Its game on in the EPL

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson whose team due to play Blackpool, Wolverhamton, Bolton and Blackburn Rovers before an FA cup tie againts Manchester United on Jan 9, implied he was not the greatest fan of the busy holiday.

      "You talk about a winter break but five games in 15 days is a reasonchanging period for every club in the Premier League," said Hodgson who has worked extensively elsewhere in Europe and enjoyed winter break.

        Snow badly disrupted las weekends Primer League programme and continuing freezing weather could jeopardise some of the Christmas weekend games. Blackpoo' s home game againts Liverpool could be under threat if the cold snap continues as the Bloomfield Road pitch has undersoil heating.

       Hodgson will be hoping the holiday period changes his clubs season for the better as they are languishing in ninth place in the table, and he delighted to have skipper Steven Gerrard on Boxing Day.
                                                                                                                                                                                

Be patient on Hodgson

              Roy Hodgson side must prove their worth if they want to challenge for top 4. Recent form againts Newcastle United and FC Utrecth increases pressure on Roys creadibility. Liverpool players must improve their playing style to stay alive for top 4 chase.

            Liverpool will welcome captain Steven Gerrard againts Blackpool. The skipper has been out of hamstring injury since November 17 againts France. Liverpool had to depend on their talismatic captain for salvation. Liverpool receive another major boost, defender Daniel Agger will return to action from calf injury to bolster their defence.

             Hodgson will be hopping to bolster his squad during January tranfer window by bringing some new faces to Anfield. Certainly, Liverpool need a defender to bolster their defence after injury to Jamie Carrager. So far the current wanted list are Joleon Lescott, Gary Cahill and Scott Dann.

           Hodgson has said that he will respect the needs of supporters to improve the squad.
           The former has many times emphasised that he working hardly to restore the clubs situation. He is hopping that their hitman Fernando Torres will bolster their attack alongside David Ngog and Steven Gerrard. Hemay give chance to Anfield flop Milan Jovanovic to strart againts Blackpool.

           Joe Cole will start againts Blackpool after a dissapointing game againts Uterct. Other than that Liverpool will field some youngsters like Jonjo Shelvey and Martin Kelly. Roy also will be hoping to field Glen Johnson.

January Signings

Liverpools takeover by New England Sports Venture (NESW), has raised confidense among Liverpool fans, players, and mainly Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson to bring some new players in January tranfer window. Roy has been given green light to spend on new player.

         Certainly Liverpool fans will able to see one big name players coming to Anfield. Roy has spotted some possible signings to boost Liverpool strength. Many big names were mentioned in Roys list. Among them are Emmanuel Adebayor, Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge, Ronaldinho and many more.

          Definitely, Roy need a striker to partner Fernando Torres at front due to bu rden face by Torres. So far, Suarez remain a top target for the reds but Ajax pressuring for a higher price due to his goalscoring record in last season.

                     Liverpool were asking for a price cut of 20million but Ajax demanding for 35million which the reds cant afford. Liverpool another target is Togolese Adebayor. Adebayor become an out of favour figure in Eastlands since the arrival of Roberto Mancini. But the reds are facing severe challange from other clubs to sign the Togo frontman.

                   Liverpool atleast trying to sign on loan. Another possible target is Ronaldinho. But the Brazilian is unlikely to join the reds with his asking price. Latestly, Liverpool want to sign Chelsea youngster Daniel Sturridge. He is most probably join the reds to play regular games.

                  Futhermore, Liverpool injuries of Jamie Carrager, Daniel Agger and injury prone Fabio Aurelio is forcing Roy to sign a defender. Paul Konchesky fails tomake an impact at the club. Glen Johnson also insist he may quit the club.

                  Liverpool had to face other clubs to sign Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott to improve the  back four.

Support Hodgson

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has been facing tremendous pressure due to the form of his teams form. Many fans fear that Roy may face the axe. Many rumours surrounding Anfield that Hodgson unable to bring glory to Anfield.

         Many Liverpool fans banking on Roy to bring some new players to reshape the squad. Milan Jovanovic has fallen out of favour after making just few appearance Few clubs has shown interest for the Serbian. He felt dissapointed with Roys treatment towards him at Anfield.

         Recently striker Ryan Babel has shown support to Hodgson that the new manager is better than his predecessor.Despite the current form, Liverpool players still believe that the Englishman is able to bring glory to the merseyside club.

       All Liverpool player has to show support to Hodgson, Hodgson still has time to reconstruct the crisis club. Roy is adament that he will bring new players to the club. Liverpool fans hoped that Roy will bring more better prospects to the club.Liverpool currently facing the worst away form. Liverpools last away win was 31 october againts Bolton Wanderres. Liverpool fans would love to see some glimps of miracles in their next match.

Hodgson vs Fulham

Liverpool manager will face his old club Fulham which he brought the London club to the final of Europa Cup in 2010. The reds so far enjoying a perfect time in Anfield for past few games in the league. Liverpool are battling for top four spot and expects no mercy for the London club.

Liverpool currently lies ninth in league table and the expects a big victory againts the struggling Cottagers.On his arrival at Liverpool he described the affection and gratitude he had for the Cottagers and many of their staff but come kick-off he will have no other thought but making it five successive Barclays Premier League home victories.

"Sentiment has never played a part in my football life," he said.

Captain Steven Gerrard expects to start in this match after suffering hamstring injury. Defender Paul Konchesky will also face his old team after his 3ml switch in summer. Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina will make his 200th Premier League appearences. 
Kop boss Hodgson said: "All Fernando Torres needs to return to his very best form is a goal. I think he is getting back to those levels. There have been one or two quite good performances and I'm convinced we'll see another against Fulham."

Reds link a move for Adebayor

The rangy Togolese forward has fallen out of favour at Eastlands under the stewardship of Roberto Mancini, and Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has emerged as a surprise contender in the race to land the player.

Reports in the Daily Mirror at the start of the month claimed Liverpool would battle Spurs for the former Arsenal striker's signature, and now speculation in the Metro claims that the Citizens will look to offer Adebayor's services in a bid to smooth relationships.

Juventus have also been heavily linked with a move for the player, but with the Italian giants yet to produce a concrete offer for the player it seems an Anfield switch is now a realistic possibility.

Adebayor began his career at Sporting CL in his homeland before moving to Metz in 1999. After four years with the club, a move to Ligue 1 Monaco provided the player with a chance to showcase his skills before Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger made a £3 million in 2006.

At the Emirates, Adebayor made a slow start to his career before developing into one of the best forwards in the Premier League during his three-year stint with the Gunners.

However, he would leave Arsenal in relatively acrimonious circumstances, with City paying a fee thought to be in the region of £25 million to take him away from north London.

After a bright start to his City career, the arrival of Mancini has seen a drop in playing time for the 26-year-old, which in turn has led to speculation over an exit.

Liverpool are known to be in the market for a striker as Hodgson searches for an attacking foil for Torres, and the Anfield chief is willing to spend some of his £35 million transfer war chest on a high-calibre player.

Mario Gomez, Luis Suarez and Johan Elmander have all been linked with a move to the Merseysiders, but Adebayor could represent the best value to Liverpool due to the loan opportunity. His challenge would be to keep his Spanish striker too of course, helping to create a formidable forward line at Anfield.

The Carlos Tevez saga may impact City's decision on whether or not they let the former Arsenal man leave the club, but Liverpool are well positioned should the link become more of a reality in the New Year.

Flop Reserves

ROY HODGSON had a pop at Joe Cole as Liverpool's reserves flopped in this Europa League bore.

Boss Hodgson said of the stuttering wide man: "He knows he is better than that and he knows he can do better than that.

"He sets himself high standards and I'm sure he came off the field feeling it was not the performance he wanted to give."The former Chelsea man was one of the few senior players on show as Hodgson made TEN changes from the team that lost at Newcastle on Saturday.

But Cole struggled and missed a late chance. He has one goal in his first 16 games for Liverpool.

COLE ... flopped

Hodgson added: "Players like Joe play on very small margins.

"If he had struck the shot less well he would probably have scored."

Cole was by no means the only player who failed to deliver.

And Kop boss Hodgson was twice forced to apologise on a disappointing night at Anfield.

Liverpool go through as Group K winners, and discover their lBut he apologised BEFORE kick-off after deciding to leave the Spanish hitman on the bench.

And Hodgson apologised AFTER a flat performance by his troops.

Hodgson added: "We are all a bit disappointed by the game. It wasn't for the want of trying or that we weren't interested.

"It was disappointing that with so many new people watching us, we couldn't produce a real performance for them.

"It wasn't a classic but Utrecht play really well away from home, keep the ball and cause problems."

last-32 opponents tomorrow, but their sluggish performance will have failed to scare any Euro rivals.

Bore draw at Anfield

Liverpool 0-0 FC Utrecht:  

Roy Hodgson was forced to issue an embarrassing apology to Liverpool fans over his failed promise to start with star striker Fernando Torres.

Hodgson conceded he changed his team selection on the orders of the Anfield medical staff, having insisted on the eve of the game that Torres would start.

Although a dead rubber for Liverpool, with them already confirmed as group winners, Hodgson wanted to start with I had a change of heart," said Hodgson. "I must apologise to the reporters. I was certainly considering giving Fernando a start, I thought it would be a nice game for him and a chance for him to get his confidence back.

"But I also had a talk to our fitness people and they made me see sense that it wasn't the wisest thing to do. We have already qualified and, if he'd played, he would be taking the place of a young player who needs the chance to stake his place in the team.

"And, of course, it would be very bad for us if he'd picked up an injury. They [the fitness people] made me see the error of my ways. I listened to the reason around me and I changed my mind.

"I sensed that the potential disadvantages far outweighed any advantages in terms of Fernando playing.

"By reneging on my first idea of playing Fernando, I've got a totally fresh team to play against Fulham on Saturday. I'm sorry if I misled people, but I didn't do so intentionally.

"With so many fans here, I had hoped we would produce a sparkling performance, but it wasn't to be."

If, as Hodgson claimed, Liverpool's medical team had vetoed Torres playing, claiming it was a risk not worth taking, why was the Spaniard even on the bench? That decision made less sense than the U-turn itself.

Some fans even felt the move may have been a cynical ploy to ensure Anfield was a full as possible, the promise of Torres starting an attractive inducement to entice them into the ground. It was a theory shot down by Hodgson.

"It wasn't a question of needing a big name to sell the game, because almost 40,000 tickets were sold beforehand," said Hodgson.

Hodgson also claimed Pepe Reina would start, but revealed he decided to with Brad Jones in goal when he learned Australia coach Holger Osieck was in the Anfield crowd, giving the keeper a rare chance to impress his national coach.

Yet the absence of Torres saw 19-year-old striker Nathan Eccleston handed a first start, one of three teenagers in Hodgson's unfamiliar-looking line-up, with midfielder Jonjo Shelvey and centre-half Danny Wilson also included.

Eccleston made an instant impact, though not in the manner in which he would have liked, with a shocking sixth-minute challenge on Mihai Nesu which could have seen him issued with a straight red card, rather than the caution he received.

Liverpool's play lacked any kind of fluency, not surprising with Martin Skrtel and Joe Cole the only regular first-team players included in the starting line-up, insurance on the bench provided by Torres, Dirk Kuyt, Glen Johnson and Raul Miereles.

Milan Jovanovic provided the only moment of excitement for Liverpool fans in the first-half, his sumptuous, dipping 25-yard strike beating Utrecht keeper Michel Vorm but clipping the bar, the ball ending up in the Kop.

Liverpool upped the tempo after the break, Ryan Babel flashing an angled shot across the Utrecht goal. The Dutchman, taunted throughout by the away fans because of his Ajax past, should have done better when Martin Kelly drove the ball into the six-yard box. But Babel was unable to apply the finishing touch.

The introduction of Kuyt for Ivanovic, with 17 minutes to go, prompted the biggest cheer of the night, from both sets of fans. Joe Cole saw a goal-bound shot blocked at point-blank with eight minutes to go. It summed up a night Anfield will want to forget in a hurry.

Liverpool (4-4-2): Jones 5; Kelly 4, Skrtel 5 (Kyriagos 46, 5), Wilson 5, Aurelio 5; Jovanovic 5 (Kuyt 73, 5), Poulsen 5, Shelvey 5, Cole 4; Babel 4, Eccleston 4 (Pacheco 56, 5)

Utrecht (4-4-1-1): Vorm 5; Cornelisse 5, Keller 5, Wuytens 5, Nesu 5; Duplan 5 (Oar 71, 4), Silberbauer 6, Nijholt 5, Mertens 6; Maguire 5 (Sarota 84); van Wolfswinkel 5 (de Kogel 45)

Hero: Silberbauer. Commanded the midfield. 6

Liverpool's commendable policy of allowing children into the meaningless game for free lost some of its lustre in light of the absence of Torres, a decision Hodson felt duty-bound to explain.

Dutch test for Gerard and Co

Roy Hodgsons Liverpool face dutch side FC Utrect which is the final group match of the reds in group K of Europa Cup. The reds has been critised due to recent away form which saw them stumbling in all competition. Roy Hodgson plans to field their hitman Fernando Torres ahead this match alongside Ryan Babel or Dirk Kuyt and the same time we able to see their talismatic captain Steven Gerrard start againts the dutch side. Hodgson had been under pressure due to latest defeat to Newcastle United which he reveals he had been facing sleepless nights. After Liverpool had been eliminated from the Carling Cup, facing Manchester United in third round of FA Cup and tough task to reach top four, Europa Cup remains the only silverware prospect for the Merseyside club.  Liverpool had to make big impact at their home ground to make sure a satisfying victory over the dutch side. We will witness Kuyt facing his old team. Liverpool fans hoping for a good home perfomance.