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Posts Tagged ‘family’

• Deal done less than 24 hours after Carling Cup semi-final
• Gerrard also agrees future ambassadorial role with club

The Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has committed his future to the club by signing an extension to his contract.

The 31-year-old England international finalised the deal less than 24 hours after scoring the only goal in Liverpool’s 1-0 Carling Cup semi-final first leg victory at Manchester City.

He told the club’s website: “I’m very happy. It’s a very proud day for myself and my family. This is the club I love and is the club I have supported since I was a young boy.

“I am living the dream as the captain of one of the biggest clubs in the world. I love coming to work every day and the experiences I have had since I was eight years of age and first signed for the club, I wouldn’t change them for the world. To extend that and to hopefully have some more good times in a red shirt is what I want.”

Gerrard has also agreed to take up an ambassadorial role with the club when he retires as a player.

“It’s really flattering for me that the club have offered me the chance to stay when I eventually hang my boots up,” he said. “Hopefully that will be in many years to come because I want to play for as long as I can.”

Steven GerrardLiverpoolguardian.co.uk

• Clemence ‘having tests in hospital’ after falling sick on Friday
• 63-year-old likely to miss Sweden friendly

The Football Association have confirmed that the England goalkeeping coach, Ray Clemence, has been admitted to hospital.

Clemence began to feel unwell on Friday, and missed both training and also Saturday’s friendly win over the world champions, Spain. “Ray Clemence has been unwell while with England and is having tests in hospital,” said an FA statement.

Clemence, 63, won 61 England caps and is now serving under his fifth national team manager. He will also be missing when England train this morning ahead of Tuesday’s friendly with Sweden, and is highly unlikely to be back in the dugout by then.

“At this time Ray would like to thank everyone for the kind messages he’s received and the FA would like to request privacy for his family,” the statement added.

EnglandTottenham HotspurLiverpoolguardian.co.uk

• Liverpool owner says scrapping relegation not discussed
• LMA chief executive Richard Bevan had highlighted issue

The Liverpool owner, John W Henry, has denied that foreign owners in the Premier League want to scrap the relegation and promotion system.

Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the League Managers’ Association, said this week that some of the American and Asian owners have been talking about ending the system.

But Henry called that “complete nonsense”, telling the Associated Press that the issue “hasn’t been discussed”.

Half of the Premier League’s 20 teams are foreign-owned. Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester United and Sunderland are owned by Americans, while Blackburn is under Indian ownership and Queens Park Rangers has Malaysian backers.

Bevan warned that, if more teams are sold to overseas investors, they could force a change in the long-standing rules.

“There are a number of overseas-owned clubs already talking about bringing about the avoidance of promotion and relegation in the Premier League,” Bevan said. “If we have four or five more new owners, that could happen.”

Other American-owned teams have also dismissed Bevan’s claims. The Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, whose club is owned by the American Malcom Glazer and his family, said eliminating relegation “would be absolute suicide for the rest of the teams in the country, particularly the Championship”.

The Aston Villa board headed by Randy Lerner was “confused and surprised” by Bevan’s remarks. But Bevan said “particularly American owners without doubt” have been looking at a system without relegation.

LiverpoolJohn W HenryPremier Leagueguardian.co.uk