Scousers: Kuyt becomes 5th Liverpool played to be burgled

No wonder United fans have so many chants  and jokes on Liverpool mocking the the abduncy of thefts and crime in their city. Even the above picture mocks them and suggests the tires of this plane standing at Liverpool airport was taken away by thieves.

and now… Dirk Kuyt has become the fifth Liverpool footballer to be burgled in less than 18 months.

The 27-year-old striker’s luxury home in Woolton was targeted on Thursday while he was away on international duty with home country Holland.

Jerzy Dudek, Liverpool’s goalkeeper from the 2005 Champions League final penalty shoot-out, was burgled in June 2006.

Dudek, who now plays for Real Madrid, was on holiday in Poland when thieves took his Porsche car, jewellery and a large haul of football memorabilia from across his career, including his European Cup medal.

Pepe Reina was burgled while he played for Liverpool in last May’s Champions League semi-final against Chelsea. He also had his Porsche taken during the raid, among other things, with the car later found burnt-out in West Derby.

Liverpool defender Daniel Agger had his Wirral home burgled in September last year and striker Peter Crouch’s house in Alderley Edge was targeted in the same month while he was on England duty.

Barca fans express their ‘loyalty’ by not buying Ronaldinho shirts!

BARCELONA, Spain - Barcelona fans have responded to Ronaldinho’s recent poor form by shunning his No. 10 shirt in favor of those worn by teammates Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry.

According to El Periodico the Brazilian midfielder’s shirt was the most popular among Barca fans last June. But sales have plunged 40% in the last four months compared to the same period last year, the paper said, quoting industry sources.

Recent lacklustre performances by the two-time world player of the year have “begun to have alarming and negative repercussions on his commercial image,” it said.

Sales of the shirts of Argentinian-born striker Messi, who made the team in 2005, and Frenchman Henry, transfered from Arsenal this year, are now more popular than those of Ronaldinho, who has been at the Catalan club since 2003.

Ronaldinho has come under fire in the Spanish press this season both for some abject performances on the pitch and unprofessional behaviour off it.

AFP

Lehmann not happy with Wenger

The German international cannot believe he is being kept out of the first team by Manuel Almunia and has taken a swipe at Wenger for leaving him out of the side.

Lehmann believes he is the better keeper out of the two and is determined to win his place back after turning down a number of offers to leave the Emirates Stadium.

“I’ve shown I can win matches and titles. Even if he is just as good as me, I should be playing. There have been concrete offers. There have been some calls. But it’s possible that I’ll stay at Arsenal.”

“I want to stay with Arsenal until the end of the season,” Lehmann told journalists before keeping a clean sheet for Germany in their 4-0 Euro 2008 qualifier victory over Cyprus in Hanover.

“I have a responsibility with regard to my family and for my children, even if I were not to regain my place.

“I cannot just leave like that before the season ends,” he added.

Lehmann, 38, said he has received several offers from other clubs, though he would not name names.

But he took the opportunity to have another mild dig at his boss, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

Wenger has been selecting Spaniard Manuel Almunia ahead of Germany’s number one since Lehmann recovered from injury several weeks ago.

“I believe a manager must be honest with his players,” said Lehmann.

“During the two talks I had with him [in the summer] about my contract extension he gave me no indication of what he was going to do,” said Lehmann, who joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund in 2003.

“I would like to be in the head of my manager, but I cannot answer your questions for him,” he added.

It was a more measured and diplomatic stance than from Lehmann than in his last outburst, when he accused Wenger of “humiliating” him.

Nevertheless, he might want to ask himself whether, in the summer when Wenger was negotiating a new contract for him, either of them predicted that Lehmann would commit a calamitous howler in each of Arsenal’s first two League matches (against Fulham and Blackburn) and then get injured.

There was no choice but to put Almunia in the side and, since the Spaniard has acquitted himself well since August. Should he be blamed for taking the chance that Lehmann gave him in the first place?

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