Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish anger at Rooney appeal

Kenny Dalglish has said the Football Association did not set a good example by appealing against Wayne Rooney's three-match Euro 2012 ban.

The Liverpool boss said: "I find it a bit strange the FA are supposed to be setting an example for things yet they appeal against Wayne Rooney's ban."
Rooney's ban, imposed after being sent off against Montenegro, has been reduced to two games by Uefa.

He is now free to play against the Ukraine on 19 June.

However, the 26-year-old will still miss the Group D fixtures against France and Sweden.

It was a victory of sorts for the FA's delegation, who travelled to Nyon in Switzerland to present Rooney's case, but Dalglish is unhappy at the FA's treatment of his striker Luis Suarez.

Suarez is facing a racism charge dating from October and has also been charged with misconduct after allegedly making an obscene gesture to fans following the Reds' 1-0 defeat at Fulham on Monday.

Dalglish is unhappy that no date has been set for the Uruguayan international to answer the racism charge.

"The fact it has taken nine weeks to get a decision on one of the other charges is a bit of a joke as well," the Scot told a press conference.

"I don't think that has helped as well. The circus which is around about him has been caused mainly by that."
A screen was lowered at the Liverpool press conference on which the club played what they said was a series of unpunished infringements against Suarez during the Fulham game.

Dalglish has already indicated he thought referee Kevin Friend did not give his team the benefit of 50-50 decisions during Monday's match.

He said he fully supported 24-year-old Suarez: "The people at Liverpool and anyone who has any leaning to the club - be it staff, players, supporters - they will stand by him and they know what the truth is.

"If anyone wants to see the truth from the other night it is on the screen."

Suarez faces the charge after allegedly using racist language during an on-field clash with Manchester United's Patrice Evra on 15 October.

Dalglish contrasted the situation with the FA's appeal to Uefa over Rooney's ban, imposed after a red card for kicking Miodrag Dzudovic during England's 2-2 draw in Montenegro in October.

"I don't think it's a good example to set," he concluded.

Responding to Dalglish's comments, the FA's director of communications Adrian Bevington tweeted that it was "important to clarify Uefa has completely different set of disciplinary regulations to the FA".

Chelsea 0-2 Liverpool Carling Cup quarter final, outline match and all goals

Maxi Rodriguez and Martin Kelly both scored in a five-minute spell after the break to maintain Dalglish's unbeaten record against Chelsea in 13 matches as Liverpool manager.

Liverpool's win was fully deserved, even with the inspirational Luis Suarez rested, as they were able to recover from the setback of Andy Carroll's missed first-half penalty to secure their third straight victory at Stamford Bridge.



Tuesday, 29 November 2011 Carling Cup

Chelsea 0-2 Liverpool

Maxi 58
Kelly 63

Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City outline match and goals

Joleon Lescott's own goal cancelled out Vincent Kompany's effort as 10-man Manchester City restored their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Mario Balotelli was sent off for two yellow cards in the space of 18 minutes after coming on as a substitute.

But City, who dropped points for the second time this term, held on to draw.

Liverpool's Wales forward Craig Bellamy was left out following the death of Gary Speed.

Video\Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City match outline and goals:



Sunday, 27 November 2011
Premier League

Manchester City " Kompany " 31

Liverpool " Lescott " og 33

Formula 1 drivers want DRS rethink, Mark Webber said

Formula 1 drivers want a rethink on the use of the controversial DRS overtaking aid for next season.

They feel allowing free use in practice and qualifying is a safety risk and want it restricted, like in races.

Red Bull driver Mark Webber said: "There have been a few incidents where people have gone off because they were pushing the boundaries of using DRS.

"So the drivers are almost unanimous that they would prefer its use outside of the race to be limited."

The DRS - or Drag-Reduction System - was introduced this season in an attempt to make overtaking easier.

The move was a reaction to the belief that passing had become too difficult.
In races, drivers are allowed to use the DRS in a specified 'zone' on one or more straights, but only if they are within a second of the car in front at a pre-ordained 'detection point'.

Drivers are given a signal in their cockpits when they have fulfilled the criteria, and press a button to activate the system.

This lifts the upper rear wing flap, which reduces downforce and drag and therefore gives a straight-line speed boost of between 12-20km/h (8-12mph).

Because use is free in practice and qualifying, drivers try to open the wing as much as they can to gain lap time.

But if they apply it too soon it can cause an accident, because they would be left with less downforce and grip than they need to stay on the track at the speed they are going.

Webber, who was writing in his BBC Sport column, said there had been at least three incidents this year caused by this issue.

"Renault's Bruno Senna had a crash in Suzuka [in Japan], I had one on Friday in Hungary, and one of my team-mate Sebastian Vettel's practice crashes was caused by that too," Webber said.

He added that the drivers would like the regulations to be changed so the system can be used in practice and qualifying "just in the DRS zone and perhaps a couple of the key straights, and with a restriction on the point at which you can deploy it so you're not too close to the exit of a corner".
Introducing the DRS was a controversial move because some feel it is interfering with the 'purity' of racing, and risks diminishing the importance of an overtaking move.

There has also been criticism that it has resulted in overtaking being too easy at some races, where governing body the FIA has erred in its calculations.

Webber, a key player in the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, said: "Inevitably, there have been some races where overtaking has been a bit too easy, such as China, Belgium and Turkey, others where it has still been too hard, such as Valencia, Barcelona and Korea, and others where it has been bang on. That's to be expected."

Bosses are unanimous in wanting to persevere with DRS in the future but acknowledge that it has been too easy to overtake at some races and will make refinements to the way the system is used next year, aided by a year's data.

Webber added: "We are approaching each race this year 'blind', so inevitably there is a bit of trial and error involved, along with a lot of science.

"It is a difficult subject to get right - and I'm sure with all the information gathered this season, it will be a lot closer to perfect next season.

"DRS is a controversial issue, not least because a lot of it depends on your point of view.

"Some people will like to see cars passing and re-passing all the time. Nascar stock-car racing in America is founded on that. But for some who have a more purist point of view about F1 - like me - overtaking should mean more than that.

"They've done a good job so far and I'm sure the teams and the FIA will get the balance a bit better at some of the tracks next year."

Liverpool beat Stoke 2-1 in the Carling Cup fourth round

Luis Suarez capped a superb individual display with a late winner as Liverpool came from behind to beat Stoke in the Carling Cup fourth round.

The hosts went ahead just before the break when Kenwyne Jones headed a low cross from Jon Walters into the corner.

Liverpool hit back when Suarez nut-megged Ryan Shotton and curled a stunning strike past Thomas Sorensen.

And four minutes from time, Jordan Henderson volleyed a cross to the far post where Suarez headed home.

Maria Sharapova vs. Samantha Stosur - WTA Championships Match

Sharapova is the most experienced player of the entire lot and has the calibre of capitalising it to the fullest. Unfortunately, the recent injuries she picked up in Asia have surfaced as a concern over her requirements of being able to bring the title-winning form. Sharapova had an impressive year with two premier level titles in Rome and Cincinnati besides a final finish at Wimbledon, where she was a heavy favourite. Despite her momentous rise from the injury hiatus, Sharapova has never been my favourite. Her shaky, nervy play, high error count and a flurry of double faults weaken her chances at the Championships which is a field full of Kvitovas and Stosurs of the game.
Sharapova's opponent, and reigning US Open champion Samantha Stosur is one of the most unpredictable players on tour at the moment. Where she is capable of bringing a Serena-taming form on the most important day of her life, she also finds ways to succumb to a Marion Bartoli in a final (HP Open, Osaka) that changed the course of her career two years ago. Stosur has won three WTA singles titles to her name but also has the game, which is worthy of destroying the most ferocious warriors on court, only on a given day. And here, we are talking about an entire WEEK.

Both players have met nine times and Sharapova has an overehelming 9-0 lead in the head-to-head. In the pair's three meetings earlier this year, Sharapova recorded comfortable victories to eventually claim titles in Rome and Cincinnati besides a runner up finish to Azarenka in Miami.

Sharapova's key to success today will be her percentage tennis. Stosur, on the other hand, can emulate her US Open final performance if she makes a good enough start.

Stosur does have an upper hand in this contest and is likely to emerge victorious in two closely contested sets. However, if the match goes into a third set, things might go in Sharapova's favour as well.

New Jersey Grand Prix for 2013 set to be announced

Formula 1 will hold a Grand Prix in New Jersey in 2013, West New York mayor Felix Roque has claimed.

The United States will feature on the Formula 1 calendar for the first time since 2007 with next year's race in Austin, Texas.

New Jersey governor Chris Christie could announce the deal at a press conference scheduled for Tuesday.

Roque said: "It's incredible. This is going to be an economic boom for this whole region."

It has been claimed that the race will take place on a four-lane motorway that runs alongside the Hudson River in Weehawken, West New York.

"It will provide a very challenging course," West New York attorney Joe DeMarco said.

"They compare it to Spa in Belgium but it will have the feel of Monaco."

Lewis Hamilton won the last US Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2007.

The event's eight-year run there came to an end when F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone failed to agree new terms with the circuit's owners.

Ecclestone's plans to take a race to the New York area were first revealed when he began talks with representatives of Monticello Motor Club (MMC) in New York in 2009.

Austin-based promoters Full Throttle Productions overcame competition from MMC to stage a race at a purpose-built track with a deal through to 2021.

But, two years on, a deal has now been reached with a consortium of investors and city and state governments for a race to take place in New Jersey.

انيس منصور فيلسوف واديب وكاتب صحفى مصري

هو انيس محمد منصور كاتب صحفي وفيلسوف وأديب مصري, ولد في قرية بجوار مدينة المنصورة - محافظة الدقهلية - فى مصر (18 اغسطس 1924م )

عمل انيس منصور رئيس تحرير العديد من المجلات منها: الجيل، هي، آخر ساعة، أكتوبر، العروة الوثقى، مايو، كاريكاتير، الكاتب. كما عمل ايضا عمل مدرسا للفلسفة الحديثة بكلية الآداب، جامعة عين شمس من عام 1954 حتى عام 1963، وعاد للتدريس مرة أخرى عام 1975 وكان يكتب في جريدة الأهرام المقال اليومي الأكثر قراءة: مواقف، ويكتب آيضا في جريدة الشرق الأوسط مقال يومي معنون.

دراسته:

حفظ أنيس منصور القرآن الكريم في سن صغيرة في كُتّاب القرية وكان له في ذلك الكُتّاب حكايات عديدة حكى عن بعضها في كتابه عاشوا في حياتي، وفي دراسته الثانوية كان الأول على كل طلبة مصر حينها، وهذا تتمة تفوقه في السنين السابقة، التي أتشهر فيها بالنباهة والتفوق حتى أنه إذا جاءت حصص اللياقة البدنية كان المدرسون يقولون له - كما ذكر هو في كتابه عاشوا في حياتي - : “بلاش كلام فارغ، انتبه لدروسك ومذاكرتك، الأولاد دول بايظين”، لأنهم كانوا يرون فيه مستقبل باهر وشخصية فريدة.
التحق بكلية الآداب جامعة القاهرة برغبته الشخصية، دخل قسم الفلسفة الذي تفوق فيه، وحصل على ليسانس آداب عام 1947، وعمل أستاذا في القسم ذاته، لكن في جامعة عين شمس لفترة، ثم تفرغ للكتابة والعمل الصحفي في مؤسسة أخبار اليوم والإبداع الأدبي في شتى صوره.

ثقافته:

يجيد أنيس منصور عدة لغات منها: العربية والإنجليزية والألمانية والإيطالية. اطلع أنيس منصور على كتب عديدة في هذه اللغات وترجم بعضا من الكتب والمسرحيات.
سافر أنيس منصور ودار الدنيا في كل اتجاه، فكتب الكثير في أدب الرحلات، وربما كان الأول في أدب الرحلات، وألف كتبا عديدة نذكر منها:
حول العالم في 200 يوم.
بلاد الله لخلق الله – غريب في بلاد غريبة.
اليمن ذلك المجهول.
أنت في اليابان وبلاد أخرى.
أطيب تحياتى من موسكو.
أعجب الرحلات في التاريخ.
وكتابه حول العالم في 200 يوم هو الأكثر انتشارا باللغة العربية.
وفي فترة من الفترات كانت كتابات أنيس منصور في ماوراء الطبيعة هي الكتابات المنتشرة بين القراء والمثقفين، ومن أشهر كتبه في هذا المجال الذين هبطوا من السماء، الذين عادوا إلى السماء، لعنة الفراعنة.

** أسس انيس منصور مجله أكتوبرفى 31 أكتوبر 1976م وهى مجله عربيه سياسية اجتماعيه شامله.ونقلت مقالاته التي كان يكتبها قديما الي صحيفه آخر لحظة

من عاداته الخاصة به: عرف أنيس منصور بأن له عادات خاصة، فهو يقوم ليكتب في الرابعة صباحاً ولايكتب نهارا، ومن عاداته أيضا أن يكون حافى القدمين ومرتدي البيجاما وهو يكتب. أيضا مما يعرف عنه انه لا ينام الا ساعات قليله جدا ويعاني من الارق. يخشي الاصابه بالبرد دائما...

له العديد من المؤلفات منها :

الكبار يضحكون ايضا، ساعات بلا عقارب، اوراق على شجر، على رقاب العباد الذى يحكي فيه اغرب حالات الوفاة في التاريخ، لعنة الفراعنة، زي الفل، مصباح لكل انسان، عبد الناصر المفتري عليه والمفتري علينا و شبابنا الحيران وغيرها الكثير والكثير من المؤلفات...

الجوائز التى حصل عليها:

الدكتوراه الفخرية من جامعة المنصورة.
جائزة الفارس الذهبى من التليفزيون المصري أربع سنوات متتالية.
جائزة كاتب الأدب العلمي الأول من أكاديمية البحث العلمى.
فاز بلقب الشخصية الفكرية العربية الأولى من مؤسسة السوق العربية في لندن.
حصل على لقب كاتب المقال اليومى الأول في أربعين عاما ماضية.
جائزة الدولة التشجيعية في الآداب من المجلس الأعلى لرعاية الفنون والآداب والعلوم الاجتماعية، عام 1963.
جائزة الدولة التقديرية في الآداب من المجلس الأعلى للثقافة، عام 1981.
جائزة الإبداع الفكرى لدول العالم الثالث، عام 1981.
جائزة مبارك في الآداب من المجلس الأعلى للثقافة، عام 2001.
وله الآن تمثال في مدينة المنصورة.

وفاته:

توفي انيس منصور صباح يوم الجمعة الموافق لـ 21 اكتوبر 2011 عن عمر يناهز 87 عاما بمستشفى الصفا وذلك بعد تدهور حالته الصحية على إثر إصابته بإلتهاب رئوي والم شديد فى الظهر..

Anis Mansour Egyptian philosopher and writer

Anis Mansour, also transliterated as Anīs Manṣūr (Arabic: أنيس منصور‎, IPA: [ʔæˈniːs mɑnˈsˤuːɾ]) (August 18, 1925[1] – October 21, 2011[2]) was an Egyptian writer.
Anis Mansour was born in Al-Mansoura. He obtained his BA in philosophy in 1947 and started his journalistic career in the same year by joining "al-asas" newspaper staff, and later he joined many other newspapers and magazines such as "rose al-yousef" and "al-ahram". In 1976 he became the editor in chief of "akher sa'a" and "october" magazines.
Anis wrote more than 170 books on many subjects, some of which were translated into French, Dutch and Russian. he translated about 200 short stories and more than 20 plays into Arabic.[3] he introduced Alberto Moravia to the Arabic literature by being the first to translate his works into Arabic. His best known book is "حول العالم في 200 يوم : الحائز على جائزة الدولية / Ḥawla al-ʻālam fī 200 yawm : al-ḥāʼiz ʻalá jāʼizah al-dawlīyah", ("Around the world in 200 days") [4] which was his actual journey around the world in the beginning of the 1960s, the book gives many facts and traditions of the countries he had been to, including India,Japan, the USA and others, and also his meeting with the Dalai Lama.
Anis died in Cairo.

قلوع من اجمل اغانى عمرو دياب القديمة, الاستماع هنا

قلوع واحدة من اجمل اغانى عمرو دياب القديمة جدا وكلمة قلوع للي مايعرفش المعنى اللي هى " السفن " وكلمات الاغنية بتقول

قلوع قلوع قلوع قلوع مروحين
عيون عيون عيون عيون متغربين
ما حد عارف مين مين المروحين
مين اللي راح يفرح ومين يبات حزين
لقي وفرقة وقدر ومين يختار نصيبه
حبيب زي القمر غريب في ليل حبيبه
بعدي بحر دموع يصادفني بحر ندم
راحوا الصحاب حواللي ليا فيهم عشم
بشر يزرع قمر في عتمة الدموع
وقلوب زي المطر وقلوب من غير قلوب
يا روحي يا عطشانة يانفسي يا تعبانية
قلوع لفين وخدانا في رحلة الحنين

وهنا ممكن تسمع الاغنية



الاغنية كلمات: عبد الرحيم منصور
الحان: محمد الشيخ
توزيع: محمد هلال

Liverpool set for deal with Uruguay club Nacional

Liverpool are close to a deal with Uruguayan champions Nacional that would give the Reds first option on the club's young stars.

The Merseysiders want to tap into the academy that produced current Liverpool duo Luis Suarez and Sebastian Coates.

A Nacional spokesman told BBC Sport: "Liverpool would come and watch how our academy works and would have first option on signing our young players.

"We are working towards finalising an agreement as soon as possible."

Montevideo-based Nacional are at the forefront of a resurgence in Uruguayan football.

Some 14 players from this year's 23-man Copa America-winning Uruguay squad either played for Nacional or were developed at the club.
The club deploys scouts throughout the country to hunt down young players for its academy, which currently coaches 120 players aged between 13 and 20.

Suarez, 24, came through the Nacional academy before joining Dutch club Groningen and later moving to Ajax.

He signed for Liverpool for £22.7m in January and has scored five goals so far this season.

The Reds also signed 6ft 6in centre-back Coates, 21, in August after he impressed in the Copa America.

The Uruguayan duo are part of a South American contingent at the club that also includes Brazil's Lucas Leiva and Maxi Rodriguez of Argentina.

After recruiting Coates, Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli said he was keen to forge closer links with Nacional.

"We are talking about a partnership with them that we would like to create over the next three, four or five years, to see if there is more talent coming through," he told the Liverpool website in September.

"Maybe we can help them to develop their standards and, in turn, have the ability to bring those young players here.

"We already have a strong link with South America through Lucas [Leiva], Maxi [Rodriguez] and Luis [Suarez].

"Since it's been such a success with Luis - and I'm sure it will be for Sebastian [Coates] - why don't we try to make it an even bigger success by bringing in other players from Nacional?"

A Liverpool spokesman said the club had nothing to add to Comolli's comments at this stage.

Liverpool captain Gerrard revels in injury comeback

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admits he has returned to action with a renewed appreciation for football.

Gerrard was out for six months following a groin operation in March.

After three substitute appearances since his recovery, he started and scored in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
Midfielder Gerrard said: "I'm delighted to be back and able to experience the emotion of big games again. It has been a frustrating six months."

His goal came from a 68th-minute free-kick as he slotted through a gap in United's wall - but it was cancelled out by Javier Hernandez's close-range header nine minutes from time.

But the Huyton-born midfielder, who played the full 90 minutes, was still glad to be back.

He said: "I didn't realise what I had until it was taken away from me for so long. It would have been the perfect day if my goal had been the winner but it wasn't to be.

"I don't know whether frustration is the right word but the lads were a little bit disappointed we didn't hang on after we took the lead.

"With the chances we created over 90 minutes, I think we deserved to just sneak the three points. I was really pleased with how the lads played.

"Both sides showed each other too much respect in the first half and that was maybe why it was a bit flat. But, in the second half, we came out really positively and kept pushing for that winner."
With a fully fit squad and Gerrard back in the starting line-up, Liverpool are at their strongest for well over a year.

Gerrard added: "You sum a side up by how strong your bench is.

"If you look at our bench against United, we had Craig Bellamy, Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson - that goes to show how much stronger we've got over the last couple of years.

"It is a really big positive when you know you have big subs coming on and we are really happy with how things are going at the moment."

While Gerrard is impressed by the depth of the squad, his manager Kenny Dalglish still expects great things from the captain.

Dalglish said: "He is a really integral part of the club and will be for years to come.

"He is etched in the history of the club and will hopefully have a few more chapters to write yet."

Liverpool's Luis Suarez 'upset' by Patrice Evra's racism claim

Luis Suarez says he is "upset" about being accused of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra during Saturday's Premier League match.

The Liverpool striker wrote on Twitter: "I can only say that I have always respected and respect everybody.

"We are all the same. I go to the field with the maximum illusion of a little child who enjoys what he does, not to create conflicts."

The Football Association has said that it will investigate Evra's claims.

The United defender alleges the incident took place during the 1-1 draw at Anfield.

A Liverpool spokesman earlier told the Press Association that Suarez "categorically denied" the allegation.

An FA statement read: "Referee Andre Marriner was made aware of an allegation at the end of the fixture and has reported this to the FA.

"The FA will now begin making enquiries into the matter."

Evra was quoted as telling French TV station Canal Plus: "There are cameras, you can see him [Suarez] say a certain word to me at least 10 times."

The FA will look into claims Luis Suarez racially abused Patrice Evra

The Football Association says it will investigate claims from Manchester United defender Patrice Evra that he was racially abused by Liverpool forward Luis Suarez.

Evra says the incident occurred in Saturday's 1-1 draw between the teams.

A Liverpool spokesman said Suarez "categorically denied" the allegation.

An FA statement read: "Referee Andre Marriner was made aware of an allegation at the end of the fixture and has reported this to the FA."

It added: "The FA will now begin making enquiries into the matter."

Evra was quoted as telling French TV station Canal Plus: "There are cameras, you can see him [Suarez] say a certain word to me at least 10 times."

The game at Anfield ended 1-1 after Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard's free-kick was cancelled out by Javier Hernandez's late header for United.

Andy Murray reaches Shanghai Masters semi-finals

British number one Andy Murray remains on course for a third title in a row after beating Australian qualifier Matthew Ebden 6-3 6-2 in the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters.

The defending champion, who has already secured titles in Japan and Thailand this month, won seven games in a row from the middle of the first set.

Ebden tried to fight back but Murray sealed his place in the semi-finals.

The second seed will now face Japan's Kei Nishikori on Saturday.
Third seed David Ferrer will take on his Spanish compatriot Feliciano Lopez in the other semi-final.

Murray failed to take four break points in the fifth game before finally breaking the Australian's serve in the seventh game of the first set.

The world number four then raced through the next six games, winning the first set in the process, before Ebden managed to end the Scot's impressive run.

Ebden, 23, stuck at it but could not match the power and variety of Murray's serve and groundstrokes.

Victory - Murray's 52nd of the year - was completed after one hour and 24 minutes on court.

Ferrer moved into the semi-finals with a hard-fought 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 7-6 (7-2) win over American Andy Roddick while Lopez overcame Germany's Florian Mayer, who knocked out top seed Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-4 on Thursday.

Nishikori, ranked 47 in the world, advanced with a 6-4 6-3 win over Alexandr Dolgopolov, the 12th seed from Ukraine.

Murray's former coach Brad Gilbert trains Nishikori, 21, who is having his best season on tour, reaching one final and four semi-finals.
He said Gilbert's instruction had been key to improving his game and believes the American's inside knowledge could help him against Murray..

"He teaches me how the top players play, and how I need to play, so it is helping me a lot," saud Nishikori.

"Andy has won two tournaments in a row, and beating Nadal (in Japan). It's going to be tough. I've never played him but I'm going to ask my coach. He knows a lot of things."

Roy Evans: Liverpool can win Premier League title

Former manager Roy Evans believes Liverpool are serious contenders to win the Premier League this season.

The Reds have not won a top-flight title for 21 years, with rivals Manchester United lifting the Premier League 12 times during that period.

The two sides meet on Saturday - and Liverpool can close the gap on leaders United to three points with a win.

Evans, Anfield boss between 1994 and 1998, insisted: "We could do it this year, never write Liverpool off."

Evans, 63, played, coached and managed at Liverpool during an illustrious 33-year spell which saw the Reds enjoy unprecedented success. They won 12 league titles, four European Cups, five FA Cups, five League Cups and the Uefa Cup twice.

But the run of league titles ended in 1990 with manager Kenny Dalglish at the helm.
The Scot is back at Anfield after a 20-year absence and his second spell as manager has been backed financially by American owner John W Henry, who celebrates a year in charge on Saturday.

Dalglish has spent £115m, bringing in Luis Suarez, Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson and Sebastian Coates.

Evans believes that depth of investment and Dalglish's know-how makes Liverpool realistic title contenders.

He said: "You have got to believe you can win it. There's no point being in it if you don't think you can win it, certainly at Liverpool's level - that's where you've got to be.

"You've got to have in your mind that, if you went on a bit of a run, you have got a chance.

"We've got to keep progressing. We could do it this year, never write Liverpool off.

"There's still plenty of football to go. Liverpool play Manchester United on Saturday at Anfield and, if we beat them, it will set them back a little bit and give us lots of confidence.

"Liverpool are going the right way, they are going forward - and I think it's been a fantastic year under John Henry."

Liverpool have beaten Manchester United in their last three Premier League meetings at Anfield, the latest being a 3-1 victory under Dalglish.

But United have won six of their opening seven league games this season and, along with rivals Manchester City, seem to be the team to beat.

Henry, who paid £300m for Liverpool, has set a top-four finish as a minimum target for Dalglish - and Evans believes that is realistic.

He added: "Manchester United look strong and Manchester City are progressing but a few of the others seem to have dropped away.

"Arsenal don't seem to be what they were and Tottenham are just starting to find their feet after a slow start. If we can get ourselves in that top four where we should be, that will be great progress."

Source: BBC Sports\Football\Premier League\Liverpool

Mark Webber talking to BBC Sports - Thursday 13 Oct F1

The first thing I want to say in this column is congratulations to my Red Bull Racing team-mate Sebastian Vettel on winning his second world title.

It was inevitable it was going to happen after the amazing start to the season he had [six wins in the first eight races]. The car has been very reliable and he was never going to lose that form overnight.

He has driven well all year and been the class of the field.

The Japanese Grand Prix was a pretty good race. I ended up fourth but pretty close to winner Jenson Button, with Fernando Alonso and Seb also ahead of me.

It was a quick, well-fought-out grand prix at the front and I couldn't believe how close the top six were for quite a long period. It was certainly good to have everyone in sight for most of the race - we were all within the length of the front straight pretty much the whole time.

There were a lot of pit stops and strategy involved between the top three or four.
Jenson did a great drive. I was surprised how he managed to jump Seb around the stops - and just as much when Fernando did it as well.

It was a complicated afternoon - usually what we call the "undercut" would be powerful at Suzuka. That's when you come in to change to new tyres before the guy you're racing and benefit from the extra grip to gain time.

But Jenson and Fernando both passed Seb by doing the opposite - staying out longer.

The safety car complicated it. It is much harder to pick the gaps you are trying to slot into when the field is compacted like that.

There was bit of traffic involved for Seb and me after we had made our final stops, too, so it wasn't a completely fair fight for either of us with Fernando. But fair play to Ferrari, they got it right.

You could see the effect of out-of-sync stops with Lewis Hamilton. He had to come in for his first pit-stop early because he got a puncture.

When that happens, it's easy to wreck your race because it makes your other stints longer than you want them to be. You load the tyres up with too many laps, they run out of grip, and it puts you out of the picture.

Japan was similar to the German Grand Prix, as it turned out. We just didn't have the pace at the end of our stints to go with McLaren and Ferrari. I finished third behind Lewis and Fernando at the Nurburgring - exactly where Seb finished behind Jenson and Fernando on Sunday.

It is a fine line but that was the result everyone deserved on the day.

After the race, I got the bullet train to Tokyo to spend three days killing some time before going to Korea for this weekend's race.

It wasn't exactly a unique idea - I think 19 of the 24 grand prix drivers stayed in the Japanese capital. I decided to fly to Korea on Thursday - there's not a lot going on down where that race track is, so it makes sense to stay in Japan.
I spoke to Jenson over the Suzuka weekend and said, "Let's try and do something". He said he was going to get a few people together to go to watch a baseball game.

I thought it was an awesome idea. I'd never seen a live baseball game before and the level is pretty high in Japan. A lot of guys go over from there to play in the Major League in the United States and earn mega-bucks.

There was a huge crowd in the Tokyo Dome - about 55,000. We had a really good night and it was fun to just enjoy a sporting event in a very low-key way. We bought a bit of merchandise and ate some stadium food - all the usual stuff anyone does when they go to a match.

I heard a good joke at the weekend - an Englishman, Irishman and Scotsman all walk into a bar… to watch Wales in the Rugby World Cup semi-final.

There was a lot of banter last weekend around the World Cup - it seemed almost everyone had loyalties somewhere in the quarter-finals.

As Renault are our engine supplier, there are a lot of French guys on our team, so it was an interesting afternoon on Saturday with England playing France. Obviously I joined in and reminded all the English guys they had been knocked out.

One of our engineering guys is Irish - he was pretty confident until they got done by the Welsh.
And we have a South African who looks after our IT. He and I were pretty nervous about the Australia-South Africa game. Rightfully, as it turned out - they don't get much closer than that.

I didn't get to watch it live as I was a bit busy on Sunday afternoon but it sounds like it was a bit of a war. Fortunately the Aussies had their noses in front at the right time.

The Wallabies have now got a semi-final against New Zealand on Sunday - it starts not long after the Korean Grand Prix is due to finish.

We beat them in the Tri-Nations recently and it will be another tough game.

Australia need to kick well and score the points that come more easily. It's a big boost that Dan Carter is out injured for the All Blacks. He will be missed and hopefully Australia can capitalise on that - even though New Zealand will be very tough to beat on home turf.

In the other semi-final, I fancy Wales to beat France.

As you would expect, the people in Japan were as super-polite as ever but the biggest thing that hit me this year was how thankful they were to us for going there to race. It was really touching.

They have had a pretty rough time since the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami left such devastation in March. But they give the impression they don't want money or funding or anything, they just want people to think about them and show they care.
The F1 drivers have been doing a fair bit since the start of the season, a lot of it arranged by Sauber driver Kamui Kobayashi.

We have sent back videos with reassuring, warm messages to let them know we were well aware of what was going on and that we were thinking of them.

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone arranged for some paintings for charity, the five world champions signed some stuff. All we could give was our time - and it was a no-brainer for us to do that.

The flag marshals put up a nice banner on the driver parade lap before the race saying they would never forget the support we had given them.

I have had a lot of attention and messages from people everywhere I've gone. It was obvious the support meant a lot to them.

Andy Murray beats Stanislas Wawrinka to reach Shanghai Masters and Rafael Nadal is out

Defending champion Andy Murray moved into the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters, as Rafael Nadal went out.

Murray beat Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4 3-6 6-3, while top seed Nadal lost 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 to German Florian Mayer.

The British number one next faces Australian Matthew Ebden, who is ranked 124th in the world and beat Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-2 2-6 7-6 (10-8).

Victory over Wawrinka of Switzerland means the second-seeded Murray has now won 22 of his past 23 matches.

He served impressively to take the first set, but his opponent broke in the eighth game of the second to level.

Murray went 5-0 ahead in the final set and although Wawrinka staged a late rally by taking the next three games, the Scot held on to book an encounter against Ebden on Friday.

It was Murray's first match in the tournament after a bye and a walkover.
He said: "The first set I was up 3-0, two breaks, pretty quickly, and I went up 5-0 in the third set. Both sets got a little bit closer than maybe they needed to be."

French Open champion Nadal, outplayed by world number 23 Mayer, suffered a third-round defeat in Shanghai for the second successive year.

It is only the second time in 16 tournaments this year that the Spaniard has failed to make the quarter-finals. He lost in the second round of the Canadian Open to Croatia's Ivan Dodig in August.

Nadal staved off two break points in the first set with some stunning defensive play to take it to a tie-break, but Mayer raised his game again to take it. He then broke twice in the second to secure the win.

Third seed David Ferrer overcame an early onslaught from Spanish compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero to win in three sets.

Ferrer is the fifth player to make sure of his place at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. World number one Novak Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer and Murray are the others.

Andy Roddick, Alexandr Dolgopolov and Kei Nishikori also won on Thursday.

For reaction to this story, read Sportsday Live. Have your say on Twitter via the hashtag #bbcsportsday.

Vettel beats Button to take a pole for Japanese Grand Prix

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel saw off McLaren's Jenson Button to take pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix.

Vettel will wrap up a second world title this weekend if he scores a single point or Button fails to win.

Lewis Hamilton was initially fastest but ran out of time for a second lap after Michael Schumacher's Mercedes and Mark Webber's Red Bull overtook him.

The McLaren man lines up third next to Ferrari's Felipe Massa, with whom he clashed at the last race in Singapore.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was fifth, ahead of Webber, Schumacher was initially classified seventh but has been demoted to eighth behind Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi.

Neither the German nor the Japanese set a fast time, but Kobayashi did start a qualifying lap, only to later abort it, whereas Schumacher did not even begin one.
The Renaults of Bruno Senna and Vitaly Petrov, who also did not set a time, were classified ninth and 10th.

McLaren took the fight to Red Bull in qualifying but yet another failing seems to have cost them a genuine chance of pole.

Button, who had led all three practice sessions in Japan, was beaten by an agonisingly narrow 0.009 seconds.

Hamilton did not have a chance to see if he could have run Red Bull even closer when he failed to cross the start-finish line in time to start his final fast lap after losing track position to Schumacher and Webber.

Hamilton said: "Jenson was in front of me. He slowed down to get his gap and I was coming up to the last corner, trying to make sure that I had a gap between me and him.

"It wasn't that big and just as I was coming into the chicane I looked in my mirror and I saw Mark diving up the inside of me, and then I saw… I didn't even see Michael but as I gave Mark room, Michael nearly crashed me on the left, so it was… quite dangerous."

Schumacher, who also failed to set a final lap, felt a sluggish final spell of qualifying could have cost him position on the grid.

"It was a bit stupid in the last chicane; everyone was driving a bit slow and I knew I had to go through somehow," he said.
"I had Webber in front who slowed down because Hamilton slowed down and it was tight for all three of us. I tried my best and Lewis pushed me a little bit onto the grass."

BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard said Hamilton should have been more conscious of what was going on around him, but suggested his team should take a portion of the blame.

"It seems to me that whilst Lewis was getting ready to prepare his lap, he wasn't aware of the fact there were cars behind him, they were tight for time and they had to get on with it," he said. "In the end it has compromised his opportunity to go for pole.

"Lewis was trying to leave a gap so he had a clear lap. He didn't have a lot of space to play with but it's a communication issue. His engineers have got to know that Webber is behind him, Schumacher is behind him and the clock is ticking down."

Vettel took the unusual decision to go out early for the final runs and the decision paid off for the German, who took arguably his most comfortable pole position of the season.

BBC F1 commentator Martin Brundle said: "They gave it to him. They made it too easy for him but he was there to pick it up."

In his last two appearances at Suzuka, Vettel has taken pole-to-flag victories and he will be favourite for the victory again, even though tyre wear could yet play a crucial part.
Suzuka's fast and narrow circuit, which has been bathed in spectacular autumn sunshine all weekend, has been demanding on the Pirelli tyres and the teams made a determined effort to save some of their limited sets for Sunday's 53-lap race.

BBC pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz commented: "They are genuinely in trouble with these tyres tomorrow."

The tyre-saving tactic seemed to backfire for Toro Rosso's Sebastian Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari, who qualified 15th and 16th in a subdued second phase of qualifying.

Sauber's Sergio Perez, who is battling flu this weekend, was not able to get out at all because of an issue with his hydraulics.

Nico Rosberg was left stranded in the Mercedes garage because of a hydraulics failure and will start on the back row of the grid alongside HRT's Vitantonio Liuzzi.

"I haven't given up and I can score some points from there," said a fairly philosophical Rosberg.

The German has made some electrifying starts this season, even moving up to take the lead at the Belgian Grand Prix, and must call on something special again in Japan.

"It's understandably frustrating for him because he's in a big titanic battle with his own team-mate, Michael Schumacher, and this is a real disappointment for the team," commented BBC F1 analyst Eddie Jordan.

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher says all future England managers and staff should be home-grown

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is adamant that all future England managers after Fabio Capello and their staff should be home-grown.

Current coach Capello is set to step down after the 2012 European Championships if his side qualify.

The Italian is the second foreigner to lead the national team following Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson from 2001-2006.

"For me, you shouldn't have a foreign member of staff," said the former England centre-back.

"The best doctor in the country should be the England doctor, the best bus driver and so on."
Carragher retired from international football in 2007 but returned to play for Capello at the 2010 World Cup.

England were beaten 4-1 by Germany in the second round and their only major international trophy remains the 1966 World Cup.

Carragher retired for the second time with 38 caps to his name.

Football Association chairman David Bernstein insists Capello will depart as planned after Euro 2012 and the organisation has stated its desire to appoint an Englishman to replace him.

"It's not a criticism of Capello, Eriksson or anyone who comes in the future and it's not anything about foreign coaches or players coming into the Premier League," Carragher told the Leaders in Football conference.

"I just think international football is our best versus their best. Whether that's our best keepers, centre-forward, right wingers, if we're short in those areas we have to improve our players.

"But it's not just the players; if you're going to do a coaching course, as I've started, you've got to aspire to be the best in your country and that would be the England manager.

"If we're not up to it in certain areas we have to improve."
Ray Wilkins won 84 caps in England's midfield between 1976 and 1986, and he agrees with Carragher.

"I'd like to see an English manager," stated the former Chelsea, Manchester United and AC Milan player.

"We have attempted [to go for the best foreign coach], we've tried. We haven't gone that far at World Cups with foreign coaches. An English guy understands the English footballer."

Carragher also suggested that Premier League academies need to focus on English talent.

"We talk about players in academies not getting a chance but one of the reasons why they don't is because players from every other country want to play there," the 33-year-old commented.

"Our academies are not now just full of local players, they're full of foreign players as well and that's a bit of a problem for me.

"I think no foreign players should really leave their country until after 18 or maybe 21. The academy should be for local players."

Andy Murray survives Marcos Baghdatis scare in Tokyo

Andy Murray came back from a break down in the deciding set to beat Marcos Baghdatis in the opening round of the Japan Open.

The Cypriot led 3-1 in the third set but the Briton battled back to complete a 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-4 victory in Tokyo.

Each player broke serve in the first set before Murray came through the tie-break, but Baghdatis levelled to take it to a decider.

The Scot looked set for an early exit but held his nerve to progress.

"He played well under the conditions. It took me longer to find the range," Murray said. "The hardest thing for me always is changing from playing outdoors to indoors.

"It was very tough, it was very long, I did a lot of running in the first two sets.
"He is a tough guy to play against. He has a big serve. He can hurt you in many ways on the court."

Murray has now won 17 of his previous 18 matches, his last defeat coming in the semi-finals of the US Open at the hands of Rafael Nadal.

Murray's rich run of form seemed to have ended, though, when former Australian Open finalist Baghdatis took the second set.

Baghdatis had beaten the British number one in three of their four previous meetings, including a match in Rotterdam this February, and a fourth victory seemed on the horizon when he broke early in the third set.

Murray, however, came through several tight games to book a second-round clash with American Alex Bogomolov Jr.

Charlie Adam will return to Ibrox for the first time since leaving Rangers

Rangers will face Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool in a friendly at Ibrox Stadium on Tuesday 18 October.

Charlie Adam and Danny Wilson will return to Ibrox for the first time since leaving Rangers.

Rangers manager Ally McCoist said the club were looking forward to facing "world-class players".

"We look forward to welcoming Charlie and Danny back and I'm sure fans will turn out in numbers to watch us against such a high-profile side," he said.

Defender Wilson moved from the Scottish champions to Anfield in 2010, while midfielder Adam joined his fellow Scotland international at the Barclays Premier League club this summer via a spell at Blackpool.

The two clubs have arranged the friendly as they seek added income to compensate for the lack of European competition this season.

Liverpool failed to finish high enough last season to qualify for either the Champions League or Europa League.

Scottish champions Rangers lost to Malmo in Champions League qualifying and then failed to overcome Maribor in their attempt to reach the Europa League group stage.

Everton midfielder Rodwell wins appeal over red card against Liverpool on Saturday

Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell has won his appeal against the red card shown to him against Liverpool on Saturday.

Rodwell was sent off by referee Martin Atkinson 23 minutes into the Merseyside derby for a challenge on Luis Suarez.

The decision infuriated Everton boss David Moyes as his side went on to lose 2-0 at Goodison Park.

The Football Association (FA) decided to withdraw the suspension and Rodwell will now be available for Everton's next three domestic fixtures.

The Toffees face Chelsea on 15 October, Fulham on 23 October and Chelsea in the Carling Cup on 26 October.

Rodwell had originally received a red card for serious foul play for his tackle on Reds striker Suarez.

After the match, Toffees boss David Moyes expressed his shock at Atkinson's decision.

"I thought it ruined the game," said the Scot.

"I would have been disappointed if it had been a free-kick. I don't think anyone in this world thought it was a sending off."

Everton's chief executive Robert Elstone welcomed the overturning of Rodwell's red card but said it meant little in the wake of a defeat.

"Whilst we welcome the correct decision the FA panel has reached, it's of course an outcome which will provide little consolation whatsoever to the 37,000 Evertonians packed into Goodison on Saturday to watch the 2-0 defeat," he commented.

Everton to take firm action against fans who threw missiles

Everton have vowed to take "firm action" against any fan found guilty of throwing missiles at Liverpool players in Saturday's Merseyside derby.

Objects appeared to be thrown from the crowd at Andy Carroll, Craig Bellamy and Luis Suarez in the second half.

"This behaviour is totally unacceptable and will be rightly condemned by all right-thinking Evertonians," said director of communications Ian Ross.

Everton are working with police to examine video footage of the match.

The Football Association are waiting for referee Martin Atkinson's official match report before deciding on what action they will take.
Everton had midfielder Jack Rodwell controversially sent off - a decision they have appealed against - before Liverpool won the 216th Merseyside derby 2-0 with goals from Andy Carroll and Suarez.

Items including plastic bottles and what is thought to have been a coin were hurled onto the pitch during the closing minutes of the game.

Mr Ross added: "We are fully aware of the incidents which occurred during Saturday's derby game.

"We are currently working with Merseyside Police on collating and analysing all available CCTV footage of the incidents.

"If we can identify any supporter who threw anything - and we mean anything - on to the pitch on Saturday we will take immediate firm and far-reaching action."

Saturday, 1 Oct 2011\ Premier League: Liverpool won over Everton 2-0

Liverpool's £58m strikeforce of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez scored the goals that settled the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park - but Everton were left complaining bitterly about Jack Rodwell's controversial early red card.

Rodwell was sent off by referee Martin Atkinson - who has shown 15 red cards since the start of last season - after 23 minutes for what appeared to be a legitimate challenge on Suarez.

Everton had started well but were then forced to mount a rearguard action with 10 men following Rodwell's dismissal.

The hosts survived when goalkeeper Tim Howard saved Dirk Kuyt's penalty late in the first half after Phil Jagielka felled Suarez.
But with Goodison Park openly directing its full hostility towards Atkinson, Liverpool went ahead when Carroll turned in his first Premier League goal of the season after 70 minutes.



And Suarez took advantage of a misunderstanding between Leighton Baines and Sylvain Distin to add a second with eight minutes left.

Everton boss David Moyes will be frustrated at the turn of events that halted his side's early momentum - but counterpart Kenny Dalglish will happily take victory on his return to Goodison Park as Liverpool manager, the place where his first spell in charge ended more than 20 years ago.

Tim Cahill was fit for Everton after suffering a shin injury at Manchester City last week - and his value was illustrated as he was swiftly into his stride and unsettling the Liverpool defence.

It was Suarez, however, who had the first chance. Jagielka's sliced clearance found Kuyt, but Suarez could only head his cross tamely into the arms of Howard.

As a frenetic opening continued, Cahill - whose robust approach had already prompted Jamie Carragher to register his displeasure to Atkinson - rose above the Liverpool defence to force keeper Pepe Reina into an athletic tip over the top.

Everton defender Distin then demonstrated neat footwork to evade a succession of challenges inside the area before sending a rising, angled effort narrowly off target.

The game was engulfed in controversy when Rodwell appeared to win the ball cleanly in a midfield challenge with Suarez. The tackle drew an angry response from Liverpool's players- Lucas in particular as Suarez writhed in agony - but it was an obvious injustice when the England Under-21 midfielder was shown the red card.
As half-time approached with Everton desperate to get into the dressing room and regroup, Liverpool were awarded a penalty for Jagielka's rash challenge on Suarez. This time there was no disputing Atkinson's decision, but Howard rescued Everton by diving low to his left to keep out Kuyt's spot-kick.

At the end of a frantic first 45 minutes, there was still time for Charlie Adam to strike the bar from 20 yards before referee Atkinson departed to a deafening chorus of jeering from Everton's fans.

Little had been seen of £35m man Carroll until just after the restart when he twice rose powerfully to meet corners, forcing Louis Saha to clear acrobatically off the line and Howard to save low at his post.



Saha had been in lively mood after he was restored to the side and gave Reina an anxious moment with a low effort from distance that flashed just wide.
It was the signal for Dalglish to contemplate changes and they came after 66 minutes when Adam and the subdued Stewart Downing were replaced by Steven Gerrard and Craig Bellamy.

Liverpool had hardly been placing Everton under relentless pressure, but they finally forced their way through with 20 minutes left. Bellamy played in Jose Enrique, and when Kuyt ducked under his cross Carroll forced home from eight yards.

Everton were, perhaps understandably, deflated at the setback and it was no surprise when Suarez added Liverpool's second after 82 minutes. Distin and Baines were involved in a mix-up as the Uruguayan advanced into the area, and he was not about to pass up the gift to shoot low past Howard.

Liverpool were now in command and collected the three points in comfort, with Kuyt striking the woodwork in the closing seconds.

Watch the game goals:

Shelvey today spoke of his joy after netting a wonder goal on his Blackpool debut

Jonjo Shelvey today spoke of his joy after netting a wonder goal on his Blackpool debut during the 5-0 thumping of Bristol City.
The on-loan Liverpool midfielder found the net with a fantastic 35-yard free-kick and he played a pivotal role in the victory.

Speaking about his goal, Shelvey told Blackpool's official website: "I just thought I'm going to smash it and see what happens. It came off nicely and started spinning away from the keeper so it was a good goal for me personally.

"The manager has told me to go and express myself and for a player in my position that's what I like to do."

The 19-year-old midfielder admitted he spoke to former Blackpool captain Charlie Adam about his move to Bloomfield Road.

He added: "Charlie mentioned about how passionate the fans are and it has given me thrills to come out and play again. I can't wait to play in front of them again.

"It was a perfect day for me. I had my family in the stands and I capped it off with a great goal."

Everton vs Liverpool 0-2 all goals

Saturday, 1 Oct 2011\ Premier League:
Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez grab second-half goals as Liverpool finally ground down 10-man Everton in an enthralling and controversial Merseyside derby....

(Andy Carroll 71)





(Luis Suarez 82)

Blackpool complete the loan signing of Jonjo Shelvey from Liverpool

Blackpool have completed the loan signing of Liverpool's teenage midfielder Jonjo Shelvey.

The 19-year-old has joined until 31 December 2011 and could make his debut against Bristol City on Saturday.

Shelvey has made 22 appearances for the Reds since signing from Charlton in April 2010.

He became the Addicks' youngest-ever first-team player in 2008, at the age of 16 years and 59 days, and played 42 times for the London club.

Meanwhile Seasiders midfielder Elliot Grandin has been ruled out for a further month after having an operation on his toe.

The Frenchman has already missed the last six games of the season through injury.

Mark Webber: The Singapore Grand Prix was a bit of a frustrating race for me

It was another win for my team-mate, Sebastian Vettel, and another normal race if you like. You can't say he doesn't deserve his success.

I had what I would describe as a solid drive to take third place behind Jenson Button's McLaren.

It would have been nice to make it a one-two for Red Bull but I had another ropey start, which is becoming a bit of a broken record.

I need to work on that aspect of my race because it is much harder to compete if you are on the back foot on the very first lap.

Seb's start was not brilliant either - Jenson was closing on him - but it is a short run to the first corner in Singapore and he held him off. If it had been Malaysia or Barcelona, it might have been different.

At the Belgian Grand Prix, my poor start was not my fault. But on Sunday, there were a few metres where I could have done better.
The rules make it pretty challenging for engineers to get the starts right as launch control and other electronic aids that limit wheel-spin are not allowed.

There is a lot of work for the drivers to do as well. I cannot give too much away but there are a number of procedures to go through before we get going.

When the lights go out, we quickly release one clutch paddle on the steering wheel and feed in a second gradually - that's the one the driver uses to modulate the grip of the rear wheels

This year, we have seen the biggest fluctuation in starts for years, which is purely down to the new Pirelli tyres and how they perform off the line.

It is harder to manage the grip away from the start but if you get it right - as Fernando Alonso did in Monza - it makes a big difference.

For all that, my starts have been poor this year.
During the race, I had another battle with my old mate Fernando. I seem to have spent a lot of time in his company on the track recently.

I had to pass him twice in Singapore. The first time was on lap 10, when he was running out of grip from his tyres. I got him into turn 15 after setting him up in turn 14.

The second time looked more spectacular, into the turn 10 chicane, which is not normally a passing place. I heard a few people saying I caught Fernando napping but, to be fair, he was blocked by the Toro Rosso in front of us.

I didn't know who it was at the time - I have since found out it was Jaime Alguersuari - but the Toro Rossos are traditionally the later cars to give way.

All the front-running guys have been similarly affected. In this case, I benefited and that's why I could pounce in turn 10. Jaime snookered Fernando a little bit and I was able to checkmate him.

It was a rewarding manoevure because I was on similar-age tyres to Fernando, which means, had it not been for Alguersuari, I would probably have had to take a few more laps to get past him, waiting for his tyres to go off.

I then had a go at catching Jenson on the prime tyres in the penultimate stint. I closed the gap between us but he was very quick following the final stops after we had both put the faster super-soft tyres back on. When I realised I was not going to catch him, I just concentrated on getting the car home.

Finishing third means I am out of the championship but the writing has been on the wall for a while for all of the guys chasing Seb.

On the Mark

Putting my frustrations aside, Singapore was a good event. It always goes down well.

It is a unique race - a street circuit like Monaco with some similar challenges but in many ways the polar opposite. The Singapore circuit is long, whereas Monaco is pretty short. Singapore is quite repetitive, while every corner is different at Monaco.

It was rewarding for me to leave Singapore with a good result. It hasn't always been a happy hunting ground for me. I love driving an F1 car there but generally prefer circuits that are a bit more open with more flow to the corners.

My best tracks have always been Silverstone, Suzuka, Spa, Nurburgring and Monaco. I am usually a bit less happy with circuits that have corners that close back in on themselves, like Singapore.

All the drivers have a track or two we don't go so well at. For Seb, it is probably the Nurburgring. For Jenson, it is probably Silverstone. China was a bit of a bogey track for Michael Schumacher a while.

Off the Mark

I went to Australia straight after the Singapore race. It made sense to base myself there during this Asian leg of the season.

It means I can stay in the same time-zone for the next two races in Japan and Korea, although, because we stay on European time in Singapore, I was a bit jet-lagged on Tuesday after landing in Oz on Monday night.

I take the opportunity when I can to come to Australia and it is nice to stay in my own home, not a hotel. I'm not missing much back at the factory either because the rest of the team do not spend much time there, pretty much leaving straight away after getting there.

My home from home is Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, an hour-and-a-half's drive north of Brisbane.

It's a part of Australia I've enjoyed since 2003, when, in my Jaguar days, my then team-mate Christian Klien and reserve driver Bjorn Wirdheim managed to get a Range Rover stuck on a beach. Trouble is, it was me who had loaned it to them for the day.

UNSPUN

An extra benefit to being in Australia between Singapore and Japan is being able to experience a massive week of sport.

The National Rugby League Grand Final is on Sunday. Rugby league was my sport growing up - I played a bit.

My team, the Canberra Raiders, finished second-last this season but it will be an intriguing game between Manly Sea Eagles, the favourites, and the New Zealand Warriors, who have caused a bit of an upset by getting to the final for the first time.

On Saturday, there is also the AFL Grand Final, which is a massive occasion in the state of Victoria.

Aussie Rules is a good sport, a kind of a cross between Gaelic football, rugby, soccer and American football. It's a sport most Europeans don't understand - I've tried explaining it to a few, including Seb, but they just can't get it. But the guys that play it are courageous and great athletes.

Mark Webber was talking to BBC Sport's Andrew Benson. Read his exclusive column on this website every Thursday.

Via BBC Sports\Formula1\Mark Webber column

Dirk Kuyt is encouraging Merseyside girls to challenge their dad's to a penalty shoot-out at this weekend's Women's Super League

Dirk Kuyt is encouraging Merseyside girls to challenge their dad's to a penalty shoot-out at this weekend's Women's Super League (WSL) games.

The FA is aiming to encourage more Dads to take their daughters to football games.

Liverpool Ladies FC is helping to drive the initiative with activities including a penalty shoot-out, at their match against championship hopefuls Arsenal this Sunday.

Dad and Liverpool FC player, Dirk Kuyt said, "When we look around Anfield it's great to see so many young girls as well as lads coming to watch football. I love to try and have a kick about with my daughter, as well as my sons, and it's great to see the ladies team supporting this campaign."

Vicky Jones, captain of Liverpool Ladies said: "The Dad's vs. Daughters penalty shoot-out will bring some extra excitement to what is an important final game for us. My Dad was a big influence on my career. My sister and I loved to play football with him and it will be great to see other girls enjoying the same with their Dads.

"It is sad to see the end of what has been a wonderful first WSL, Sunday will be an exciting game, as we will have to play a great Arsenal side for our chance to get 7th spot."

Aquilani completes loan move to Milan

Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani has completed a loan move to AC Milan, the Italian side have confirmed.
The 27-year-old has joined until next summer, with an option to extend his stay until June 2014.

Milan can make the Italy international's move permanent if he makes at least 25 appearances for this them this season.

Aquilani spent last season on loan at Juventus before returning to Anfield this summer.

A statement from AC Milan read: "AC Milan announces it has acquired Alberto Aquilani on loan with an option to buy the player's rights from Liverpool."

The former Roma playmaker said: "I am delighted to have arrived here. This is a leap in my career.
"I have come to Milan to do well. The clause of making at least 25 appearances? It's not a problem for me and I'm not thinking about it.

"I will do everything possible to earn the trust of the club."

Aquilani failed to hold down a regular first time place under Rafa Benitez, Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish after signing for the Reds in 2009, starting in just 18 games in that period.

Damien Comolli, Liverpool director of football, said: "I want to pay tribute to the way Alberto has conducted himself during these discussions.

"Throughout the entire process, his only desire has been to play football and he has put this ahead of any other considerations and at personal cost to himself. We wish him well for the season ahead."

Mark Webber quickest in Belgian Grand Prix practice

Red Bull's Mark Webber set the pace from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in a rain-interrupted practice session at the Belgian Grand Prix.

The Australian set a best lap of one minute 50.321 seconds to beat Alonso by just 0.140secs, with McLaren's Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton next.

Button was 0.449secs adrift of Webber, with Hamilton 0.068secs further back.

Force India's Paul di Resta was ninth on his F1 debut at Spa, just behind the team's reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg.

Both sessions on Friday were disrupted by rain.
The second session started on a damp track after showers in the lunch interval, but it dried up sufficiently for a period of running on slick tyres in the middle of the session.

The drivers first ran on harder 'medium' tyres, on which World Championship leader Sebastian Vettel was fastest by 0.3secs from Hamilton.

Vettel did not go out on the soft tyres towards the end of the dry window, unlike Webber, Alonso, Button, Hamilton, Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Mercedes' Nico Rosberg, who were fifth and sixth.

The performance comparison between the cars around the lap was as expected.

Webber was more than 0.3secs faster than Alonso in the middle sector of the lap, which features a sequence of medium- and high-speed corners, while the Ferrari and the McLaren clawed back some time in the first and second sectors, which are mainly straights and slow corners.

It remains to be seen how that split will balance out in terms of overall lap time in qualifying and the race.

Hamilton said: "It was quite cool at the end, we got a couple of laps in the dry. We were able to do a couple of installation laps and work out what downforce levels to run.

"The weather was supposed to be worse today, but the weekend was supposed to be nice, but now I hear it's going to be like this all weekend.

"We seem to be OK in the wet, but I think we're also quite solid in the dry. The end of the straights will be quite interesting. Some people are very fast at the end of the straights, some people are quicker in the infield."
Hamilton survived a scary moment in the first session when his car snapped away from him heading towards the super-fast Blanchimont corner towards the end of the lap.
"It was just before Blanchimont," he said. "There was a small river across the track. I must have been doing 150mph and I had a huge tank-slapper. I'm glad I was awake to catch it otherwise it probably would have made an awful mess of the car."

HRT technical director Geoff Willis, acting as an analyst for BBC Sport, said: "I still think the Red Bulls are looking strong but Alonso and the McLarens are fighting back. It's not going to be an easy one to call, and with the DRS (overtaking aid) you'll have to fight until the last lap."

BBC 5 live analyst Anthony Davidson added: "I think the Ferraris should be pretty strong here."

DRS - which reduces drag to boost straightline speed - can be used in the race on the straight up the hill after Eau Rouge, if a driver is within a second of the car in front at a designated point on the track.

Michael Schumacher set the fastest time in the morning session as he starts the weekend that marks the 20th anniversary of his F1 debut. He and Mercedes team-mate Rosberg were the only men who set a time before it rained.

A downpour soaked the track and although it dried as the session went on, it was never dry enough for slick tyres.
The fastest driver on intermediate tyres in those conditions was Button with a lap time of two minutes 2.740 seconds - a second faster than Vettel, who was running behind him on the track.

Hamilton was fifth fastest overall, ahead of Force India's Adrian Sutil.

Unusually, Sutil sat out the second session in favour of Hulkenberg - usually reserve drivers run in the first session on Friday.

Sutil was not happy, telling BBC Sport: "We changed the session with Nico this morning. It is not good for the performance to not be in the car.

"It's a bit disappointing what the team does because it's not good for the success but I had to sit out for the afternoon and will do my best tomorrow.
"It was the only dry session we had and I missed it. But [this morning] I felt good, the car was fast and as usual we can expect a good performance here."

As drivers explored the wet conditions in the morning, Bruno Senna crashed, an inauspicious start to his first race weekend for Renault at Turn Nine.

Scot Paul di Resta, who had never driver an F1 car at Spa before, also had a similar off at that tricky downhill corner.

That incident brought out a red flag as the session was stopped while marshals recovered the Force India from the barriers.

Senna was much more impressive in the second session.

In the wet early running, the Brazilian was initially running third behind Webber and Alonso, before later moving up to second behind Vettel.

He ended the session 17th, with his Renault team-mate Vitaly Petrov down in 24th.

McLaren arrived in Belgium intending to use a new rear wing that has a more powerful straight-line speed boost when the DRS overtaking device is engaged.

But the wet conditions prevented them properly assessing its effect.

They also have a redesigned exhaust on the car in an attempt to increase downforce.
World champions Red Bull are hoping to return to the front this weekend after failing to win since Vettel's victory in Valencia at the end of June.

The team ran some bright green 'flo-viz' paint, which allows them to see the airflow over parts of the car, on the diffuser of Webber's RB7, which suggests they may have some new designs on the floor.