Rodgers warning for Downing

                                            Stewart Downing: Warned by Brendan Rodgers                                 Stewart Downing has been told to "fight" for his Liverpool place by manager Brendan Rodgers.

The 28-year-old left winger has failed to light up Anfield since his £20million move from Aston Villa last summer, and has seen teenager Raheem Sterling overtake him in the pecking order.

And, while Rodgers, who replaced the man who signed Downing, Kenny Dalglish, has stopped short of calling time on the former Aston Villa man's stay on Merseyside, he has told him to raise his game.

Speaking to a number of national newspapers, he said: "Stewart is a good guy and a good lad who came here for an awful lot of money. It hasn't quite worked out for him as he would want it. The big challenge for him now is that commitment to the cause to fight, because he has the qualities.

"He has a wonderful left foot but what is important is that it is more than talent. Talent alone is not enough. You have to work hard, you have to fight for the shirt. We have seen that in a number of the young players and if you don't do that then longer-term you won't be here. It is as simple as that really."

Another man to have found chances hard to come by under Rodgers is Jose Enrique, the £6million recruit from Newcastle.

"What is important is that you have good communication. I don't waste my time waiting until January to tell both players what I know now. So they know in relation to the demands of what we want and certainly what it is going to take for us to succeed and for them to fit into the dynamics of the group," Rodgers added.

"The communication I will keep private between Stewart and I, but he is under no illusions that he has to fight."

Rodgers confident of peace

                                              Rodgers: Ready to play host to Man United


Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers expects this weekend's emotional clash with Manchester United to be remembered for the right reasons on and off the field.
The Barclays Premier League encounter at Anfield on Sunday will be Liverpool's first home match since the publication of a damning new report into the Hillsborough disaster.
A number of tributes are being planned prior to the game to commemorate the 1989 tragedy, remember the 96 victims and acknowledge the fight of their families to find the truth over its cause.
Since the report there have also been widespread appeals to fans of all clubs to cease tasteless chanting about tragedies to have befallen their rivals.
United have been at the forefront of those calls and it is hoped chants relating to Hillsborough, or the Munich air disaster which badly affected the Old Trafford club, will never be heard again.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been especially forthright in his comments on the matter and Rodgers has acknowledged such support.
Rodgers said: "There has been dialogue all week. There is respect in terms of the traditions of both clubs.
"We want this day to be remembered for the right reasons before the game, and the footballing reasons.
"A lot of work has been done and hopefully Sunday will pass off peacefully and well and we can talk about the tributes and football.
"It is an emotionally-charged game. I wouldn't sit here and tell Liverpool supporters how to behave. I know how they have behaved over many years has been fantastic.
"These are well-educated supporters who value humanity. I have no issues or no problems there, the message has been clear, and from Sir Alex as well, in relation to his supporters.
"I am sure once we pay the tributes to the families we can get on with the football."
One side issue to have reoccurred is the race row between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra which overshadowed Liverpool's campaign last season.
Suarez was banned for eight matches for racially abusing the United left-back during the corresponding fixture last October and the pair did not shake hands before the return match at Old Trafford in February.
The Premier League's pre-match handshake ritual has been under scrutiny for other reasons of late, but Rodgers is not expecting any more issues on Sunday.
He said: "I think enough has been said and written about that over the last year.
"This has been ongoing and everything to say about this has been said. There is nothing else I can add other than you just move on.
"I said when I first came in here, it was an episode that just went right through last season. It is a new season, another game. We look at both sets of players to respect it.
"Having worked here with Luis Suarez over the course of the last few months, he is a good guy, a good man. Ethically he is very strong, so I am sure there will be no problems at the weekend."
Asked if he was confident the pair would shake hands, Rodgers said: "Very."
The club's managing director Ian Ayre has also played down the significance of the gesture.
Ayre told talkSPORT: "We will be doing a handshake as there always is and, as regards to the Luis Suarez-Patrice Evra thing, I think it's just a non-story for this day.
"Despite what the media says, nobody has gone and told Luis Suarez what to do.
"Luis is a grown up, as I'm sure is Patrice Evra, and I think those players, like every other player on the pitch that day and everybody in the stadium, will recognise this isn't a day to talk about who is going to shake whose hand.
"This is about everybody being together for a much more important cause."
A mosaic will be displayed by fans around three sides of the ground prior to the game, while 96 balloons will be released by captains Steven Gerrard and Nemanja Vidic among other tributes.
Kenny Dalglish, manager at the time of the disaster, is also expected to return to Anfield for the first time since his second spell in charge ended last May.
Rodgers said: "There is no doubt there is a big emotion throughout.
"Liverpool-Manchester United games are always very emotional. You add to that the findings of the last couple of weeks and it makes it even more emotional.
"First and foremost, we want to pay tribute to the families, the victims and the survivors. It is our chance to do that.
"After the fight of the last 23 years, it is the very least we can do."

Ayre plays down handshake issue

                                Evra and Suarez: Ayre wants the focus to be elsewhere on Sunday

 

Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre has played down the significance of the pre-match handshake between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra.
Reds forward Suarez was found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Evra during the corresponding fixture at Anfield last October and the row was further stoked by the Uruguayan's failure to shake Evra's hand before the return match at Old Trafford in February.
But with Sunday's latest encounter between the two clubs at Anfield already certain to be a highly emotional affair in the wake of last week's damning revelations concerning the Hillsborough disaster, Ayre says the issue over whether the players shake hands or not is not at the forefront of his mind.
Ayre told talkSPORT: "We will be doing a handshake as there always is and, as regards to the Luis Suarez-Patrice Evra thing, I think it's just a non-story for this day.
"Despite what the media says, nobody has gone and told Luis Suarez what to do.
"Luis is a grown-up, as I'm sure is Patrice Evra, and I think those players, like every other player on the pitch that day and everybody in the stadium, will recognise this isn't a day to talk about who is going to shake whose hand.
"This is about everybody being together for a much more important cause."
The club understandably want the focus to be elsewhere on what will be a poignant afternoon, the first game at Anfield since the publication of the Hillsborough Independent Panel's report into the 1989 tragedy in Sheffield.
There have been repeated calls from Liverpool and United, with the latter's manager Sir Alex Ferguson particularly vocal, for fans on both sides to show respect, especially with regard to past tragedies.
Tasteless chants about Hillsborough and the 1958 Munich air disaster have been heard in the past and the clubs want it stopped.
Ayre said: "It will be an emotional and big game for everybody.
"Obviously this is our first home game since the announcement and findings and it's a great opportunity for our fans to pay their respects and in many ways for everybody to pay respect to our fans.
"As much as the families and everyone else fought for this, it goes without saying that our fans have stuck with them and helped with that support throughout, so it's an important day for everyone.
"This is about using the stage to show the world how important this was and how important an announcement it was.
"It's ironic really that it comes with our biggest game of the season so that is in some ways quite nice because the world will be watching.
"We have massive respect for what Manchester United went through with their own tragedy and I remember in Kenny Dalglish's book he made the point that one of the first people to call him after the Hillsborough disaster was Sir Alex Ferguson, and that says it all.
"Whatever happens on the pitch, we are all rivals, but off the pitch at times like this everybody comes together."
 

Ferguson vows backing for Liverpool

                                                      Ferguson: Supportive of the situation

 Sir Alex Ferguson has promised Liverpool total support ahead of what he accepts will be an emotional Premier League encounter with Manchester United on Sunday.
The game will be the first to be played at Anfield since the damning report on the Hillsborough tragedy was released last Wednesday, placing the blame for the disaster, in which 96 people died, on South Yorkshire Police and other services.
Yet the chants of a few United fans during Saturday's win over Wigan at Old Trafford highlighted the potential for trouble.
Ferguson, who has already appealed for a line to be drawn in the sand by supporters of both clubs, has offered Liverpool unqualified support.
"It is going to be a very emotional day on Sunday and we will support them in every way we can," said Ferguson.
"As a club we are totally supportive of Liverpool in the situation they are in. We understand what those families must have felt when they got that report.
"I didn't hear it (on Saturday), but others did, particularly in the directors' box. (Chief executive) David Gill was disappointed."
Some fans have argued the chant heard on Saturday - "Always the victim, never your fault" - was only sung in the immediate aftermath of Luis Suarez's racism spat with Patrice Evra.
"It is a new chant that only started after the Suarez situation," said Ferguson.
"I was disappointed to hear it. It is a minority. But in society there is a minority wanting to be heard."
Ferguson's comments come on the eve of a report being released by MPs stating football's authorities need to do more to tackle racism and discrimination within the game.
The triggers for that investigation were the high-profile issues involving Suarez and Evra, and also John Terry and Anton Ferdinand.
The latter case is yet to be fully resolved, with Terry due to face the FA later this month after he was cleared of a criminal charge earlier this year.
Ferdinand's refusal to shake Terry's hand at Loftus Road on Saturday confirms the matter continues to cast a stain on the game.
Suarez's failure to shake Evra's hand at Old Trafford last season brings added tension to this weekend's fixture, with Ferguson insisting a bad 12 months for the game should not be allowed to obscure the positive work that has taken place.
"English football has been very good in challenging these issues," said Ferguson.
"Last year was a bad year for the sport but hopefully we get back to normal.
"I don't know what the report is going to say but until last year I don't think it has been an issue.
"I haven't seen anything for 20 years.
"One bad year doesn't cast the game in doubt as far as I am concerned.
"I am sure it will be brushed aside and we will go back to normal."

Mancini rage at Aguero call-up

                                                     Aguero: Called up by Argentina

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has again voiced his frustration at injured striker Sergio Aguero's recent international call-up, branding FIFA rules as "stupid".

Aguero has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in City's season-opening Premier League game against Southampton four weeks ago.

But despite the 24-year-old being ruled out at least until this weekend, that did not stop Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella naming him in his squad for this month's World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Peru.

Mancini accepts Argentina had a right to call up the player to conduct their own medical assessment under the rules of the world governing body, but does not think it helped his recovery.

When asked if Aguero had remained in Manchester during the past fortnight, Mancini said: "No, because his manager wanted him there.

"He went there for five days, he worked with the physio. The Argentina manager wanted him there.

"This is a stupid rule because if we had a player who is injured for two weeks it is better he stays here."

Mancini described the rule as "ridiculous" when he first heard of Aguero's call-up and had hoped the player would be allowed to stay in England.

Despite that, Aguero was due to undergo a fitness test prior to the encounter with Stoke.

The club's £38million record signing resumed training earlier this week in the hope of possibly featuring at the Britannia Stadium.

Ideally, Mancini would like to give his top scorer from last season a run out ahead of next Tuesday's Champions League game at Real Madrid.

Mancini said: "Sergio is not 100% but his knee is okay. Maybe he could be on the bench."

Lamps: England can cope without JT

                                                Lampard: England have strength in depth

Frank Lampard believes England possess the strength in depth to fill the gap created by an ankle injury which has ruled John Terry out of Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine.
Terry will miss the Wembley encounter after suffering the setback against Moldova during Friday's 5-0 win in Chisinau.
England finished the game with 10 men when the Chelsea captain limped out of the game during the closing stages.
Centre-back Terry was assessed by England's medical staff over the weekend and he returned to his club after it was decided he would not recover in time to face the Ukrainians.
But Lampard has faith in either Terry's club-mate Gary Cahill or Everton's Phil Jagielka to step in alongside Joleon Lescott.
Midfielder Lampard said: "It is a blow for John personally and for the team because he is an inspirational player and a fantastic centre-half.
"He is a top player and experienced in these qualifying games.
"We saw his ability through the Euros in the summer and the other night and a big player, you always miss.
"But it's squad football and we are fortunate enough to be blessed with fantastic back-up, good centre-halves like Cahill and Jagielka.
"Whoever comes in are experienced top players. Whenever you lose a big player, you need the squad to step up and do the business and I'm sure we've got that."
The Football Association confirmed Terry's withdrawal in a statement on Sunday.
It read: "Following further treatment from the England medical staff today, John Terry will not be available for the World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on Tuesday.
"Terry suffered an ankle injury in the game with Moldova and has returned to his club."
If Cahill is chosen, it would be his first appearance at Wembley since he suffered the broken jaw against Belgium in early June which ruled him out of Euro 2012.
Jagielka, who scored the opening goal in last month's win over Italy in Berne, has previous experience of partnering Lescott when the pair were team-mates at Everton.
Terry became the second player to withdraw from the squad in the space of 24 hours.
His Chelsea team-mate Ashley Cole had not recovered sufficiently from the ankle setback which caused him to be unavailable against Moldova.
It leaves Cole on 98 caps and he could now reach the century mark next month when England visit Poland and entertain San Marino in two more qualifiers.

Fellaini eyes Everton exit

                                  Fellaini: Looking for a move away from Everton
Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini claims he could leave the club as soon as the next transfer window despite being under contract for the next four years.
The Belgium international has been the driving force behind Everton's strong start to the new Premier League season, and scored the only goal in the victory against Manchester United in their opening fixture.
The 24-year-old appeared committed to manager David Moyes' plans after penning a new contract through to 2016 as recently as November, but in an interview with a Belgian newspaper Fellaini said he was now looking for a way out of Goodison Park.
"I am just starting my fifth season at Everton, this will be one of my last," he told Het Nieuwsblad.
"I have seen everything. In January or at the end of the season I will turn to another club or championship."
Fellaini joined Everton in a £15million move from Standard Liege in 2008 and has scored 22 goals in 130 appearances for the Merseyside club.

Fergie eyes Bolt for Man Utd

                                    Usain Bolt: Could face Real Madrid Legends

Sir Alex Ferguson might not be signing Usain Bolt - but he is ready to let the sprinting superstar loose on Real Madrid.
A lifelong Manchester United fan, Bolt has already been to Old Trafford since his triple gold medal-winning exploits, telling the crowd ahead of last month's 3-2 win over Fulham that they needed to persuade Ferguson to sign him.
That is clearly not going to happen.
However, Ferguson has raised the possibility of Bolt fulfilling his dream in a rather different way.
"He's been to Carrington a couple of times and he did help Ronaldo with his sprinting," Ferguson told Inside United.
"He's a bit of a character and a big United fan. But it's interesting he says he would like to play in a charity game.
"It could be brilliant, and next year, when we play Real Madrid's Legends again, there could be opportunities to bring him in and see how he does."
Ferguson certainly owes Bolt a favour after he took a rather personal interest in the Jamaican's stellar performances at London 2012.
"I must thank him because that was my biggest bet," he said.
"Bolt was 4/5 to win each of them, the 100m and 200m, a week before the tournament started.
"It was a brilliant bet. I couldn't believe it.
"He's the fastest man in the world and the others would have to have taken half a second off their running to beat him. He is phenomenal."