Kirky's gone & Watch Us Go (+ TNS - Wrexham Fav) & that Crouch (ouch) link again,
The First Of ManyOn Mon, 27 Jun 2005 22:41:07 GMT, "Sumphucker" You want my answer? Ok. here goes.... I've spent my life winding kopites up and in fact am now very...
Liverpool Echo, 27 June 2005 Kirkland completes West Brom loan move By David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
LIVERPOOL'S imminent £8m capture of goalkeeper Jose Reina, has spelled the end of the road at Anfield for another big money shot-stopper.
Chris Kirkland has left the Reds to join West Bromwich Albion on a season-long loan.
Rated the brightest young goalkeeper of his generation when he left Coventry for £6m in 2001, he made just 45 first-team appearances - largely due to some wretched luck with injuries.
Kirkland looked like establishing himself as first choice under Rafael Benitez when he made 10 first team appearances last autumn. But a back injury interrupted his progress, let Jerzy Dudek back in, and he failed to figure again.
Agent Chris Gordon said last night: "Chris feels Albion and the Premiership is the place to be.
"It is an exciting opportunity for him at Albion. They will get a top quality goalkeeper.
"He wants to show that he is fit again and is ready to establish himself in the Premiership and as an England player. The World Cup finals next year are very much in his mind.
"The medical will hold no fears for Chris. He feels fantastic and has real confidence in his back for the first time in ages."
Kirkland came to Liverpool in 2001 in a £6m switch from Coventry. But the imminent arrival of Jose Reina from Villarreal has effectively rendered him surplus to requirements at Anfield.
Liverpool Echo, 27 June 2005 Watch us go - Rafa By David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
RAFAEL BENITEZ welcomed back his European heroes for pre-season training today - and promised a "fitter, stronger Liverpool this season."
Just 33 days after raising the Champions League trophy in Istanbul, the Reds were back at Melwood preparing for the visit of Welsh minnows Total Network Solutions in a fortnight.
Despite the low-key start, boss Benitez has promised his Reds squad will hit the ground running.
"We need to train harder at the start and change the culture of pre-season here," he said.
"If we sign new players after June 27, they will have to start afresh.
"But I want all the players to show the right mentality from the very beginning of pre-season and this will make it easier for them throughout the rest of the year. "I'm sure you will see a fitter, stronger Liverpool this season."
Goalkeeper Jose Reina is expected to join the Reds this week, with an £8m switch from Villareal due to be completed in the next dew days.
Reports also suggest that Southampton striker Peter Crouch and Bolton winger Stelios Giannakopoulos could be joining them.
According to the Greek daily Sportday, Liverpool have made Bolton a £1m bid for the 30-year-old international.
Bolton boss Sam Allardyce would be loathe to part with a player who enjoyed an outstanding end to the season at the Reebok Stadium, but Stelios has only a year to run on his Bolton contract.
According to the Greek report, Stelios has already held talks with the Reds and agreed a two-year deal. No-one from Anfield, however, was available to comment.
It is believed that Steven Gerrard's contract talks will finally start today.
The Reds' skipper has been keen to open talks since leading the club to European glory last month - and all parties were finally able to get together today to begin negotiations.
No dates have yet been confirmed for Liverpool's Champions League qualifiers against TNS, but neither Goodison nor the Millennium Stadium are likely venues for the second leg.
UEFA would not approve Goodison - teams are only allowed to play outside their home country in exceptional circumstances - while the Millennium Stadium has been booked for a Jehovah's Witness rally the weekend before, leaving no time to lay the pitch.
Wrexham's 10,000-capacity stadium, The Racecourse, is still favourite.
