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PNE.Com speaks to defender Paul Huntington following Saturday’s clash against Crawley

Manager Graham Westley believes it is another step in the right direction for his squad…

PNE.Com speak to skipper and two goal hero Nicky Wroe after the 4-1 win over Palace..

Wroe Pleased With Winning Start

Nicky Wroe was delighted to net a debut goal as Preston North End progressed to the second round of the Capital One Cup with a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town. Nicky Wroe was delighted to net a debut goal as Preston North End progressed to the second round of the Capital One Cup with a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town.

The ex-Shrewsbury man was one of 13 debutants for Graham Westley’s side as two first half goals ensured the Lilywhites started the season with a win.

And with North End’s League One opener against Colchester United now only days away, the midfielder was in a confident mood ahead of the new season.

“We wanted to get off to a winning start. We felt confident, especially with how we’ve been doing in pre-season and how well we’ve come together,” said Wroe. “To start off with a win is very pleasing.

“It was a good team performance. You’ve seen partnerships developing and we’re getting a style of play that’s suiting us and it gives us something to build on.”

North End started strongly against their Championship opponents as they recorded a comfortable win, with Wroe crediting his manager for PNE’s impressive performance. “Beating a Championship side shows we’re coming together nicely and hopefully we can build on it and take it into the season.

“We want to get out and get at people, get in their faces. We did that I think, we put them under pressure and scored a couple of good goals from it.

“The gaffer’s been trying to instil that into us, to play on the front foot. Like I say it’s something to build on, we can improve on that. We can take confidence into the next game now.”

Wroe’s goal came after good work from Chris Beardsley, with the 26-year-old’s late run into the box setting him up perfectly to tap the ball into the unguarded net.

The manner in which the midfielder scored his goal will not have been an unfamiliar sight to fans who have been keeping a close eye on Preston this pre-season, with Joel Byrom scoring two goals in a similar fashion when PNE faced AFC Wimbledon last month.

Wroe continued: “The gaffer wants people running on from midfield, arriving and committing into the box and being nice and positive. I think if you can get people in the box in the right areas then more times than not they’re going to get on the end of them and you’re going to get goals.

“Beardo [Chris Beardsley] did well and I thought maybe he’s going to squeeze it across. How he got it to me I’m not quite sure, but yeah I managed to tuck it away and I’ll take them all day.

“It was nice to get off the mark so early. I maybe should have had a couple in pre-season but didn’t so it was nice to get a goal on my home debut.”

As Premier League sides enter the draw on Wednesday, Wroe does not mind who the Lilywhites come up against in the next round, providing the club are drawn at home, with the midfielder backing PNE’s chances against anyone in front of the Deepdale crowd.

“The fans really got behind us and drove us on. The early goals helped but they were fantastic.

“We’ll fancy anybody, especially if we get a home tie. We’ll do what we did tonight and try and get in their faces and hopefully get a win.”

Jack King marked his Preston North End debut with a goal, as the Lilywhites overcame Huddersfield Town to secure their place in the Capital One Cup second round.

Lucas Leiva today spoke of his confidence at returning to top form this season after he was among Liverpool’s first batch of players to return to Melwood ahead of 2012-13.

The 25-year-old missed over half of last term after undergoing surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament following an injury sustained in the Carling Cup win at Chelsea in November.

Lucas is now targeting a return to first-team action as soon as possible following a spell of rehab in his native Brazil.

“I don’t have too many experiences with injuries because fortunately I had none in my time at Liverpool previously, so it has been a learning process for me as well and I am very happy with the progress,” said the Reds’ No.21.

“I think I am progressing very well in terms of the knee, strength and fitness-wise.

“I am working every week and trying to improve every week and the main target is to be fit for the new season.”

The Brazilian international is convinced that he will come back stronger after his time on the sidelines and is determined to perform at the same levels that saw him named Liverpool’s Player of the Season in 2010-11.

Lucas added: “I am confident I will be back at the same level because I know how hard I am working.

“The first four weeks I saw my knee it was very bad looking and it comes through your head that you might not be at the same level you were before.

“But at the same time you see big players who had the same injury come back and be even better.

“There is no need for me to be scared. Rather than stay protecting myself, I need to work on my head as well to come back and play the same way I was playing before.

“One of the things which made me strong in the team was how aggressive I was in tackles and things like that, so I cannot lose that.”

Lucas admits he found it hard to come to terms with picking up the first long-term injury of his career, but he is now in a much more positive frame of mind as he looks forward to an exciting new era at Anfield under Brendan Rodgers.

“It has been very hard for me because I have never been out for a month so you can imagine five months when I can’t play and only watch the game,” he said.

“I just had to cope with the injury and the time. As soon as I got the injury I knew I would be out for many months and I started to think about other things.

“The most difficult period for me was when I was on crutches for two months, especially the first four weeks after the surgery when the knee was swollen.

“To be honest, for a few moments I thought I couldn’t come back or even walk, because the way I looked at my knee I felt scared.

“But as soon as I started the rehab, it is unbelievable how your body reacts.

“My main target now is to be 100 per cent recovered and be okay to play a part in next season.”

Steven Gerrard has been named in the UEFA Team of the Tournament for Euro 2012.

The Liverpool skipper is the only Englishman to make the 23-man squad after he captained the Three Lions to the quarter-finals, where they lost on penalties to eventual runners-up Italy.

Gerrard was one of England’s star players throughout the competition, and recorded an assist in each of Roy Hodgson’s side’s three group games, most memorably when crossing for Andy Carroll to score a towering header against Sweden.

UEFA Euro 2012 Team of the Tournament in full:

Goalkeepers: Buffon (Italy), Casillas (Spain), Neuer (Germany)

Defenders: Pique (Spain), Coentrao (Portugal), Lahm (Germany), Pepe (Portugal), Sergio Ramos (Spain), Jordi Alba (Spain)

Midfielders: De Rossi (Italy), Gerrard (England), Xavi (Spain), Iniesta (Spain), Khedira (Germany), Busquets (Spain), Ozil (Germany), Pirlo (Italy), Xabi Alonso (Spain)

Attackers: Balotelli (Italy), Fabregas (Spain), Ronaldo (Portugal), Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Silva (Spain).

Former Liverpool striker Alan Waddle has explained how he hopes drawing on his own personal experiences of life at Anfield will help him make a positive impact in his new role as head coach of amateur Australian side Demon Knights FC.

The 57-year-old was signed for the Reds by Bill Shankly as a deputy for John Toshack in 1973, joining from Halifax for £4,000.

Waddle scored just one goal during his four and a half years at Anfield, but it was a memorable one - the winner in a Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park just a few months after the then 19-year-old had moved to the club.

In total, he played 22 times for the Reds, and despite being part of the travelling party for the 1974 FA Cup final against his hometown team Newcastle United, and being an unused substitute in the 1977 European Cup final, Waddle does wonder what might have been.

“I ‘scored’ on my debut in front of The Kop but the goal was disallowed - that’s the way it goes,” he recalls.

“I remember a midweek afternoon match against Coventry during the three-day week when I could’ve had a hat-trick but I hit the post and the crossbar and the ball just wouldn’t go in. I sometimes think what would have happened if some of those chances had fallen for me.”

After leaving Liverpool, the much-travelled Englishman enjoyed his most productive spell for John Toshack’s successful Swansea City side in the late 1970s, scoring 34 goals in 90 appearances and lining up alongside other former Reds such as Ian Callaghan, Tommy Smith and Phil Boersma.

When his fruitful three-year stay ended in 1980, Waddle signed for Newport County before going on to play in Qatar and Hong Kong, as well for several teams in Wales. He eventually retired in 1993.

After moving to Australia in 2009 to be closer to his daughter, Waddle joined the Demon Knights last year as a technical advisor before being approached to take over as head coach earlier this season.

Having played alongside the likes of Keegan and Toshack, and worked under Shankly and Paisley, Waddle has a wealth of experience to call upon for his new role.

“Though I only played four-and-a-half years of my life at Liverpool in 16 years, it had the most profound effect on my football career,” he said.

“I went from being a supporter in the north-east of England supporting Newcastle United when I was 15 to about three-and-a-half years later being in the dressing room with all these Liverpool stars.

“It was obviously the realisation of a dream to be able to not only play professional football but also to be at Liverpool.”

After a slow start to the season, the Demon Knights’ fortunes have turned around since Waddle took over. He’ll be hoping to keep up that sort of form as he looks to implement the Anfield pass and move philosophy Down Under.

“I’m not trying to make it complicated for them, simply because I always believed in the Liverpool way, and it is a simple methodology of playing,” he said. “It’s just a matter of trying to correct the thought processes, to play things simpler.

“That being said, I say to them 25-30 yards from goal, take a chance and do something.

“But do it there and then; the other two-thirds of the field I preach safety and being precise with your passing, so that’s my philosophy.”

Dirk Kuyt’s hat-trick against Manchester United is chosen as No. 4 in our countdown of LFC’s 100 Most Exciting PL Games.

Luis Suarez enjoyed an outstanding game and was on hand to set up the opening goal. Picking the ball up on the left side of the visitors’ penalty area, the Uruguayan managed to glide through three United defenders before slipping a shot across the face of goal and Kuyt was on hand to gleefully smash home.

Suarez was involved again for the Reds’ second goal. His searching cross into the area was inadvertently headed invitingly into Kuyt’s path by Nani, leaving the Dutchman free to nod home the simplest of headers.

Kuyt completed his hat-trick on 65 minutes in front of the Kop. With Van der Sar unable to keep hold of Suarez’s free kick, Liverpool’s No.18 was on hand to notch his third, becoming the first Reds player since Peter Beardsley in 1990 to score a hat-trick in this fixture.

As the Anfield faithful erupted into a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday King Kenny’, there was still time for Javier Hernandez to score a late consolation for United. However, it would not be enough to dampen Liverpool spirits as they ended the day 3-1 winners.

This dramatic draw with Arsenal comes in as No. 3 in our countdown of LFC’s 100 Most Exciting PL Games.

LFC’s Most Exciting PL Games No.3: April 21, 2009. Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal.

 

Yossi Benayoun scored a stoppage time equaliser as Liverpool came from behind three times to draw against an Andrei Arshavin-inspired Arsenal and move to top of the Premier League on goal difference.

Liverpool dominated early possession, creating chance after chance, but it was Arsenal who took the lead when Arshavin converted off the bar from close range after Javier Mascherano was caught in possession.

Fernando Torres levelled the scores four minutes into the second half with a powerful header before Benayoun gave the Reds the lead less than 10 minutes later, his diving header at the far post finding its way past Lukasz Fabianski in the Arsenal goal.

Arshavin scored his second with a 20-yard curler past Pepe Reina making the most of Alvaro Arbeloa’s lapse in concentration before taking advantage of Fabio Aurelio’s failure to clear the ball to notch his hat-trick.

Fernando Torres again levelled things up as he slotted home from the edge of the area before two goals in injury time left Anfield speechless. First Arsenal substitute Theo Walcott ran the length of the pitch to square the ball for Arshavin to score his fourth, only for Benayoun to find space in the Gunners’ penalty area and smash home the equaliser with virtually the last kick of the game.

 

A modern classic against Newcastle is voted in at No. 2 in our countdown of LFC’s 100 Most Exciting PL Games.

 

LFC’s Most Exciting PL Games No.2: April 3, 1996. Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle.

 

Stan Collymore’s late winner secured Liverpool victory against Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle in what is widely regarded as one of the greatest Premier League games ever.

Robbie Fowler gave the Reds the lead after just two minutes following a superb turn and cross from Collymore before two goals in quick succession from Les Ferdinand and David Ginola meant Newcastle led going in at half-time.

Fowler levelled the scores after 55 minutes, firing home Steve McManaman’s low cross, but Newcastle regained the lead just two minutes later, Faustino Asprilla firing past goalkeeper David James.

Collymore made the score 3-3 with just over 20 minutes to go, finding space at the far post to knock home Jason McAteer’s superb inviting low cross.

And as Liverpool chased a winner with the scores level heading into stoppage time, substitute Ian Rush and John Barnes combined on the edge of the penalty area before feeding Collymore to fire home the winner in a game that will go down in Premier League folklore.

Few will be surprised that this comprehensive win at Old Trafford triumphs as No. 1 in our countdown of LFC’s 100 Most Exciting PL Games.

LFC’s Most Exciting PL Games No.1: March 14, 2009. Man United 1-4 Liverpool.

 

Liverpool kept their title dream alive with an outstanding display against Manchester United as Rafa Benitez secured his 100th league win in charge of the Reds.

The visitors were without the injured Xabi Alonso, and were rocked further when Alvaro Arbeloa injured his hamstring in the warm up, forcing Sami Hyypia to lace his boots at the last minute.

Benitez’s side fell behind to a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty, but levelled things up just four minutes later when Fernando Torres raced onto Martin Skrtel’s long ball upfield and took advantage of Nemanja Vidic’s slip to slot the ball past Edwin van der Sar.

Steven Gerrard turned the game on its head on the stroke of half time, first winning Liverpool a penalty of their own after being clumsily challenged by Patrice Evra, then stepping up to take the kick and give the Reds the lead going into half-time.

Vidic’s afternoon got worse as he was sent off for a foul on Gerrard. Any hopes of a United comeback were dashed as Fabio Aurelio curled the resulting free-kick past a hapless Van der Sar before Andrea Dossena completed the scoring in stoppage time, running onto Pepe Reina’s long punt upfield and lobbing the ball over the Dutch stopper to seal a famous 4-1 victory for the Reds.

Ahead of Spain’s Euro 2012 semi-final clash with Portugal tonight, Pepe Reina took time out from training to give Match Magazine the lowdown on life in the Spanish camp…

Reina on teammates…..

My best mate in Spain’s squad is normally David Villa, but with him injured I’d say Santi Cazorla, Fernando Torres and Fernando Llorente are the lads I’m closest to. I have known them the longest and I also sit with Fernando Torres on the team bus.

Reina on preparation…..

When we aren’t playing or training, our main focus is to watch the other teams at Euro 2012. We watch almost every match, and afterwards we talk to each other about how each player has performed.

Reina on chilling out…..

We often have double training sessions at tournaments, which leaves us very little time away from football to do anything. In my spare time I like to relax, but when we are together I often play cards with the lads.

Reina on movie watching…

We have a great selection of movies inside Spain’s training camp. It is very well organised so they are available in the hotel, but I don’t watch that many.

Reina on dressing-room music…..

I’d have to say I have the best taste in music of anyone in our squad, but after me the next best would be Sergio Ramos. We don’t normally swap CDs, but if I had to do it with one of my Spain teammates, I’d swap with him.

Reina on squad banter…..

There is a very good atmosphere in the Spain squad and many, many jokes are told and played around the training ground. If I had to name one person to keep your eye on, it would be Jordi Alba. He is dangerous!

Glen Johnson believes Steven Gerrard’s fine form at Euro 2012 is a result of manager Roy Hodgson handing the Liverpool skipper the armband.

Liverpool’s No.8 captained his country during their disappointing World Cup campaign in South Africa in the absence of Rio Ferdinand, but Johnson thinks handing the captaincy to Gerrard on a permanent basis has prompted the 32-year-old to up his game.

Gerrard has been England’s standout player at the tournament so far, assisting three of the Three Lions’ five goals, and Johnson believes his teammate at club and international level thrives under the added responsibility of being captain.

“Steven has been a fantastic player for many, many years,” said Johnson. “But with the armband I think he feels he needs to step up just that tiny bit more, and I think he’s done it more than anyone so far.”

Ahead of Sunday’s clash against the 2006 World Champions, Johnson is feeling confident about England’s chances and believes any team left in the tournament could be winners.

“We’ll just try and set out to be hard to beat,” he said. “We’ve got some fantastic players in the side that can hurt any defence.

“Any team that’s in the tournament has got a chance of winning it. The first objective was to get out of the group and we’ve done that very well by winning the group.

“Now it’s a one-off game, and in a one-off game you can beat anyone.”

Johnson added that he believes a new bond could be developing between the England players and the fans: “I’ve just been told about the record rating of viewers for the game, the fans are there to support and it feels like we’re a big, tight unit.”

One player who will be familiar to Johnson ahead of Sunday’s quarter-final meeting is Manchester City frontman Mario Balotelli.

Johnson knows Balotelli can have a major impact on games but is adamant England are not worrying over how the volatile Italian will be involved, stressing that there is more to Cesare Prandelli’s squad than the City forward.

“That will be a question for their manager, whether he’s going to play or not,” said Johnson. “I don’t mind either way, personally.

“Mario can switch and he can play a major factor in games, whether good or bad.

“He is a fantastic player but they’ve got a squad of 23 good players. We’re not going to worry about one individual.”

Liverpool faced Manchester City four times last season, with Balotelli being sent off in the league clash at Anfield, but despite the Italian’s unpredictable nature, Johnson insists England will not go into the game with the intention of trying to push the young striker’s buttons.

“I personally don’t go into games thinking like that,” he added. “It’s another game and you concentrate on yourself and try to do your own job well.”

Liverpool legend Terry McDermott believes Steven Gerrard has cemented his place as one of the world’s best midfielders with his performances at Euro 2012.

Gerrard captained England to top place in Group D, earning the Three Lions a quarter-final clash against Italy in Kiev on Sunday and ensuring Roy Hodgson’s side remain unbeaten since he replaced Fabio Capello as manager last month.

The Liverpool skipper has claimed assists in each of England’s three games in the tournament to date and is widely regarded as having been one of the stars of the finals so far.

Whilst McDermott agrees Gerrard’s form has been incredible, he still believes there is more to come from the Reds’ No 8.

“He’s been absolutely phenomenal,” McDermott told the Liverpool Echo. “For ten years or more, he has been the catalyst for everything at Liverpool, and it is the same with England at the moment. He has been fantastic.

“We all know what a sensational player he is, and how influential he has been for club and country. His performances over the last couple of weeks have simply reiterated that.

“The scary thing is, I don’t think he has even hit top form yet! If he is playing his B-game at the moment, then how good will he be when he hits his A-game?”

“There should not have been a debate (about the captaincy), end of,” he said. “He is everything you want in a footballer, and in a captain. He has shown that for ten years or more with Liverpool, and with England.

“He has had to be a little bit more defensive because of the way England play, with the 4-4-2 system and the rigid organisation, but he is popping up everywhere, in defence and attack. As captain, he leads by example, and you can’t ask for more than that. His work rate is unbelievable.”

Hodgson has already admitted he expected to be facing Spain in the quarter-finals.

However, McDermott, who picked up 25 caps during his career, believes the Italians should not be underestimated but feels Gerrard can help steer England into the last four.

“Italy won’t be an easy game, nobody is saying it will be,” he said. “But they are not unbeatable.

“If Steven can continue the form he has shown in the first three games, and maybe even step it up another level, which I think he can do, then he could be the difference between success and failure.

“That’s how important he is to his country.”

Steven Gerrard today insisted he has no regrets about his England career so far as he prepares to lead the Three Lions out for their make-or-break Euro 2012 clash with Ukraine.

The Liverpool captain, who will win his 95^th cap against the tournament co-hosts in Donetsk tonight, is no stranger to disappointment at international level having suffered several early exits from competitions with England since making his debut back in 2000.

But, as he aims to help England secure the point they need to qualify for the quarter-finals tonight, Gerrard revealed he has loved every moment of his Three Lions career so far.

“I’ve enjoyed every time I’ve played for England,” the 32-year-old said.

“There have been highs and lows but the experience of playing with this group of players has been fantastic. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

A clash against either Spain or Italy awaits England if they do progress to the next round.

However, Gerrard remains fully focused on the task in hand and is refusing to look ahead to the quarter-finals.

“The aim is always to finish top of the group,” the midfielder said.

“It is important we do not get ahead of ourselves and start worrying about who we can meet in the quarter-finals.

“I am trying to force myself not even to talk about the quarter-finals, or get involved in (talk about) it.

“It would be very disrespectful to tonight’s opposition, who are very dangerous.”

Gerrard is determined to avoid more international heartache and is taking nothing for granted ahead of England’s final Group D tie.

He added: “There is a very important and very difficult job to do first. The aim is to win the game and see where that takes us.

“If I started talking about quarter-finals and we slipped up I would never forgive myself.”

Having made his international debut against Ukraine under Kevin Keegan 12 years ago, tonight’s opponents are a familiar foe for the England captain.

And whilst Gerrard is refusing to underestimate the Eastern Europeans, he’s played down the importance of home advantage, revealing he thrives playing in such an atmosphere.

“The fans don’t score goals,” said the Liverpool No.8. “The noise doesn’t score goals.

“We are not worried about how noisy it is or what the atmosphere is like.

“I can’t wait. Sixty thousand fans all cheering. That is what you play football for.”

Currently in the middle of a three week work placement in Liverpool FC’s media department. Gonna put all of my published work on here from now on.

‘Never go back’, the old football adage. Any footballer who leaves a club would be foolish to return. He risks tarnishing the fans’ previous memories of him, admitting he made a mistake in leaving or feels his days as a professional footballer are numbered and that he is just living off past glories by returning. Many player returns, whilst not ending up as flops, can never truly rediscover the heights of their first spell at a club.

As a Liverpool fan nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing Robbie Fowler being able to return to Anfield for a third time and play the way he did in the mid-90s. I’m sure many an Arsenal fan would say the same about Thierry Henry, a Manchester United fan about David Beckham, or, in my girlfriend’s case, an Aston Villa fan about Thomas Hitzlsperger. Sadly for the fans nine times out of ten that is never going to happen. There is no room for sentiment in football.

Even in fiction there isn’t always the fairytale ending. Karl Fletcher, star of Sky’s football series Dream Team, had three spells at Harchester United. Successful in his first two spells, an ageing Fletcher flopped in his third spell and was killed off in an attempt to boost ratings.

But for every Robbie Keane there’s a Juninho, for every Pascal Chimbonda there’s a Jermain Defoe.

Middlesbrough fan favourite Juninho enjoyed three separate spells at the club.

Despite the saying more and more footballers seem to be returning to play at former clubs, some of them doing surprisingly well.

Barcelona spent £35m to re-sign Cesc Fabregas this summer, bringing his 8 year spell at Arsenal to an end.It brought to an end two years of failed attempts by the Catalan Giants to bring the Spaniard home. Fabregas had been in the Barcelona Youth Team before Arsene Wenger brought him to England. He was just 15, yet to make a single senior appearance for the Barca first team.

Whilst Cesc Fabregas may have been one of the bigger names to recently return to a former club, one of the more intriguing transfer deals on this summer saw Craig Bellamy return to Liverpool.

After swapping Liverpool for West Ham United in Summer 2007, Craig Bellamy returned to Anfield on August 31^st 2011, becoming Kenny Dalglish’s seventh and final summer signing. Not quite the same heights as the return of the King (Dalglish), the return of God (Fowler), the return of the Tash (Rush) or the return of the Jedi, but still a move that could have a huge say on Liverpool’s Champions League chances this season.

Craig Bellamy’s first spell at Liverpool only lasted a season when Rafael Benitez signed him in 2006. He started well with a debut goal against Maccabi Haifa but his year at the club is largely remembered as a disappointment.  

Although his best years are behind him there isn’t the same pressure on Bellamy to succeed. Dalglish has signed him on a free transfer as backup to first choice strikers Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll, alongside Dirk Kuyt.

His first spell at Anfield is mainly remembered for his infamous drunken attack, with a golf club, on team mate John Arne Riise. This earned him the nickname ‘the nutter with a putter”. Both players scored in the next game, securing Liverpool a famous European away victory against Barcelona, but Bellamy’s days at Liverpool were numbered. He was sold in the summer to make space for then record signing Fernando Torres. His lone season at the club can be summed up as underwhelming at best.

Bellamy celebrating his goal at the Nou Camp.

Yet Bellamy, a boyhood Liverpool fan, has always been popular amongst Liverpool fans as well as his teammates. He knows what the Liverpool is about and would give anything to do well for the club. You just need to listen to him talking about Liverpool to see his passion for the club. Like all of us, whatever team we support, he is a fan.

Both Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher have publically said in the press how glad they are that Craig Bellamy has returned. Bellamy’s work rate and passion has always been admired, admittedly sometimes getting him into trouble. He is a determined character who has shown at Manchester City, before being frozen out by Roberto Mancini, how good a player he really is. Not only does he have unfinished business at Anfield but he has a point to prove to Mancini.

Bellamy on loan at his home club Cardiff City last year. He was banished to train with the youth team on his return to the Etihad Stadium.

Craig Bellamy is not the first to return to Anfield. Bellamy’s new manager, Kenny Dalglish, having signed for Liverpool in 1977 and becoming player-manager in 1985, left in 1991, only to be brought back to the club as Academy Ambassador by then LFC manager Rafael Benitez in 2009. He has since returned to his familiar position as manager. Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler are also both fan favourites who were welcomed back at Anfield enjoying relative success during their second spells at the club.

Steve Staunton originally played for Liverpool between 1986-1991. After that he joined Aston Villa. Liverpool re-signed him in 1998, only for him to again depart for Aston Villa in 2000.

By returning to Merseyside Craig Bellamy gives Liverpool some much needed pace and versatility in attack, able to play on both flanks as well as upfront. He is a different option to what Liverpool currently can call upon and, as has been seen in the past, can be very effective as an impact substitute.

If managed well Bellamy could be one of the signings of the season. He is a character people often feel needs to be controlled. In my opinion Dalglish doesn’t need to find a way control Bellamy. He needs to unleash him.

A new number, a new start, familiar shirt.

There are 38 games in a Premier League season. Whilst Craig Bellamy might not feature every week, let alone start, he could have a big say on how successful Liverpool’s battle for a Champions League place is this season. As big a say as he’ll allow himself to have anyway. Some things never change and Craig Bellamy will always have the potential to be his own worst enemy. I think many Liverpool fans share the same view as me though when I say I am glad Craig Bellamy has returned to Liverpool. I think he will be a good addition to Kenny Dalglish’s side. At the very least let’s hope his second spell at the club can be more of a success than his first.

The Nutter with a Putter is back at Anfield! Premier League defences beware.

This post was written by Theo Squires. You can message Theo any comments or feedback you have. You can also contact Theo at tsquires@uclan.ac.uk, http://twitter.com/#!/tsbs92 or http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/theo.squires