http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/new-boys-ready-for-derby Kenny Dalglish today insisted Liverpool's derby debutants will be well-prepared for the task of taking on Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday lunchtime. The likes of Luis Suarez, Andy Carroll, Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing, Jose Enrique, Jordan Henderson and Sebastian Coates could acquire their first taste of a Red versus Blue encounter when the boss leads his side across Stanley Park for the 216th meeting between the teams. However, Dalglish is confident the derby experiences those players have picked up elsewhere will stand them in good stead. He told his pre-match press conference: "I think Rangers against Celtic will have given Charlie a good grounding. For Andy, the north-east derby isn't to be undermined either, and for Stewart Villa against Birmingham isn't the smallest of derbies, is it? "They may not have experienced one of these derbies before, but everybody has experienced a derby of some sort. "Even for Luis (Suarez), the derby he's been involved in in Holland will have been frenetic as well. Every derby starts the same way. "I don't think there is anybody who will be involved with us on Saturday who would undermine or be surprised by what they come up against. "That's very important and although they might not have experienced the derbies here, they have somewhere else and they were equally as important to them when they were playing in them as what this one is." He added: "We know what a victory in a derby means to the people of Liverpool and we know how much elation the players would get from it. "There are some players who haven't played in it before that might play on Saturday, but I'm sure they understand what this football club stands for." Liverpool's preparations for the short journey across Stanley Park were bolstered on Thursday by the news Daniel Agger had returned to training at Melwood following a rib injury, while Glen Johnson edges ever-closer to a comeback meaning Dalglish has a near-fully fit squad to choose from. Earlier in the week, Dirk Kuyt spoke about the strength of the Reds squad and his determination to regain a regular starting berth - and the gaffer is delighted by the attitude and work ethic of his players. Dalglish said: "Dirk works very, very hard - and so does everybody. We're not going to get anywhere without people working hard in training because it's an important part of preparation for games. "Everybody has been a tremendous credit to themselves in the way they've conducted themselves in training and the effort and commitment they've put into it. "If you want to play, you've got to do that. If you do, then when you're given your opportunity, it's much easier for you to succeed. "We keep saying we've got a stronger squad than last year, so that means the competition will be greater as well. The better the players play when they're given the opportunity, the better the competition will be. "We're happy with that and it stands us in good stead to have a strong squad. I don't think there is anybody here who is not competing for a first-team spot, and that's great for us." A veteran of the Merseyside derby, Dalglish is well aware of the joy success in the fixture can bring to either the red or blue sides of the city. However, ultimately the boss knows that obtaining three Premier League points is the most important aspect of the contest as Liverpool look to build on last weekend's 2-1 win over Wolves. Dalglish said: "For me a win is a win and for them (Everton) a win is a win. It will get us three points and a bit of bragging rights. How much it means to them, I am not in a position to judge and you'll have to ask them yourself - but for us it is very important to win games. "We've got to earn anything we want to get in life and we'll certainly need to work hard to get anything from Goodison on Saturday. If we want to get three points, then we'll need to stand up and be counted because I'm sure they'll make it very difficult for us. "We'll try to play the way we want to play and at the same time stop them playing the way they want to. I'm sure Moysie (David Moyes) will be saying the same thing. "The most important thing for us is to be confident, composed and have belief we can win the game. It is up to us to get that into our players and get them to believe it. We'll be totally committed to getting a result - and we know we have to be or we won't get anything. "We'll compete as best we possibly can. The preparations have gone excellently and we look forward to it." He added: "Moysie has done a fantastic job and we've got a great deal of respect for David Moyes and also for the football club. "He's a good lad and we know him well, but come Saturday the two of us will be rivals and that's the way it should be. Afterwards we'll have a drink and move on." As both player and later manager, Dalglish contested some classic Merseyside derbies during the 1980s - including two FA Cup finals at Wembley. Reporters were keen to hear the Reds manager's favourite memories of the fixture ahead of the latest showdown. "The most poignant one was the '89 Cup final - not just for Liverpool because we won it, but for the whole city of Liverpool," recalled Dalglish. "Another was the first (Cup final) in '86 when we saw fathers going to the game with their kids, one in red and white and one in blue and white. "Both Cup finals spoke volumes for the city about how they (the fans) conducted themselves and how much the clubs meant to them. "They're the most vivid derby memories for me." Meanwhile, journalists asked Dalglish about Liverpool's defensive record so far in 2011-12. He replied: "I wouldn't say we're worried about it, but it's always nice to have your opposition with a 'nothing' after their name, isn't it? "It's something we've got to continue working on, but if we keep scoring more goals than the opposition then fine. "Last week against Wolves we might have been under pressure a little bit and got a couple of tackles in around the box, but for me we had by far the greater and most chances in the game. It looked more likely that we would have extended our lead than lost it. "If you keep scoring goals, it makes it more difficult for the other team, but certainly losing no goals makes it a bit easier for ourselves as well as scoring at the other end. "If you want to get points, then it's helpful not to lose any - but I wouldn't say we've got a problem with it."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2011/09/dalglish_returns_to_where_he_l.html McNumpty blog on KK's first return to Goodison as LFC manager.... GKRK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15115601.stm Everton-Liverpool derby will be fantastic, says Rafa Benitez Merseyside derby against Everton will be "fantastic". Reds boss Kenny Dalglish has spent over £100m since his return in January, while David Moyes was limited to three loan signings over the summer and sold Mikel Arteta to Arsenal. "A derby is a derby," Benitez told BBC Sport. "It doesn't matter if you have spent money or not. "The passion will be there and I think it will be a fantastic game." Dalglish recruited well over the summer, bringing in midfielder Craig Bellamy from Manchester City and midfielders Stewart Downing from Aston Villa and Charlie Adam from Blackpool. Brazilian goalkeeper Doni also arrived from Roma as back up for Pepe Reina and was joined by defenders Sebastian Coates from Nacional and Jose Enrique from Newcastle and midfielder Jordan Henderson from Sunderland. Everton, meanwhile, sold influential midfielder Arteta on transfer deadline day and forward James Vaughan to Norwich while only bringing in Tigre forward Denis Stracqualursi, Real Madrid midfielder Royston Drenthe on loan, and Sporting Lisbon defender Eric Dier, all on loan. Liverpool made a strong start to the season with wins over Arsenal and Bolton, however a narrow defeat to Stoke followed by a four-goal thumping at Tottenham have followed. Everton have also had an indifferent start securing victories over Blackburn and Wigan but falling short against newly-promoted QPR and Manchester City. Benitez, who has been out of work since getting sacked by Inter Milan in December last year, believes Liverpool should be pleased with their start and the game at Goodison Park will be a good barometer for his former club's form. "I think they're doing really well," added Benitez who was speaking at the launch of the Montse Benitez Charitable Foundation. "They have had some good results and some not so good but overall, it has been a good start. "Derbies are fantastic and game will be proof for the fans to see if the team are going forward. "I liked to be involved with derbies in the past and I'll definitely enjoy watching this weekend's game from home."
LAST FIVE ENCOUNTERS 16 Jan 2011 - Liverpool 2-2 Everton 17 Oct 2010 - Everton 2-0 Liverpool 6 Feb 2010 - Liverpool 1-0 Everton 29 Nov 2009 - Everton 0-2 Liverpool 4 Feb 2009 - Everton 1-0 Liverpool
I don't read into the pre-match build up anymore, they worked hard before the Spurs game and were ready for it. Match day is a different story, what matters is what they do on the pitch. Come on you reds!
