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As a neutral it will be a shame not too see Taarabt attempt to grace the Premier League will his skill and undoubted talent. He, along with all his QPR teammates deserve a shot at the top flight after such an impressive season last year but for Warnock and QPR it may be the right time to cash in on their prize asset in a league where consistency and strength may be their best hope.

If you want to read more of my bite size, 160 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5

Right at the start of the summer, one of the biggest priorities for the transfer window among both fans and pundits was for Liverpool to get rid of the dead-wood in the squad. Relics from mainly the Roy Hodgson era, but also some left over from Rafa Benitez ’s time too, it was believed that by removing these players from the squad we could rid ourselves of a number of players who were taking up a sizeable chunk of our wage bill. Although Milan Jovanovic and Paul Konchesky have left the club, there are a number of players not considered good enough for the squad, still at the club with 20 days left in the transfer window:

Christian Poulsen – Although there was a rumour in the Danish press a couple of weeks ago linking the midfielder with a move to FC Copenhagen, Poulsen’s agent denied the rumours and stated Poulsen’s intention of staying on Merseyside. Poulsen himself in recent day has stated his intention to stay:

“I have been really happy and I want to play, that’s my goal for the future. I am happy there with my family, it’s a good club and they treat me really well. I hope I can change my situation and play more. I haven’t heard anything from Liverpool; I am trying to be fit for the new season. So I think they want me at the club and I am happy to be there and unless they tell me something different, I am a Liverpool player for the coming season.”

The Dane has been poor in pre-season, as he was the entire of the last campaign, but there seems to be an unwillingness on his part to move away to get more first team football. His lack of pace means he can’t cope with the Premier League, and it looks as if that unless he has a change of heart, he is content to pick up his wages despite being behind Lucas Leiva and Jay Spearing in the pecking order.

Joe Cole – The obvious reason why Joe has been a hard man to shift this summer is because of his sizeable wages. With Stewart Downing, Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt ahead of him for a starting berth on the wings, and Gerrard, Aquilani, Meireles and Henderson ahead of him in the attacking midfield role, Cole will be sitting on the bench for the most part this season.

QPR and West Ham have been rumoured to be interested in a loan move but the Reds are looking for a permanent move to offload the player’s sizeable wages. In addition, Tottenham have also been tipped as potential suitors but Joe would have to take a sizeable wage cut to fit to Spurs’s wage structure. We will have to hope that Luka Modric moves to Chelsea and Harry turns to Joe for a quick purchase on the final day of the transfer window.

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Nabil El Zhar – After returning from his loan spell at PAOK Salonika last season, the Moroccan has been relegated to reserve team football as the Reds try to find him a new club. He has started a few games for Rodolfo Borrell’s side to keep his fitness up but there has been very little talk about the 24 year old’s departure from the club. Perhaps, like Jovanovic, they could give the player dispensation to find a new club?

Philipp Degen – The perennially injured full back, and a poor defender to boot, spent last season on loan at Stuttgart where he didn’t really have a very successful time. Started on the right wing against Galatasaray in a friendly, but it was the last time we have seen Degen anywhere near the first team. Hopefully a move to a lower Bundesliga club or a return to Switzerland can be arranged before the end of the window.

Article courtesy of David Tully at Live4Liverpool

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England are set to be without Darren Bent and Micah Richards for their Euro 2012 qualifying fixtures against Wales on Tuesday, but in-form striker Wayne Rooney has shaken off a knock and should play.

The Manchester United forward has started the 2011-12 season at a blistering pace, and despite scoring twice against Bulgaria on Friday, picked up a slight injury.

However, manager Fabio Capello has confirmed that the hitman should be fit and able to play at Wembley against the Welsh side.

“Rooney has a problem with his foot but I think he should be okay for Tuesday. It’s a different part of his foot. His big toe. It’s nothing, I think but we will have to wait for a minimum of 24 hours,” the Italian coach told Sky Sports.

Rooney confirmed his availability also after seeking medical advice from England’s physio.

“I landed on it in the second half. The physio has looked at it and said it’s fine,” he told The Sun.

No such luck has favoured Richards or Bent, who have both been sent back to their clubs after being determined as not able to feature on Tuesday.

Aston Villa attacker Bent has a groin problem that meant he struggled to train ahead of the game, and director of football development Sir Trevor Brooking has confirmed that the striker has returned to the Midlands club.

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Richards has also returned to Eastlands, as he is suffering from a hamstring injury. Chris Smalling is expected to continue at right-back for The Three Lions, with Phil Jagielka offering cover if needed.

Meanwhile, Frank Lampard may be in line for a starting place in the centre of midfield after watching the Bulgaria game from the bench. Gareth Barry and Scott Parker were given the nod over the 33-year-old on Friday, but with both one booking away from suspension, Fabio Capello is set to turn to the Stamford Bridge man.

Norwich have adapted well to life in the Premier League. They have now taken eight points from their opening six games and are up to ninth in the table. They have found particular success in the last two games by beating Bolton away and Sunderland at home. They have done so with a new look 4-5-1 formation.

Therefore, I decided it was a good time to review why the system works and the reasons Norwich should stick with it.

The system is not defensive

Whenever people think about 4-5-1 systems, they immediately believe them to be defensive in nature. It is an understandable assumption because in general, this system only includes one striker. However, a big part of what makes this system attacking or defensive is the personnel used.

In Norwich’s case there are three attacking midfield players in Anthony Pilkington, Elliott Bennett and Wes Hoolahan. Steve Morison plays the lone man up front and David Fox and Bradley Johnson gives the midfield that much-needed defensive stability and balance.

The system is not designed to contain teams, but is an attacking formation that suits Norwich’s strengths. When Norwich loses the ball enough bodies can get back quickly into that crucial midfield area to prevent the team becoming exposed.

Wes Hoolahan

The vast majority of Norwich fans will agree that Wes Hoolahan is club’s best player. However, in the early games of the season, the Irishman found himself in and out of the side. Hoolahan though has now started both of Norwich’s last two games and the new formation seems to get the best out of him.

Wide players/width

Last season Norwich played a narrow 4-4-2 Diamond formation with Wes Hoolahan being the main attacking threat. In the Championship, it worked because opposing players were not good enough defensively to stop Hoolahan. Furthermore, the opposing wide players were not good enough to exploit the weaknesses in the system.

The Premier League though features some of the best players in the world. Therefore, the opposition would be both capable of marking Hoolahan out of the game and also exploiting Norwich’s weaknesses. The adapted system offers more stability and also more attacking threat.

The opposition now also have to worry about Elliott Bennett and Anthony Pilkington in the wide midfield positions, and also the attacking runs of full-backs Marc Tierney and Kyle Naughton. The problem for opposing teams is they can’t afford to man mark Hoolahan, because this may in turn create space for Norwich’s other attacking players.

Goals from all areas

Most formations are overly reliant on strikers scoring the majority of the goals. However, the new system has the created two wins from as many games and four different goal-scorers so far. Lone striker Steve Morison is now also off the mark following his winning goal against Sunderland.

The success of using such a formation depends on attacking players getting into forward areas and supporting Steve Morison. Norwich has managed to do that superbly so far. The majority of the Norwich squad is unproven at Premier League level, so Norwich may well need to share out the goals amongst the team, rather than relying on one or two individuals; if this formation allows them to do this then so much the better.

Versatile system that can be changed late on in games

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The system can be changed late on in games in order to suit Norwich City. Hoolahan can be substituted for a second striker if the manager feels he needs it and/or a more defensive midfield player could come on for one of the wide players. However, Norwich has fewer options if one of the wide players is ineffective in the game, but one of the pacy strikers could probably occupy in a wide position if necessary.

Follow James Kent on Twitter

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Sir Alex Ferguson is eyeing up a new set of Brazilian twins, with the talented Alex and Andre Santos interesting the Manchester United boss talkSPORT understands.

Ferguson has already bought and nurtured one set of twins from South America with Rafael and Fabio Da Silva going from promising youngsters to first team regulars in the space of two seasons.

History could now be set to repeat itself with the Santos twins – described as Flamengo’s answer to the Da Silva’s – who play for Vitesse Arnhem in the Eredivisie.

Despite both signing four-year deals at the Dutch club earlier in the year Ferguson is adamant that he can persuade Alex and Andre, who play at right back and left back respectively, to join and has already sent United scouts over to Holland to cast an eye over the pair.

They will follow the twins progress over the course of this season as they try to break into the first team at Vitesse. Assessments will be made see whether the 19-year-olds have the talent and mentality to succeed and meet the high standards set at Old Trafford.

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Chelsea are also said to be interested in the Brazilians although with Ferguson’s success with the Da Silva twins United would have the advantage when it comes to securing their services.

Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers will be demanding his side remain focused for 90 minutes against Bolton at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday after they squandered a 2-0 lead at Wolves last week.

The Swans were seemingly home and dry after goals from Danny Graham and Joe Allen put them two up at Molineux only to see their lead slip as Wanderers scored twice late on to deny them a first away win of the season. Still it was their first point on the road and Rodgers will be happy with his sides performance despite their late surrender. Their passing mentality and penchant to probe is clearly working in their favour as they continue to perform above expectations averaging more passes than Manchester United with 513 per game. They’ve yet to lose at the Liberty Stadium since promotion and are yet to concede goal during that run. Everyone always says strong home form is the key to avoiding relegation and if Swansea can maintain their current run on home soil then they stand a good chance of being a Premier League team next season. One of the main positives in the past few weeks is that record signing Graham has finally found his shooting boots scoring three in as many games. He’ll be confident of increasing that tally against a beleaguered Bolton defence that has conceded a record 24 goals already this season.

It’s certainly been a testing season so far for the Trotters with thoughts of relegation creeping into the minds of supporters after seven defeats from nine and only two wins. Their victory away at Wigan two weeks ago was their first since the opening day but they fell back into old habits last Saturday losing 2-0 at home to Sunderland. In stark contrast to Swansea’s form on home soil Owen Coyle’s side can’t seem to buy a win at the Reebok Stadium with both of their victories coming on the road. It’s all a far cry from this time last year when they sat in eight place with fans daring to dream of European nights at the Reebok once again. Things have gone downhill since their FA Cup semi-final hammering at the hands of Stoke back in May. Coyle has failed to arrest the slide and their trip to Wales is unlikely to help with the Swans extremely hard to beat at the Liberty Stadium. However the history books do favour an away win in this fixture with Bolton unbeaten in their last nine meetings with Swansea last tasting victory 21 years ago. This will be the first time the pair have faced each other in the top flight and the Trotter faithful will be eager to see their side continue their good run the Welsh side and get their season up and running. They will have a small slither of insider knowledge which could work to their advantage as midfielder Darren Pratley left the Swans to sign for Bolton in the summer having spent five years at the club.

Key Players

Joe Allen – Whilst the likes of Scott Sinclair and Graham might take the plaudits it’s Allen who is making Swansea tick as of late. The Welshman has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water and his endless reserves of energy in central midfield and willingness to run his socks off have made him a key figure in Rodgers’ side. Bolton will do well to handle his powerful but intelligent running.

Gary Cahill – It’s been an odd season for the England defender who has failed to reach the heights of previous campaigns. Whilst he may just be a victim of his sides collective slump he’ll need to pick up quickly if he is to keep his place in Fabio Capello’s England squad prior to Euro 2012. Has a massive job on halting the Swan’s front line of Graham, Sinclair and Nathan Dyer.

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Joe Allen received praise from team mate Ashley Williams after scoring his first goal in the Barclays Premier League last weekend. Allen also covered more ground than any other Swansea player with 12.095km Scott Sinclair has been looking good with the ball at his feet for Swansea, and has completed more successful dribbles than any other player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index with 49, 15 more than the next ranked dribbler, Manchester United super star Luis Nani Bolton covered 99.238km in that game compared to Sunderland’s 106.959km, with Darren Pratley covering more ground than any other Bolton player in three out of his four starts this season. Ivan Klasnic remains Bolton’s top ranked player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index despite his early run of goals drying up. Klasnic has had ten attempts on target this season, 100% of all shots attempted, thought the striker hasn’t managed an attempt at goal in his last three appearances

Fantasy Football returns hand-in-hand with Premier League football after a positive week for the England during the international break. So who’s looking likely to make their mark?

The Captaincy Debate

Norwich host Arsenal in the first game of the weekend. With the Gunners coming to town, it also means the Premier League most in-form player Robin van Persie will be at Carrow Road. The Dutchman needs no introduction with his current form (but he has scored eight in his last four if you needed further convincing).

Perhaps though this is the weekend RVP’s run of form comes to an end. Let’s turn our attention to the 1st v 3rd clash, and who’d have thought that would have been said ahead of a Manchester City versus Newcastle game this season. Nevertheless, the likes of David Silva, Edin Dzeko should be catching your eye in terms of potential captains. The way the Toon are playing currently, it might be worth as an outside bet considering Demba Ba as he can’t stop scoring.

Let’s move back down south to North London this time as Spurs take on Aston Villa on Monday. Even though van der Vaart has arguably been the key player for the Lilywhites over the season so far, Gareth Bale is starting to rediscover some of the form that last season led to him being lauded around Europe. He was on target for Wales last weekend as he put in another convincing appearance. Shay Given is one of the Premier League’s best keepers but Bale must be confident of adding to his recent tally.

Captain: It’s hard to veer away from Robin van Persie at the moment. Any time he gets near the 18 yard box, you think he’s going to score.

Vice Captain:  Although Mancini might rotate ahead of City’s trip to Napoli, David Silva  will probably be a survivor in the team. Even though Newcastle’s defence has been impressive, there’s not been much that has stopped the little Spaniard.

Long Term Look

This week, he might find it hard to continue to score points but in the long term, Ryan Taylor is a good player to have in your defence. Although he hasn’t exactly been the headline maker in Newcastle’s unbeaten run, Taylor is the current top points scorer in the defenders category.

The ex-Wigan man has two goals, two assists and four clean sheets. The two goals were both memorable moments, the first was the winner in the Tyne-Wear derby and the second a fantastic long range half volley which proved to the winner against Everton nearly a fortnight ago.

Whilst Newcastle’s run may well come to an end, Taylor is averaging just over 5 points per gameweek (Official Fantasy Premier League ). His price has increased at an alarming rate, so now could be the time to grab the defender before his price goes up even further.

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 For more football chat on Twitter – Follow @arhindtutt

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The Euro 2012 draw has been made and it’s good news for England who will be playing in Group D against hosts Ukraine, Euro 2000 winners France and recent friendly opponents Sweden. As a result of the draw the England Euro 2012 odds have proven very popular with punters wanting to take some early value on Fabio Capello’s side.

England fans will be thinking “It could have been a lot worse after that draw”, England were second seeds just like Germany and could have ended up in a group with Holland, Portugal and Denmark. Instead it was Germany who took the remaining spot in Group B. England were widely available at around 11/1 before the draw with many bookies but most have shortened, including William Hill who now only offer 7/1.

Republic Of Ireland are in Group C in a tough group with Spain, Italy and Croatia. Republic Of Ireland got a draw the last time they played Spain in a major tournament in 2002 and they’d love the same result again. Group A looks the more favourable group with hosts Poland taking on Russia, Greece and Czech Republic. The problem is the two qualifiers from the weakest group will meet the two qualifiers from Group B which looks the toughest group so the runners up in Group B won’t be too disheartened at having to play a group winner.

England will be without the suspended Wayne Rooney for the beginning of the tournament but recently beat Spain without the striker and also beat Group D opponents Sweden 1-0 without Rooney which is a good sign for England’s chances. England’s recent results against France and Ukraine haven’t been as good though, in a friendly against France in November 2010 where Fabio Capello experimented with his team England were beaten 2-1 at Wembley whilst England have two fairly recent competitive matches against Ukraine from World Cup 2010 qualifying. England beat Ukraine at Wembley but lost the away tie 1-0 which is a worry.

Most will expect England to at least qualify from this group but winning the group will be very important as the runners up in Group D will take on the winners of Group C, which will in all likelihood be Spain. Winning the group would probably mean a quarter final against Italy which looks a much more favourable tie. England are favourites to win the group at around 6/4 whilst France are 2/1 in the Euro 2012 group betting.

Former England manager Glenn Hoddle was pleased with the draw, he told Sky Sports news “Nothing threatening there, we should be able to qualify, all in all a very good draw for England” whilst current England manager Fabio Capello declared himself “satisfied” with the draw and stated that he thought Spain were still the favourites.

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It has been many years since Wayne Rooney wasn’t the favourite to be England’s top scorer at a major tournament but his suspension means that Darren Bent is 11/2 favourite to score the most goals for his country, Ashley Young is next best at 7/1 whilst Wayne Rooney is 8/1 despite the fact he will miss at least half the games that England play at Euro 2012. For more betting opportunities at Euro 2012, click here.

Back in the day, professional footballers would have had no option but to study for another living that they could turn to if their sporting career didn’t work out or ended prematurely. The likes of Sir Trevor Brooking and co studied in alternate professions before and during their careers so that their life after the beautiful game would be sustainable and quite often achieved a degree or qualification that would be crucial in their later years.

The main reason for the extra hard work was the measly wages that previous generations of players received, which is a far cry from today’s millions. Even some modern day footballers feel the need to pursue a second life after football which in my opinion is extremely credible. Numerous ex-players become heavily involved in charity work, continue a career in football or in Dion Dublin’s case, become an inventor.

However, the wages in twenty first century Premier League football have risen so rapidly that the need for work after football is obsolete. Players such as Yaya Toure, Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney have wages bordering or in advance of £200,000 a week this year that would have been unthinkable 20-years ago. Earning millions of pounds a year to play football is completely farfetched but the players are not to blame for this.

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The introduction of the multi–billion pound foreign owners to the Premier League in the past 10 years or so has seen a rise in wages to fight off competition from rival clubs. Take Manchester City for example, they have brought dozens of players to the club since their takeover and the majority of the players signed will have received a significant wage rise. One of the main beneficiaries of the influx of foreign ownership has been Wayne Bridge. Chelsea signed the England left back just a month after Roman Abramovich arrived at Stamford Bridge and the former Southampton player doubled his wage overnight. Six years and 87 league appearances later Manchester City; now under the ownership of Sheikh Mansour; signed Bridge for around £10million, once again boosting the left back’s wages.

So with a progressively increased pay packet over his career, Bridge was told he can leave City this January after becoming third choice wing back at the Etihad Stadium. The former England international will be 32 this year and may only have two seasons at the most at the top level of English football left in his career. No team in England or Europe is going to pay the same wage to Bridge that he is receiving in Manchester at the moment so why would he want to leave?

Professional footballers will only have around 12-15 years in the game and so is it not expected that they will try and earn as much money as possible in that time before early retirement? Some will obviously jump on the bandwagon that the players are just greedy but I don’t feel they are to blame and although playing football should be their goal, being paid as much as possible to do so in a short space of time has got to be understandable.

Admittedly the players do not deserve everything they get and the overall debate about money in football is for a different time, but a salary cap or something along those lines would be unthinkable in football as players wages are set to increase even more if they are on the move in the January transfer window.

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Disagree? Do not hesitate to let me know below or on Twitter: @Brad_Pinard

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