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For many Liverpool fans, the bi-annual Liverpool derby between Everton and Liverpool is one of the most anticipated fixtures of the season but the roller-coaster events of the past week have put things rather more firmly in context.

Even before the sensational events of last night, Liverpool were a club in dire straits. They currently sit in 18th place in the table with only 6 points to show from seven games. The club come into Sunday’s game with Everton off the back of a humiliating home defeat to newly-promoted Blackpool. With Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard both struggling for form, the international break was supposed to be a time where the team could go away with their national teams and then return back to the club refocused and ready for the challenge of facing Everton.

However, the drama that has unfolded has put paid to any such notion.

Yesterday in the theatre of a London and Dallas courtroom, Liverpool were witness to their very own Greek tragedy.

It all began with great hope for Liverpool fans. Last week, chairman Martin Broughton announced that John W. Henry, owner of the Boston Red Sox and his investment company NESV have had a £300 million bid for the club accepted by the board. In their first move of subterfuge, owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett attempted to sack managing director Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayre and replace them with Hick’s son Mack and Lori Kay McCutcheon, a VP at Hick’s Holdings. Needless to say, their plan didn’t work and the takeover by NESV was approved by the Premier League on Friday.

Obviously, Liverpool fans were joyous at the news that the deeply unpopular Hicks and Gillett were finally being run out of town. The prospect of new investment and ownership would hopefully be the kick-start to their stuttering season so far. But Hicks and Gillett weren’t going to lie down that easily.

In another extraordinary move, Tom Hicks brought the proposed sale of the club to the High Court in London, claiming that Broughton and the board had conspired to accept an offer for the club that is well under the valuation that Hicks and Gillett were seeking for the club.

Then came the news of a higher offer from Singaporean businessman Peter Lim. The offer of £320 million was £20 million more than that of NESV and would be paid for in cash. The deal would also include £40 million towards the purchase of new players in the January transfer window.

In the space of only a few days, Liverpool now had two sizeable offers on the table for the club. Things were looking up despite the looming High Court date.

Speaking of the court date, yesterday saw the case of the Liverpool sale heard before the High Court in London. The Court ruled in favour of Broughton and the board which paved the way for a quick sale of the club. Once again, the Liverpool fans went from a state of anxiety to one of jubilation as the Hicks and Gillett era was apparently coming to an end.

But that state of jubilation was to last only a few hours. As the board convened to hopefully dot the i’s and cross the t’s on a potential sale to NESV, Hicks and Gillett made one last desperate play to cling onto the club by filing a temporary restraining order on the Liverpool board and RBS in a Dallas courthouse.

The TRO was filed at around 10 p.m. with Hicks and Gillett claiming that the sale of the club is an “epic swindle” while seeking $1.6 billion of damages from the Liverpool board, RBS and NESV for selling the club “hundreds of millions of dollars below true market value”.

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While the jurisdiction of a Texas court order regarding matters is not immediately clear, RBS, NESV and Broughton in his role as chairman of BA have sizable commercial interests in the state of Texas which would be at risk if they were to go ahead with the deal.

And so Liverpool fans are back at square one after being put through the emotional wringer. The TRO filed in Dallas was a one-sided affair with evidence heard only from Hicks. The TRO doesn’t stop the sale; it only delays it until 25th October when a hearing date is set. The most recent development will see Broughton and the Liverpool board return to the High Court today to try and overturn the Texas judge’s verdict and facilitate the sale of the club before the 25th October.

In the midst of the chaos at Liverpool, Everton have been preparing for Sunday’s game with little fuss. They come into the game only one place above Liverpool in 17th but their last game saw them pick up their first win of the season against Birmingham at St. Andrew’s. With Liverpool in limbo, David Moyes will see Sunday’s game as a perfect opportunity to beat his cross-town rivals as they look to continue their momentum and climb out of the relegation zone.

But for Liverpool, the game with Everton is the least of their worries. They have their future to sort out and sadly, it is being played out in the courtroom rather than on the field.

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Victor Anichebe was the hero for Everton has he came off the bench earn a point for his side and make it five home games without a win for Aston Villa.

After a  goalless first half the hosts finally broke the deadlock with Darren Bent scuffed the ball past Tim Howards only for Anichebe to slot home with 20 minutes remaining to ensure the Toffees travelled back to Merseyside with a share of the spoils. Robbie Keane came on late in the second half but couldn’t find a debut goal that would have given Villa their first win at home since beating Norwich at the start of November. Alex McLeish’s men have struggled at Villa Park park all season long but should have had the game wrapped up before the visitors grabbed their equaliser. The point will come as a welcome relief to David Moyes who had seen his side lose their last two and he will be pleased by the resolve shown by his players.

Villa enjoyed the lions share of possession in the first half without sufficiently threatening Howard in the visitors goal although the American had to be at his best to keep out Stiliyan Petrov’s curling free kick after seven minutes. Alan Hutton then teed up Marc Albrighton who saw his shot blocked before Louis Saha brought the best out of Shay Given at the other end. The Republic of Ireland keeper showed no signs of rustiness after spending a month on the sidelines reacting brilliantly to keep Saha’s header out after he’d connected with Leighton Baines’ free kick from the left. Gabriel Agbonlahor then tested Howard from 25-yards as the first half ended goalless although it wouldn’t remain that way for long after the break.

It took the home side only 10 minutes to break the deadlock with Bent just managing to beat Howard after Stephen Ireland had returned Albrighton’s cross after Everton failed to properly clear the ball. Taking the lead seemed to invigorate Villa who pressed on in their search of a game killing second with Hutton seeing his strike deflected wide before Agbonlahor headed over. Ireland then shot straight at Howard who initiated a devastating counterattack launching the ball downfield towards Landon Donovan who played in Anichebe to finish cooly past Given after beating the offside trap. Keane came on for the last 10 minutes as McLeish roared his players on to find a winner but it never came as Villa missed the chance to move into the top half.

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After two consecutive defeats, Unai Emery felt his Valencia players restored a measure pride with a 3-0 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday.Valencia lost 6-3 at home to Real Madrid on April 23 and followed up that embarrassing loss with a 1-0 reverse away to relegation-threatened Osasuna.

The late-season defeats had threatened to take some of the gloss off an impressive season for Valencia.

But their 18th win of the campaign puts the team back on track with three matches remaining, while they will also finish at least fourth in La Liga, securing a route into Champions League qualification.

“Besides looking for the three points and knowing that a win would ensure us Champions League football, we wanted to erase the performance of our last home game,” Emery said.

“We wanted to regain our self esteem in front of the fans. We did so in the first half,” he added, referring to Roberto Soldado’s brace and a Jonas goal, all of which came in the first half at the Estadio Mestalla.

“We had intensity, had chances and scored goals. There were times in which they could have scored, and in the second half we lowered our intensity. We have an important game on Wednesday, and we were unable to have the continuity from the first half.”

“In general, however, we are satisfied with the win and the confirmation of Champions League football. We now have our big objective of taking third place. We are satisfied for the fans.”

Next up for Valencia is a trip to face Espanyol and a home game against Levante, before ending the season away to Deportivo La Coruna.

West Ham United boss Avram Grant is delighted that skipper Scott Parker chose to shun a move away from Upton Park before the transfer window slammed shut at the end of August.

The 29-year-old midfielder was a target for capital rivals Tottenham Hotspur, but opted to stay put and agree a new contract with the Hammers.

Grant told reporters:"We want to build a team for the future and need players like Scott Parker for this.

"I am very happy that Scott stayed. We are speaking a lot about the money involved in football and I don't think money is everything.

"I think it is important, but I don't think it's everything. I don't want that players will say they will go to a place where they are paid more or they will not play where they are paid less.

"I think they need to check and need to see all picture – what is the vision of the club.

"They can be part of this and not just go where anybody can buy you. I think Scott Parker saw all the picture and I'm happy he stayed here.

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"Anywhere you are a top player and are on good money and sometimes you need to choose where will be good for you, sometimes this is not always to be in the big club.

"I think that he made a good decision. It's not easy, but remember he was in a big club – he was at Chelsea before – so he knows how it is to be in a big club and he knows how it is to be in a different position."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

With pressure building by the hour, the inevitable happened. With John Terry’s trial for racial abuse delayed until after the European Finals, the decision to strip Terry of his captaincy of the national side (again) was taken by the FA this morning. They had little choice really. It was not an accusation of guilt towards Terry, but an acceptance that the surrounding circus that would continue throughout the summer had made his position untenable. Despite his vehement claims of innocence, perhaps Terry should have realised this and taken the bullet himself. It would have been a far, far better thing that he could have done. But that’s an argument without an end – the deed is done, whatever we may think of it.

So who takes over the cursed armband?

The fact is, this will be a short blog. There really aren’t that many candidates. Maybe we should do what they do in Italy, and just choose the player with the most caps – after all, I really don’t see what difference it makes. Whoever is captain, the vocal players will continue to be vocal, the players will continue to talk, and organise, and debate on the pitch. The role has more influence off the pitch, due to media and sponsor duties. Here are the contenders:

Joe Hart. On the plus side, barring a collapse of form rarely seen outside the England cricket team in the sub-continent, he is guaranteed selection. He is level-headed, articulate, talks to the defence, and calm under pressure. For those reasons, he is the choice of the Telegraph’s Mark Ogden (who added, fingers crossed, that’s he’s rarely injured). He is however very young for such a role, and what’s more, I don’t like the idea of the captain being a goal keeper, as he will struggle to communicate to more offensive players at times. Peter Shilton might disagree, but it’s my personal preference to lean towards an outfield player. What’s more, having such a young goalkeeper in this key position means it’s probably best he is allowed to get on with the job at hand, without extra distractions. I don’t think he’s quite ready for this just yet.

Rio Ferdinand – highly unlikely, as there must be question marks over his selection, due to a drop in form, and even bigger question marks regarding his persistent fitness problems. Anyway, he has tweeted that he doesn’t want to be captain, so everyone’s happy.

Steven Gerrard – the obvious choice – been there, done it, got the T-shirt, the cap, and the armband. Experienced choice, who could slot into the role easily, with no qualms. But. Is he an England regular any more? Only time will tell, as he returns from injury in the second half of the season. He is the go-to choice only if he stays fit, is in form, and is expected to be picked in Polkraine by Capello.

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Scott Parker. Again, is he an England regular now? Proposing that a 30+ year-old with 10 caps take over the captaincy is an idea fraught with difficulties. After all, the manager needs to pick someone who he is confident will be an England regular, to avoid the past situations whereby the armband was moved around like a present in a pass-the parcel game. Otherwise, we may as well let every player have 8 minutes as captain. But that aside, he fits the bill fairly well. Plays in the middle of the park (handy for a captain), is articulate, sensible, level-headed, and unlikely to be photographed with a dolly bird on each arm in a Polish nightclub at 5am.

Gareth Barry. Stop laughing at the back. Has the same qualities as Scott Parker, and has been captain before. The question mark will remain over whether he will actually play, but then he is a far, far better player than people give him credit for.  But again, would he be picked, or is Scott Parker now the preferred choice of Capello? Either way, his injury record is good, he would be proud to take on the armband, and is a player who never hides.

Frank Lampard. Sorry to repeat myself but will he be in the team in Poland and Ukraine? There seems little merit in choosing a player moving into the twilight of his career – best surely for Capello to plan ahead and choose someone who has a good chance of remaining captain for at least a few years, so that the world does not have to be bored into submission again with this argument for a many a blue moon.

Wayne Rooney – yeah, right. A ridiculous option, yet this hasn’t stopped The Mirror’s David Anderson proposing him as the next captain, his reason being he is England’s key player.

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“It’s not a case of it, but when he leads his country and Sir Alex Ferguson sees him as a future Manchester United skipper. His critics will point to his red card against Montenegro and subsequent ban as proof that he’s not ready, but his moments of red mist are increasingly infrequent.”

Apart from the fact his moments of red mist are as regular as ever, he is clearly not captain material, but just as importantly Capello will make this decision not only with the long-term in mind but also with the Euro Finals swaying his decision, and he is hardly going to pick a captain who can’t play for the first two games (and thus may well play very little part in the tournament as a whole).

So in conclusion, the FA are probably looking for the following: a first team regular, who is sensible, eloquent, stays off the front pages of newspapers, and is willing to take the extra weight on his shoulders. With that in mind, there can be little doubt that the next captain will be Steven Gerrard, should he remain fit and recapture his form. If not, I’d have whichever player out of Gareth Barry or Scott Parker that Capello decides to favour in the summer. I think midfielders are ideally placed (on the pitch) to captain, and it is there that we find the most-level headed first team players, on the whole. The ability of England players to hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons means this is not a decision for Capello where he will be spoilt for choice. Let’s hope he decides quickly, then we can get back to the football.

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Still bristling from their fiery Champions League clash, Barcelona and Real Madrid return to tussling over the La Liga title this weekend.Barca must overcome the distraction of their 2-0 win in the hostile environs of the Bernabeu, a victory that seemingly assures of them a trip to Wembley for the Champions League final, when they visit Real Sociedad on Saturday.

The Catalan giants lead Real by eight points in the La Liga standings, an uncomfortably close margin with five games still remaining in the season, and could be making do without Lionel Messi for the trip to San Sebastian.

Messi, for whom superlatives are fast becoming inadequate, scored both of Barca’s goals in the semi-final first leg to take his season tally to 52 across all competitions.

But the Argentinean superstar reportedly suffered a minor muscle tear in the process, and given the 23-year-old’s history of soft-tissue injuries it is believed Pep Guardiola will put his talisman on ice for Real’s return leg at the Camp Nou next week.

Messi’s absence will no doubt be welcome news for struggling Sociedad, who have lost six of their past seven league outings and sit a mere three points from the drop zone in 12th.

Real have plenty of their own distractions to deal with, not the least an ongoing UEFA investigation into inflammatory comments made by manager Jose Mourinho following their loss to Barca.

The proud club, still seething after Pepe saw red for a challenge on Barca defender Dani Alves, will carry that frustration into their home clash against Real Zaragoza.

Zaragoza escaped the relegation zone with a 1-0 defeat of Almeria last time out, but are still just two points from the bottom three and perilously close to the Segunda Division.

Also on Saturday, Atletico Madrid will look to put some distance between themselves and fellow Europa League hopefuls Sevilla with a trip to Deportivo La Coruna.

They will need to be at their best, as Sevilla face an almost-certain win on Sunday when they take on bottom-placed Almeria, who are winless in five games.

Valencia can go some lengths to shoring up third place when they visit Osasuna, who find themselves in the relegation places at the wrong end of the season on the back of a four-match losing streak.

Villarreal, meanwhile, can get back into the hunt for third place when they host Getafe.

Rounding out Sunday’s fixtures, mid-table sides Levante and Sporting Gijon face off at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia, Malaga host Hercules in a relegation dogfight and Mallorca face a Racing Santander outfit hoping to avoid a third successive loss.

Finally, European hopefuls Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol come together for what should be a terrific match at the Estadio Cornella-El Prat on Monday.

Bolton Wanderers centre-back Gary Cahill is hoping to be handed his first England start in the Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland on Tuesday evening.

The 24-year-old came on as a substitute in the 4-0 win over Bulgaria, after Michael Dawson suffered a nasty injury and Cahill is keen to build on a solid debut for his country as soon as possible.

He told the Bolton News:“It wasn’t ideal to come on in those circumstances because, when you see a team-mate on the floor looking in pain like Michael, it takes the edge off it a little bit.

“Although I was happy to be playing and extremely proud to represent my country, when you come back in the changing room and see him injured on the bed, it does take a bit of shine off it.

“That aside, I really enjoyed it. I’ve been in and around the squad for eight games or so now, just keeping my head down and waiting for a chance to come on and show what I can do.

“I was so hungry to get on there and I enjoyed it. I am ready for it, definitely.”

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I am sure you want to be reading this about as much as I want to be writing about it. Yes, behind what Mad Mario has been up to this week, it is the most talked about issue in English football – you’ve guessed it – Torres and Carroll, and what can be done to get more out of the players. Well given that I have just finished writing my awards for 2011, and both feature in the biggest disappointments category, I would suggest the kindest thing to do for both – bar taking a pair of scissors to Carroll’s ludicrous ponytail – is to suggest early retirement.

On a more serious note, it is a valid question (I begrudgingly suppose) to ask if both AVB and King Kenny are going the right way about getting the most out of the strikers by offering only cameo appearances and effectively relegating them to the bench.

Footballers, and forwards especially, have fragile egos, and being confined to the bench for most games is not something that is very likely to get the best out of them, and neither are in the mould of a super sub, needing to feel loved and wanted at a club to get the max from them, not to mention at least 70 minutes of the game.

That being said, if it is a choice between relegating my team or an overpriced donkey, I know which one I would pick. You cannot play a striker who neither scores nor assists, and especially with AVB’s situation over the last couple of months, I would no more advise a starting role for Torres than I would for John Terry to win citizen of the year.

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At the start of the season, AVB did give Torres a chance to be his main man, yet Torres did not deliver, and whilst his movement improved to the stage where it resembled a donkey with two legs not just one, it was still abysmal and after a stupid red card against Swansea, the emergence of Sturridge and the realisation by AVB that Drogba is and always should be the main man, Torres has found chances to prove himself wanting.

Likewise with Carroll, after failing to do much with the chances given to him by King Kenny, you cannot really crucify the manager for not wanting to play someone less likely to score than every other forward the club possesses – including a very talented Mr Suarez? In fact, Carroll has three more yellow cards than he does goals this season.

Ironically enough, both clubs may find themselves forced to play their expensive flops in the coming weeks – Drogba will be off for the best part of two months for the African Nations and should the Suarez ban stand for 8 games, Liverpool may find themselves a striker short.

With both clubs now fully aware that buying for big bucks in January does not guarantee anymore goals than standing over a toilet with your millions, pouring it down and then flushing, both may be wary of entering the market exactly a year after making the worst buys in recent memory.

For Torres and Carroll, a chance to prove themselves may well come around again, and with first team football looking likely – even though it is more of an enforced selection than anything else – each can show the world exactly why they were worth the hefty price tags paid for them.

The chances of this happening? About as high as me going out and buying a Barcelona shirt. Less than zero.

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Club Brugge beat Anderlecht and Standard Liege defeated Genk as the top two both lost in the Belgian First Division playoffs.Karel Geraerts put Brugge ahead after just four minutes of the Playoff I match at the Jan Breydelstadion.

The hosts doubled their advantage through an own goal from Anderlecht’s Croatian midfielder Ivan Perisic four minutes before half-time.

And it was 3-0 on 55 minutes courtesy of a strike from Nigeria international striker Joseph Akpala.

Anderlecht finished with 10 men after Argentine Matias Suarez received his second yellow card with 20 minutes to go.

In Sunday’s other Playoff I match, Standard Liege came from a goal down with four minutes remaining to beat group leaders Genk 2-1.

Visitors Genk led through a goal from Hungarian midfielder Daniel Tozser in the 68th minute at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne.

The hosts leveled courtesy of an Axel Witzel penalty on 86 minutes, before Cameroonian forward Aloys Nong found the net in the 90th minute to snatch the win for Liege.

Genk and Anderlecht remain first and second in the Champions League qualification places, with Liege third in the automatic Europa League qualification berth and Club Brugge fourth.

In Playoff I, Group B leaders Westerlo came from behind to draw 1-1 away to Zulte-Waregem.

Striker Mahamadou Habibou put hosts Zulte ahead in the 39th minute at Regenboogstadion.

But the visitors leveled six minutes into the second half thanks to Brazilian Paulo Henrique.

Westerlo remain top of Group B, level on points with Germinal Beerschot and with the right to play off for a Europa League qualification spot at stake.

While most Liverpool supporters cannot wait for co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett’s turbulent reign at Anfield to be consigned to the dustbin of history, the American duo have other ideas. Despite calls for the duo to sell up swiftly and finally relinquish their power on Merseyside, Hicks and Gillett are determined to hang on as long as possible and bank as much money as they can in the process.

The co-owners troubled stay at the club looks set to continue, with Hicks and Gillett reportedly dragging their heels over a serious takeover bid from Chinese business tycoon Kenny Huang and several other offers on the table.

Texan businessman Hicks is reportedly holding out for an astonishing £800m, a figure which continues to represent a major stumbling block for potential investors, just three years after buying a 50% stake in the club in a £218.9m takeover. Gillett however is willing to sanction a cut-price deal in a bid cut his ties with the Merseysiders after a torrid spell at the helm. Business analysts have suggested the partners £800m asking price is a wildly unrealistic valuation, particularly as the club is currently saddled with £350m of debt. The true valuation of the club is considered to be nearer £325m, while investor Huang would be willing to bid up to £350m.

After falling out with the club’s supporters, manager and even each other, it was widely thought the co-owners would be willing to lower their asking price in order for a quick sale. The deeply unpopular pair fell out with Kopites after piling the club with debt, failing to deliver on a new stadium and entering into a bitter and public feud with former manager Rafael Benitez. It now appears the Americans are prepared to risk angering supporters even further by digging in and holding onto the club for as long is it takes for their valuation to be matched.

Potential investor Huang has been in talks with Royal Bank of Scotland representatives for several weeks now and has been desperate to conclude a deal before the end of the transfer window. This would give new manager Roy Hodgson the funds to bolster his squad ahead of the start of the season. While Huang and his investment company QSL Sports Ltd are keen to close a deal for the club they are unlikely to meet the current owners’ outrageous demands.

Meanwhile Hicks has also been accused by sources at Barclays Capital, the company in charge of the investment search, of already scuppering two perfectly legitimate bids as he looks to increase his profit margins from the sale. However RBS, who are owed £237m from Liverpool, could yet intervene by handing Hicks and Gillett an ultimatum to find a buyer if they want to continue receiving the bank’s backing.

A source from Barclays Capital revealed: “We have found more than one really good fit investors, who have the wealth not to worry about a few hundred million quid.

“But they will not be held to ransom, because they know the asking price is unreasonable, and they simply don’t want to be taken for a ride, no matter how rich they are.”

The longer the Americans remain in power at Anfield the more detrimental it will be to the long term future of the club. Having received a torrid of abuse during their three and a half year tenure at the club, Hicks and Gillett will be prepared for any supporter backlash should they attempt to block Huang’s efforts to seize control of the club. The handling of the sale simply highlights where the current owners’ priorities lie and they are certainly not with the future of the club.

Chinese investor Huang’s bid gives Liverpool the chance to move forward and should the Americans act swiftly and realistically, then the club could have a new owner before the start of the season. This would bring a huge sense of optimism to the club’s manager, players and supporters and possibly even the chance of fresh funds for signings after three years of doom and gloom under the Yanks.

After increasing the club’s debt by £200m and failing to deliver on player investment and a new stadium, the least the Americans can do is agree to a quick sale and let the club move forward. However should the Americans remain in charge; a huge dark cloud will remain over the club well into the new season.

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– Liverpool set for challenging season

With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery

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