Bulld0gs Liverpool Thread

[koppit]

or is he hahahuckie.jpg

[wongers]

or eventh (1).jpg

[koppit]

or maybe evenPda-hq_(23).jpg

[Bulld0g]

[Bulld0g]

There will be two standard responses to news that young Portuguese midfielder Joao Carlos Teixeira is in contention for a place with Liverpool FC's first team squad.

For those who have never seen him before, they will look at the club's recent track record of bringing in youngsters, and be optimistic of what lies ahead.

For those who have watched him for the Under-21s this season, they will say it is simply about time.

There is reason for optimism regardless.

Teixeira in contention for Liverpool?s first team squad says Rodgers

As Brendan Rodgers intimated, Teixeira has been one of the stand out performers for Alex Inglethorpe's Under-21s - something which Rodgers has shown can be rewarded, with Brad Smith and Jordan Rossiter recently on the bench against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Teixeira was part of the travelling party against Bournemouth in the FA Cup - reward, no doubt, for his fantastic performance against Arsenal U-21s the previous Monday.

Although he did not score, he troubled sporadic first-teamer Carl Jenkinson with his trickery and vision throughout Liverpool's impressive 4-2 win.
Performances such as that have now put him on the cusp of the senior squad with his ability to play either out wide or central - and his ability to grow a lovely curly mane - drawing inevitable comparisons with Philippe Coutinho and on-loan Suso.

But it was former Barcelona midfielder Deco who Teixeira was likened to when first signing for Liverpool. It is not hard to see why.

A first-team appearance for Teixeira would conclude a difficult personal journey to potential Anfield stardom. He was signed by the club after helping Sporting Lisbon eliminate them from the NextGen Series, after all.

Liverpool took advantage of Sporting's financial difficulty with the near-?1m signing but almost missed out on him after his medical revealed serious problems with his back, prompting the club to place him in a back brace for six months.

After making his debut in July 2012, a year of development followed before he was sent on loan to Brentford in September 2013. But the agreement only lasted a month with then-manager Uwe Rosler blaming his own club rather than the player.

"Joao came to us at an unfortunate time," said Rosler. "We do not have the same flow to our game as we did in pre-season or at the start of the season.

"Our game is out of rhythm, put it that way, but it will come again. It is difficult for a player like Joao to show us his true potential in that situation."

But the Braga-born youngster has impressed since returning, culminating with Rodgers' positive comments about his role in the squad.

There is the feeling he is in good hands. If utilised by Rodgers in a competitive match day squad, Teixeira would become the 31st player born in 1990 or later to feature since the summer of 2012, with 25 still at the club.




Some of those, admittedly, were already established: Mamadou Sakho has captained Paris St-Germain; Fabio Borini has scored in a Rome derby; Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen have ran midfields at Premier League level; Philippe Coutinho has played in the Champions League.

Some others were just waiting for an opportunity: Raheem Sterling was touted as one of the country's most exciting prospects, while Andre Wisdom and Suso were thought of highly as well. Jon Flanagan's recent revival came after 12 previous league showings.

But Rodgers has nurtured the majority of them, with he and his coaching staff improving their games markedly, especially players like Coutinho, Henderson and Sterling.

The goal that encapsulates the mania of the season so far is Flanagan's strike against Tottenham - in the 10-touch build up, Luis Suarez is the only player involved who is over 24, and he has just turned 27 himself.

It demonstrated how the present is bright, but the future is also safeguarded.

The Northern Irishman has also been willing to give youngsters a chance to acclimatise to life as a Premier League footballer.

Jerome Sinclair became Liverpool's youngest ever player aged 16 years and six days when he was brought on against West Bromwich Albion in the League Cup, while Jordon Ibe has been given little tasters of top-flight football. Players like Lloyd Jones, Stephen Sama and Cameron Brannagan have all warmed benches in the past year.


One of Rodgers' great strengths is his ability to handle and develop younger players, and for all the excitement generated by Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, there is also buzz about the future.

Although the average age of the side which beat Arsenal was just under 26, five of the six outfield players were 24 or younger.

Liverpool have used their misfortune and spun it into fortune, with these younger players being given opportunities because of injuries and squad size.

The dilemma for the club would be how to approach hypothetical Champions League qualification, with the inclination to purchase experienced, expensive players likely to impede the opportunities afforded to these youngsters.

It would be a nice dilemma to have. For now, the kids are most certainly alright, and the potential addition of the talented Teixeira into that cluster will reaffirm that.

He may not end up becoming the next Deco, but being the next Coutinho or Sterling will be praise enough

[gc1966]

is that Brendan rogers new "special friend"

[Bulld0g]

http://www.evertonfc.com/news/archive/2014/02/11/sharpy-s-blue-rose-mission

Graeme?s special mission came on the eve of the ?I Love Everton? Day on Wednesday, when the Blues welcome Crystal Palace to Goodison Park. Supporters are invited to show their passion for the Toffees with fellow Blues as the Club hosts a variety of pre-match activities around the ground in the build-up to the game.

Blue lights will be shining down on Goodison Park to light up the stadium for the evening, whilst supporters paying a visit to the Fan Zone will be able to get their hands on free blue heart lipops and ?I Love Everton? wristbands.

In addition, LIPA?s Blue Nose Brass Band will be performing a selection of classic Everton songs and the EA Sports dugout will be back at Goodison so that fans can warm-up for the match with a game of FIFA.

The Everton t-shirt cannon will also be making an appearance pitchside 30 minutes before kick-off to distribute exclusive ?I Heart EFC? t-shirts, as modelled by Bryan Oviedo on evertonfc.com last week.

Ahead of the big kick-off at 7.45pm, Junior Blues will be forming the guard of honour whilst carrying special blue and white heart shaped balloons, and there will even be a limited-edition Everton KissCam on the big screens at half-time!

Is this an early April fool or have our blue cousins taken tack to a new low

[gc1966]

will be playing "who can limbo under a turnstile" this evening

[Bulld0g]

will be playing "who can limbo under a turnstile" this evening

You've lost me on that one mate

[koppit]

will be playing "who can limbo under a turnstile" this evening

Take a leaf out of the utd team book and don't turn up

[wongers]

[QUOTE=gc1966;2227521]



is that Brendan rogers new "special friend"[/QUOTE"

no mate its david moyes's secret twin

[Bulld0g]

Dug in well tonight and showed great spirit to get the win. I thought Teixeira looked comfortable on the ball and confident when he came on. Thank fck Agger is back.

[zee24]

Thank f Agger is back indeed need to tighten that defence up now, to be honest never thought we'd lose that game but just looked like one of those games we wouldn't get a winner, but thank god we did.

[zee24]

[wongers]

yes thank god agger's back he's never been my favourite player but if it means "coco" toure sitting in the stands all the better and when the **** is mingnolet gonna come and catch the ball he play's like a five a side keeper routed to his line which unsettles the back 4 as they know they have to deal with anything that comes in the box