What They Said This Week

“Black-humoured hacks call it a “cracked badge week”. That’s when a football club is deemed to be so deep in crisis that the editor prints a picture of the club’s insignia with a fracture line down the middle.”
The Times’ Jonathan Northcroft describes the situation at Anfield

“There have now been so many 'cracked-badge weeks' at Anfield this season, however, that the players have become immune to the squabbles in the boardroom. If anything, Benitez's team has been energised by the turmoil judging by their progression to the semi-finals of the Champions League and success in recent weeks at moving clear of Everton in the race for fourth place.”
Mark Ogden on the Telegraph picks up the analogy

“Can you be a bargain at £20.2 million? I don't know.”
Alan Smith is still undecided

"Yeah, he's a good player"
Steven Gerrard masters the art of understatements with his description of Fernando Torres

“Along with Benitez's infuriating rotation policy, the main hindrances to Liverpool's title aspirations this season have been the incessant squabbling between Hicks and Gillett, the inappropriate sounding out of Jurgen Klinsmann for a job that wasn't vacant, and persistent links with DIC.”
A sample of the cliché fest served by Phil Holland on ESPN

“Has it ever worked having two people running an organisation like a football club?”
Ian St. John asks a very good question a year too late.

“We have lots of supporters who travel over from Ireland and they will have booked flights and bought tickets".
Surely that cannot be, Mr. Moyes!

“If George doesn’t sell — because I am not going to sell — I guess we stay in this position we are in. It’s complicated but it’s going to happen although I can’t force George to accept.”
Plenty to look forward for Tom Hicks.

“I just want to do my best for the club”
It is not only Tom Hicks who has a couple of suggestions for Rick Parry on how to achieve his target.

“Here we are, a few days away from a vital Champions League semi-final match and Tom has once again created turmoil with his public comments”
George Gillet, the man who spoke of the breakdown in relationship between the two owners days before the crucial games with Arsenal, seems blissfully of the word irony.

“He talks good English but he is not English”
Rafael Benitez kicks off an internet frenzy