Trick or Treat for Reds

Liverpool v Swansea match preview

League Cup 4th Round

Emdad Rahman

After overcoming West Brom in the Third Round holders Liverpool face Swansea in the next round of the Capital Cup. This is Brendan Rodgers' first encounter with his former club since making an "extremely, extremely difficult" decision to leave the Liberty Stadium and being appointed to the Liverpool hot seat in June this year.

After the draw was made the Liverpool Manager said: “Rodgers said: 'The Swansea game will be a special occasion, very much so. It is a wonderful club, a brilliant club, and I was in no rush to leave there.”

Rogers led the Swans to the heady heights in the Premiership last season. Playing under a system honed by Roberto Martinez and then Rodgers, Swansea have become a very popular team.

After the exertions of the Merseyside derby it is very likely that key personnel will be rested. Jordan Henderson looks set to start and Nuri Sahin will appreciate game time to develop match sharpness. Suso’s silky skills need to flourish furthermore and the youngster will appreciate the stage provided by a competitive cup game.

After great performances against Anzi, Ousama Assaidi and Stewart Downing will likely operate the flanks. Samed Yesil and Morgan will possibly feature whilst Jamie Carragher will step in as skipper as Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez are rested, only to be called off the bench if necessary.

Michel Vorm, Swansea’s influential number one is out with a groin injury for up to eight weeks, so Gerhard Tremmel will step in at Anfield. Danny Graham and Nathan Dyer have seen little game time of late and could be recalled from the bench.

Michael Laudrup’s Swans are a point better off than Liverpool in the Premiership table and during the weekend they showed themselves to be no pushovers by giving Manchester City a torrid time at Eastlands during the 1-0 defeat. The brilliance of Joe Hart quelled what could have been a Swans shock result against the Champions.

Michael Laudrup’s men who will not be phased and will be out to unleash a few Halloween Ghouls.

A place in the Quarter Finals is at stake here. Bootle Jan has arranged tickets and I’ll be there with my friends to cheer on the Reds before reporting back with a brief match summary.

Match facts:

• Liverpool have won more League Cups than any other club - (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2003 and 2012) and three-times runners-up (1978, 1987 and 2005).
• Swansea last played a cup game at Anfield in 1990. They were trounced 8-0.
• Brendan Rogers men failed to score in both of last season's Premier League encounters against Swansea
• The Swans are getting used to travelling. The Anfield game is their sixth away game in seven league cup rounds.
• Liverpool have not played a League Cup tie at home since being humbled by League Two Northampton in the third round in September 2010.
• Michael Laudrup’s team, who have scored three goals in six matches out of their last nine League Cup matches, are aiming for their first ever League Cup Quarter Finals.

"Halal" Dates

I knew something was wrong when I walked past this sign at Vicarage Fields today. I walked back & forth twice before it hit me :)) 

NFL Stars Marcel Dareus, Stevie Johnson and Kelvin Shepard roll into Stratford Westfield City

Emdad Rahman

I think I may have met my match as I came face to face with a 6’3, 331 pounds Juggernaut and his little friends.

Buffalo Bills Defender Marcell Dareus was the main attraction as fans flocked to see the NFL superstar. Dareus was joined by teammates Stevie Johnson and Kelvin Sheppard during a quick visit to Westfield Stratford City.

Dareus, who cites the H1 Hummer as his favourite mode of transport was impressed with the large numbers of visitors in attendance - "It's nice to see fans coming to see us. I hear that a lot of people today took time off work to come see us and I thank them for that." On the day the Buffalo defensive tackle reaches his A Game there aren't many who can stop the 22 year old from handing out custom shuddering blocks and bonecrunching tackles.

Dareus has faced heartbreak during his quest to reach the pinnacle. His younger brother Simeon Gilmore was one killed during a triple homicide in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama last month.

Last month Receiver Stevie Johnson,  coached by Coach LeVon Haynes and drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft successfully returned from a nagging groin injury. In 2009 he recovered from a rib injury. He said: "London is a great City. It's warm, energetic and you people sure know how to welcome guests."

Both were joined by jovial 6'2 Middle Linebacker Kelvin Sheppard who wished everyone good luck for the International Series game at Wembley. The 2012 NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium will take place on Sunday 28th October and sees the St Louis Rams take on the New England Patriots. The Rams are the designated home team for this fixture with the Patriots, led by Quarterback, Tom Brady, will be the "road team" on what will be their second appearance in an NFL London game. The first time that New England played at Wembley was back in 2009 when they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-7.

The trio made a stop at JD Sports in Westfield Stratford City courtesy of New Era, the international lifestyle brand with an authentic sports heritage that dates back over 90 years. Best known for being the official on-field cap for Major League Baseball and most recently, The National Football League, New Era is the brand of choice not only for its headwear collection, but also for its accessories and apparel lines for men, women and youth.

Celebrations included an in-store autograph signing session. There was also a live appearance and performance from NFL’s St Louis Rams’ cheerleading team, who are in London for the International Series game.

JD Sports hosted an online ballot and one lucky winner discovered a pair of golden tickets hidden in one of the 100 gift bags that were distributed at the JD Sports store. The prize was two premium club level tickets for the International Series game at Wembley, as well as two nights accommodation in London and £200 spending money.

Today's Origami

Leaf card

Anfield to Armani

The life and times of former Liverpool star David James

Original article

Emdad Rahman: David James arrived at Anfield as one of the most promising goalkeepers in the country. The 21-year-old was hailed as the next big thing and was expected to emulate the likes of goalkeeping legends Ray Clemence and his hero Bruce Grobbelaar.

The new prodigy didn’t have it easy as the outgoing king of the six yard box decided he didn’t want to hand over the reins easily. A rejuvenated Grobbelaar began to enjoy an Indian summer, leaving the young starlet to wait patiently for a first team berth. With the pressure of a hefty price tag beginning to weigh heavy many a detractor began to dismiss the new boy's chances.

Then there was opportunity and lady luck. When the Zimbabwean legend went time out, reserve man Mike Hooper was handed centre stage and James had to bide his time again. By the start of 1994 James had seemingly established himself as the Anfield custodian of the nets as he accumulated 213 games in succession.

A dip in form led to being replaced between the sticks by an unknown American named Bad Friedel. It is a measure of the competition at Anfield and testament to the ability and longevity of Friedel that still sees the veteran going strong at Tottenham, keeping Hugo Lloris, one of Europe’s out of the starting XI.

Some high profile errors didn’t help the cause. James was cruelly nicknamed 'Calamity James' and critics had a field day after his admission that a dedication to Nintendo games did not help his concentration. He has described this as the worst period of his career.

James, who was a part of the Liverpool team that won the Steve McManaman League Cup final, broke Gary Speed’s Premier League appearances record in 2009. England’s first black goalkeeper’s appearance record has since been surpassed by Ryan Giggs. The 6ft5in giant appeared for England at Euro 2004 and the World Cup in 2010.

James was part of the Armani suited Spice Boys brigade that lost the 1996 FA Cup Final to Manchester United, and again lost with Aston Villa when he fumbled Gianfranco Zola's free-kick to present Roberto Di Matteo with the winner. A winning medal followed with Harry Redknapp’s Pompey, followed by another loser’s medal against Chelsea in 2010.

Speaking to Four Four Two Magazine James reminisced about the cream suits: “The story is quite simple. The suits we were going to wear were shown, someone asked me whether I had any contacts with Armani and I said ‘yes’ and passed it on.

"I didn’t choose the suits and I didn’t care what people thought – I was playing in the FA Cup final and that’s the thing: had we of won they would have been the most fashionable suits. It was just the fact that we lost and didn’t play particularly well on the day.”

James featured in one of the Premier League's greatest matches when Liverpool beat Newcastle 4-3 at Anfield in 1996. Reflecting later he recollected that amazing night: “To end up 4-3, and getting the goal in the last minute, was just a tremendous relief.
“In the match there was a moment when we thought we weren’t going to do it.”
The feat was repeated the following season too. He added: "The first one, with Stan Collymore’s winning goal, was just a wonderful game of football for everyone to watch.
"Looking back you feel honoured to have been a part of it.”

After spells with Aston Villa, West Ham, Manchester City, Portsmouth, and Bristol City,
James travelled to Dean Court to join AFC Bournemouth.

An articulate and highly intelligent individual, James is the perfect ambassador and it is only a matter of time before he is handed a major role within football.

'Paddy' Berger - Kop Favourite

Patrik Berger added a touch of glamour to the Liverpool midfield

By Emdad Rahman

Original article - Patrik Berger was a made man even before he stepped off the plane at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. The Czech was a teen star in his homeland and had featured prominently in the side that reached the Euro '96 final.

The youngster's star rose and he left Sparta Prague for rivals Slavia. Sparta continued to dominate the League but Berger's mercurial talents were being monitored closely, and in 1995 he joined Ottmar Hitzfeld's Borussia Dortmund.

The veteran head coach designated his new charge with a less fancied holding midfield role and, despite his unhappiness, Berger finished his only season in Germany with the Bundesliga and Super Cup, scoring four goals in 25 appearances.

Playing alongside Pavel Nedved and Karol Poborsky it was Berger's attacking instincts that came to the fore at Euro '96 and with Premier League teams scouting for top European talent Roy Evans quickly stepped in. Southport was the next port of call and the dashing Berger was whisked off to Anfield, joining the illustrious Patrick Vieira, Robert Di Matteo, Gianluca Vialli and Fabrizio Ravenelli in England.

Flowing hair and the Alice band added a touch of glamour and rock and roll. Opposition fans didn’t quite see it that way and many away fans gleefully taunted the fashion sense of the Czech star.

Despite the glitz and glamour, here was a gifted footballer with a lethal left peg, who barring injury, would have won far more than 44 international caps.

Berger had a blistering start to his Liverpool career with his second appearance resulting in two goals against Leicester City. Foxes Goalkeeper Kasey Keller raved: "I’ve never seen a ball move so fast in my life. It’s a good job I didn’t get in the way of either shot or I’d have been back in the net with it." His first start led to another brace against Chelsea and the player of the month award.

Roy Evans pushed the Czech star further upfield to compensate for the lack of goals from the Stan Collymore and Robbie Fowler partnership. Berger finished the campaign with nine goals.

The highlight of the 1997/98 season was a hattrick against Chelsea. Controversy followed in 1998 after he incurred the wrath of Evans for refusing to accept a place on subs bench. The feeling was mutual and Berger likened Liverpool to "a Third or Second Division club - not like the Liverpool I expected."

It seemed that Berger's career was on a downward slope but, with AS Roma showing interest, Gerard Houllier came to the rescue. The Frenchman deployed Berger behind the front two and the central positioning led to immediate dividends with four goals in the next five games. Iconic strikes against Leeds United, Tottenham, Manchester United and Wimbledon have made Berger a firm favourite amongst Liverpool fans.

After a disappointing Euro 2000 Berger played a role in Liverpool's treble trophy assault in 2001/01, with the undoubted highlights being the pass that set up Michael Owen's FA Cup Final winner against Arsenal at Cardiff's Millenium Stadium and the magical 5-4 Uefa Cup final victory over Alaves.

Injuries took their toll and from 2003 onwards Berger transferred to Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Stoke City before returning home with Slavia Prague and Prague sixth Division outfit Dolni Chabry. At Villa his stint was cut bluntly short after 29 games after it emerged that he had encouraged skipper Gareth Barry to join Liverpool.

An quote from an interview with the Sunday Times in 2004 cements Berger's hero status: "You know, the greatest day in my football life was the day I signed for Liverpool. I couldn’t believe it.

"When I was young in Czechoslovakia, we didn’t see much European football, but my father’s friend went to England and he watched Liverpool. When he came back, he gave me the programme, the ticket and a scarf. I still have them all.

"When I moved to Southport to live, my neighbour was Kenny Dalglish. Alan Hansen lived around the corner. I met them, they were normal guys, but they were my heroes. To me, it’s the best club in the world and when I am finished playing and I’m telling my children about it I will be proud to say that for seven years I was a Liverpool player."

A dodgy knee forced the boots to be hung up in May 2008. Sparta coach Jozef Chovanec said: "Patrik told me yesterday, 'It's over. My knee doesn't support the burden any more'. We have to deal with it. Thank you, Patrik, for everything you have done for Sparta and the entire Czech football."

"Paddy" was simply a class act. Injury prevented him from greater achievements at Liverpool but the silky runs, playmaking skills, the flowing locks and the blistering left foot piledrivers reserve this outstanding footballer a special place in the hearts of all Reds.

London 2012 Torchbearers honoured by BFA

The BFA awards night was held at the Troxy yesterday. I was so proud to receive this accolade with fellow torchbearers.

Peace Week Awards Celebrate Local Residents That Make a Difference

Residents who have made an outstanding contribution to their local community have been honoured at the annual Barking and Dagenham Peace Week Awards.

Following the recent Peace Week celebrations which centred on the theme of ‘Do Something Kind’, the awards ceremony, held at the Broadway Theatre, on Tuesday 2 October, included six different awards; with each category having three finalists.  The event also included an award for the School Choir Singing Competition.

His Worshipful the Mayor of Barking and Dagenham, Cllr Tony Ramsay was in attendance and presented an award; as did Cabinet Member for Crime, Justice and Communities, Cllr Jeanne Alexander; Chief Superintendent Andy Ewing, Borough Commander of the Metropolitan Police; Nims Obunge, Chief Executive of the Peace Alliance; Ted Parker, Chair of Trustees for Barking and Dagenham Council for Voluntary Service; and Robyn Keeble MBE, a community activist.

Cabinet Member for Crime, Justice and Communities, Cllr Jeanne Alexander, said: “It was an honour to meet these inspirational people.  The Peace Awards are a great way to recognise the effort which people put in, often in their own time, to help others.

“We also shouldn’t forget the runners up, who might have missed out on an award, but should still be very proud of what they’ve achieved.  I hope that seeing what these residents have done will help inspire other people to make a contribution to the community in which they live.”

The awards ceremony was also host to the launch of ‘Together: A Community Cohesion Strategy for Barking and Dagenham’, which has been developed in partnership with statutory, voluntary sector and business partners along with local residents and young people over the last six months.

For more information on the strategy which focuses on three key themes; Neighbourliness; Talking and listening; and Bringing people together, please visit the Partnership website at: www.barkingdagenhampartnership.org.uk   

Today's Origami

Bookmarks...

First Citizen trains with Stepney FC

Councillor Rajib Ahmed took to the field to train and discuss tactics with young footballers at Stepney FC. The Under 12’s were treated to a special visit from Tower Hamlets First Citizen, who joined in a kickabout before delivering a rousing team talk.

Councillor Ahmed, who displayed impressive ball control during the training session said: “It’s great to be a part of a happy and safe environment. I have particularly enjoyed watching the parents stay present and support their children for the whole session.

“Members of Stepney FC are making a tremendous effort to work with the community. And I would like to thank the volunteers at all levels who are contributing so much day in and day out.”

There was advice for the youngsters: “Football is not just a sport, it unites, improves fitness and has so many benefits. If in life, you adopt the principles of football - unity, togetherness and hard work then you will do very well.”

"This was my son's first day with the club and he has loved every minute of it, said Kamal Uddin, a parent. "As a parent I am happy for my son to take part in a safe and fun environment such as this. I just wish there was more sessions."

Stepney FC President Abdal Ullah said: “It is vital to educate young children in matters regarding health and fitness . Football offers a great opportunity for participants to get fit, enjoy, socialise and develop a whole host of life skills. What better way to promote this than by having the borough’s first citizen pay a visit and join in the training. The children will appreciate and treasure this memory.”