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Liverpool Football Club have been living off their past glories for far too long. The most successful club in the history of English football, with 18 league titles and five European Cups, have now failed to win the league for 20 years. The club have struggled to emerge from the shadow of their own wonderful achievements throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, failing to make an impact in the modern, vibrant setting of the Premier League. Following a dismal seventh placed finish last term, the club have now turned to well-travelled manager Roy Hodgson in an attempt to bring back the glory days to Anfield.

Hodgson is not fearful of the past and believes the club’s illustrious history should be embraced and harnessed to help build a better future for Liverpool. The manager’s latest plan to awaken the sleeping giant of the North West, following a summer of change, is to reconnect with the club’s roots and the ethos brought to the club under the management of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley. The new Reds manager is enthusiastic regarding plans to install Kop legends Alan Hansen and Kenny Dalglish as fully-fledged members of the club’s board in a proposed shake up behind the scenes at Anfield. Hansen and Dalglish won virtually every honour at the club playing under both Paisley and Joe Fagan from 1977 and such a decision would be a popular one with supporters.

Londoner Hodgson certainly believes the duo can have a positive influence on the club and is keen to revive the famed Liverpool tradition of old which dates back to the start of Shankly’s reign at Anfield in 1959. Shankly, a founding member of the legendary boot room, instilled a concept known as ‘the Liverpool way’ into the club’s philosophy, helping shape the club’s fortunes for years to come. Liverpool’s unwritten code of conduct protected the club’s inner sanctum and has been continually cited as a major influence behind the club’s success throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s. This was somewhat lost under the reigns of Frenchman Gerard Houllier and, in particular, former Valencia coach Rafael Benitez who often used the media as an intermediate for airing his grievances with the club’s owners. This now looks set to be rejuvenated under Hodgson.

Sadly the boot room tradition, which looked to train and promote former players and coaches from within, was lost following Roy Evans’ departure as the club’s manager in 1998. Remnants of the boot room still remain with Dalglish and  Sammy Lee still at the club today, but its main components have largely been lost. Hodgson wants to strengthen the clubs connections with the boot room by offering Dalglish an enhanced role as head of football development and Hansen a major say in the boardroom.

The former Fulham boss was keen to emphasise the importance of Kop idol Dalglish in his attempts to rebuild the once great club, telling the BBC shortly after his arrival:

“When you have a resource like Ken it’s best to use it properly,” commented Hodgson.

“I believe Ken can make the perfect bridge, with his football knowledge between the academy and the training ground, and we should never forget the very important role he will always do as an ambassador. There are so many roles that man can play to help Liverpool FC and that will outlive my tenure at the club. There’s no question about that.”

Of course a club with Liverpool’s history should not attempt to cut all ties with its past and offering Dalglish and Hansen a role in a new era for Liverpool is a positive move by the club. Dalglish, the last man to bring the league title back to Anfield, is a living Liverpool legend and the club’s ability to keep him after he missed out on the manager’s job is a major bonus for The Reds. Just as Sir Bobby Charlton is a great ambassador for Manchester United, Dalglish can perform a similar role on Merseyside for the next 15 years or more. Former centre-back Hansen’s insight and knowledge of the club would make him an ideal appointment. The Scotsman, who lifted eight domestic titles and three European cups during his glittering Anfield career, is almost synonymous with Liverpool and would be a welcome appointment, although issues remain over his contract with Match of the Day.

Kopites will be fully aware of chairman Martin Broughton’s attempts at a PR exercise following the disastrous tenure of American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Broughton is keen to re-establish Liverpool’s traditional image and having Hansen and Dalglish on board would make it easier for him to do this. Reds fans however will be as keen as the club’s chairman to forget the warring which has marred the club’s iconic image over the past two years and would welcome an increased role for Dalglish and Hansen with open arms.

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Torres’ pledge a victory for all the purists of the game

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Why Hodgson deserved a damn sight better

Should Liverpool cash in on Lucas?

Roy’s ‘future vision’ gives Liverpool every chance

Arsene Wenger has stated that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain needs time to mature into a Premier League player, despite impressive performances for The Gunners and England under-21.

After shining in the 1-0 defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday night, many are tipping the 18-year-old to be an outside bet to make Fabio Capello’s squad for Euro 2012.

However, the former Southampton attacker is keeping his feet on the ground, and has thanked Wenger for his help so far in his time at the Emirates Stadium.

“I would not have changed anything for the world. I trust the boss to progress me in the best way. He is a top man, very intelligent and I will work with him as much as he will work with me,” he told The Telegraph.

“I have a lot of impressing to do at Arsenal before I think about going away with England in the summer. If people are saying that, it is quite flattering to know you are being considered. The next step for me is to push on into the [Arsenal] squad.”

Wenger admits being pleased with Chamberlain’s progression, but feels that these matters can take time.

“The experience shows that it is good sometimes to be positive and patient,” said Wenger.

“I was very patient with him until now and it is important sometimes to hold them back a little bit. You pushed him off the ball too easily two months ago. His strength and endurance is now there and that is important at the top level of course.”

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Arsenal take on Wigan next at the DW Stadium on Saturday.

By Gareth McKnight

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Newcastle and Wolves head into their English Premier League clash at St James’ Park on the back of contrasting runs of form.

For Alan Pardew’s Newcastle, March was a month they would rather forget with two losses from their only two fixtures, including a 4-0 mauling at the hands of Stoke at Britannia Stadium.

More troubling for Pardew is the fact his side have won just once in their past nine league games, and are 11th on the table, just four points clear of the relegation zone.

The relegation zone is where Mick McCarthy’s Wolves side have spent the bulk of the 2010-11 season, but they head into Saturday’s game on the back of their most promising form of the campaign.

Wolves are unbeaten in their past four league games and have claimed 11 out of a possible 18 points since February 5 – the day they memorably snapped Manchester United’s 29-game unbeaten streak with a gritty 2-1 win at Molineux.

For Newcastle, Pardew is sweating on the fitness of left-back Jose Enrique, after the Spaniard limped off during the drubbing at Stoke with a hamstring injury.

Striker Leon Best is a chance to return from an ankle problem, while Argentine winger Jonas Gutierrez is also under a cloud with a thigh strain. Cheik Tiote misses out through suspension.

Wolves, meanwhile, will be without Kevin Doyle after the Irish international injured knee ligaments in his country’s 2-1 win over Macedonia in Euro 2012 qualifying over the weekend.

Irish winger Stephen Hunt is a chance to resume after overcoming a calf strain, and defender Michael Mancienne is making good progress after a knee injury.

The news every Liverpool fan around the world wanted to hear- ‘Torres commits his future to Liverpool’. After captain Steven Gerrard reiterated his desire to remain at Anfield ahead of the new season, the club’s other superstar Fernando Torres spoke of his loyalty to the club and its fans, insisting he is more than happy with life on Merseyside.

Kopites had feared their Spanish striker would be tempted to ‘jump ship’ following months of speculation and claims that Torres was seriously contemplating a move to Premier League rivals Manchester City or champions Chelsea. Instead the Reds No. 9 has shown major commitment to the club, despite last season’s seventh place finish, as he moves into the prime of his footballing career.

It would have been easy for either Gerrard or Torres to make their excuses and follow Argentine midfielder Javier Mascherano out of the Anfield exit door, after finishing last season an astonishing 23 points behind league champions Chelsea. Even more of a concern for both players is the club’s failure to find fresh investment and the ownership problems which overshadowed much of last year’s campaign. However the attacking duo must now sense the club is close to agreeing a new ownership deal and the proposed takeover from Chinese businessman Kenny Huang could yet come to fruition before the end of the transfer window.

Huge question marks remained over the future of both Gerrard and Torres as last season stuttered towards its miserable end. The pair had clearly become frustrated with former manager Rafael Benitez’s handling of team affairs, highlighted by the skipper’s mystified reaction to Torres being substituted with 30 minutes to play in a must-win game against Birmingham in April. Player power played a major part in Benitez’s departure and in a bid to keep the club’s want-away stars happy, Fulham manager Roy Hodgson was brought in to steady the ‘sinking ship’, as put so eloquently by winger Albert Riera before he was sold.

The club’s fans will be thankful Hodgson managed to sell his future vision of Liverpool to both Torres and Gerrard, failure to do so would have left The Reds facing the impossible task of replacing the irreplaceable. England international Gerrard has been the heartbeat of Liverpool for over a decade, since breaking into the side in 1998. Although Gerrard is now 30, he can still play at the top of his game for at least another three years. The importance of Gerrard’s decision to stay cannot be stressed highly enough; helping convince those around him their future should be at Liverpool too.

Despite having failed to win anything of real significance at club level, El Niño is prepared to give another year of his career to Liverpool in an attempt to deliver the club’s first piece of silverware since the 2006 FA Cup. How would have Liverpool have possibly replaced one of the deadliest and most sought after strikers on the planet and their main source of goals over the past three seasons had he decided to leave? The Spanish international has scored an extraordinary 56 goals in 79 appearances for Liverpool since his move from Atletico Madrid in 2007. If the 18 time league champions are to start competing for honours again this season then Torres’ goal-scoring exploits will surely be fundamental to the cause.

News that Torres and Gerrard are staying gives the club an opportunity to real make progress this season. If the club can finally fulfil promises made regarding investment in player recruits and a new stadium, then both players could yet see out the remainder of their careers in the red shirt of Liverpool. Should the news of a takeover prove to be a false dawn, coupled with another poor season, then expect the future of both players to come under scrutiny in the winter and again the following summer.

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AC Milan and Roma are both interested in signing Spurs midfielder Sandro next summer, according to reports in Italy (Talksport)

The 22 year old Brazilian has impressed many since moving to White Hart Lane from Internacional last year. An £8 million fee was involved then, and it is believed a bid almost double that would be needed for Spurs boss Harry Redknapp to even consider allowing Sandro to leave.

AC Milan are said to be considering a £13 million bid, as the Rossoneri look to freshen up an ageing midfield that contains Mark Van Bommel, Gennaro Gattuso and Massimo Ambrosini. Whether such a bid would be enough to persuade Spurs to sell remains to be seen.

Roma are not set to rival Milan with a cash bid, however they are set to propose a swap deal with Spurs. The Italian club are looking to offer striker Mirko Vucinic in exchange for Sandro, with Roma said to value Vucinic at around £15 million.

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Harry Redknapp is desperate to add to his forward line, and with Emmanuel Adebayor’s long term role uncertain, Vucinic, a player who has interested the club in the past, would fit the bill perfectly.

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Recently Norwich City were involved in complicated transfer negotiations with Peterborough United regarding their star striker Craig McKail-Smith. That sentence alone may lead to confusion, because the transfer window closed at the end of January. However, the loan window remained open until as recently as this Thursday. But loan deals should not be complicated and at no point should transfer fees be discussed.

A problem may present itself when the parent club doesn’t really want to loan the player out. When this happens a transfer may effectively be agreed with the player joining initially on loan. Sometimes these types of deals are called loans with a view to a permanent transfer, but more often than not the transfer has already been agreed.

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The situation is understandable from the parent club, but why should the club getting the loan player in be committed to signing that player for a set fee in the summer? This appeared to be what Peterborough were attempting to engineer. The fact is they very nearly managed to do it, but they decided to up their demands at the last minute and the deal was off. That level of greed may come back at them, because the player’s contract is up in summer 2012 and they may end up selling for a small fee this summer.

I can’t help thinking that a loan deal should always be a loan deal and nothing more; if deals like this continue to be made then the name may have to be changed from emergency loan window to covert transfer window. It appears though that there can sometimes be a get out clause and an example of that would be Shola Ameobi’s proposed move to Stoke. When Stoke were still a Championship club Shola arrived on loan and the transfer was said to agreed, but in the summer the deal was called off. In many ways this is a concept behind some loan deals and it can be a try before you buy opportunity. There is really no need for commitment beyond the length of the loan.

The fact of the matter is a player should either be available for loan or not and transfers should not be arranged until the summer. There is also the argument that a player should not be allowed to join a club on loan, if they are already due to join that same club when the transfer window opens. Loan deals can be complicated enough with loan fees and portion of wages for transfer agreements to be included as well.

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Delighted coach Vicente del Bosque believes Spain can dominate world football for many years to come after their first-ever World Cup final victory.

Andres Iniesta's extra-time goal proved decisive as Spain became world champions for the first time after securing a 1-0 victory in an ill-tempered encounter against the Netherlands.

Spain deserved to add the World Cup to the Euro 2008 title they picked up two years ago as they created the better chances in an at times tetchy final.

"I think our effort, our flair is never-ending," said del Bosque.

"This World Cup draws from what we did in 2008 and it is the continuity and continuation of a very good legacy.

"Everyone in the dressing room is ecstatic.

"Spain, the country, deserves this triumph. This goes beyond sport. We have to celebrate and are delighted to be able to offer this victory to all the people of Spain."

No fewer than 13 players were booked, eight of them Dutch, while Johnny Heitinga was sent off in extra time.

However, afterwards del Bosque paid tribute to the effort of the Dutch in a hard-found game at Soccer City.

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"I should congratulate our opponents," he added."They made it very difficult for us to play comfortably and they had some good chances.

"To try and match Holland when they are playing at that pace is very difficult but we did it and, for the most part, I think we dominated the match.

"Yes it was rough at times but that is part of football."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

They say the table doesn’t lie and even if it can be misleading, few will be fooled into thinking that Chelsea are the strongest side in the Premier League at the moment.

It seems preposterous to think that a club that have shelled out close to £600m on almost 70 different players since 2003 are lacking in terms of first team and squad quality but that is the reality facing Chelsea fans as they ponder how and if their team can overturn a nine point deficit between themselves and league leaders Manchester City.

Add further millions to the kitty for managerial recruitment and compensation payments, plus untold sums on their largely fruitless academy and it is no wonder that there is limited opposition to Roman Abramovich’s overlord reign at Stamford Bridge.

Perhaps the most damning indictment of the Chelsea policy is to put into perspective where they were and where they are. Just over five years ago Jose Mourinho’s men swept all before them en route to a second successive title and were undoubtedly the prominent powerhouse of English football.

The obituaries were being written for the rest as the Blues swept all before them winning 21 of their first 23 league games of 2005/06 with a team packed with players in their pomp. Now, barring Petr Cech and Juan Mata and more disputably Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard, the current crop seem devoid of the top class personnel playing at their peak which is needed to challenge for the top honours. This amounts to the most expensively assembled downgrading in football history.

In Andre Villas-Boas Chelsea now have the right man at the right age to lead the club through a transitionary period to re-establish themselves at the top. However, the notion that they should require a transitionary period given the resource they have sifted through only further highlights the chronic mismanagement at all levels which has proven so self-debilitating to the cause.

Aside from Mata and Raul Meireles the rest of AVB’s summer signings were made with more than half an eye on the future and his acceptance to leave out the established order of John Terry, Lampard and Didier Drogba suggests the Portuguese coach is indeed preparing for a cultural shift in west London.

When the ex-Porto boss was recruited into the very hot Chelsea hot-seat in the summer, it was expected the squad would undergo seismic change but that never materialised. The main protagonists largely remained in place but given their deficiencies this season a more extensive reshaping could soon be on the agenda.

Of the old guard, Jose Bosingwa, Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka and Drogba are almost certainly likely to be dispatched next summer along with players like John Obi Mikel and Salomon Kalou who are ordering a tipple from the last chance saloon.

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But once again, the practicalities of being able to construct a squad to challenge are being hamstrung by the failings of previous confused and ill-thought out transfer dealings.

Chelsea have regularly invested in players in their prime for premium sums. Drogba, Anelka and Malouda to name but three of many were signings made knowing there would be little or no re-sale value and this will prove to be the case as and when these players become surplus to requirements.

And when they do so they will find themselves in very esteemed company. Chelsea outlaid huge sums to procure Messrs. Veron, Crespo, Shevchenko, Deco, Belletti, Ballack and Cole, but received not a penny when these lauded world performers were moved on after indifferent contributions.

Such losses epitomise the reckless nature of Chelsea’s transfer ethos which has not only resulted in them reclining as a team, but also makes a mockery of the suggestions brashly made by Peter Kenyon that they would be self-sufficient three years ago.

Kenyon’s visions came and went without coming close to coming off, and given the way Chelsea do business it was hardly surprising. For such a shrewd businessman, it has taken Mr Abramovich an awful lot of time and money to understand the vagaries of what makes a successful football team and club.

The cash-happy approach to buying players has to be replaced by a more cerebral thinking whereby Chelsea recruit players which best fit into a plan, rather than fitting the best players being shoehorned into a plan of sorts.

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The responsibility to now right the wrongs of many men does not lie with Andre Villas-Boas, instead, it still lies with Roman Abramovich to run the club along with thought and application along the lines of one of his many succesful businesses, and not like the weekend pursuit owning succesful businesses allows.

Follow John Baines on twitter @bainesyDiego10

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Bobby Zamora came off the bench to hit his first league goal at Craven Cottage in over a year to settle Fulham’s clash with Blackburn 3-2.

Former Blackburn favourite Damien Duff had struck twice for Fulham but Mark Hughes’ side were unable to hold on to their lead in the English Premier League encounter, with Grant Hanley and David Hoilett twice equalising for Rovers.

But Zamora, in his first league appearance since recovering from a broken leg, slid home the winner in the very last minute from the penalty spot.

Before the game, Fulham manager Mark Hughes insisted that his side was looking upwards and not downwards in the Premier League.

Blackburn, who started the day level on points with the West Londoners, will also be highly confident of beating the drop this season.

But safety is still some way from being confirmed for either side, though both teams seemed to be simply going through the motions with precious little goalmouth action in the uninspired opening stages at Craven Cottage.

It was not until the half-hour mark that either could fashion a chance, when Blackburn keeper Paul Robinson stopped smartly from midfielder Dickson Etuhu’s low effort.

It was Etuhu who set up Fulham’s opener seven minutes later when he picked out Damien Duff.

The winger, who spent seven years as a Blackburn player, cut on to his favoured left foot and drilled a fierce strike past Robinson with the aid of a deflection.

The home side’s lead lasted less than eight minutes, however, as Blackburn equalized on the stroke of half-time through Grant Hanley.

The Cottagers failed to clear from a corner, and Hanley’s deflected strike completely wrong-footed Mark Schwarzer and flew into the corner.

But his defensive partner Chris Samba almost handed Fulham the lead within three minutes of the re-start.

Samba got it all wrong when Duff fizzed in a low cross and only managed to slice it towards his own goal.

But with Robinson beaten, the ball bounced off the crossbar and out for a corner.

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Duff put his side back in front in the 59th minute.

Again, Robinson might have done better with the snap shot, which flew inside his near post.

As before, the lead lasted less than 10 minutes as Blackburn drew level through David Hoilett who, teed-up by Jason Roberts, smashed a volley past Schwarzer.

But Fulham finally landed their knockout punch when Bobby Zamora made no mistake from the penalty spot with less than sixty seconds left on the clock.

Michael Carrick missed training on Monday as England prepare for their must-win World Cup encounter against Slovenia.

The Manchester United midfielder sat out the session at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus after taking a blow to the ankle during training on Sunday.

He joined groin injury victim Ledley King of Tottenham on the sidelines ahead of the make-or-break game in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday.

The Three Lions must win against Slovenia to qualify for the last 16 following lacklustre draws against the United States and Algeria during a much-criticised campaign to date.

Meanwhile, Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek has warned England that his players believe they can win the pivotal game to seal their own passage to the knockout stages as group winners.

"The most important thing for such a small country as Slovenia is belief," he said following an opening 1-0 victory over Algeria and 2-2 draw with the United States on Friday.

"You must believe you can achieve, then you have a chance. That goes for any team and my team believe they can beat anyone.

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"I'm not thinking 'okay, we came to South Africa but we're small and we must try to avoid catastrophe'.

"It is more 'can I win against every team?' That is my objective."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email